cheaper corrugated box using new technology an australian research firms finding says that food companies using corrugated boxes could be paying less for the packaging if suppliers took greater care to protect the key material during manufacturing, claims an australian research firm.xqinnovations says that processes like printing and cutting corrugated card applies pressure and can damage the shear resistance of the material, reducing its strength and efficiency when it comes to packing produce or other goods.when people make boxes they tend to squash it and dont think this really matters as the corrugated board springs back, and the thickness recovers. but thickness is not a good measure of strength, technical director russell allan told apfoodtechnology.com.instead, the shear stiffness, which measures how well the structure resists being pushed over onto its side, is a better test of what happens when boxes are packed and loaded, he said.while some companies test the strength of the board by taking samples to the lab, xqinnovations has created a transportable tool that releases vibrations into the card. the frequency of vibrations is proportional to the shear stiffness.its a way of getting to the shear stiffness without having to cut up the card, explained allan. you can just walk up to the board and test it.the firms research suggests that when paper leaves a corrugator it has lost an average 56 per cent of stiffness, and a box made from the card is 2030 per cent weaker. this increases costs for endusers of the packaging, especially those requiring heavyduty boxes.when a box fails, the supplier will add more paper and weight, making it more expensive, says allan.improved barrier through tie layer kraton polymers says its new functionalized hydrogenated styrenic block copolymers technology increases the efficiency of manufacturing tie layers used in high performance barrier packaging. processors are on the lookout for new barrier packaging that keeps out the oxidising gases that degrade product quality and shorten shelflife. kratons new tie layer specifically targets high performance barrier packaging, such as stand up pouches and clear retortable packaging. tie layers are used by packaging manufacturers in coextrusions to bond dissimilar materials together, such as barrier materials like nylon and ethylenevinyl alcohol copolymer evoh, and seal materials such as polyolefins, to create the strength and flexibility needed for various packaging. lazer ingraving for spreads containers rpc bebo nederland has introduced a new laser engraving system for printing containers for spreads, fats and edible oils. it allows greater definition in the detail of dryoffset printed images and has already been used with success to print a container for portuguese brand prado. cross web tear tape system payne has been highly commended at the uk packaging awards, with its new applicator short listed for the innovative development award. normally, tear tape is applied in the direction of web movement but sometimes packaging machinery requires the tape applied across the web width. edible coating kills e. coli  a team of scientists from the us department of agriculture and the university of lleida in spain did the research to improve an edible coating for fresh fruits and vegetables. it is composed of apple puree and oregano oil, which acts as a natural antibacterial agent. they say the coating shows promise in laboratory studies of becoming a longlasting, potent alternative to conventional produce washes.   new members          sunil healthcare limited          pakona engineers          print & paper graphic sales          collapsible tube corporation          polytech instrumentsnew offers          coex bottles for pharmaceuticals          hanger labels for iv bottles          tamper evident securitainer containersnew events          india label show 69 dec 2006 at pragati maidan, new delhi india          medifest06 2224 december 2006 at pragati maidan, new delhi indiaimportant emails          innovations@packagingconnections.com          press@packagingconnections.com          jobs@packagingconnections.com          offers@packagingconnections.com    enjoy packagingeditor
