Capping off a record-breaking event in the Pack Expo portfolio of Trade Shows, Pack Expo Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging Expo 2017 welcomed nearly 1,000 more attendees than 2015, making it the largest Pack Expo Las Vegas in history. Preliminary numbers reveal that 29,500 attendees and 2,000 exhibiting companies convened in almost 900,000 net square feet of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

“The overwhelming success of Pack Expo Las Vegas and Healthcare Packaging Expo, coming on the heels of our success at Pack Expo East, ProFood Tech and Expo Pack Guadalajara, confirmed our belief that our industry views the Pack Expo brand as must-attend events,” said Jim Pittas, chief operating officer of PMMI, in a statement. “Our exhibitors and attendees expect Pack Expo to carry out first-class events, and this show was no exception.”

PACK gives BACK featuring a performance by the legendary rock and roll band The Doobie Brothers, raised proceeds from the performance in combination with industry donations and PMMI’s $100,000 match, which pushed Pack Expo’s hurricane aid donation to greater than $325,000.

As part of the tradeshow, many suppliers supporting the beverage market exhibited at this year’s event. The following are some of the highlights:

Butler Automatic showcased its SP1 and SP3HSL Automatic Film Splicers. The SP1 senses the diameter of the expiring roll of film and automatically splices the end of each expiring roll onto the new roll. It is capable of running at speeds of as fast as 600 feet per minute (FPM). The SP3 Automatic Sleeve Splicer is ideally suited for increasing production time in consumer packaged goods and pharmaceutical applications utilizing shrink sleeve packaging.

Domino North America showcased its latest in innovative coding solutions, namely the new M230i Print & Apply Labeling solution and its latest Fibre Laser solution, the F-Series. The new Domino Ax-Series Continuous Inkjet Series is designed for exceptional print quality at high speeds, astonishing application flexibility, and easy integration and operation, it says. The Domino F720i high speeds, fiber laser is designed to deliver clear, legible and durable codes to aluminum cans, and, with a high IP rating, the new F720i fiber laser is particularly suited to withstand the harsh production environments and high-speed coding demands of the beverage canning sector, it adds.

For secondary packaging automation, Douglas Machine showcased the new Vectra cartoner, top-load display case packing for pouches and bags, high- and mid-speed wraparound case packing, and retail shrink wrap solutions.

Garvey introduced a new version of its patented continuous Infinity Accumulation Loop. This new version integrates two Ryson Mass Flow Spiral Conveyors with the Garvey Infinity Loop and enables the use of available vertical space to increase system capacity within a small footprint. Joining forces with Ryson has allowed the Vertical Infinity to utilize two incredible technological achievements and create the most efficient accumulation machine Garvey has ever built, the company says.

Klüber Lubrication featured its specialty solutions for the food processing and pharmaceutical industries. Among those were Klüberplus C2 K2 Ultra Dry, C2 PM2 Super Dry, and C2 PM2 Ultra Dry, a series of conveyor belt lubricants for the beverage and food processing industry; Klüberpaste UH1 96-402, a light-colored high-temperature paste for the food processing and pharmaceutical industries; and Klüberfood NH1 74-401, a synthetic long-life, high-temperature grease for the food and pharmaceutical industries utilizing a unique FDA-approved urea thickener.

PDC International Corp. introduced the 65C-M Shrinksealer with Integrated Material Accumulator. The 65C-M is based on an equipment platform developed by PDC, now widely used and specified throughout the food and pharma sectors for the application of heat-shrinkable, tamper-evident neckbands. A shrink material accumulator, integral to this new system, allows roll changes at full production speed, as fast as 175 cans a minute. This feature reduces downtime in every shift.

Videojet Technologies had on display its most recent product innovations. New technologies showcased were the new Videojet 1860 CIJ, which uses predictive capabilities including an ink build-up sensor to provide as many as eight hours of advanced notice of common potential fault conditions that can impact OEE and uptime, it says. The new Videojet DataFlex 6530 and 6330 TTO printers feature revolutionary iAssure technology, an industry-first, integrated code-assurance system that automatically checks every print for alphanumeric print defects and helps to reduce the packaging waste that results from coding errors. The new high-powered CO2 Videojet 3640 60-Watt Laser Marking System is engineered to process complex codes at the highest speeds and features the industry’s widest mark field. The new Videojet 7220 and 7320 fiber laser marking systems deliver versatile, permanent coding with a small footprint and low maintenance. Perfect for high-contrast color changes on plastic and metal materials, these reliable, pulsed fiber laser marking systems feature built-in productivity and flexibility that can be configured to the user’s needs. BI