Easy Tether solution
The R&D team at plastic packaging producer Retal’s dedicated innovation centre in Lithuania has spent much of the last two years creating and developing a range of tethered closures that can partner with its preforms in different neck finishes. This has resulted in several tethered-ready options that meet all the rules, the company says. In addition to this careful R&D of technologically advanced tethered closures, the company has announced the discovery of a simple solution: a tethered closure solution that is claimed to be almost free to implement, to require only small machinery changes, and to result in a practical, comfortable tethered closure meeting the strict demands of many of Europe’s leading beverage brands.
The head of Retal’s R&D department Anton Sugoniaev explains this solution: “We work closely with our compression machine supplier and they shared with us a small change inside the tooling that produces the caps. With this small but crucial change, we have been able to create what we call our Easy Tether solution.” This solution uses the same cap as its standard slitted cap; the only difference is that one bridge is not cut, thanks to the shorter blade that doesn’t cut the standard 360 degrees, but rather has a shorter blade that leaves one connection, which formed the ‘tether’. Sugoniaev continues, “It’s simple, strong and meets the legislation. As there’s practically no cost involved, with zero cost to the customer; they use the same cap shape as before and work exactly as they’re used to. It’s easy for us to share the solution with our customers and show them how it works and how it allows them to be in good time for the legislation at no downtime or investment to them or their production line.” These caps with a remaining connection would have previously been considered defective, he explains, while they are now in line with the new regulations and can be produced at high volumes with no additional costs, changes or downtime.
Alongside the Easy Tether, the company offers a range of technically complex tethered solutions for the popular 29/25, 1810 and 1881 neck finishes, with the team able to deliver a comparison of possible solutions to customers across Europe.
