Michael Coy – Pressco
In July 2019, the EU commission published the Plastic Strategy paper to reduce plastic waste, including a regulation with regard to closures on plastic beverage bottles: Plastic closures must remain attached to the bottles from July 2024 at the latest. This poses major challenges for the industry. Several cap solutions have already appeared in the market. As a logical consequence, PETplanet Insider is therefore asking about the inspection options for these closures. Find out here about the inspection solutions for tethered caps from: IMD, Intravis, Pressco and Sacmi.
Pressco Technology Inc., Mr Michael Coy, Director of Marketing
PETplanet: Has your company already developed inspection systems for tethered caps? If so, what were the particular challenges during development and what are the new parameters of the inspection?
Pressco Technology has already provided solutions to inspect tethered closures on filled PET bottles. Recently we supplied a system to be installed on an existing water bottling line in Europe; with some minor modifications to the inspection parameters, we were successful in deploying an inspection solution to meet the customer’s requirements for defect detection on the tethered closures. No major challenges were encountered.
PETplanet: Can any design of tethered cap be inspected with one inspection system?
Because this is an evolving issue, with different styles and designs of closures, a one-size-fits-all solution may not be realistic. Thus far, Pressco’s standard inspection system has been successfully adapted to the new tethered closure designs which we’ve been asked to inspect. Of primary importance is to carefully evaluate each individual closure design and to clearly define the inspection requirements. At Pressco, we are known for working closely with individual customers to develop and/or adapt our solutions to meet their particular needs. We always request that our customers submit samples of their closure and bottle designs along with their quality specifications and inspection requirements so that we may ensure a successful solution.
PETplanet: What must users be prepared for? Are the new systems easy to integrate into existing processes? What is the technical and financial expenditure?
Closure manufacturers as well as bottlers should work closely with the vision supplier to carefully review the particular closure designs and the quality requirements. In many cases, this process will be no different than it would be with a standard closure, with similar costs and installation requirements. However, more complex closure designs and/or customer requirements could indicate a need for additional development work to produce a satisfactory inspection solution.
Caption: The FHCP3X is Pressco’s full-bottle inspection system. It is capable to inspect many styles of tethered closures on filled & capped bottles in its standard configuration.
