Originally Published PMPN December
2004
Show Coverage
WestPack Growth Continues
Double the size of last year’s show, WestPack brings super-sized solutions to the West Coast.
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WestPack is once again colocated with MD&M West at the Anaheim Convention
Center (Anaheim, CA), bringing attendees a wide range of packaging options.
The show, which takes place January 10–12, features a wide range of machinery
and components, closures, containers, materials, and services to meet every
packaging challenge.
The Pharmaceutical & Nutraceutical Packaging Pavilion, sponsored by Pharmaceutical
& Medical Packaging News, offers specialty equipment and supplies for
the pharmaceutical industry, plus everything needed to package vitamins and
nutritional supplements.
Attendees who are interested in packaging for the medical industry will also
find a special-product pavilion at MD&M West. The MedPak Pavilion features
fillers, thermoformers, labeling and printing equipment, flexible pouches, barrier
films, and more.
MD&M West also offers conference sessions geared to packagers. A track on
validation and compliance takes place on January 10 and 11. In addition, an
engineering track offers topics such as “How Package Engineers Can Help
Medical Device Development,” “Packaging for Drug Device Combinations,”
and “Design Basics: Thermoform Trays for Medical Packages.” The conference
will also feature a three-hour session titled “Medical Packaging Update:
Packaging Design.”
For more information or to register for the shows, call 310/445-4200, or visit
www.canontradeshows.com.
Exhibitor Products
Pouch Machine
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A machine automates the opening, filling, and sealing of chevron peel pouches-on-a-roll
for packaged medical devices. Any material manufactured by current validated
vendors can be used. No bag perforations are needed, so there is no foreign
material concern. Printing options include one- color thermal-transfer or a
print-and-apply labeler to add lot codes, bar codes, and symbols. The machine’s
2 ¥ 3-ft footprint makes for easy installation in valuable cleanroom space.
Pouch sizes up to 10 ¥ 24 in. can be used. Validation ports for seal temperature,
dwell, and pressure are included. PurePouch, Minneapolis, MN; 763/444-4747;
www.purepouch.com. MD&M
West, Booth #657
Trays
An ISO 9001:2000–certified custom thermoformer designs and manufactures
rigid plastic medical trays. The company’s award-winning and innovative
packaging solutions are complemented by an in-house design staff, as well as
engineering and production tooling capabilities. Headquartered in Janesville,
WI, with additional facilities in Arizona, Malaysia, and Singapore, the company
also has strategic alliances in The Netherlands and Ireland. Its SPE-award-winning
tray designed for Cook Inc. combines the sterile field and tray into one integrated
unit by die-cutting an opening into the sterile wrap, then sealing the drape
to the flange of the tray. This stabilizes the tray during the procedure. Prent
Corp., Janesville, WI; 608/754-0276; www.prent.com.
MD&M West, Booth #2239
Software
A provider of testing equipment introduces a fully integrated modular software
package with a new web-like design. For increased laboratory testing productivity,
the software is divided into four major tabs separating testing, test-method
definition, reporting, and system administration. Additionally, new features
allow the user to cut and paste both graphics and results, e-mail results and
reports automatically at test conclusion, and use familiar programs like Microsoft
Word and HTML. Instron,
Canton, MA; 800/695-4273; www.instron.com/pr.
MD&M West, Booth #2541
Labeler
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A company has expanded its family of label printer/applicators. The Cimjet
200 labeler features a tamp with blow-assist applicator to apply labels firmly
to the side of cardboard boxes and shrink-wrap packs at up to 30 labels per
minute. It prints accurate, high-quality bar codes, graphics, and variable real-time
data. The entire Cimjet family is engineered and built to deliver a mean time
between failures of more than 12,000 hours. Other benefits include simple operation,
requiring very little operator training; internal data storage, which eliminates
the need for a computer on the factory floor; and a compact design, allowing
easy integration into existing production lines, conveyors, safety circuits,
and reject stations. Markem Corp., Keene, NH; 603/352-1130; www.markem.com.
