Clamshell Blog

VisiPak recently partnered with Shorr Packaging Corp to develop thermoformed trays to package a GPS device. The plastic packaging trays were specifically designed with future modifications in mind to keep costs low for Shorr Packaging as the product changed with new innovations.

Shorr Packaging Corp. is one of the largest independent packaging distribution firms in the nation. From packaging equipment to consultant services, Shorr provides expertise in integrated packaging solutions and integration is key. With an exhaustive list of strategic relationships in manufacturing equipment and consumables, Shorr delivers high quality products and services.

Late in 2008, Shorr began a business relationship with VisiPak purchasing a thermoformed plastic clamshell. About a year later, when a new product for Shorr developed, VisiPak was called into action once again. One of the restrictions submitted related to the size of the new plastic tray packaging container. The new protective packaging trays were to be a specific depth and width, with height the only dimension that could vary. The clear plastic packaging tray would protect an expensive new product and then be inserted into a corrugated box, complete with an outlet for a handle.

The new product, a GPS system for the agricultural industry, is used to guide tractors with impeccable precision and is a costly unit demanding shipping protection. This is where the VisiPak design engineering team stepped up to the plate. By closely analyzing the components of the GPS system itself, the VisiPak engineers arrived at a design that would not only satisfy all existing requirements, but also provide for less expensive tooling on future revisions by developing interchangeable mold bases.

As is well known, technology is always changing and the various components of the GPS unit may change in future versions. VisiPak packaging design engineers are well aware of this concept and with this in mind, designed a new thermoformed plastic shipping tray with an interchangeable mold base. Simply put, a base mold forms the outer frame of the thermoformed tray and another interior mold, which contains the various cavities for the various GPS components, is inserted to form a single tray. This means that the existing cavitations can be easily modified, saving thousands of future tooling costs.

After studying the GPS components, VisiPak design engineers concluded a two-tier shipping tray would best accommodate the system. Without changing the depth or width of the current design, one part of the plastic tray would contain the screen and a second tray, the tray made from the interchangeable mold base, would hold the various other components of the GPS unit. The two clear trays would then stack and slide into the corrugated box, snugly securing all contents within. Also featured in the design of the plastic tray packaging is the contour or scoop allowing for the handle of the outer box.

Not only did the VisiPak design engineers create the thermoformed package protection required, but because of their perception of advancements in technology, they were able to consider not only the moment, but the future as well. With this type of service, Shorr can conceivably save a third of future tooling costs should variations of the GPS device require new packaging.

About Shorr Packaging:

Shorr Packaging is one of the largest independent packaging distribution firms in the nation dating back to the early 20’s and spanning three generations of family operated leadership. Now focusing on industrial packaging distribution Shorr continues to expand with an array of value-added services including procurement solutions, packaging design, inventory management and consulting services.

About VisiPak:

Clear plastic packaging is the VisiPak specialty and this includes extruded and thermoformed packaging options. With the addition of clamshell packages and transparent boxes to the original line of clear plastic tubes, VisiPak is the clear choice for all your transparent packaging needs.

Leveraging its position as the largest extruder of clear PETG plastic tubing in the U.S., the VisiPak division of Sinclair & Rush is proud to be a leader in the field of designing and manufacturing clear plastic packaging. VisiPak was the first packaging manufacturer to bring clear plastic mailing tubes to the direct mail industry and has introduced other innovative packaging solutions like PermaSeals, Hang Tubes, and Donation Containers. Expanding into thermoformed packaging, VisiPak now offers Clamshells, Blisters and Trays, with many stock clamshells ready to ship. If a custom package is required, the VisiPak design team can offer great design flexibility in full custom creations or, at reduced tooling costs, can modify a mold to fit the requirements. Clear plastic boxes are yet another VisiPak clear packaging option and involve no tooling costs.

There are two primary manufacturing plants located in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri. The Kirkwood plant operates 10 state-of-the-art extruders while the plastics molding facility in Arnold manufactures caps and plugs as well as producing the thermoformed product lines. Arnold is also the home of the sales and design teams. VisiPak can serve your global needs through manufacturing and distribution facilities in the U.S., Mexico, United Kingdom, China, and Australia

Packaging design is the combination of art and natural sciences, applied to the product’s packaging to protect and beautify the area, it is not a generalized “art” is not a simple decoration, but with science, art, material, economic, psychological, market Integrated elements such as the embodiment of multi-functional.

The main role of packaging has two: one is to protect the product; second, beautification and promotional products. The basic task of packaging design is a scientific, economic, complete packaging shape, structure and interior design.

