Turning plastic bags into steel Turning plastic bags into steel! Your plastic shopping bag could one day be turned into steel to make your next car, according to Professor Veena Sahajwalla at the University of NSW. Instead of being discarded as waste, polyethylene plastic - the type used in shopping bags, soft packaging and some drink containers - potentially can be recycled as both a raw material and a source of energy for making iron and steel, says Professor Sahajwalla. Professor Sahajwalla is based at the UNSW School of Materials Science and Engineering and she leads the School's Sustainable Materials Processing Program. "Plastic is just another form of carbon," she says. "When it comes to making iron and steel there's essentially no difference between polyethylene and natural resources such as coal." Her experiments hold promise of an environmental win-win, significantly cutting the steel industry's use of coal and its production of greenhouse gases, as well as stopping thousands of tonnes of plastic waste from being discarded every year in landfill dumps. Polyethylene typically is about 15 per cent hydrogen - a potential energy source to fuel blast-furnace processes - and about 85 per cent carbon, roughly the same carbon content as the high-quality coal used for steelmaking. Under controlled conditions, Professor Sahajwalla experimented with various mixtures of pulverised plastic and coal by injecting them into a furnace. "By adding plastic into a molten 'melt' at more than 1,500 degrees C we have shown that carbon from plastic can dissolve into iron," she says. "This is exciting because what would otherwise become waste is recycled to become a raw material for this vital industry and it reduces our use of coal in the process. If we want to move along the path to sustainability, this is one way to go." In 2002, the latest year for which figures are available, Australians used almost 1.2 million tonnes of plastic but recycled only about 13 per cent. Of the resulting one million tonnes of waste, polyethylene accounted for about half. "If we substituted recycled polyethylene for only five per cent of the coal we use in blast furnaces, that would save about 40,000 tonnes of coal a year. That much coal would make about 80,000 tonnes of iron." A question mark remains over whether burning polyethylene might release unwanted air pollutants: "We need to do more research on that question, because experience with burning plastics in waste incinerators suggests it may be an issue. "But incinerators typically operate at about 1,000 degrees C, whereas a blast furnace operates at around 1,500 to 1,600 degrees and is likely to burn the plastic more completely, with fewer troublesome pollutants. "Polyethylene actually has fewer impurities than coal, such as sulphur and oxides, so there's less of a residue problem after burning it." Sahajwalla's findings have emerged from her work on other materials used in iron and steel making. She credits her collaborator in Japan, Professor Masanori Iwasi, of Kyoto University, with having the original idea of using plastic waste as a raw material in blast-furnace ironmaking, but she is extending the technique for the first time into electric-furnace steelmaking, which uses scrap steel to recycle into new materials. Dr Sahajwalla's research is being done in co-operation with BHP Billiton and BlueScope Steel and with support from the Co-operative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development.

2011-12-17

3D packaging for CD CD and DVD packaging are one of the most fertile segments out there as far as inspired visuals that challenge conventions. That said, sometimes it can be hard to find something that really stands out within the category – when there are so many really unique designs, the cleverness sort of becomes a blur.   But I recently came across this compelling package by Korean artist Kwon Ji-Yong – better known by his stage name G-Dragon – the leader of the Korean musical group Big Bang. He recently came out with his first solo effort, “Heartbreaker.”    While the design is maybe a tad melodramatic and over-the-top in places, the overall effect is quite interesting. And overall, it's a visual feast. The packaging has the flavor of a fine art object – a sculpture that opens into a painting, and then another, and another. Moreover, the piece seems to have a real interactivity, a feeling of discovery as the user explores it.    No it’s not the kind aesthetic one might consider for, say, a new fruit beverage or a children’s toy. But there is value in its inspiration, and it shows what can be done if one dares to push things a little bit. News Source:PackagingDigest

