Custom Motion Plastics Address Need for Multiple Package Formats

In fact, this kind of flexibility in equipment to accommodate a variety of package sizes on the same machine is a growing trend within the industry. Nebbia highlighted linear guides that enable a quick format adjustment to switch easily from one package format to another. “This is especially good for contract packagers,” he said, noting the ability switch a line over quickly to run product for a different customer. “It gives them the ability to buy and bid on jobs without installing new lines.”

The iglidur i6 laser sintering material is now available in blue, ensuring optical detectability in food and beverage applications.igusCustom components are available in a large range of self-lubricating, high-performance polymers in the company’s iglide line of materials. This includes 3D printed parts. New at PACK EXPO International is the iglide i6-Blue, a powdered laser sintering material for 3D printers. Its blue coloring improves safety in the food and beverage industry because fragments are easier to detect if components break. “The blue, high-performance plastic is easy to detect and is also food-compliant,” says Tom Kraus, head of the igus Additive Manufacturing Business Unit. The material complies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and EU 10/2011 regulation.