PETpla.net Insider 09 / 2020

CAPS & CLOSURES 38 PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 09/20 www.petpla.net latter-stage development with those that are worth taking through. Get- ting it to work has been dif fi cult; we’ve been through numerous iterations. There’s subtlety not just in the design but in the way it is moulded, as well. In a way, we’re back where we were 15 years ago – replacing liners in CSD bottles, as we did with Coca- Cola.” Yes, UCL were the innovators then, too. Its familiarity with this path is an asset to the new segments it is entering and the companies that are operating in them. Meeting the challenge of new legislation A big change that will be affecting all beverage bottlers, initially in the EU and, thereafter, probably across the world, is tethered caps. One of the main reasons for requiring them is environmental, which is by now a very familiar motivation but that does not make things easy; the design and development challenges are signi fi - cant. While there are already some basic compliant designs available, which meet the test for ‘break force’, there is plenty of room for develop- ment. Does the tether allow the cap to fold back 180 degrees and get out of the way of the consumer’s mouth when drinking direct from the bottle? Does it interfere with pouring? How is moulding affected? What is the best way of ensuring secure sealing with a solution that is designed to hinge up and out? Will meeting the new requirements inevitably mean higher caps and thus taller neck fi nishes? “We have been working really closely with the Coca-Cola project team on tackling these challenges, as have all of our competitors,” said Mark. “The only mandatory require- ment at this time is the break force; if it wasn’t speci fi ed, in the extreme anyone could develop a closure with a tether like a human hair. Every- thing else comes from that, in terms of the opening angle, the clearance, the drinking surface and whether or not it stays attached, over whatever number of cycles: all that is product requirement. The brands de fi ne what they require from the product.” Product requirements include – indeed, are led by – con- sumer experience but that is ulti- mately de fi ned by a design that will ensure adequate drinking surface clearance. The area between the closed cap and fully opened but still tethered is what Mark has called the ‘dead zone’. There is also the require- ment to recog- nise fi nancial constraints on investment by bottlers and con- verters. The ideal solution would be a 180-degree opening teth- ered cap that can be produced by existing moulds and equipment, retro fi tted; the reality is that retro fi t- ting may not produce the ultimate solution. Modifying the mould “In order to meet the requirements and standards of the leading brands, retro fi tting starts to come off the table. This is more like a new design. It’s not vastly different in appearance but we’ve got to start doing things in the cavity, whereas before we kept it all in the splits,” he explained. “So, we now have a solution, which is an advance on our standard offer- ing, whereby the closure lifts away, hinges over and locks back.” The good news is: UCL is remaining true to its tradition of taking material out, wherever it can. “The industry is gradually moving away from 1881 with a short neck replacement. This will be in the form of GME30.37 and GME 30.40,” he continued. “UCL has brand new tethering technology for both these fi nishes in development, which will be ready for trials later this year. These technologies have been designed so they can be transplanted into a wide range of closure sizes and types from UCL’s 15-year catalogue.” This sounds like very positive news for bottlers and converters. Retooling is inevitable and standard with routine upgrades but the tether- ing solutions will not require whole- sale reinvestment. There is also good news for the growing sports drinks and on-the-go water markets. “UCL is in advanced development stages of a fl ip-top 2925 Tethered Water Closure, which features our high performance self-hold hinge technology,” Mark announced. “This solution has the key attribute of being compatible with existing and standard 2925 threaded fi nishes.” Even as it spreads its in fl uence and expands activities into new markets, UCL retains the best of its history and legacy, while innovat- ing to enable clients to maintain and improve their competitive edge. www.universalclosures.com