(1) Packaging Design

Packaging Design, also known as physical design, most of that shape containers. It is the use of aesthetic principles, by shape, color and other factors change, will have the functionality and appearance of the beautiful packaging containers modeling, visual forms. Containers must be able to reliably protect the product, must have good appearance, needs to fit with the economic and so on.

(2) Packaging Design

Packaging structure design is from the protective packaging, convenience, reusability and other basic functions and the actual production conditions, based on scientific principles to the packaging of the external and internal structure derived from the design for specific consideration. A good structural design should be to effectively protect the primary functions of goods; Secondly, we should consider using, carrying, display, the convenience of shipping, etc.; also be able to reuse as much as possible into account, can display the contents and so on.

(3) Packing Design

Packing design is design, text, color, relief and other art forms, highlighting product features and image, and strive to form compact, novel designs, bright colors, clear text, decorative and landscaping products to promote product sales. Packaging and decoration is an integrated science, is both a practical art, it is an engineering technology, arts and crafts and the combination of engineering and to consider the marketing, consumer economics, consumer psychology and other disciplines.

A good package design, packaging design, structural design, decoration design the three organic unity, the only way to fully play the role of packaging design. Moreover, the packaging design not only involves the two major academic technology and the arts, it also involved in their respective areas of many other related disciplines, therefore, to get a good package design is the need for some hard work under the.

In recent years, the food packaging industry in China developed rapidly, far more than other manufacturing industries. According to experts speculate that a period of time in order to meet future food packaging industry in China’s fast development needs, there will be five major food packaging machines dominate the market:

One bag, filling, sealing packaging machinery. Current domestic production of more than 100 manufacturers of such machinery, the output reached 15 million units. Bag making, filling, sealing the trend of packaging machinery modular structure, more high-speed, high stability, transmission machinery is simple, adaptive closed-loop control.

Second, the metal packaging container processing equipment. China metal packaging container processing machinery manufacturing industry has taken shape, first, the development trend of such products to improve product performance, increase yield and material utilization, is to accelerate the improvement of product technology, development of mercury-free welding and high-performance high-frequency welding power supplies.

Third, corrugated boxes (board) production equipment. Over the past decade, China’s corrugated box machinery industry developed rapidly, corrugated board line product range from the development to printing slotting machine, cardboard gluing machine, cut machine and other product series, the future direction of First Gaosu Plants, 2 corrugated cardboard boxes is the light equipment.

Fourth, pulp molding processing equipment. Processing equipment, paper tableware in China at present is relatively small scale of production, processing equipment, high prices. Pulp mold tableware processing machinery in the future should reduce the cost of forming heated mold, improve heating methods to reduce power consumption costs, increase production and so increase the research.

Fifth, vacuum packaging machinery. China’s many production of vacuum packaging machinery business to the main assembly, the main variety is mainly semi-automatic operation, automatic continuous, large vacuum chamber and suitable for liquid packaging, vacuum packaging machinery less, domestic general lack of efficient, dedicated vacuum packaging machine .

Quick packaging machinery will follow the current trends in order to facilitate customers, research and development of better packaging machinery.

A video has popped up online revealing details of the BlackBerry 9670 and providing a first-look at the new BlackBerry 6 OS on a non touchscreen handset.

The 9670 is a chunky little number with a full Qwerty and flip-form, but we actually quite like it

The first video showing the new BlackBerry 6 OS running on a non-touchscreen device has surfaced online, revealing further the unannounced BlackBerry 9670 clamshell in the process.

At first glance you might look at the 9670 and think that it’s treading a strange line, pairing a full-Qwerty keyboard with a folding form-factor, ultimately resulting in a large overall package.

Well, this is true. But from the look of the 8-minute video over at TheCellularGuru, and despite the bulk, it still somehow manages to look pretty darn appealing to us.

Other unofficial specs for the rumoured 9670 include a 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and a 480×360 pixel display, a resolution seemingly unused by other manufacturers.

The video is also the first of its kind in showing the new BlackBerry OS running on a non-touch phone, although we’re left feeling a little underwhelmed with some of the changes. It’s looking refined but perhaps not revolutionary.

It’s early days though and we’ll be reserving judgement until we see the OS in the flesh, either way, with rumours of an 8900 Slider on the horizon, RIM certainly seems to be looking to extend its product portfolio beyond the traditional BlackBerry form factor.

