UK-based CADCAM developer Delcam is to launch a free guide to packaging design and manufacture at the Packaging Digest/Pira International conference Packaging Design & Innovation to be held 22 to 23 April 2003 in Washington DC, US.
The guide, which will be issued in CD format, will show how modern computer-based methods have enabled major food and beverage packaging players in the packaging industry, such as Graham Packaging, RPC and Sidel to produce more complex designs more quickly and to a higher quality.
According to Delcam, consumer research has shown that up to 60 per cent of all buying decisions are made at the point of purchase. In such cases, packaging design can have a critical impact. Successful designs allow customers to identify their preferred brand easily. They can also have a crucial role in building a strong identity for a new make. In both cases, the packaging designer must develop a distinctive image to ensure that his clients stand out clearly.
The company adds that current rapid changes in fashion mean that the time to market for new concept ideas must be even shorter. In addition the company says that the packaging sector is now demanding higher quality and greater accuracy, realising that any defect in the packaging will damage the consumer's impression of the product inside.
Delcam's Power Solution aims to help packaging designers and manufacturers meet all such demands. The company says that its Total Modelling approach to design allows logos, textures and other decorations to be incorporated into standard pack designs more readily to help reinforce branding of products. Modification of complex designs is said to be easier and quicker, making it possible to create a greater selection of alternatives when presenting proposals for new designs.
The company's PowerSHAPE software enables parts of the design process to be automated, including fill line calculation and volume adjustment. This automation means that the designer can concentrate on the form of the product and leave the system to undertake routine calculations of the physical properties, such as the volume or mass of the packaging and contents - leaving more time for creative work.
Once the basic design has been established, a range of alternatives can be compared on-screen in different materials and with a variety of decorations. The company says that computer generated images can then be used to test the reaction from clients and consumers, or even to develop advertising, before any products are produced.
The computer models from PowerSHAPE can also be used to generate data for rapid prototyping equipment or CAM images can be used to produce toolpaths for machining of samples. Interfaces to finite element analysis packages allow material savings through calculation of optimum wall thickness.
Ultimately the software enables tooling designs for the full range of processes - blow moulds for plastic or glass, injection moulds for closures and punches for cans - to be generated from product designs.