Pack news of the week: smart, light and resealable

New ink may lower electronics costs for smart packaging

A new conductive silver ink could provide low-cost manufacturing of printable electronics.

Developed by scientists at the Xerox Research Centre of Canada, the ink could help add computing power to a wide range of surfaces such as plastics or fabrics. Xerox cited multiple possible applications, including a "smart pill boxes that track how much medication a patient has taken" and low-cost RFID tags.

The new technology allows electronics manufacturers for smart packaging to print circuits in a fashion similar to how a print service provider prints a continuous feed document, thus eliminating the need for the extensive clean room facilities required in current chip manufacturing. In addition, scientists have improved their previously developed semiconductor ink, increasing its reliability by formulating the ink so that the molecules precisely align themselves in the best configuration to conduct electricity.

Ecolean Packaging: As Light as Air

The lightweight Ecolean makes consumers forget about old-fashioned heavy packaging. The newly presented concept is approx. 50-60% lighter than a traditional liquid food carton, bottle or can. The weight of 1 litre Ecolean® Air package is just 10 grams. It’s totally environmentally friendly as saves a great deal of energy during production, transportation and waste handling.

Resealable innovation at Costco

West Liberty Foods of West Liberty, IA, is producing an innovative resealable package for sliced luncheon meat sold under Costco’s well known Kirkland Brand.