Paper, Film & Foil Converter

Technical Report: A Rheology Lesson

February 01, 2011, By Mark Miller, Coating Tech Service

Whether you are dealing with a fluid coating or a plastic product, you need to understand rheology. Rheology of the polymer in question affects not only

Packaging Paper: Better Days Ahead?

October 01, 2010, By Frank Perkowski, Business Development Advisory

Packaging papers include a wide range of grades, applications, markets, and forms, which are driven by very different dynamics and circumstances in many

Pilot Coaters: Small Volume, Big Advances

October 01, 2010, By Edward D. Cohen, Edward D. Cohen Consulting

Until recently, development of laboratory and pilot coater technology has been relatively stagnant. The many improvements increased coating speeds, improved

Barrier Films: SiOx Barrier Benefits

October 01, 2010, By Marius Beune, Amcor Flexibles

Consumers are continuously changing their eating and purchasing behavior. A century ago, food was bought fresh and directly from the source the farmer,

Pollution Control: 10 Tips To Cut CO2

September 01, 2010, By Mike Scholz, Anguil Environmental Systems Inc.

With mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting on the horizon, converters soon could be paying for the carbon emissions generated by some of their pollution

Special Report: Covert Markers-Microscopic Markers

July 01, 2010, By Jeff Robertson, ARmark Authentication Technologies LLC

In today's global economy, practically every company offering products in high demand is facing issues of some kind related to protecting their brand

Work More Productively with Your Contract Converter

June 01, 2010, By Wayne Etchells, Metlon Corp.

Saving time and money is always important. Obtaining the best quality of your finished product is always the goal. These tips will improve both your bottom

Blade Coatings: Prolong Blade Life

June 01, 2010, By Sam Jones, American Cutting Edge

Very thin surface coatings can be applied to nearly any knife or blade. Almost 20% of slitting customers choose to have an after-market coating applied

Trends in technology

May 01, 2010, By Edward D. Cohen, Edward D. Cohen Consulting Inc.

The converting industry and some of its processes are 100 years old or more. Despite that, the industry has remained dynamic and competitive by continuously

A future for photovoltaics

May 01, 2010, By Dr. Charles Bishop, C.A. Bishop Consulting Ltd.

Some areas of vacuum web coating have progressed in the past decade, others have lagged behind. A hot topic 20 years ago was transparent barrier coatings.

Roller Refurbishing: Replace or Refinish?

April 01, 2010, By Matthew Menges, Menges Roller Co.

Due to the long service life of most heat transfer rolls, converters often wait for problems to arise before servicing their equipment. Unfortunately,

Blown Film: Measuring Melt Temps

March 01, 2010, By Ricky L. Keller, Davis-Standard LLC

Blown film producers are challenged by the continual search for high-value-added products to bring to their portfolios. Often, these products are in small

Films 101: Back to Basics

December 01, 2009, By Kurt Schramer, MACtac

Companies specializing in film production are familiar with the environmental and economical trends impacting today's industry. Production costs continue

New Roles for Converters

October 01, 2009, By Edward D. Cohen, Consulting Inc.

The process technology now in routine use in the converting industry will perform a key role in the commercialization of several advanced, high-technology

Static Specified

April 01, 2009, By Kelly Robinson, Electrostatic Answers LLC

Static performance should be specified and designed into new equipment, and it should be a deliverable when developing a new product.

Product Protection

March 01, 2007, By Steve Sargeant and Ken Chang, Toray Plastics (America)

Manufacturers of perishable products are well aware that a later “sell by” date on a package can affect a customer’s decision to purchase one brand instead of another. New OPP films offer extended shelf life, and their compatibility with foods made without trans fats creates additional opportunities.

Directing Design

February 01, 2007, By Mark Vanover Esko-Graphics

Because design has become the No. 1 differentiator for product innovation among manufacturers, design life-cycle management (DLM) has gained prominence as a packaging system tailored to meet the needs of CPCs and their graphic communication partners. Integrated and web-based, DLM streamlines the package design and production process—from ideation through design, packaging, and production.

A Bunch of Hot Air

April 30, 2006, Neil I. Steinberg, Somerset Engineering

There are reasons why your dryer could be giving you a headache. Here's what you can do about it.

Cut With Glass

February 28, 2006, Eldridge M. Mount III, EMMOUNT Technologies

Energy bills getting you down? Cut costs by switching to glass-covered rolls for corona treatment.

Can This Coater Be Saved?

January 31, 2006, Edward D. Cohen, Edward D. Cohen Consulting

What to do with an aging coater? Modernize!

The Secret Strain

December 31, 2005, Timothy J. Walker, TJWalker & Assoc.

Measuring Force

October 31, 2005, Eldridge M. Mount III, EMMOUNT Technologies

Learn what adhesion is, how it is measured, what a test really measures relative to the true adhesion between two surfaces, how adhesion affects the performance of the final laminated or multilayer product, an ideal adhesion test between two materials, and what the common T-peel adhesion test measure.

Mastering RFID

September 30, 2005, By Mark Blitshteyn, Ion Industrial

This article analyzes existing ESD control standards and interprets them for RFID label converting. In addition, available static control methods in RFID converting are examined along with a case study for static control on an RFID tag insertion module for a narrow-web press.

Mastering RFID, Part 2

September 30, 2005, Mark Blitshteyn, Ion Industrial

This second of a two-part series covers development of an ESD protection program.

Fighting Flaws

August 31, 2005, Edward D. Cohen, Edward D. Cohen Consulting Inc.

A standard coating line requires different types of equipment to function effectively to produce a defect-free product. Often the main focus of defect reduction efforts is on the major equipment and on application conditions, dryer conditions, and the web transport system.

The Design Supply Chain

May 31, 2005, Mark Vanover, Esko-Graphics

The packaging industry needs a comprehensive workflow that optimizes process efficiency throughout the entire supply chain.

Truth or Myth?

May 31, 2005, Dr. Paul E. Gloor, Johnson Polymer LLC

There are many proposed theories that might influence the slide angle. We tested extensively to determine if these postulations are true.

Detecting the Edge

March 31, 2005, Andrew Kalnajs, AccuWeb Inc.

Web guides have evolved dramatically since their first appearance on converting lines in the 1930s. Electronic edge detectors and electric motors gradually displaced pneumatics and hydraulics as demand grew for greater accuracy and reliability, and tolerance for leaky hydraulics diminished. The earliest electronic systems were far from perfect—in particular the edge detectors were sensitive to dust and temperature swings—but they were a big improvement over their predecessors

Taming Plastics

February 28, 2005, Greg Zimmer, Zimmer Industries

Plastics may be flexible, brittle, or stretchable; thin, medium, or thick; clear to opaque; really easy to tear, easy to tear, tough to tear, or impossible to tear; have excellent "memory" or have no "memory"; react readily to heat or don’t react to heat at all; allow air to pass through them or actually prevent bullets from passing through them. You get the picture. So how do you cut, crease, and perforate such incredibly diverse (and perverse) materials

Film Opens New Markets

February 28, 2005, Steve Sargeant, PhD., Toray Plastics (America)

Since pressure-sensitive labels and tapes—and other materials such as stamps—have become more sophisticated, the market for these materials has been expanding rapidly. In such product constructions, it has been common practice to apply a release coating, typically a silicone-based material, to the paper liner from which the materials are peeled or dispensed.