- Copyright 2011 Portola Packaging
Portola Packaging Ltd, a global manufacture of plastic caps and closures for the Food and Beverage industries, are introducing the next stage in the development of Hygienic closure supply to Aseptic Fillers.
For the 38mm Aseptic-L range of caps – already produced under controlled hygienic conditions – the introduction of cap supply in sealed pillow packs will provide consistent clean supply of caps to fillers, ensuring a lower level of bio-burden from source and making the task of cap sterilization easier and more controlled on the filling line. The Hygiene levels achievable with sealed bag supply are such that one major Dairy customer completely eliminated the need for Cap irradiation on its ESL Fresh Milk Product.
Developed in Europe for the Aseptic market, Portola’s 38mm closure has many features that set it apart from the rest of the market. The interrupted thread design allows easy rinsing and sterilization of parts using common methods; it is also one of the lightest solutions available to the market.
Production for the Aseptic-L product was set up specifically to supply closures to customers using Aseptic and ESL filling lines. The moulding cell and secondary operations run in-line, and are fully automated. The caps require no manual handling and are 100% camera inspected prior to final packing; in addition the entire work cell is enclosed and fed with HEPA filtered air.
Since its introduction, the Aseptic-L closure has been supplied to many familiar branded products. The cap has been line proven on multiple Aseptic Lines and has proven suitable for chemical sterilization by submersion bath spraying and vapor treatment methods.
The versatile Aseptic-L closures can also be supplied to customers with specific product branding via a cost effective debossing solution. This option allows closure to be branded without using printing – an option not available for Aseptic Filling due to the chemical sterilization treatment. The benefits of de-embossing are that there are no raised areas to snag within the cap applicators or in restricted areas of the Aseptic fillers, and so give the brand a stand out image without compromising operations.
This system also complements the green credentials associated with Aseptic packages by eliminating the need for secondary print.
Gerry Mavin Portola’s European Commercial Director commented “We were asked by our customer to look to branding their caps without incurring massive costs in tooling. We have been able to achieve this at a relatively low cost using fast change low cost inserts developed alongside compatible tooling. The effective cost of inserts can equate to as little as £0.04p per 000 units dependant upon volumes, resulting in significant saving over secondary print systems”.
In addition to the standard features expected from this style of closure; the Portola system can be customized further with a variety of options, these include an Integral Oxygen scavenger. Built into the closure rather than only applied to specific surfaces, the scavenger cap is fully compatible with Chemical sterilization methods.
Portola is committed to the development of cost effective solutions for the Aseptic Filling industry, our solutions have been successfully launched and proven in the market in both Europe and North America.
Portola are an ISO 9001 and 14002 Accredited company
For more information visit www.portola.eu.com or contact sales@portola.eu.com or telephone +44 (0)1302 552400