IMPROVED LASER CODING

The key advantage of Ciba® PERGAMARK™ laser marking solutions for breweries is the ability to combine mass standardisation and differentiation. Variable data such as best before dates, logos and promotional text can be added to the layout during packaging - instead of ordering the various layouts from a converter.

PERGAMARK can be applied to the packaging substrate as a coating at the manufacturing stage or as an ink at the converting stage. When imaged with a low power CO2 laser, PERGAMARK produces high contrast, stable images.

Enhanced functionality is evident with a high level of reproducibility and reliability, an ability to mark curved surfaces and complex geometries, high printing speeds and an ability to mark black images on white surfaces. There's also improved flexibility - PERGAMARK can accommodate short production runs, print on demand and late stage differentiation requirements.

PERGAMARK offers several costs savings, including reduced downtime, no on-going maintenance and reduced consumables costs. It is environmentally friendly with non-toxic additives, no ink or grime at the point of marking, and no solvents required on the packaging line.

E: pergamark@ciba.com

W: www.ciba.com/lasermarking

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State-of-the-art technical support

By utilising state-of-the-art reassuringly secure communications technology, Krones is continually upgrading its service facilities for more effective consumer-friendliness. Numerous optimisation procedures can already be carried out without having to dispatch a service technician – and many more will follow.

For Krones inspection and monitoring systems, it is possible for a specialist to access the machine’s entire operator interface over a data line and perform all the entries available on the touch-screen to the operator on the spot. Machine control systems (PLCs) and higher-order process control system (PCS) can also be monitored from a remote location.

Krones Telesupport means considerable savings in time and money. If there’s a malfunction, for example, there’s no need to wait for a service technician since a specialist at Krones’ headquarters can immediately respond to any queries.

Contact: Krones AG,
Böhmerwaldstrasse 5
D-93073 Neutraubling, Germany
T: +49 (0) 9401 70 2222
F:+49 (0) 9401 70 3496
W: www.krones.com

All in one pH & conductivity

WPA has introduced the CCMD510 Combined pH & Conductivity meter that has all the capabilities of bench pH and conductivity instruments within the same case.

Benefits include programmable functions such as stability, electrode diagnosis and auto buffer recognition. The electrode also has built in ATC designed for minimal air bubble entrapment during measurement. The user can test both pH and conductivity, thus increasing flexibility and ease of use as well as providing an economic method for analysis.

The CCMD510 includes a conductivity cell k=10, pH combination electrode, Integral Electrode Stand and selection of calibration sachets.

Contact: Biochrom Ltd,
22 Cambridge Science Park,
Milton Road,
Cambridge BB04 0FJ
T: +44 (0)1223 423723
W: www.biochrom.co.uk

FlavorActiV’s 39

FlavorActiV has added five new standards to its range of beer flavours, bringing the number available to 39. The characters include an aged note (leathery), taints and off-flavours (indole, plastics, bromophenol) and one positive character (ethyl butyrate).

The flavours are provided in unit-dosed capsules, allowing beer to be flavoured at the appropriate concentration for training of professional beer tasters, without the use of technical staff or facilities.

FlavorActiV launched its range of beer flavours in 1996, brining 15 standards to market. Since then the products have helped establish the flavour terminology system of the European Brewery Convention and the American Society of Brewing Chemists as the de facto standard in professional tasting circles.

Contact: Adam Fenton,
FlavorActiV Ltd,
Sanderum House,
Oakley Road, Chinnor,
Oxon OX39 4TW
T: +44 (0)1844 354154
W: www.flavoractiv.com

Focus lasers: the standard

Focus laser systems can code cardboard, glass and plastic bottles, cans, labels, etc. with expiry and production dates, sequential and batch numbers, codes and logos. They operate contact-free, without any inks or solvents, and are clean and dry. The codes are permanent, chemical and light resistant, abrasion-proof, clean and dry. They can be read safely by both eye and automated readers.

Focus systems are available in the laser power classes 10, 25 and 60W. The compact systems are easy to integrate into handlers or directly into lines. The marking heads come with 0 o or 90 o laser beam tuning in. The systems are a product of Alltec-Videojet, a leading worldwide manufacturer of laser coding systems.

Smart flexible laser economy

ALLPRINT Smart laser systems code cardboard, cans, glass and plastic bottles contact-free, without any inks or solvents, dry and free. The codes are permanent, chemical and light-resistant, abrasion-proof and falsification-safe.

The systems are configured and operated on-line through external devices or directly in the line through hand control. A variety of coding jobs – expiry and production dates, sequential and batch numbers, codes, logos and individual data such as weight and price – are easily and quickly satisfied. There are virtually no font, code or graphic restrictions.

ALLPRINT Smart brings flexibility to packaging lines with its large marking field and minimum downtime for change-overs. It can satisfy high-speed lines, up to 75,000 products per hour.

