QUESTIONS & ANSWERS(RATED A+)
How the Clemson packaging program defines packaging science - ANSWER "it is a
field that involves the use of *Materials*, *Methods*, and *Machinery* to develop and
produce that protect and preserve a product, help market the product and instruct the
consumer in its proper use"
Earliest Packaging - ANSWER Consider what life was like in ancient days
packaging provided a simple function of containment
From natural sources (seashells, coconut shells, etc.)
3000 B.C. - ANSWER Egyptians learned to blow and cast glass
105 A.D. - ANSWER Paper invented in China
c. 1500 - ANSWER cork stopper used for bottles such as wine (first evidence of
protective packaging)
1809 - ANSWER Nicholas Appert - Canning Process
1810 - ANSWER Peter Durand develops "tin canister"
End of Industrial Revolution and around WWII - ANSWER There was a movement from
bulk packaging to retail packaging. This illustrates how social changes interact with
packaging developments
1950's to 60's - ANSWER convenience and brand expansion
1970's - ANSWER improvements in distribution and material handling
1980's - ANSWER improvements in barrier films and microwave packaging
1990's - ANSWER environmental awareness and market globalization
1868 - ANSWER John Hyatt - patent for celluloid, leading to the development of
cellulose, first "plastic"
1877 - ANSWER Quaker Oats first used the "Quaker Man" to represent their product
1895 - ANSWER toothpaste first offered in tubes
1930 - ANSWER Polyethylene discovered in England, eventually one of the most
commonly used packaging plastics
,1954 - ANSWER polypropylene used for packaging
1960-1970 - ANSWER laws clarified and improved
1987 - ANSWER New Jersey enacts first statewide recycling law for plastic containers
1990 - ANSWER Nutritional Labeling and Education Act
Importance of packaging to society - ANSWER Essential for us to have and get what we
want, reduces waste
Retort - ANSWER preserve cooking, pressure cooking in cans to make shelf stable
Future Trends - ANSWER away from glass and metal toward plastics and composites;
away from rigid toward flexible and semi-rigid; metalized instead of foil laminates;
tamper evident; more informative; convenience; reduced packaging; incorporation of
more recycled materials; more technically complex-breathable, temp sensors, oxygen,
absorber, holographic images
Most companies are either ... - ANSWER users or suppliers
Some larger companies can be... - ANSWER Users and suppliers
A raw material producer may also be a ... - ANSWER converter
Suppliers - ANSWER converters (converts raw materials into useable suppliers)
machinery
services (contractor makes Wheaties with Tom Brady for company)
Users - ANSWER consumer, industrial, institutional
Trade dress - ANSWER Includes shape, color, and print. Covered under trademark law
Utility of Use for the consumer - ANSWER easy opening/resealing, squeezable,
microwavable, unit dose
utility of use for the retailer - ANSWER size, orientation for shelf display, point of
purchase displays
utility of use for the shipper/distributor - ANSWER hand holds, fork truck cut outs,
reusable totes
Categories of Materials - ANSWER Paper and paperboard, metals, glass, and plastics
, Applications for Wood in Packaging - ANSWER barrels, crates, nailed or wirebound
boxes, pallets and skids
Wood Contains - ANSWER 50% cellulose
30% lignin
20% carbohydrate
Cellulose - ANSWER Structure for paper and paperboard.
Lignin - ANSWER Brown, sticky substance. Brown rings you count on trees.
Paper thickness - ANSWER 0.012" thick or less
Paperboard thickness - ANSWER greater than 0.012" thick
Cellophane - ANSWER Plastic that comes from wood
Mechancial - ANSWER One of three ways to make pulp. Least expensive because it
doesn't use chemicals and uses all the wood. Low brightness and strength. Usually
combined with other pulps
Chemical - ANSWER One of three ways to make pulp. Sulfate (kraft) is most widely
used, sulfite, and soda. Higher quality than mechanical
Semi-Chemical - ANSWER One of three ways to make pulp. Cook wood in chemicals.
Grinds in disc refiner. Not used much except for corrugated media
Fourdrinier Machine - ANSWER Type of paper-making machine for paper or
paperboard
Cylinder - ANSWER Type of paper-making machine for paperboard only
twin wire - ANSWER 2 wires that the pulp and water mixture is pumped in between
Vacuum pulls water from both top and bottom
Greater productivity and speed
Procedure for paper making - ANSWER Screen, Squeeze, Dry
Calendering process - ANSWER Paper run through stack of rollers. Increases density
and smoothness. Important for strength and print quality
Basis weight of paper - ANSWER lbs./3000 sq. ft.
basis weight of paperboard - ANSWER lbs./1000 sq. ft.