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Predicting
Quality in Corrugated Packaging
As
much as 82 % of the fibres contained in packaging made
of corrugated cardboard today are recycled. The options for
using recycled paper are increasing continually, but
associated with this is a wide divergence in terms of the
fibre qualities of the source material. The variability in
raw materials arising from the increasing percentages of
recycled fibres poses a number of technical problems for
producers. Consequently, the small and medium enterprises (SMEs)
producing corrugated packaging need support in deciding the
proportion of recycled fibres to be used in production and
the quality of the packaging that can be manufactured.
The
limitations in predicting the properties of paper products
generated using heterogeneous sources mean that at present
producers striving to manufacture packaging of an
appropriate quality tend towards an excess of packaging.
This leads to severe economic losses for the SMEs. The
principal aim of the ModelPACK project, which is managed by
a consortium of local and international organisations with a
strong reputation in the European Corrugated Cardboard
Industry, is to provide a solution to this problem by
creating a software tool for the prediction of product
quality.
The
creation of a comprehensive database on raw materials, the
classification of grade papers and the investigation of
grade paper properties will feed into the development of a
software tool that will predict the structural properties of
corrugated board and the major properties of the final
packaging.
The
ultimate goal of ModelPACK is to support the competitiveness
of European SMEs. This is underlined by the inclusion of
several active SMEs in the project consortium.
ModelPACK
Advanced
Quality Prediction Tool
for Knowledge-Driven
Packaging Design and Manufacturing in European SMEs
www.ModelPACK.org
Project
Details
ModelPACK
is the biggest European project developed for the corrugated
board sector and is part of the 6th Framework Programme of
the European Commission (Horizontal Research Activities
Involving SMEs – Collective Research).
The
project, which started in December 2006 and has a total
duration of 36 months, consists of nine interlinked work
packages. The total budget is around €2.5 million.
The ModelPACK consortium
comprises fourteen partners from seven different countries:
Belgium:
FEFCO
Germany:
Paka
Greece:
AUTH-LFU, Hartel, HEPI
Ireland: InnovaWood
Poland: COBRO
Spain: AIDIMA, Santorromán, ENICO, Vento, Ondupack, UCM
Sweden:
STFI – Packforsk
Expected
Results
1.
Quality prediction and decision support systems in a new
software tool for cost reduction and quality increase in
packaging design and manufacturing.
2.
A database of information on raw materials (grade
papers and corrugated board) available for packaging
companies throughout Europe.
3.
The identification of the lower tolerance limits of
the properties of grade papers that ensure high performance
of selected semi-processed materials (packaging grade papers,
corrugated boards) and final products (package boxes)
according to their specific uses.
4.
A database of paper characteristics that influence
the properties of corrugated boards and boxes.
5.
A training programme for the staff of the
participating SMEs and networks represented in the project.
The
results of the prediction of the quality of packaging
derived from alternative raw materials will be disseminated
to a large number of SMEs and other interested bodies in
Europe, with a particular emphasis placed on feasibility,
risks, costs, profits and energy inputs.
For
an update on the project results go to
www.ModelPACK.org
New Software for SMEs in the
Industry
ModelPACK
will be a user-friendly software tool intended to help in
designing packaging for different applications, and to
predict the properties of the future package from its raw
materials’ characteristics.
Software
specifications – statistical modelling based on the
following parameters:
Paper
measurements and characteristics
·
analysis of the major paper types, including
kraftliners, testliners and recycled papers
·
categorisation of the main medium materials, namely
semi-chemical and fully recycled fluting papers
·
determination of the critical anatomical, physical
and mechanical properties
Corrugated
board measurements and characteristics
·
determination of the critical anatomical, physical
and mechanical properties
Functional packaging performance
characteristics
·
identification of lower tolerance limits of impact
factors ensuring the high performance of final products in
accordance with their specific uses
·
modelling of the mechanical performance of packaging
related to its dimensions
derivation of formulae to
calculate and predict different final package properties as
a function of grade paper and corrugated board properties
Acknowledgments
The
ModelPACK project is a Collective Research Project
part-funded by the European Commission 6th Framework
Programme: Horizontal Research Activities Involving SMEs
http://ec.europa.eu/research/sme-techweb
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