2011-12-17

Types of Carrier Bags Punched or patched handle carriers - the handle punched into the top of the bag making these bags better suited to lightweight goods. For extra strength a patch of polythene is added to reinforce it Varigauge carriers - similar to patch handle carriers but made from thicker film near top handle and thinner at bottom. Clip close carriers - made using low and high density polythene with fitted executive style rigid clip close handle. Flexiloop handle carrier - stronger than a punched handle but still a cost-effective option, the handle is attached separately Twisted string or rope handle - separate string or rope handle gives this carrier a slightly more up market look and raises the price too. Can be made from paper or plastic Duffle bag - a more modern shape bag with a big capacity, popular for making a younger, more stylish impression. A strong promotional tool made from heavier polythene with a welded turnover top and twisted rope that draws the carrier closed. Counter bag - used for 'first contact' with food for sandwich shops, butchers, delicatessens etc., made in paper or polythene Vest style or t-shirt carriers - A side gussetted carrier bag made from strong high density polythene which resists punctures and tears. Ideal and economical choice to hold books, groceries and T-shirts.

2011-12-17

Turn your waste bags into fashion A couple in India have found a solution to the problem of plastic bags littering the streets of the country's capital, Delhi - by turning them into fashionable handbags. Anita and Shaleb Ahuja employ people in the slum areas of the city to collect the bags, which are a major problem throughout the country - often ending up polluting the environment, littering streets and blocking drains. The discarded bags are washed and sorted before being turned into plastic sheets, which are then refashioned into the handbags. "We were already into waste management, and we were getting a lot of plastic waste," Mrs. Ahuja told BBC World Service's Outlook programme. "That's when we decided to try and find a solution to this big problem."Potential Mrs. Ahuja and her husband established a non-governmental organisation called Conserve to launch their idea, using their life savings to set it up. Plastic bags are such a problem in India that one state, Himachal Pradesh, has even banned them outright. In Delhi, however, Conserve employs rag pickers to scour the city's waste dumps. Some women snip at the handles of the bags to make them into sheets; others wash them in water and detergent and hang them on a clothes line. These are then moulded together into single sheets of thick, durable plastic, and stitched into bright, colourful handbags. Mrs. Ahuja said the idea came by accident, when a friend making fabric bags asked for a few sheets of the plastic, and designed the first bag."I showed it to my friends, and they liked it very much," she said. "That was the time that it struck me that it had potential."It has now become a highly successful enterprise, employing 300 people and with a turnover of around $150,000."Lots of women come to me and say they also want to work here," said Gita Pande, one of the Conserve workers. "I don't want to travel out of a slum to work I feel safe here, so I don't mind working here. "I'm also doing something that's useful. Polythene bags clog our drains. Cows eat them and get choked. By making them into bags, they get used, and unemployed people get jobs. "I feel it's good for the municipality as well, because we are taking the garbage off the streets, and they don't have to clean them." The Ahujas are now trying to convince the Indian Ministry of Culture to recognise what they are doing as a craft. However, Mr. Ahuja explained that they are not having much success. "They say that if it's not 500 years old, it's not a craft," he said. 

2011-12-17

Select the right material for your Waste bags & Sacks HDPE (high density polythene) garbage can liners are a strong, thin, material that is frosted in appearance. This material has excellent tensile strength but is punctured by sharp object easier than other materials. It is ideal for use in environments where sharp corners are not a large part of the refuse going into the garbage can liner. The smaller sizes are ideal for office use. The larger sizes, which have increased thickness as compared to the smaller sizes, are great for heavy loads that don't have many sharp objects. LLDPE (liner low density polythene) can liners are typically thicker than HDPE and they offer good tensile strength, but less than HDPE, as well as better puncture resistance when compared to HDPE. This material also has a softer feel than HDPE. LLDPE is also ideal for office trash cans. This material is also an economical choice for larger garbage containers with refuse that has some sharp corners but is not extremely heavy. LDPE (low density polythene) material has been the standard for all plastic bags since the beginning of the plastic bag industry. It is generally thicker and softer in feel than LLDPE. It has good puncture resistance but also has less tensile strength than LLDPE. For this reason, LDPE trash can liners are usually made to be much thicker than the other types of poly material and is also usually made from recycled plastic. Because of the thickness, this material can be an excellent choice for heavy duty applications. Biodegradable waste sacks:- Ideal to help towards a better environment. Biodegradable waste sacks will biodegrade in your compost or in landfill.

