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| 30 years old – FachPack has grown up  Exactly the right mixture of three decades of market experience seasoned with smart young ideas is served by the successful Nuremberg packaging trio from 29 September to 1 October 2009: FachPack (packaging solutions) is giving a birthday party and together with PrintPack (package printing/packaging supplies production) and LogIntern (in-plant logistics) a good 1,300 exhibitors and 34,000 visitors are expected as guests. They come mainly from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Benelux countries, Italy, France and the growth markets of Central Eastern Europe. The special show at FachPack offers varied solutions for improving efficiency and saving resources.At times of economic difficulty, the development departments of the packaging supplies manufacturers work on more functionality (smart packaging) on the one hand and on sustainability in production and during the remaining package life cycle on the other hand. Both require brand manufacturers and the trade to save costs and position products more competitively. So FachPack visitors can eagerly look forward to a number of innovations again in 2009. Research is focused on long life, especially for food, product and counterfeiting protection, and traceability of sensitive goods like medicines. Another field of research with a large influence on packaging supplies development is nanotechnology. This collective term for a wide range of technologies is best known through the lotus effect, an anti-stick coating. Nanostructures occur in nature, but can be specifically created by nanotechnology. The most interesting nanoparticles in the packaging sector are, for example, those used as a coating for packaging materials or as a layer in multilayer films. Here nanoparticle “sensors” matched to the product and placed in the film indicate the degree of freshness by changing colour. An anti-fogging effect can be used for the top films of deep-drawn packages and for the glass doors of refrigerated display cabinets to eliminate the need for heaters. Ethylene absorbers slow down the ripening process of fruit and vegetables in nets or bags. In the non-food sector, smoothing the surface with vacuum metallized nanoparticles helps to empty containers of household cleaning agents or chemicals more effectively. Nanotechnology is particularly used in the production of plastic films. Nano-composites as fillers enable material to be saved by optimizing mechanical properties like tearing resistance with lower weight. Suitable fillers can improve the barrier effect of the films at the same time. Especially low-cost materials like HDPE and LDPE (high and low density polyethylene) with their low oxygen and steam barriers profit from nanotechnology. Another key field of research involves nanofillers for bioplastics of renewable raw materials. These fillers must not interfere with the biological degradability of the material. At the moment, however, the assessment of the risk of contaminated nanoparticles in the package contaminating the product is still a challenge. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |