Technology Of The Year Award

Tidland Corp.
Product: E-KNIFEHOLDER

Tidland/Maxcess receives the recognition for its patent-pending e-Knifeholder, the world's first electronic knifeholder for shear slitting. The e-Knifeholder is powered by electricity instead of traditional mechanical or pneumatic actuation, enabling the operator to electronically set side force and overlap. Once set, the unit automatically calibrates itself and positions the blade. The auto-calibrate feature not only reduces set-up time, but also improves safety because operators do not need to put their fingers near the blade to physically measure blade diameter or make manual adjustments. The e-Knifeholder also enhances product quality because it ensures greater predictability of slit quality across the entire web and because settings can be replicated day-to-day, operator-to-operator. Since the unit also controls cant angle, geometry, and overspeed, the only variable remaining to repeatable slitting performance is blade sharpness. As a result, troubleshooting slitting problems is greatly simplified. Introduced in May 2007, many units are already installed in the field.

The judges really liked the productivity and safety benefits achieved by reducing operator intervention. "Standardizing settings eliminate a lot of waste and downtime," observed one judge. "Now the operator only has to worry about blade sharpness," noted another. "It's a nice upgrade to an old piece of equipment," he concluded.

The judges also named a finalist in the Metallizing Equipment/Accessories Category, honoring Dark Field Technologies, Inc., Orange, Connecticut, for its NxtGen glass inspection technology. Capable of 100% inspection of flat or curved surfaces, the system is the first to use low-power white light illumination to detect very small (5-micron) defects. Detection of the smallest defects helps improve product quality, increase production rates, eliminate returns, and reduce operating expenses. The optical system works in multiple optical channels – bright field, mixed field, dark field and polarity shifts -- and is 100% self-aligning. In fact the solid-state, retro-reflective optics maintain alignment regardless of scanner or product bounce, vibration, or curvature/warp. Introduced in November 2008, the online unit inspects clear and reflective media such as glass, solar glass, coated glass, mirrored glass, display film, coated or uncoated film or metal coil while using 90% less power than competing systems. Line speeds for 100% inspection depend on the type of defect and background being examined, but range from about 75 to 220 feet per minute. The system also offers integrated measurement of glass thickness and warp at a tolerance of +/- 15 micrometers. More versatile than other inspection systems, the NxtGen system supports any combination of laser and camera optics and may be configured for divergent optics or telecentric optics.

The judging panel felt the ability to detect defects as small as 5 microns is a technological leap forward. "Up until now the best detection has been in the 25- to 50-micron range," explained one judge. "The Dark Field system isn't that fast, but its capability is important for people that coat slow and need high quality," he added. Detection of small defects is particularly essential in the display and printed electronics industries, noted another judge.

Food & Beverage Packaging-Flexible Category: Technical Award

Uflex Limited
Product: Lay's Chilli Chinese Potato Chips

The Technical Award in the Food & Beverage Packaging-Flexible Category goes to Uflex for a pouch for Lay's Chilli Chinese Potato Chips from Pepsico India Holdings Pvt. Ltd. (Frito-Lay Division), Gurgaon, India. Uflex also serves as a single source for this package, executing design, substrate production, metallizing and converting duties. The laminate of BOPP/coextruded PE/high-barrier, plasma-metallized PET/PE provides the high water vapor transmission barrier needed in India where hot temperatures combine with extremely high Relative Humidity. In addition to shelf-life-extending barrier properties, this pouch has a number of other special features including a horizontal laser score for easy, clean opening across the top of the pouch. The wide top and gusseted bottom make it possible for the pouch to stand and serve as a bowl for the chips, which are typically eaten with a sauce from a second onboard pouch.

The judges were impressed by the combination of technologies used - aser scoring, high-plasma metallization and gusseted bottom. They also noted the design is not a traditional stand-up pouch. "This pouch is formed, filled and sealed on a vertical machine, a major achievement," observed one judge.