2011-12-17

Motion for Packaging In the packaging machinery market, it's clear that motion solutions are continuing to move away from mechanical solutions and hard automation, to soft automation utilizing more and more servos. With the pricing of drives coming down, more compact drives and a need for system flexibility, use of servos is accelerating and users are much more able to blend this technology into packaging machines. This trend is largely being driven by demands of end users for flexibility. Packaging flexibility is required because of the need to shift and adjust to consumer tastes, a different size package, a different look, different colors and other changes that affect the packaging of a final product. How is this technology driving packaging performance? From a performance standpoint, we're continuing to see an emphasis on getting more packaging throughput with more precision. There's a point where, with mechanical systems, you just can't do much more. But we're still seeing throughput needs and for that you need more powerful controllers and drives to keep all of the motion on the machine coordinated. The goals, along with system flexibility, are more accuracy, higher throughput and, at the same time, less scrap. Progressive solutions today offer high speed, deterministic network connectivity that integrates I/O, servos and controllers into very tightly controlled high-speed systems. What are opportunities and challenges for packaging machinery OEMs? Major challenges include engineers finding the time to keep up with new technology and users wanting much more highly integrated lines of machines. Floor space is also an issue for many users as they need to maximize their plant utilization rather than adding floor space. Think of a packer/case cartoner as an all-in-one machine rather than two separate machines. New integrated designs lessen the pressure on connecting to other machines, but require better overall machine motion and sequencing control. There's a strong movement to get away from islands of automation and more emphasis on connecting systems to increase operational efficiency. That's a challenge because a lot of the OEM machine builders have been focused on creating better machines, but now they've got to think of what to do in the control system to communicate from controllers vertically up to the MES system. How is software advancing the state-of-the-art in packaging controls? The increase in the quality and quantity of software solutions is adding significant value to packaging machines. We promote the open technology as much as possible because of connectivity requirements and the reduced training requirements that standards offer. IEC 61131-3 is making an impact on machines because you've got a powerful programming package that's standards-based and brings sequencing and motion into one integrated package. As more control suppliers use IEC 61131-3, there will be a significant reduction in training and support. The machine tool industry moved to a standard programming environment 40 years ago and it helped increase the penetration of NC/CNC machines into more and more machine shops and increase their productivity. The packaging industry is now beginning to see the value of such a standardized approach