Energy-saving environmental protection is a hot topic, whether we live or work, can not do without environmental protection, in life we need to conserve water, save electricity, and in the work we need to save business costs, reduce waste. Particularly in the use of office equipment, the greater need for awareness of environmental protection.

In our normal office, we can often print side of the paper will be collected, and then wait for the next re-use, and sometimes run out of printers and copiers, the directly to the power off, etc., which are energy-saving performance. However, relying solely on these is not enough. According to blogger’s observation that in many office print vendors stepped up the integration of new environmental technologies, up to the product itself more environmentally friendly.

Lenovo printing equipment used in the World Expo office, ticketing and other systems to respond to the “Green Expo, Carbon Expo,” the call, the service known to the world expo in association with low-carbon double-sided printing device to print the major, long-life toner cartridges and application of polymer toner and a series of green technology will help the World Expo.

The services of the association of Shanghai World Expo printing equipment, mainly LJ3600D, LJ3650DN, LJ2200, M7250N and M7130N variety of print products, including covering the black and white Ji Da Legend, multi-function and color Jida three major product lines. Full range of print products have passed China Environmental Label, China Energy Conservation Certification, consistent with the International Energy Star standards, the corresponding number of China’s RoHS directive and other environmental protection certification.

According to the latest statistics report, global demand for bio-based plastics with annual average growth rate of 35.1%, is expected to reach 900,000 tons by 2013. With the rubber industry and its application industry’s growing interest in green plastic, CHINAPLAS Chinaplas during the exhibition in 2010 organized a series of “green manufacturing of plastic the future” on the theme.

CHINAPLAS Chinaplas in the plastics and rubber industries on how to implement “green 3 with” (to reduce the use-Reduce, the best use of-Reuse, recycling-Recycle) start of the concept. CHINAPLAS 2010 Chinaplas will be April 19 to 22 Days, and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo “Better City, Better Life” theme echoes publicity green plastics and rubber technology is the beautification of the urban environment, creating the future key to a better life 1.

Plastics and rubber industries to promote the implementation of green ideas, CHINAPLAS 2010 Chinaplas will create “green gas station” for the promotion of environmental protection knowledge and demonstrated practical rubber products and advanced environmental protection technology. In addition, 3-day “green rubber industry forum” will be held in the same period, at which the analysis of China, Japan and European countries, green rubber science and technology development status, and different sectors of green production program.

The U.S. government is prepared to Indonesia, Vietnam and Taiwan imported plastic bags levy of up to 96% of the final tax.

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce to make the decision, in addition to Vietnam, Indonesia and Taiwan imports all the plastic bags levy a general tax, will be on 18 Vietnamese companies, two Indonesian companies and two Taiwan companies to pay a special tax with a punitive nature .

Among them, the tax rate applicable to Vietnamese enterprises to 69-85%, Taiwan 36% -96% business, 52-76% of Vietnamese enterprises.

U.S. bag makers applauding this decision, saying the move will effectively curb what they called violations of U.S. trade law and WTO rules “not a fair price,” plastic bags dumped imports in the United States.

Representative in the United States, South Carolina Hartsville of Hilex PolyCo.LL CinHartsville companies and is located in Houston Superbag Corp. The company to institute legal proceedings over the United States attorney JoeDorn plastic bag manufacturers, said in a statement: “The revenue measures help to restore fair competition in the U.S. market, then our business remain in the United States, factories and employees. ”

Vietnamese media quoted a government official as saying the Road, the U.S. ruling as unfair and U.S. government officials in Vietnam have to submit evidence to prove that Vietnamese enterprises in the export is not violation of WTO provisions.

Made at the end of March the U.S. government’s latest decision in the two companies announced the dumping of these profits and specific amount of subsidies. United States International Trade Commission is expected to make a final ruling on April 14.

The United States also said that Vietnam imported plastic bags subsidy ranges from 0.44% -52.56%. From the Washington law firm King & Spaulding Dorn said that this is the first time the U.S. government imposed countervailing duties on Vietnamese enterprises / countervailing duties.

According to U.S. government data showed ,2006-2008, the Vietnam’s plastic bags the largest growth rate of imports, from 17.4 million U.S. dollars in 2006 to 79.4 million U.S. dollars in 2008.
The same period, imports from Taiwan plastic 17.6 million U.S. dollars to 51.2 million U.S. dollars, Indonesia imports plastic bags to 23.5 million U.S. dollars from 37.7 million U.S. dollars.

If the United States International Trade Commission’s final ruling on April 14 to maintain the preliminary ruling, importers will over the next three countries to pay the import of plastic bags, cash bond, while imports of plastic bags in Vietnam needs to pay countervailing duty margin .

