Image: PAXLY GmbH
A perfect match – algorithm shows manufacturers the most efficient packaging solution
15/11/2024
Demand for greater efficiency and sustainability in the supply chain always entails the issue of ideal solutions for space-saving packaging. The packaging specialist paxly.ai provides a powerful software tool that compares the extensive requirements of a company in need of packaging with the performance data of packaging producers. If there is a match, the seekers and providers come together.
Image: Uhlmann
Uhlmann Group: EU packaging regulations accelerate pace of transformation
14/11/2024
Less packaging waste, more recycling and increased use of sustainable materials – these are the goals of the EU packaging regulations PPWR which will soon be implemented. For this, the packaging industry has already begun full-scale preparations. For example, the Uhlmann Group from Swabia – in the centre of a region that is one of the world's most important hubs for the packaging industry.
Image: Syntegon Technology
A technophile engineer leads an application technology team at Syntegon
07/11/2024
Ellen Reichmann completed an internship at Syntegon Technology while studying packaging technology. Today, she heads the Application Technology and Product Protection department at the company’s Waiblingen site and welcomes applications from former interns.
Image: Securikett
Paper safety labels for recycling
14/02/2024
Products that are counterfeit or which have been tampered with cause large economic damage. Safety labels can help to guarantee the authenticity and integrity of goods, as when someone attempts to open the packaging, it leaves irreversible traces. When it comes to recyclability, however, these small labels are often not performing very well.
Image: BASF
What are the environmental impacts of alternative raw materials?
12/09/2023
In mass balancing, chemically recycled or bio-based raw materials are input at the very beginning of plastics production and then computationally assigned to the end products. Using the example of flexible mozzarella packaging, a study investigated whether and how this procedure influences the life-cycle assessment of packaging produced from these raw materials.
Image: Dow
How labels are becoming more recyclable
12/09/2023
A world without labels? Inconceivable. Their endless variety of materials, shapes and functions help labels attract attention. But it should also be possible to separate them from their packaging again at the end of the packaging’s life in the interests of a circular economy. Recyclable solutions are on the way.
Image: Futamura
Sustainable tamper-proofing
11/08/2023
When it comes to protecting valuable products from tampering and theft, the method often used is to apply adhesive tape that will leave permanent marks on the packaging if an attempt is made to open it. In addition to recyclable paper solutions, there are now compostable alternatives made from bio-based film.
Image: Hoffmann Neopac
What are the benefits of paper tubes?
16/05/2023
Packaging is being viewed differently in these times of ever scarcer raw materials and increasing environmental issues. As are tubes. Some companies are placing their hopes on fibre-based solutions, e.g. paper. But are there only benefits to paper tubes?
Impression of a trade fair hall at interpack
These topics will shape interpack 2023
18/04/2023
Circular economy, conserving resources, digital technologies and product safety – those are the four hot topics which will shape interpack 2023 more than any other issue. But what exactly are these focal points of interest all about?
Stick packs are being used increasingly by the pharmaceutical industry, for example for liquid medicines for oral ingestion. (Image: Volpak)
Flexible packaging for the pharmaceutical sector
13/03/2023
Easy handling and exact dosing – this is the promise that flexible packaging also makes for the use of medicines. One example is the stick pack. Spanish mechanical engineering company Volpak now has a new line to process these packagings in their portfolio.
Is automation the end-all and be-all? (Image: Rock'n Roll Monkey/unsplash)
Where does automation help in packaging?
10/03/2023
Trend topic or permanent issue? Everybody is talking about automation. However, switching to fully automated packaging solutions is anything but a guarantee for success. Small and medium sized companies should consider several things before investing in large machinery.
The system developed by the project HME 3D, a printing table (left) and an extruder (right). (Image: TH Köln / Heike Fischer)
Pills are printed, not pressed
14/02/2023
A research group has now developed a new printing technique that allows even more active and carrier substances to be 3D printed into customised drugs. Pharmaceutical polymers are printed directly, without first creating a filament.
Business cooperations can offer added value especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. (Image: Vardan Papikyan)
Added value through cooperation
16/01/2023
In a competitive system, cooperation might not seem the way to success. But small and medium-sized enterprises especially can profit from cooperation – even in the packaging sector. This can be seen in the example of German companies Koch Pac-Systeme and Zahoransky.