2011-12-17

Australia's Lean+Green wins Packaging Awards O-I’s multi-award winning Lean+Green? lightweight wine bottles have won two more significant honours, this time at the 2009 Australian Packaging Awards in Melbourne. Lean+Green? won gold in the Carter Holt Harvey Sustainability Award, edging out packaging from confectioner Cadbury. The award applauds packaging that has been reinvented or created to demonstrate a significant advance in environmental considerations and provides a benchmark for its product or market segment. Lean+Green? also took out the Packaging Council of Australia’s (PCA) Best of Show Award. The Best of Show Award goes to the entry that represents the greatest overall achievement in its category and is selected from the event’s nine gold winning entries. "The judges specifically applaud the impact of the lightweight wine bottle range as a supplier initiative that benefits both customers and the industry as a whole," PCA judges said. "This innovation comes at a time when there is a confluence of imperatives at play. Issues of sustainability, emissions, energy and moderation of packaging and resources are paramount, but so are matters of domestic manufacturing, economic viability and exports, and all are addressed through this solution. "The saving of almost 20,000 tonnes of glass packaging a year has a massive flow-on benefit for industry and the environment. The reduction in cost, weight, energy and water usage from each bottle is staggering. "The advances can potentially be applied to other products and, due to the sheer volume of the application, this design solution has the capacity to impact on millions of products worldwide," the judges concluded. This latest recognition for Lean+Green? comes after two awards at the 2009 Packaging Evolution Awards in Sydney in August, taking the product’s total number of awards to four. O-I Asia Pacific President Greg Ridder says the 2009 Australian Packaging Awards are prestigious and reinforce the value of sustainable innovation for O-I and its customers. "Lean+Green? has really struck a chord with retailers, customers and the Australian wine industry," Mr Ridder says. "We are now seeing brands like Banrock Station and Eighty Acres communicating the sustainability benefits of lighter weight bottles. "They are not just buying packaging but they are also attaching the positive attributes of the packaging to their brands. "One of the real benefits of Lean+Green? is that customers can gain a number of sustainability and economic wins but the look and feel of their bottles has been retained. "I think the great thing about initiatives like Lean+Green? is that we’re seeing the market uptake, the flow of benefits through the supply chain to consumers and the return to O-I Australia through the recycling loop." Mr Ridder says Lean+Green? is a key method of partnering the Australian wine industry to retain its premium image and help prevent bottling occurring away from source. Launched in Australia and the United Kingdom in May, Lean+Green? wine bottles are between 18 and 28% lighter than their predecessors. New narrow neck press and blow (NNPB) technology at O-I’s Adelaide plant delivers the substantially lighter-weight and more environmentally friendly bottles that will immediately save almost 20,000 tonnes of glass packaging a year. O-I anticipates this figure could treble inside two years as the Australian wine industry embraces the product and O-I adds more NNPB capability to its facilities. Following initial market success, the range has already grown from French Green to include four new colours - Antique Green, Classic Green, Flint and Arctic Blue. Bottles in the new colours will be brought into production through the balance of 2009. In addition to less glass, the production process for the lighter-weight bottles provides strong environmental benefits such as: A 20% reduction in energy use to produce the same number of bottles; A carbon dioxide saving of more than 11,130 tonnes of CO2 per annum – or the equivalent of 4120 less 4-cylinder cars on Australian roads each year*; An average 12% drop in water usage per container; Overall water savings of 4720kL or the equivalent of 6.3 Olympic swimming pools a year; and 840 more bottles packed into a 20ft shipping container (an increase of 6.25%).

2011-12-17

Global recognition for local beverage packaging Innovative Australian juice range Preshafruit?, whose unique wedge shaped PET bottle and cap were designed and manufactured by VIP Packaging, has swept the field this month bringing home a raft of gongs from the prestigious Beverage Innovation Awards in Germany and Australian Packaging Awards in Melbourne. Closer to home, it took out silver in the Innovation category at the Australian Packaging Awards overnight.   Preshafruit? juices are pressurised cold (not heat pasteurised like most other juices) using a revolutionary technique called High Pressure Processing (HPP). Andrew Gibb, the Managing Director of Preshafood Limited says that the fruit is pressurised at approximately 6000 times the atmospheric pressure found at sea level. Gibb explains that this process promotes vitamin and nutrient retention, longer shelf-life, superior taste, colour and aroma and enables a myriad of opportunities in the food and beverage industry.  In order to maximise the yield from the HPP machine’s pressure vessel, the Preshafruit? manufacturing process required a unique bottle design. Daryl Black, PET Business Manager for VIP Packaging, says a number of design options were explored with the best solution coming from a triangular bottle. As a result, this created a unique packaging and merchandising opportunity with no other juice product in the market bottled in this kind of shape. Gibb says these wins are the result of a collaborative effort between designers, technologists and manufacturers to deliver a truly innovative product to the market. The unique triangular bottle really sets it apart from other offerings in the supermarket juice aisle, he says. "This product is a stand out on the supermarket shelves because of our unique packaging, the all important 100% Australian fruit and the critical components of no added concentrates, sweeteners, colours or preservatives," Gibb says.  The judges from the Beverage Innovation Awards in Germany said the bottle immediately gives the product a super-premium feel and the whole presentation, including the sophisticated labelling and unique closure, gives consumers plenty of clues as to just how good these drinks taste. First purchase is pretty much assured through the packaging innovation, repeat purchase is guaranteed through a really great tasting and refreshing drinking experience. Made on conventional two-stage PET equipment using conventional PET performs, Black says processing parameters were developed to allow for production of the unique triangular shape. According to Preshafood Limited, it is the first company in Australia to use HPP, not heat pasteurisation, to create its fruit juices and is the first company in the world to make single variety juices such as Granny Smith and Pink Lady Apple, using this method of production. News source:Packaging

