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The law of unintended
consequences
When we say something seems too good to be true, often what we
really mean is that the idea is great, but it's sure to have unintended
consequences. Those negative consequences might be outweighed by the
good of the original idea. Or not.
It appears that such is the case with polylactic acid (PLA) polymers
derived from corn. The plastic is gaining a foothold in food and
beverage packaging. On paper, what's not to love about plastics that
come from home-grown crops instead of foreign oil, that take less energy
to produce, and that can be composted? According to The Oregonian, that composting has to take
place in high-temperature industrial composters, not in your backyard.
Even worse, small amounts of this "green" plastic may foul up existing
plastics-recycling operations.
But we wouldn't be engineers if we didn't keep trying to improve the way
we do things, despite the law of unintended consequences. Below, check
out other efforts to green packaging, ways to streamline custom-part
ordering, and the sustainability-focused program for this year's Pack
Expo. If you're going to the show, don't miss Machine Design's session
on upgrading operations with our own Lee
Teschler.
Jessica Shapiro
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Still-Growing Machine Makers Upbeat Going Into
Pack Expo
A recently released survey found that U.S. shipments of packaging
machinery rose 3.9% in 2007 to over $6.2 billion. The study, from
packaging trade association PMMI, noted that 2007 was the sixth
consecutive year of growth for the industry.
The industry hopes to maintain the trend by focusing on the broad topic
of sustainability, from machines that operate longer on less energy to
materials that recycle or compost and don’t rely on petroleum. Pack
Expo, running at Chicago’s Mc- Cormick Place Nov. 9-13, will spotlight
“sustainable solutions” offered by over 2,000 exhibitors.
Read the full article.
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FREE FRICTION CD FROM GENERAL
MAGNAPLATE
 Increase
the life of metal components with a FREE CD-ROM from General Magnaplate.
The easy-to-use CD assists design engineers in selecting permanent
coatings that prevent wear, friction, corrosion, sticking, galling, and
chemical attack on ferrous and nonferrous metals. The CD resource
compares the static and kinetic coefficient of friction (COF) of
numerous metals with 20 Magnaplate-applied 'synergistic' coatings.
General Magnaplate's surface enhancements become an integral part of the
metal providing permanent, superior performance.
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Packaging goes back to nature
Remember when consumer pressure forced McDonalds to stop using CFCs
in its take-out containers? Scrutiny of packaging and expectations of
environmental responsibility hardly eased up since then. With the ozone
hole on the mend, focus has turned to how packaging contributes to
fossil fuel, energy, and landfill use. More environmentally friendly
technologies that were previously too expensive to develop, like
plastics made from corn, are looking more attractive in the face of
higher oil prices.
Read the full article.
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Vision Lighting
 Banner
Engineering offers a wide array of advanced lighting solutions for
vision systems. With over 35 years of LED circuit design, packaging and
manufacturing experience, Banner's comprehensive line of high-quality
illumination products now includes dozens of lighting configurations,
five different color options and an array of filters, diffusers and
mounting systems—all built to exacting standards.
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Configurable components streamline packaging
machine design
Micron PharmaWorks Inc. of Odessa, Fla., builds machines other firms
use to package pharmaceuticals. The company ended up buying a lot of
specialized and custom components. To streamline design and cut costs,
Micron PharmaWorks turned to Misumi USA Inc., Schaumburg, Ill., when
designing its TF1 blister packaging thermoformer.
Read the full article.
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Modular gravity roller conveyor
The DynaCon modular gravity roller conveyors use short roller
sections to create conveyors to user-specified lengths. Each section is
20-in. long and includes five rollers on 4-in. centers. Widths range
from 4 to 36 in. and can be added or removed, depending on the
application. Constructed of high-impact polycarbonate, the modules can
handle boxes weighing up to 100 lb. Features include adjustable-height
leg sets and caster-base wheels that lock for secure operation.
Dynamic
Conveyor Corp.
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Misumi USA Inc.
 To see Misumi's
e-book and whitepapers, visit us at Booth C-18 at Pack Expo, Nov. 9-13
in Chicago.