WestPack, Booth #5032
Sealer
An updated medical sealer has an Ethernet network connection to record all pouches
being sealed. One PC can monitor multiple sealers. This latest model is equipped
with an Allen-Bradley touch screen. The O/K Supersealer MS does not use Teflon-coated
bands, which results in less replacement cost and a decrease in downtime. Benefits
include simple connection to a computer network for complete monitoring and
optimum seal quality at low maintenance. The machine meets FDA guidelines for
the medical industry. O/K International, Marlborough, MA; 508/303-8286;
www.okcorp.com. WestPack,
Booth #1946
Printers
A company offers an in-line thermal-transfer printer for multiple-row applications.
The EasyPrint MLP prints directly onto packaging substrates such as foils, polyfilms,
and medical papers. Used for blister packages, medical device packages, and
food packages, the printer retrofits to form-fill-seal machines and is available
in widths of 240 to 630 mm. Bell-Mark Sales Co., Pine Brook, NJ; 973/882-0202;
www.bell-mark.com.WestPack,
Booth #4167
Bottles and Closures
A company’s product lines include oral dispensers, glass and plastic dropper
assemblies, bottles, closures, child-resistant closures, dispensing tips and
bottles, dosage cups and spoons, glass vials, custom-molded components, and
Neutraplex vials for hydrolytic and pH stability. The company also offers secondary
services for its products, including custom printing and wrapping. Comar
Inc., Buena, NJ; 800/962-6627; www.comar.com.
WestPack, Booth #4161
Desiccants
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In addition to its full line of desiccant and absorbent packaging solutions,
a company will display its new line of oxygen-absorbing canisters for the pharmaceutical
and diagnostic industries. While traditional oxygen absorbers need moisture
to absorb oxygen, PharmaKeep absorbs oxygen at low relative-humidity levels.
The PharmaKeep canisters are designed for automatic, high-speed insertion, feeding
500 canisters per minute. Süd-Chemie Performance Packaging, Albuquerque,
NM; 505/244-7068; www.s-cpp.com.
WestPack, Booth #4140
Sealers
Constant-heat sealers are suitable for high-production environments. Features
include seal platen lengths of 8, 15, and 20 in. LCD control panels provide
full digital temperature control through PID with ±1° accuracy and
calibration ports (analog regulator with digital readout). With the capabilities
of a much larger machine, the 630CH models seal up to 50 Tyvek pouches per minute
with the confidence that all parameters are maintained, seal after seal. Where
space is critical, the Mini with its 8-in. seal platen fits in a 12 ¥ 13-in.
footprint. Accu-Seal Corp., San Marcos, CA; 760/591-9800; www.accu-seal.com.
MD&M West, Booth #2344
Labeler
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A label printer-applicator prints, encodes, verifies, and applies pressure-sensitive
RFID smart labels to cartons and pallet loads in one operation. If the system
determines that a tag is unverifiable, it rejects the smart label prior to application.
The Model 5200rfid offers a selection of print-encode engines that use thermal
and thermal-transfer technology to produce smart labels with text, bar codes,
and graphics at 203 dpi. As labels are printed, digital information is encoded
on thin, ultra-high-frequency transponders that are embedded in the smart material.
The encoded information is verified by the system, which then applies the smart
label to the top or side of a carton or pallet load as it moves via conveyor.
If a label cannot be verified, it is rejected and retained before it can be
applied. Labels up to 5 ¥ 6 in. can be dispensed at up to 12 in./sec and
are applied using the tamp-blow method. Weber Marking Systems, Arlington
Heights, IL; 800/843-4242; www.webermarking.com.
WestPack, Booth #4947
Printer
A laser printing system produces high-speed, permanent codes on a wide range
of products such as paperboard packaging, clay-coat, secondary packaging, labels,
and PET, PVC, and other plastics. The Focus S60 features high-speed printing
and reliable performance in a wide variety of production environments. Videojet
Technologies Inc., Wood Dale, IL; 630/860-7300; www.videojet.com.
WestPack, Booth #4301
Copyright ©2004 Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News
