Razor Blades, Crush Knives and Shear Knives are the more commonly used slitting tools to cut roll-making webs. These three tools cut a wide range of web materials, including various paper web thicknesses; fluffy/delicate to stringy/tough nonwovens; ultra-thin polymer films to thick plastic sheet; coated, laminated and matted webs; printed webs; adhesive-covered webs and … [Read more...] about Cut Points: How Does knife Shape Affect the Slitting Process?
2025 Quarter 1
Economic Front: Ending 2024 on a High Note
Economic reports for December 2024, almost without exception, were better than expected. Nonfarm payroll employment, from a survey of employers, jumped by 256,000 vs. a consensus forecast of 155,000; that was the biggest increase since March. Civilian employment, from a survey of households, surged 478,000; that also was the biggest increase since March. The unemployment rate, … [Read more...] about Economic Front: Ending 2024 on a High Note
Flexible Packaging Market Outlook
By Dan Felton and Dani Diehlmann, Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) The US flexible packaging industry is estimated to reach $42.9 billion in annual sales in 2023, marking a 3.3% growth from $41.5 billion in 2022. By 2028, the market is expected to expand further to $47.3 billion, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.0% from 2023 to 2028. Alongside this … [Read more...] about Flexible Packaging Market Outlook
Addressing the technology gap in the lamination process
By Carles Masgrau, technical manager and co-owner, Synaptik Lamination SL The chemical industry within flexible packaging has evolved in the last 20 years, but the technology in laminating machines has not evolved in those same 20 years. This difference creates a technology gap, and it has led to a situation where the products that are laminated are very expensive; … [Read more...] about Addressing the technology gap in the lamination process
Film Surface Treatment Mysteries
By Eldridge Mount, consulting technical editor This article will discuss film treatment and the many mysteries that can be found in film-surface treatment production, testing and end uses. In this article, “treatment” will be an oxidative process applied to the film surface by a corona, flame or atmospheric plasma. “Wet” oxidative processes will be ignored for the purposes … [Read more...] about Film Surface Treatment Mysteries