One-piece DoubleSeal flat closures from BERICAP have been around since 2003 and have proven their worth under industrial hotfill conditions in several regions, such as Asia, the Americas and, last but not least, Europe.
BERICAP’s 38mm one-piece closure for hotfill applications represents a cost-effective, performance-driven alternative to the traditional two-piece (closure plus liner) types, which were typically used in the past for juices, ready-to-drink teas, isotonic and enhanced waters.
With several billion hotfilled products having already been closed with the well-known one-piece DoubleSeal closure from BERICAP, their functional reliability for hotfill applications is tried and tested.
What is more, the one-piece closure system adds convenience for the consumer because of its low opening force. Another advantage of the one-piece closure is the high opening angle (>150°) before the integrity of the filled product is lost – a two-piece closure starts to open after just a few degrees of turn, which could happen due to displacement during transport.
The one-piece 38mm DoubleSeal closures support the upper end of the PET neck from inside and outside and keep the neck in a round shape. It does not require high application torques to achieve a secure seal and thus avoids any barrelling of the neck when the hotfill product softens the neck during the hotfill process.
This support allows the quantity of PET resin needed to form the neck to be reduced significantly, as the wall thickness is down to just 1.5 mm. The one-piece hotfill closures from BERICAP are commercially available for 28mm, 33mm and 38mm neck sizes.
Latest tests also show that the standard ISBT PCO 1881 together with the DoubleSeal SuperShorty can be used for hotfill applications at up to 88°C. That means the customer could run a hotfilled product as well as a CSD product on one line – the closure and pre-forms should be the same (only resin suitable for hotfill application may be used for the pre-form).
The hotfill closure technology has since been applied to BERICAP Sport closures. PushPull sports closures for 28mm, 33mm and 38mm necks are feasible for hotfill applications without an aluminium foil.
Illustration: Products with BERICAP’s 38mm one-piece closure for hotfill.