Image: Wilhelm Rasch GmbH
For Tina Gerfer, your word is as good as written
21.06.2024
Her grandfather had the idea for a machine that could wrap delicate hollow chocolate figures like a Santa Claus or an Easter bunny in a perfectly fitting protective layer made of printed aluminium foil. Today, Tina Gerfer is head of the medium-sized mechanical engineering company, which has long ago grown beyond packaging for hollow figures.
Image: PAL Robotics
What drives the robot market in 2024?
12.03.2024
All over the world, more robots than ever before are in use in various industries: According to the International Federation of Robotics IFR, the number of industrial robots is currently about 3.9 million units. These run the gamut from new developments in artificial intelligence to collaborative robots for new applications and humanoid solutions.
Image: SIG
Cartons for Good project wins SAVE FOOD competition
13.12.2023
1.3 billion tonnes of food are lost or wasted globally every year. With their project Cartons for Good, the SIG Foundation is using the SIG know-how to reduce theses losses. With a specially developed bottling station, the team supports communities in poorer countries to preserve food locally – and was able to win in the project competition by the SAVE FOOD Initiative.
Image: Rotzinger
Wireless automation
11.07.2023
Manufacturing increasingly requires automated solutions that intelligently network components within plants. Rotzinger is therefore now using CoreTigo's wireless IO-link technology in its new machine for packaging food. The technology is being employedfor wireless control of grippers on a rail system as they move through the plant performing tasks.
Image: StellrWeb/unsplash
Considering the carbon footprint during refitting
13.06.2023
Packaging materials are usually the first thing that come to mind when the topic of the ‘carbon footprint of packaging’ is brought up. Machines, however, also produce emissions. But even relatively simple modifications may result in considerable savings. A tool by the KHS mechanical engineering company in Germany is able to quantify those savings.
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)
Artificial intelligence for cosmetics packaging
10.03.2023
During the production of lipsticks, faults in the outer appearance can occur. To detect these, SEA Vision trusts an inspection system based on AI that is self-learning and thus continues to further improve inspections. The system was developed in cooperation with ARGO Vision.
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.
Image: Gerhard Schubert GmbH
Training to overcome the lack of skilled professionals
16.01.2023
Within the framework of digitalisation and automation, there is a continual further development of machines. To enable staff to meet these new requirements, Schubert supports their customers with a new training concept which is also intended to combat the lack of trained professionals.
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.
The number of online orders and delivered packages is growing every year, all over the world. (Image: Claudio Schwarz / Unsplash)
Packaging in the times of e-commerce
17.11.2022
Today, even your grocery shopping is delivered by mail. The changes to the way we live our everyday lives, brought about by the lasting e-commerce trend, also mean that packaging is not what it used to be. Even something as seemingly simple as a shipping box comes with a lot of things that need to be taken into consideration and improved.
The PowerCast XL is a high performance system for the manufacture of stretch films (Image: SML)
PCR in film production
17.11.2022
Mechanical engineering company SML and plastics producer Braskem have entered a cooperation and are now using recycled raw materials to produce film for a joint project. The use of PCR (post-consumer recyclates) is supposed to save resources and reduce waste.
Many companies are thinking about their energy consumption and CO2 emissions. (Image: Marcin Jozwiak/ Unsplash)
Reliably determining the carbon footprint of packaging machines
26.09.2022
Companies are looking for ways to make their production and their products more sustainable. One of the important factors is the machinery which is used here. TÜV Rheinland has now certified a method by Syntegon which determines the carbon footprint of the machines produced by the company.
With the new complete line, PET bottles in various different sizes can be filled and packaged even more quickly. (Image: Sidel)
Go with the flow! With the fastest complete water filling line in the Middle East
17.08.2022
Quality and efficiency are key production requirements for water supplier Mai Dubai. The company turned to Sidel for a new bottling system. Now, 86,000 bottles per hour are being filled by Super Combi, the fastest complete line in the Middle East region.
Image: AdobeStock
Sausage wrap that can be recycled
21.07.2022
Sliced sausage is supposed to look good on the refrigerator shelves in the supermarket and is usually wrapped in non-recyclable transparent composite film. Now, thanks to energy-efficient heating systems in thermoforming machines for packaging, it is possible to use more sustainable materials – while maintaining the same level of safety, quality and transparency.
Image: SSB Wägetechnik GmbH
Vacuum-sealed closures for bulk goods
22.06.2022
Food or building materials present special challenges for the filling and closing process. To make sure that the surroundings stay clean and product safety is guaranteed along the entire supply chain for bulk powders, vacuum seals are used for filling and closing.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on the day-to-day routine of machine engineers for the packaging industry. Digitalisation gives rise to innovation.
Impact of the Corona Pandemic on the Packaging Machinery Industry
01.06.2021
The pandemic stimulates innovation amongst machine engineers in the packaging industry. Digital commissioning, virtual communication and virtual reality are all possible solutions and have led us to rethink.
Foto: Remy Gieling, Unsplash
Green technology in machines and systems
04.11.2020
In the 21st century, green technology will play a key role and will have a significant influence on a company’s competitive edge when implemented in machines and systems. Even the coronavirus hasn’t put a dent in the boom, as regulatory pressure remains high.
Foto: Deutsche Post AG
What is conveyor technology 4.0?
09.07.2020
Order a book or a coffee machine today and have it delivered tomorrow – no problem for e-commerce. However, keeping up this fast pace requires automated intralogistics systems and modern conveyor technology 4.0.
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.
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.