From a field of dozens of entries, the Association of Industrial Metallizers, Coaters and Laminators selected six packaging designs for special honors at its winter management meeting in Tucson, Ariz. At a banquet held on the second day of the March 12-16 event, the Fort Mill, S.C.-based trade organization showcased the award-winning designs. Taking the top honor, the Peter Rigney Product of the Year Award, was Unifoil Corp., Fairfield, N.J., for a package it designed for Elizabeth Arden.

The product goes through several heat processing steps during the proprietary converting process. Unifoil converts the holographic material used for a heart-shaped setup box designed by Elizabeth Arden, Miami Lakes, Fla., for its new Forever Elizabeth fragrance. Hub Folding Box, Mansfield, Mass., assisted with the design and also serves as box maker and contract packager. To produce the five-component box, CFC International, Chicago, metallizes the polyester, and Unifoil adds a custom-designed, shimless, 45o diagonal double-rainbow holographic pattern. Unifoil then laminates the film to 24-pt solid bleached sulfate from International Paper, Pittsburgh, to form the top and base, and to 12-pt board for the top and bottom rims. The rims are folded over to achieve a 24-pt thickness and provide a seamless rim with a duplex effect.

The holographic pattern wraps around the entire box, eliminating any white core edges when the box is open. A third substrate of half-mil polyester film also is metallized by CFC and converted by Unifoil. Gold in color, it covers the inside of the box top and bottom to hide glue rim seams and serve as a background for the transparent polyvinyl chloride tray that holds the product. "It's wrinkle free at the folds," says one judge, adding, "This is very difficult to achieve."

Other winners include Proma Technologies, Franklin, Mass.; Super Film Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret A.S., Baspinar, Turkey; Hazen Paper Co., Holyoke, Mass.; Bekaert Specialty Films, San Diego, Flexcon Co. Inc., Spencer, Mass.

AIMCAL is an international nonprofit trade association representing converters of metallized, coated and laminated flexible substrates and their suppliers. For more information, call (803) 802-7820 or visit www.aimcal.org.