advancement in higher heat thresholds for plastic packaging rate is taking place as noteworthy technical developments are happening rapidly. now those successes are being acknowledged for their marketing impact, judging by the winner entries in dupont awards for technical and marketing innovation. kid&39s kitchen is a hormel foods corp.&39s line of shelfsteady children&39s meals in allplastic retortable cans. in dupont competition, it is honored by the diamond award. it was elected over two other nonfood gold winners and three gold award winners in the food category. judging measures included breadth of application, degree of innovation, the influence of the packaging on purchasing decisions, marketing innovation of the product, and the significance of packaging to consumers or industry. a pasteurizable pet jar for vlasic pickles, starkist tuna in a retort pouch, and cool whip&39s squeeze dispenser pouch are the names of other winners of gold awards in food category. the spinweld technology behind the product of hormel required completely new packaging equipment. silgan container corp. custom developed the first units for hormel, and then tapped the enabling technology division of electronics giant philips to manufacture the servodriven, 24head packaging machines that can generate the containers at the rate of 600cansperminute clip required for commercial application. the knowledge behind spin weld exists since the late 1980s. however, putting it together in a form of workable commercial model for food occurred around the year2000, according to bill heyn, who is general manager at silgan&39s omni star division. the plastic lid spins on a spindle at very high speed and, when it comes in connection with the bowl, friction and pressure generate adequate heat to weld the lid to the bowl. heyn says, conceptually, it&39s the finest way to set a plastic lid on a plastic bowl. these sealed containers handle a burst pressure of about 60 to 80 psi, which is considerably higher than other plastic cans. during the cooking process, overpressure is not required. however, it is generally advisable during cooling. a controller states how fast the servo motor rotates the lid, and an opinion loop monitors that performance 2,500 times a second. if performance diverges from the satisfactory range, the container is automatically disallowed prior to retorting. this quality guarantee feature eradicates the necessity for tap tones, leak detectors, and other quality checks that were traditionally used in canning. hormel was testing the commercial feasibility of the allplastic container for about two years. it gradually scaled up its three kids kitchen production plants to replace packaging containing plastic bowls and metal pulltop ends. the recyclable and easytoopen microwave can doesn&39t have any spiky edges that could cut a child&39s hand. a rotary design and an automatic system with clutches are in place at hormel. these machines&39 spindles spin lids at up to 2,800 rpms, with friction halting the head when the weld is completely done. servodriven machines that come with a racetrack layout are being fixed at ameriqual, an evansville, ind., copacker. it is the second food processor to utilize spin weld technology. the diamond design allows more time to pick up the lid and to carry out the weld. therefore, spindle speeds are lessen to 1,000 rpms, and line speeds are more effortlessly adjusted. the ameriqual unit can handle containers that are up to 5 inches tall with 307 3 and 716th inches diameter lids. while spinweld is a technical achievement, the cool whip squeeze pouch from kraft foods is a marketing success. according to dupont judge diane b. rooney the president at rooney consulting group, it suggests new uses, and the execution with the waist of pouch as a natural grab point helps it stand apart on the freezer shelf. the pouch looks a lot like a baker&39s pastry bag and requires lesscostly materials than rival aerosol containers. more importantly, is the package&39s capability to convey quality, convenience, and better product functionality to shoppers. the vlasic jar, which is created by schmalbachlubeca plastic containers, is contrived with vacuum panels that endure temperatures up to 215 degrees f, which is approximately 20 degrees higher than most pet containers. the lightweight jar substitutes glass containers and is manufactured on the same production lines with the least machinery modifications. starkist&39s multilayer foil poach offers 18month shelf life and needs less cook time at lower temperatures that results in a higher quality product. the hj heinz division&39s move away from cans prompted competitors chicken of the sea and bumble bee to roll out their own edition of tuna in a pouch. at the canmakers summit 2001, a barrelshaped, retortable, multicolored can from migop of egypt won a cannex award. however, the safety aspect of the can&39s closing was as much a part of its charm as the visual. the migop can got silver in the ends, closures and caps category. another application of the foil covering lid with an easypull tab got a gold award. both cans rely on technology from switzerland&39s hans rychiger ag for heat sealing the membrane to the can. although embossing brings strength to the lid, containers that apply it, require special handling during cooling and retorting. despite those shortcomings, the seal is adequate to deliver up to two years&39 shelf life while eradicating potential injuries from jagged openings. source of information httpwww.foodengineeringmag.comarticlespackagingnewsretortableplasticcanwins…