Consumers across categories express frustration with the difficulty of opening clamshell packages, and Victorinox Swiss Army Inc. believes it has come up with one solution in redesigning the packages for its Original Swiss Army Knife.
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The company has replaced its clamshell packaging with sustainable, paperboard blister packaging. The new packages make use of MeadWestvaco’s Natralock®, a primarily paperboard design that uses 60% less plastic on average than petroleum-based polyvinyl chloride clamshells and 65% less energy in production.

“As a brand that just celebrated 125 years of iconic design and innovation, as well as a long heritage of environmental responsibility, we are proud to incorporate more sustainable packaging into our product line with Natralock,” says Rick Taggart, Victorinox Swiss Army President. “It has resulted in a better-designed, more responsible and consumer-friendly package that we believe will amplify the experience with the Victorinox Swiss Army brand.”

The new packages are high-strength and tear-resistant, and are made from sustainably sourced paperboard with a clear plastic APET or rPET bubble.

Recently, the Beijing Bureau of Civil Affairs Printing Quality Association training center in Beijing held a grand awards ceremony concluded in 2009. At the meeting, issued on 15 varieties of quality printing awards, including printing plant sending from 17 to 20 were printed, “2009 North persons Cup Indian quality awards.”

At the meeting, Chairman of Beijing Mr. Ren Yucheng Quality Association made a presentation entitled, “work together to create high-quality, mutual benefit and win-win sharing, publishing and printing industry, on reasonable advance healthy and sustainable capital development”. Reported that in 2009 the cooperation in various units, of Beijing Quality Association member units in quality management has further enhanced the level of physical product quality steadily improved; to plant community recreational activities in an interactive system made for the platform breakthrough “quality and favorable price, superior quality live source” has entered the implementation phase; market surveillance, corporate checks have withstood the rigorous test of the market pass rate over 99% for the prosperity of the capital market has contributed to culture .

North Group Corporation, the North’s shares on the print quality Panglian Dong, chairman of the printing machinery business addressed the new requirements. Pang General pointed out that China’s printing industry to progress, China’s printing equipment should progress, both on the road in the development of a wide range of common interests, the North people as our biggest Guo Zihao printing equipment manufacturer, has the responsibility to China enterprises to provide better printing quality printing equipment, the North will continue to strive for this.

China Agriculture Press printing plant, Beijing Union flourishing industry Co., Ltd., one of the younger printing, Beijing Branch Printing Co., Ltd. on behalf of advanced printing enterprises speech, in which the speech of Chinese agriculture printing the title “Four winds insist the quality of any Fall do not relax “, to impress peers. Participants around the “quality” as the theme, on how to improve product quality, to ensure the stability of print quality, quality of work and other aspects of the conduct of extensive communication and discussion.

China Machinery Industry Federation is expected, from 2011 to 2015, China’s food and packaging machinery industry output value is expected to exceed 6,000 billion yuan, an annual average growth rate of approximately maintained at 16% level. However, China packaging machinery for over-reliance on foreign high-end technology has been seriously constrained China’s packaging industry sustained and stable development.

It is reported that China’s packaging industry behind the rapid development of a large number of complete sets of equipment with high technological content still rely on imports, a year in foreign exchange for imports of complete sets of high-end equipment. If a two-way stretch plastic film equipment, a production line near 100 million yuan,from the age of 70 introduced into the last century, so far, have import of such domestic production line 110. In addition, there are a large number of dairy industry, use of aseptic packaging boxes, filling equipment, packaging machines almost all for foreign companies.

Compared with foreign countries, China’s machinery manufacturing is mainly reflected in the gap between the level of technology. Such as high-pressure sterilization and other cutting-edge technology in the world, we are no one to develop this cutting-edge technology development requires both knowledge of the investment also need equipment, investment, enterprises are unwilling to invest, research institutes and no power, the long run, will be China and

the international advanced level will make the gap between the larger and larger. So called for the domestic packaging machine manufacturers can look to the future, take the road of Chinese-made packaging machine. Spark (Zhengzhou) Packaging machinery is working with the domestic packaging machinery manufacturers to jointly develop domestic and industrialization of packaging production line system. To revitalize national industry to make its own ontribution.

To face the future development trend of food packaging machines, domestic enterprises should be based on technological innovation, increase the intensity of independent innovation; step by step implementation of the “big strong small specialized” production and business model, the formation of “difference” competition in the market system; attention to green packaging, eliminate pollution and attach importance to environmental protection.