PETpla.net Insider 07+08 / 2020

CAPS & CLOSURES 48 PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 07+08/20 www.petpla.net An opportunity for compression and injection moulding? PETinar: Tethered caps At the second PETplanet PETinar in which 248 attendees took part, Andreas Brem, Group Sales Director of Food and Drink at Bericap; David Chalmers, Operating Manager, Packaging Services Division at Coca-Cola Amatil and Iacopo Bianconcini, Marketing Manager at Sacmi under the chairmanship of Ruari McCallion, PETplanet, spoke about current developments and the potential for tethered caps. Andreas Brem from Bericap started off by explaining the legislative timeline. The SUP Directive came into force nearly a year ago and new caps should be available on the market by 2024. Technical requirements, trans- position into national legislation and, of course, the introduction of technol- ogy with experimental moulds will all have taken place in the intervening five years. Andreas highlighted potential solu- tions for the three elements of non- carbonated drinks (press-on hinge and screw caps), aseptic and car- bonated bottles. Here, I would like to mention a very instructive video that was included in the presentation. Of the many options shown is the clip aside screw cap. Here, he demon- strated its intuitive opening and clos- ing and its prominent position when opened which allows for hassle-free drinking and which meets the require- ments of the CEN Regulation (25N pull-off resistance, opened 15 times and closed without rupturing). The new cap must be suitable for all standard neck finishes. Conse- quently, there will probably be one for the traditional PCO 1881, as well as for PET 26/3T; PET 29/25; PET 30/25; PET 33 2T etc. This means that no new neck geometries are needed and that the bottler will not have to adjust his lines, except for the capper. In order to answer the question as to whether injection moulding with or without slittering is the preferred choice, Andreas showed us an impressive mould flow video. Whereas the melt flow in injection moulding with slitting flows evenly into the outer area, it is not suitable for injection moulding without slitting (i.e. inject- ing the perforation) as the perforation has to be washed around the mould, resulting in two flow lines for each perforation which then come together again behind the perforation. The flow lines can cool down which creates cold seals and with it fracture lines when they come together. This has no effect in the laboratory but slitter- ing causes far fewer problems when it comes to 24/7 production. The latest development is the approval of closure design, with market tests for different designs planned for next year. Questions were asked about cap material, whether there are likely to be any changes and what recyclability will look like. Iacopo Bianconcini from Sacmi also showed an instructive video that highlighted a number of solu- tions his company has in mind for the tethered cap. Common to all solutions is that slitting occurs after compensation moulding. Iacopo also told Andreas that new caps are not an investment for bottlers, that no approval for new packaging is necessary and that they could be brought in very quickly. The situation is somewhat different for snap-on caps in which both the cap and preform manufacturer must invest in new moulds. The bottler must also make adjustments to his processes and machines. Iacopo again pointed out that the melt index range is wider for com- pression moulding than for injec- tion. Implementation of subsequent slitting and process control solutions ensures that new caps are of consist- ent quality. PETinar Andreas Brem, Group Technical Sales Director Beverage and Food, Bericap David Chalmers, Operations Manager Packaging Svcs Div. Coca-Cola Amatil Iacopo Bianconcini, Marketing Manager Sacmi by Alexander Büchler