Contact: Alltec,
An der Trave 27-31,
23923 Selmsdorf,
Germany
T: +49 (0)38823 55-0
W: www.alltec.org

Alltec-Videojet’s K-series marvels

Alltec-Videojet, a leading worldwide manufacturer of laser systems, presented its new products for laser coding packages at Interpack 2005. For PET packages Alltec-Videojet K-series laser coders are the optimum choice. They mark and code with a quality unattainable for dot-matrix lasers and inkjets, resulting in permanent, clearly legible, codes.

Using Alltec-Videojet technology engraving does not weaken container material. Investigations of leading beverage manufacturers clearly demonstrate that with respect to leakage, gas loss, stability against over-pressurisation, shock, etc., there is no difference between non-coded and Alltec laser-coded containers.

K-series lasers can be used to mark and code PET containers with information such as expiry and production dates, sequential and batch numbers, codes, logos and symbols – and all at the highest production speeds.

 

Optimum solutions for every package

Alltec-Vidojet presented at Interpack 2005 its new product program for laser coding packages, including ALLPRINT CS, ALLPRINT Smart, ALLPRINT Smart S and Focus S (pictured).

The broad product spectrum guarantees the optimum technical and economic coding solution for every application, including cardboard on conveyors, tubes in filling machines, glass and PET bottles on container tables and labels from the fastest glue pallet.

Operation of all ALLPRINT and Focus systems is simple. Manual configuration, selection and/or complete generation of a coding job directly at the system by a hand-held controller are possible as well as remote-controlled communication via networks in fully automated production. All these systems are fast: ALLPRINT Smart S, for example, codes labels on a glue pallet with 15 characters on two lines at a throughput of 70,000 per hour.

Contact: Alltec,
An der Trave 27-31,
23923 Selmsdorf,
Germany
T: +49 (0)38823 55-0
W: www.alltec.org

Faster, more accurate

Anton Paar has introduced the PBA/S Packaged Beverage Analyzer, designed for the fast and accurate analysis of soft drinks. It measures the Brix and CO 2 content of non-alcoholic beverages directly out of the bottle or can.

The PBA/S is a combination of a density meter (DMA 4500 or DMA 5000), the carbonation meter CarboQC and the semiautomatic PFD filling device. The filling device can be easily adapted to a wide range of cans and bottles (glass or PET up to three litres) and is safe and easy to operate. No pre-thermostatting is required.

The new PBA/S is not only faster but also more accurate than all other routine analysis systems because many sources of error from sample preparation are completely excluded.

Contact: Anton Paar Ltd,
13 Harforde Court ,
John Tate Road ,
Hertford SG13 7NW
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)1992 514730
W: www.anton-paar.com

i-Pipe success

In conjunction with its North American subsidiary, Manchester based Kaiku Limited supplied its revolutionary i-Pipe to a major Midwest brewer where it will be used for beer verification purposes, enabling fast detection of individual product signatures which are so important when product change-over occurs.

I-Pipe, which can detect variations in a process flow in the low parts per million in seconds without the need for manual intervention or invasive probes, also eliminates the need for laboratory testing at product change-over.

In a related new product development, any i-Pipe installation, whether single or multi-sensor, can now be accessed remotely via an Ethernet link from its on-site control cabinet to a computer terminal anywhere in the world.

Contact: Richard Shaw,
Kaiku Limited,
Greenheys Centre,
ManchesterSciencePark,
Pencroft Way,
Manchester M15 6JJ
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)161 227 8900
W: www.kaiku.co.uk

The perfect solution

When William Grant & Sons Ltd needed a bigger bottle for its award winning Hendrick’s Gin, glass manufacturer Beatson Clark was ready to fulfil all its customer’s requirements and provide the perfect solution.

The distiller wanted to expand the range for the US market and travel retail (airport shops) with a bottle with both visual and tactile appeal to emphasise the premium nature of the brand. The brief was to maintain the distinctive styling of the traditional Victorian apothecary-style bottle, increase the capacity and ensure the new larger bottle was easy to handle and pour – particularly for barmen.

Beatson Clark designed the bottle with specially indented sides, which not only allow easier handling but also help to maintain the classical apothecary styling - proportionally following the existing 750ml bottle.

Contact: Beatson Clark,
The Glassworks,
Greasbrough Road, Rotherham,
South Yorks. S60 1TZ
United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)1709 828141
W: www.beatsonclark.co.uk

leuze mayser's safety lights now jet washable

An exciting development extending the application of Leuze Mayser's safety light curtains and grids is that virtually the entire range can be supplied conforming to IP68, a classification confirming eligibility for water jet washing.  It opens up a whole new range of applications, particularly in food and related industrial sectors where stringent was-down procedures are the norm.

