In this paper, we investigate a novel application of online planning and scheduling: controlling an automated infeeder for a packaging line of food and consumer packaged goods. In this system, products arrive continuously at high-speed from the end of the production line and need to be arranged into a specific configuration for downstream primary and secondary packaging machines. In collaborati...

Nanotechnology has an extremely high potential to benefit society through applications in food packaging. It can make the products cheaper and the production more efficient by producing less waste and using less energy. However, any new technology carries an ethical responsibility for wise application and the recognition that there are potential unforeseen risks that may come with the tremendou...

The reliability of solder joints in electronic packaging is becoming more important as the ball grid array (BGA) develops rapidly into the most popular packaging technology. Thermal fatigue of solder joints has been a reliability concern in the electronic packaging industry since the introduction of surface mount technology (SMT). Microstructural coarsening (phase growth) is considered to be cl...

Biodegradable films have been introduced in the packaging industry recently. Most products are boxes, bottles and bags. The printability of biodegradable film has not been fully investigated. This study tested the printability on clear and white Polylactic acid (PLA) films, and compared the print qualities to common packaging films like Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Wate...

Food quality and safety are major concerns in the food industry. Antimicrobial packaging can be considered an emerging technology that could have a significant impact on shelf life extension and food safety. Use of antimicrobial agents in food packaging can control the microbial population and target specific microorganisms to provide higher safety and quality products. Many classes of antimicr...

Safe and environmentally friendly oil-resistant packaging paper is strongly desired in the food packaging industry. In the present work, chitosan (CTS) and chitosan/cationic starch (CTS/CS) coated papers were prepared and characterized. The results indicated that both the CTS and CTS/CS coated papers were highly oil resistant, and their oil resistance was increased with an increase in coating w...

eTourism services are increasingly changing the nature of and processes in the tourism industry. The aim of this paper is to address the implications of e-tourism services in the tourism industry. The main areas of concern are a combination of technical and social issues, which need to be addressed in order the tourism industry to adopt eTourism services. We present the current trends of eTouri...