Food & Beverage Packaging-Rigid Category: Technical Award

Graphic Packaging
Product: Composipac carton

The Technical Award in the Food & Beverage Packaging-Rigid Category goes to Graphic Packaging for the Composipac carton it converts for Kraft Foods, East Hanover, New Jersey, for a Triscuit Club Pack. With the goals of eliminating grease staining and increasing top-load strength, Graphic Packaging reverse-prints 48-gauge PET from DuPont Teijin on a rotogravure press, metallizes it, and laminates the metallized film to its 30-point clay-coated solid unbleached sulfate using low-density polyethylene (LDPE). It then die-cuts blanks and glues side seams. The Composipac structure replaces a folding carton made from a specially treated, 36-point coated recycled board, which did not entirely prevent grease from wicking through the bottom flaps or provide sufficient strength for two-high pallet stacking. The 10% higher stacking strength of the new carton offsets its slightly higher unit cost by reducing unsaleables and boosting sales. Its higher stiffness also results in more consistent performance on the packaging line where it runs at the same speed as the previous carton. Reverse printing enhances the high-resolution graphics which were updated in conjunction with the introduction of the new carton. The reverse-printed film also provides the superior gloss Kraft prefers for its cookie, cracker products.

The judges viewed this package as a significant upgrade and noted it expands the use of metallization to another area of product protection. By serving as a barrier to oil wicking, it prevents grease stains on the outside of the carton and rejection by consumers, an important feature for a club store box that holds multiple stay-fresh packs. "Using metallized film this way gives package designers more options," explained one judge.

Healthcare, Cosmetics and Toiletries Packaging: Technical Award

Super Film Ambalaj
Product: Hotel Amenities

The Technical Award in the Healthcare, Cosmetics and Toiletries Packaging category goes to Super Film Ambalaj, Gaziantep, Turkey, for use of its metallized Suptherm 7131MDP film for pouched hotel amenities. Coskun Plastik, Kartal/Istanbul, Turkey, converts the 80-micron metallized, pearlized white, cavitated Suptherm 7131MDP film into a surface-printed lamination. The metallized side of the Suptherm 7131MDP film is shiny and primed for printing. The reverse side is especially polymerized for excellent adhesion to LDPE, which Coskun Plastik applies in an extrusion coating process to a thickness of about 15 microns. The two-layer structure offers a lighter weight and 60% to 75% better yield than the multilayer lamination it replaces. Plus, it runs at the same speed on vertical form-fill-seal equipment. The Suptherm 7131MDP structure also eliminates the delamination problems experienced when the previous 12-micron BOPET/reverse print/adhesive/8-micron foil/adhesive/64-micron LDPE was exposed to aggressive ingredients.

The judges were impressed by the ability of the cavitated film to meet several objectives for this application, including delamination prevention and higher yield (lower resin consumption). In addition, although metallized, cavitated film is seen in confectionary and snack packaging, the judges recognized its adoption for liquid products as a relatively new usage. They also liked the cavitated film's softer feel.

Other Category: Technical Award

Unifoil
Product: Platinum Digital Musicpass

In the Other Category, Unifoil takes home the Technical Award for its non-laminated, metallized 30-mil polystyrene cardstock for Platinum Digital Musicpass cards from Sony & BMG Music Entertainment, New York, New York. The Musicpass cards represent one of the first uses of Unifoil's UltraLustre™ technology with polystyrene. Although it looks like a lamination, the metallization is applied in an electron-beam transfer process that eliminates the need for a two-ply metallized PET/polystyrene structure, thus reducing the weight and thickness of the card and eliminating problems with warpage, delamination and adhesive oozing at the edges. The mono-material card also offers improved recyclability. Graphics duplicate the album/CD cover art on a metallic background to attract shopper attention.

Judges felt this application also extends metallization into new frontiers while offering the environmental advantages of a lighter, thinner, and more recyclable product since it is virtually all polystyrene (with a negligible amount of aluminum) instead of a metallized PET/polystyrene laminate.