Irwin Research & Development, Inc.

Most of the developments will focus on in-line systems.

There will be fewer thermoforming machines on display at NPE 2003 than at many recent NPEs.

NPE had its share of innovations in thermoforming, notably a new machine that opens the small-bottle market to thermoformers. New trim stations offer more in the way of output and versatility. And more machines are now outfitted with off-the-shelf controls to facilitate servicing. A line of formers from Australia also arrived in the U.S. (Note: additional NPE thermoforming news appeared in May and June—see Learn More box.)

For thermoforming of both heavy-gauge sheet and thin-gauge packaging, the show will present new machines with unusual flexibility, able to form a wide variety of products and materials.

Continuous in-line packaging systems will be the main emphasis in thermoforming at K 2007.

One of the fi rst commercial continuous sheet splicers has been developed for polystyrene foam thermoforming lines.

The new 4242 berry-basket tooling system from Irwin Research & Development Inc., Yakima, Wash., consolidates pre-punch and trimming operations into one station.

Several new processing technologies unveiled at NPE point to thermoforming’s growing capability to produce in-mold labeled and decorated plastic parts.

Soaring interest in in-mold finishing techniques for injection molding and fiber-reinforced composites offers new prospects for cut-sheet formers.

High-speed packaging systems dominated thermoforming news in Dusseldorf. A new shallow-draw, servo-driven system promises to make formed PP deli lids competitive with injection molded LLDPE. Other new machines use electric servo motors to speed forming of PS, PE, and PET packaging.

Perpetually in its infancy, PET foam sheet has been a hard sell for packaging producers over nearly a decade. It found successful niches in thermoformed ovenable bakery trays, meat trays, and reheatable dinner trays for home delivery to disabled persons.