IML | decoration The company demonstrated the S7 IML Flex system
in a 2-cavity confi guration during the Plast show in Italy in May. Running on a full-electric BMB eKW28Pi moulding machine, the system provides seven axes of movement and was producing a 1 litre oval PP contain- er weighing 36.5g from a mould by Brink of the Netherlands on cycle of 4.3s. The IML Flex system was running pre-cut labels from Verstraete of Belgium and used a rotary table cassette system to allow loading without interrupting the moulding cycle. Sperandio says IML applications account for around 10% of Star Automation Europe’s business, made up of a combination of S7 IML Flex systems and side and top entry robots.
Another company focusing on versatile solutions is IML Robotics. The Spanish-headquartered company introduced its new Hybrid IML robot at the NPE fair in May. It describes the Hybrid design, which is targeted specifi cally at processors requiring versatility in application, as “a fully customisable robot midway between the side entry and top entry robot and whose greatest virtue is its fl exibility.”
The company says the new design can be confi gured in three, four and six axis
versions. It is claimed to provide fast cycle times and high levels of placement precision and is designed to enable reduced opening strokes and to offer 3D side entry movements.
Original thinking While the North American IML market may be behind Europe when measured in volume terms it is not lacking in originality, as can be seen by some of the latest product launches. Most striking of these is the SkinnyPack concept from Canadian injection moulded packaging producer IPL, which is a hybrid design offering the weight savings of a pouch with the stackability and on-shelf presentation of a rigid container. SkinnyPack - which last month won fi rst place in DuPont’s annual Packaging Innovation Awards - uses IML processing technology to create a container comprised of a folded printed PP IML label bonded to an injection moulded PP frame. According to IPL’s Director of Engineering and
Innovations Frédéric Hudon, the SkinnyPack concept allows around 50% of the PP to be removed compared to a rigid PP thin wall container, while maintaining the same part stability on the shelf and the same stacking performance. Moulding cycle times are the same as a thin wall rigid alternative but part costs cannot be so
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easily compared as the label shape and construction has a big infl uence. “Economically, the goal is to be less expensive than a rigid container,” he says.
The fi rst company to adopt the SkinnyPack design is US-based Ana’s Foods, which is using it in a 16oz round format to package its Restaurant Style range of fresh salsas. The company says the new packaging uses almost 54% less polymer than its previous 16oz round thin wall packaging. The mono-material PP construc- tion also means the container can be readily recycled. IPL worked closely with Ana’s Foods to take the package from concept to the consumer in just six months. Since the new format’s introduction, the brand owner has been carrying out consumer surveys to gauge reaction and reports that 85% of people surveyed said they liked it and said it generated a purchasing intent. “At food expos, wine and food festivals, Ana’s got a lot of feedback from
consumers regarding the look and value of using less plastics,” says Hudon.
This fi rst commercial applica- tion does not require a high level of oxygen barrier but Hudon says the technology could be readily
adapted to barrier IML. “With proper part design and good fi lm construction, a very good oxygen barrier container can be made
out of SkinnyPack concept,” he says. IPL is currently moulding the SkinnyPacks in single
cavity production using precut labels and can supply 12 and 16oz rounds and a 16oz square version. Looking ahead, however, Hudon believes the concept is limited only by the imagination of packaging designers. “There are a lot of part designs that can be done using the SkinnyPack technology. The real limitation will come from the concept of ‘one-size-fi ts all’ – designers not being able to see outside what has already been presented. Technically, we have only seen the tip of the iceberg of what can be done with SkinnyPack,” he says.
IML on-the-go Another recent award winning IML application from North America is the Go Cup, a fast food container developed for Kentucky Fried Chicken by Yum Brands and Berry Plastics’ Design Center that picked up the Best Part Design award in the In-Mold Decorating Association’s annual competition. The Go Cup is designed to fi t into a standard vehicle cup holder and incorporates a moulded-in divider that keeps the chicken and fries apart. The divider also made the round container a challenge for traditional
June 2015 | INJECTION WORLD 25
Left: US-based Ana’s Foods is the fi rst commercial user of IPL’s award winning SkinnyPack hybrid IML packaging format
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