2011-12-17

Packaging to become critical in analog At one time, IC packages were simple, cheap commodities for analog and logic. More recently, however, chip makers and OEMs must now make some difficult choices in IC packaging types. There are a plethora of IC packaging types, each with a set of trade-offs. Chip-packaging is becoming a key different iator for new and emerging analog designs, said Taylor Efland, chief technologist for power analog products and senior fellow at Texas Instruments Inc., during a presentation at the Analog Semiconductor Leaders' Forum 2009 here. The forum was sponsored by Dongbu HiTek. ''Packaging development is a big deal,'' Efland told EE Times. ''It's getting very complicated.'' Packaging is a critical part of TI's strategy. In fact, TI recently expanded its IC-assembly and test operations in the Philippines by building a new plant at a cost of $1 billion. The plant is now in production. On the product front, take a 6 Amp, 20-V buck regulator based on 0.72-micron technology. A buck regulator, sometimes called a buck convertor, is a DC-to-DC step-down power supply. The same device at 0.35-micron must also operate at 20 volts, but at these geometries, the part also represents a fivefold reduction in die size. In other words, the package size decreases, but ''power density is going up,'' he said. The challenge is to ''get rid of the thermal density out of the package.'' There are even more thermal-density challenges in moving this type of device to 180-nm technology. To solve the problem, TI is working on several fronts. ''We spend a lot of time on packaging metallurgy,'' he said. ''We spend a lot of time on simulation.'' At TI (Dallas), the company makes use of various packages for analog, including wafer-level chip-scale packaging (CSP) and QFN. TI devises its own CSP technology. ''Quad Flat No-Lead (QFN) is a leadless package with peripheral terminal pads, and an exposed die pad for mechanical and thermal integrity. The package can be either square or rectangular,'' according to TI's Web site. TI is the leader in analog in terms of share. As recently reported, TI plans to open a 300-mm analog semiconductor fab in Richardson, Texas. At the same time, the company also outlined its roadmap for mainstream analog processes and tipped a new 130-nm technology based on copper interconnects. News Source:EETimes

2011-12-17

The Main Direction of Milkpowder Packaging and Printing The Main Direction of Milkpowder Packaging and Printing With the people's awareness of environmental protection and health raising,benzene inks will become the main material under the direction of milkpowder printing in the short future and it is likely to become the leading ink in the next several years. At present,plastic compound soft package is adopted in the milkpowder packaging and printing,sometimes metal cans. Plastic compound soft package printing is basically printed in plastic film , and attachs with aluminum foil and hot Polyester Film or composite filling materials. For the common milkpowder packaging,manufacturers usually use chlorinated polypropylene resin-based ink in printing.Although the ink manufacturers have used a variety of ways to reduce toxic solvent benzene residues in the packaging, still, there is a small amount of residue.In order to avoid the remains of toxic solvent,some manufacturers has already adopted  benzene inks for printing. However,there are still some quality problems on benzene inks printing.Also,it couldn't reach the standard in the combined strength and sealing performance.That is the reason why it is seldom used in the printing industry.As is known,benzene ink is a kind of ink using polyurethane resin as the principal.Therefore,it seldom includes benzene solvent.Using this material has lot of advantages.Even if you use a little amount of benzene solvent to achieve a certain printing effect,there will be rare remains of benzene solvent after being dried.So,enzene ink will gradually be welcomed by dairy producers. It is reported that some ink manufacturers have also developed a more environmentally friendly water-based plastic printing ink, and has entered the test printing stages.Once the technology is appiled widely ,it will promote the application in order to ensure health and safety of milkpowder packaging.

2011-12-17