Packaging
Technology in Depth
LIFE IMITATING ART - BRING YOUR PACKAGING TO LIFE!
Now you can see what your product packaging, pallet load & truck
load will really look like with the new colorful, interactive graphics and
true to life packaging components created using CAPE PACK. This April CAPE
Systems launches its latest pallet loading and packaging design software,
CAPE PACK. A sophisticated group of programs, CAPE PACK combines innovative
graphics technology with a user friendly style, making it an essential tool
for evaluating product packaging design, pallet loading and product
distribution.
Users of CAPE PACK can create a variety of
solutions for loading cases onto pallets by entering data that relates to
the case size, the pallet size and any loading restrictions which might
apply. The program also handles package arrangement and case design, primary
package optimisation, mixed product displays and promotional pallet loads.
Designers and engineers can simply select the program groups they need to
design and redesign their packaging, test outer case materials and sizes and
create mixed product pallets for retail display purposes.
The new graphics technology behind CAPE PACK
presents the user with the opportunity to view true to life representations
of solutions and the power to share these results with other people. The
program generates three dimensional, color displays of a range of pallet
layering solutions and true to life pallet loads. It can also represent
almost any package shape, even non standard shapes such as ellipses. Users
can draw product shapes such as bags, bottles, rectangular bottles and even
light bulbs quickly and easily using the Shape Wizard feature and they can
design cases and trays using the Tray Wizard. Other capabilities include
showing dividers within the outer pack and creating bundles of packs in
their outer packaging. CAPE PACK can depict shrink wrapped bundles or pallet
loads, open flaps on cases, show cut away views and display how pallets can
be loaded into trucks.
In addition to this, artwork images such as labels,
carton graphics and brand logos can be transferred to the surfaces of the
packaging components within CAPE PACK to further increase visual reality. It
is easy to quickly transfer scanned images or imported artwork files to the
surfaces of your primary pack, bundle, or outer packaging. The program will
then turn the surfaces of the flat blank image into a proper 3D object that
can be used in CAPE PACK.
When users finalise their packaging design and
pallet loading analysis they can print out graphical, three dimensional
configurations in both color or black and white to show their customers or
colleagues in the warehouse how the products will be packed in the outer
cases and how the outer cases will be loaded and shipped on the pallets.
These printouts with multiple views of the product case and pallet load can
be used as a marketing tool or as part of a specification to assist the
assemblers in the warehouse. One view may show how the primary packages are
arranged in the outer case, another may show each layer of the loaded pallet
and a third might show the finalised fully loaded pallet.
Once you have chosen a solution from the program
you can export both text and graphics information to other software systems
such as CAD, databases and specifications, as well as robotics and end of
line packaging machinery applications. The CAPE PACK graphics also act as an
OLE Server and can therefore be inserted into other programs such as
Microsoft Word.
The technology behind CAPE PACK uses the power of
your PC to create an unprecedented level of simplicity and reality in this
type of software. CAPE has used feedback from its 3500 users in conjunction
with Visual Basic, C++ and the latest object orientated graphics technology
to develop CAPE PACK. This program structure offers a stable environment and
sound technical platform for future versions of the software in both 16 and
32 bit operating environments.
Even though the CAPE PACK program uses very
advanced technology it is extremely easy to use. The new program has been
specifically designed to follow standard Windows convention and to operate
in a similar style to Microsoft Word. Data is therefore confined to a single
input or output screen and there is on line help. CAPE PACK has been
designed for both single PC and network installations and to operate within
the Windows, Windows 95 and NT environments.
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