The development enables Leuze Mayser to support varied and diverse safety requirements - where the light curtain becomes an integral part of the machine offering close-up protection, through to safety barriers operating across large access points over 60m  The IP68 rating extends to Leuze Mayser safety light barriers with muting, a very much sought after configuration for protecting staff working within the confines of high speed processing lines.  Leuze Mayser product ranges such as Compact, CompactPlus with its ProfiSafe capability for easy networking, Robust and ECO, the baby of all light curtains, offer an IP68 classification.

Contact: Fiona Morgan
Leuze Mayser Electronic Ltd

Generation Business Park, Barford Road

St Neots, Cambs.  PE19 6YQ

United Kingdom
T: +44 (0)1480 408500
W:www.leuzemayser.co.uk          

BEST GETS BETTER

Endress + Hauser are introducing improved versions of their level limit switch, Soliphant M, featuring the newest technology in vibration switches for solids.

The new Soliphant M has retained all the old features of its previous version, Soliphant II, including insensitivity to build-up, no moving parts, and no calibration requirement.  Now it boasts additional benefits:

- Smaller fork option for small tanks
- Density sensitivity adjustment     
- Additional electronic output options
- Additional certification available e.g. SIL

The Soliphant M is available in three versions, high temperature, coated and polished, which open up a

wealth of application possibilities:
The high temperature version's limit has been raised to 280°C .  The coated version is suitable for applications with very aggressive media.  Last but not least, the Soliphant M is available with a high quality surface finish.  The stainless steel surface roughness is reduced to 0.8µm without manual polishing and is very easy to clean, making this version perfect for use in hygienic applications.

Contact:  Endress +Hauser

T: +44 (0) 161 286 5000
W:www.uk.endress.com

NO SECRETS ABOUT REAGENTS

The CW1000 Pocket Calorimeter from Camlab measures chlorine in water using any of the popular packaged reagent types - powder, liquid or tablet, so users need not be tied to any particular reagent system.  Different reagent types may perform differently, so separate calibration curves for all three types are utilised by the instrument allowing complete freedom of reagent choice and the freedom to change reagents without the risking incorrect results.  The extended measuring range, from 0 to 6 mg/l free and total chlorine, gives the flexibility for a wide variety of applications.

This truly portable instrument measures only 45x65x160mm and weighs only 200g, so is ideal for field use. 

The completeley waterproof housing, temperature compensated optics and back-lit digital display makes it suitable for operation in virtually any environmental conditions. 

The unit is supplied complete with sufficient reagents for 100 tests and full instructions.

The CW1000 is the perfect tool for chlorine measurements in large and small water treatment plants, aquaria and for waste water monitoring applications.

Contact: Camlab
Camlab House

Norman Way Industrial Estate

Over, Cambridge, CB24 5WE

T:  +44 (0) 1954 233110

W.www.camlab.co.uk  

ONE BOX - ONE SOLUTION

Combining high-speed laser marking technology and 50 watts of laser powre in one mobile box, the new ALLTEC LC500 laser marking system provides in-class speeds for higher throughputs and an IP65 rated housing for flexible integration in dirty and wet environments.  Flexible system components like an articulated arm and a small marking head also guarantee easy integration in tight production lines.
"With marking seeds up to 2,000 characters/second and line speeds up to 15 meters/second (depending on the application), the ALLTEC LC500 delivers the highest speeds in its class.  No other comparable laser coder provides similiar throughputs and at the same time, excellent high resolutin marks," sadid Dr. Dietmar Gnass, R&D Director for the Laser Business Unit.
The hardware and software design provides maximum data throughput and permanent, crisp quality marks with no degradation of code clarity, even at highest line speeds.  Thu, the ALLTEC LC500 is ideally suited for high speed applications demanding a fast and flexible data transfer and marking process.

Contact: Hermann Klein

ALLTEC Laser Business Unit

An der Trave 27 - 31

23923 Selmsdorf, Germany.
T: +49 (0) 38823 55-0

www.alltec.org

INTERCAPS AT BRAU BEVIALE

Intercaps Filing Systems offers a complete range of bottling lines for beer, wines, ciders and soft drinks aimed at small and medium users.

Interrcaps Filing Systems will be present at BRAU Beviale 2007 in Hall 7 - Stand 822.  On show will be a complete bottling line inclusive of small rinser-filler crowner 9-9-1 plus U shaped conveyors with accumulation tables and in-line labeller for bottled beers all in a 5 x 3 metre space.  The filler features double pre-evacutation of oxygen which has a lot of interest from microbreweries.  This project was designed for Danish Micrbreweries and has met with an enormous success in that country where over eight lines have been sold in the last two years.  Two have reccently been installed in the United Kingdom.  Also on show a full range of packaging equipment for filling liquids amongst which will be a range of labellers of 12 heads and over, with computer controlled orientation of the bottles and brushless motors rotation of the bottle plates.

Conmtact:  Giovanni Solferini
Intercaps Ltd

20 Lochend Road

Newbridge.  EH28 8SY

Scotland.

T:  +44 (0) 131 335 3335

www.intercaps.com