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Thin, flexible heaters
The heaters consist of etched-foil or wire-wound elements sandwiched
between layers of flexible insulation that have uniform or profiled heat
patterns. They can integrate temperature sensors, flex circuits,
instruments, and other electronics.Silicone rubber heaters are
vulcanized directly to metal parts without adhesives, making them
suitable for use in food service equipment. All-polyimide heaters are
for applications requiring higher temperatures and watt densities, such
as packaging, fusing, and splicing equipment.
Minco
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Float switch
The MP3000 Switch Series, with a floater actuator, accurately
determines when specified liquid levels are reached. The floater
consists of a 2-in.-diameter, chemically resistant, polypropylene ball
mounted on a stainless-steel level actuator that can trigger a signal as
an input for a PLC or directly switch power up to 6 A. The switches can
be wired as a changeover switch or with a simple NO or NC circuit,
operate to 400°F under EN61058 or 200°F under UL 1054, depending on
the type of cable used, and have a 250-Vac/6-A power rating under
EN61058 and UL 1054.
Microprecision
Electronics Inc.
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Rev up your interdisciplinary design skills
What happens when a microcontroller turns on a power FET, sending a
current pulse to a motor coil that develops a magnetic field which turns
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suspended on bearings in a web-processing operation on a form, fill, and
seal machine installed on a potato chip line at a Frito Lay plant in
central California? And how can you be sure that the encoders, prox
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corrupted, giving the controllers time to execute their algorithms as
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of what many engineers grapple with today. If you happen to be one of
them, then the place for you — where you can find answers and meet
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Experience National Instruments Technologies From
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CAD Library offers advanced CAD Resources
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Sponsored
by:
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UPCOMING IN-PERSON EVENTS
Design-2-Part Shows are America's longest running and most trusted
events for sourcing custom parts and services.
Ten shows covering the country offer OEMs, engineers and purchasing
personnel the opportunity to meet job shops and
contract manufacturers face-to-face.
UPCOMING WEBCASTS
Scaling Engineering and Scientific Performance for the Workgroup –
What's the Best Infrastructure for You?
Sponsored by Hewlett Packard/AMD
DATE: November 6th, 2008
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT
Science and Engineering are boundless, but many workgroups are
restrained by the limitations of their current computing infrastructure.
Breakthroughs in the ability to affordably deploy scalable workgroup
systems is about to have a big impact on scientific, design and
engineering simulation. Today’s dual and quad-core processors are
already solving complicated computer-based models with greater speed and
higher accuracy, but engineers and IT professionals need to evaluate
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environment. The speakers at this online event will help you understand
the alternatives available so that you may decide which solution best
fits your needs and will also work best in your company’s IT
infrastructure.
Click here to learn more and register!
Introduction to Linear Actuators
Sponsored by HaydonKerk Motion Solutions
DATE: November 13th, 2008
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT
What is a stepper motor based linear actuator? How does it work? How
is it sized?
These are questions that will be answered in HaydonKerk Motion Solutions
first technical webinar. Engineering managers Frank Morton and Ray
LaChance explain linear actuators and how they are used to achieve
precision linear motion.
In this webinar:
Basic stepper motor theory
Components that make up a stepper motor-based linear actuator
The selection of a linear actuator based on load, resolution, and
travel requirements
Who should attend:
Electrical, Mechanical, and Electromechanical design/application
engineers who are in the process of designing a motion application or
would like a better understanding of linear actuators
Equipment OEMs that desire an integrated solution for conversion of
rotary to linear motion
Click here to learn more and register!
Supercharging and Securing Products with Embedded RFID
Sponsored by Skyetek
DATE: November 18th, 2008
TIME: 2:00pm ET/11am PT
The power of RFID as a stand-alone application in supply chain
management has garnered much attention in recent years. The story now is
how RFID can be added as a feature to an almost unending list of
products -- adding new functionality, increasing reliability and
enhancing the user experience. Look ahead as recent security breaches
make RFID security a critical consideration.
Who should attend: Designers, Engineers, Product Managers,
Directors and Technical Executives from OEMs, finished product
manufacturers and design firms. No RFID expertise required.
Bonus: All attendees will receive the white paper "Innovate with
Embedded RFID"
Click here to learn more and register!
ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click Here for a list of archived Machine Design
webcasts.
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B&R Industrial Automation Corp.
Minimum space, Maximum possibilities - IP20 or IP67 I/Os, fieldbusses
and control solutions. The X20 and X67 System from B&R.
www.br-automation.com/X20
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