Serialising single doses makes it possible to track each primary package. Photo: SEA Vision
Forgery-proof blister packs
17/08/2022
There is often still the potential for counterfeiting primary packaging for medication, for example if it is separated from the secondary packaging. Now, SEA Vision and the Marchesini Group have presented a new technology for the serialisation and aggregation of blister packs.
Photo: Kier In Sight / unsplash
Mono-material sachets
21/06/2022
For packaging made of plastic, their potential to be recycled is very important. Refilling systems save material. Mono-material sachets and bags also reduce the amount of material consumed, protect packaged goods and have practical uses for customers.
Image: etma
Tube Trends
10/03/2022
The tube as we know it was invented in 1841. In times of resource scarcity and rethinking sustainability, however, this faithful companion is facing major changes. Certain trends are emerging clearly.
Foto: Dimitri Houtteman //unsplash
Ensuring safe packaging for the corona vaccine
23/11/2020
The wait for the corona vaccine has finally come to an end. BNT162b2 is the name of the first promising vaccine candidate. However, before we can start vaccinating, we need to overcome huge logistical hurdles which require suitable packaging and processes.
Photo: Gustavo Fring von Pexels
The coronavirus crisis as an opportunity for the packaging industry?
27/10/2020
The coronavirus pandemic changed everything, with the packaging industry also experiencing a transformation. The fact that not every consequence of the crisis was bad is demonstrated by individual examples of industry participants who were able to find opportunity in the COVID-19 situation.
Foto: Anna Shvets, Pexels
How varnishes can protect us against viruses and bacteria
06/08/2020
Since the outbreak of corona, we have all been washing our hands industriously to avoid catching the dangerous Covid-19 virus. But varnishes can also help protect us against viruses and bacteria on packaging. The activated ingredient in Microbe Protect special varnish contains nanosilver and is said to provide 99.99 percent protection.
Foto: James Yarema, Unsplash
3D printed tablets
03/06/2020
Pills at the push of a button. We’re not quite there yet but the future of 3D printed tablets, called printlets, looks promising. Merck, the pharmaceutical giant, wants to make paths in industrial applications for 3D printed tablets.
© Multidos
Repackaging pharmaceuticals in blister packs
20/02/2020
Around the world, the number of elderly people is increasing. This is accompanied by an increase in the demand for pharmaceutical packaging that is geared towards senior citizens. In blister packaging centres, pharmaceuticals are repackaged in blister packaging that is user-friendly and tailored to the patient’s needs, thus preventing dosage errors.
© Laryssa Suaid // Pexels
Packing UV-sensitive products under LED lights
14/02/2020
Especially where sensitive medication is concerned, packaging for UV-sensitive products is in high demand. UV-free LED lights can help package medication securely, whilst at the same time preventing interruptions that occur when converting to other product lines. And when it comes to food and beverages, integrated UV absorbers can protect sensitive products.
Grafik: Messe Düsseldorf
Number of the Month: Pharmaceuticals 2020
23/01/2020
The rise in the number of older patients, increasing urbanisation and a growing middle class. Participating companies are called upon to react to the changing patient needs related to convenience whilst at the same time offering safe packaging and process technologies as well as safe bottling and packaging solutions.
© Cosys Ident GmbH
Pharmaceutical packaging for senior citizens
17/01/2020
The world’s population is growing older – the UN predicts that by 2050, an estimated 426 million people will be over 80, around three times as many as in 2019. With an increase in age, the demand for pharmaceuticals and innovative packaging solutions for an older population also increases, including personalisation, smart technologies and e-commerce.
Foto: Zipline International
Sending Packaged Medication by Drone
12/06/2019
Sending pharmaceuticals by air freight– without a pilot and to the most remote areas: Zipline International uses drones to provide vital medicine to patients in Rwanda and Ghana.
High-Tech against spoilage of food
03/07/2015
Over 80 kilos of foodstuffs are disposed of per year per capita in Germany according to statistical assessments. Innovative packaging material is to contribute to longer shelf-life.