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ISSUE 04-05 / 2001 |
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| Closures | BACK to contents |
KEEPS OUT CONTAMINATION AND OXYGEN
With applications which include beer, cold aseptic filling and sports drinks the Acti-Seal from Alcoa is a versatile solution to a number of bottling problems.
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A novel way of sealing filled bottles prior to fitting the closure is put forward by Alocoa CSI Europe. The principal is disarmingly simple – a specially designed injection-moulded sealing disc is inserted into the neck of the bottle immediately after filling. This effectively closes the bottle against the ingress of further oxygen and, because the disc is heavily dished into the bottle neck, it mechanically displaces some of the oxygen in the headspace as it is fitted. By incorporating an oxygen scavenging material in the disc oxygen can also be chemically removed from the drink during storage.
Beer
A wide range of closure types can be used on PET bottles, including screw caps, crown corks, ring-pull closures etc. However, many brewers, who have traditionally used crown corks, are opting for screw caps when switching to PET. A problem for brewers, which emerged with the increased use of screw caps, is the tendency of the cap to stick to the bottle neck threads as a result of beer residue from the filling process on the outside of the bottle neck. The new pre-sealing system allows the bottle neck to be rinsed after filling but before the closure is applied.
Firstly the Acti-Seal disc is applied to the open bottle neck as soon as the bottle has been filled, partially filling the head space. Excess beer foam, initially added to displace headspace oxygen, is allowed to run down the outside of the bottle neck. The bottle threads remain uncovered after the disc is applied and so any product residue can be rinsed away without risk of the rinse agent entering the bottle and contaminating the product. At the next station the standard plastic or aluminium closure is applied as normal.
A clever feature of the sealing disc is that it is designed to snap into the top of the screw closure as it is tightened, effectively becoming an internal cap liner. This means that when the closure is removed the sealing disc comes off with it, allowing the consumer to enjoy the easy-open and resealing benefits of a screw closure without compromising the taste of the beer.
Cold Aseptic Filling
With another, quite different, problem in mind the Acti-Seal closure has been adopted by Adelholzen Alpenquellen, a leading European mineral water bottler, to provide a primary seal during the cold aseptic filling (CAF) process (see PETplanet Insider issue1-2, 2001). Wishing to take advantage of the growth in popularity of push-pull sports closures without compromising the sterility of their CAF line Adelholzener decided to use the sealing disc to protect the integrity of the Class 100 environment. Their principal concern was the complexity and cost of sterilising push-pull closures – a concern which was resolved by the use of a separate sealing disc.
With another, quite different, problem in mind the Acti-Seal closure has been adopted by Adelholzen Alpenquellen, a leading European mineral water bottler, to provide a primary seal during the cold aseptic filling (CAF) process (see PETplanet Insider issue1-2, 2001). Wishing to take advantage of the growth in popularity of push-pull sports closures without compromising the sterility of their CAF line Adelholzener decided to use the sealing disc to protect the integrity of the Class 100 environment. Their principal concern was the complexity and cost of sterilising push-pull closures – a concern which was resolved by the use of a separate sealing disc.
A push-pull closure can also be successfully used on lightly carbonated drinks with the help of the Acti-Seal closure, which is capable of sealing low carbonation levels.
Fitting the discs
The manufacturer of the Acti-Seal, Alcoa CSI Europe, has developed the sealing technology in parallel with sorting, orientation and application equipment which they can supply as part of a turn-key operation
In CAF applications Alcoa’s disc fitting machine is installed within the clean filling room at the point where the bottles exit the filler, sealing the bottles as soon as possible after filling. A standard screw cap or push-pull closure is then applied (generally outside the clean area) using standard capping equipment.
The Acti-Seal sorting and application equipment is designed to run smoothly at speeds of up to 60,000 bph.
Acti-Seal discs are available as standard for 28 mm and 38 mm PET neck finishes and can be adapted for any size of bottle neck finish. The discs are made from a non-PVC HDPE material, but they can be manufactured from virtually any injection-mouldable material and, as already mentioned, can incorporate oxygen scavenging materials, providing additional protection for sensitive beverages.
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