In the US, Alcoa Closure Systems International has launched a screw-on/screw-off dairy closure, which is said to provide extra safe sealing ability for liquid dairy products.
Claimed by the company to be a major advancement in dairy packaging, the Seal-MAX closure was designed specifically to alleviate leaking packages and offer improved tamper evidence for the dairy industry.
The Seal-MAX closure incorporates an in-shell moulded thermal plastic elastomer (TPE) lining material and features Alcoa's patented Extra-Lok tamper band which is said to deliver unprecedented closure performance. Its use of the highest quality materials and innovative sealing design enables the seal to consistently perform on HDPE or PET bottles, from single serve to gallon sized packages.
Alcoa says that the closure has gone through rigorous testing including; elevated drop tests, side leak tests, and removal torque tests to ensure the closure will meet the needs of the dairy industry and adheres to Alcoa's quality standards.
The 38mm Seal-MAX screw-on/screw-off closure will be available for delivery in May of 2003. A snap-on/screw-off version of the Seal-MAX is under development and targeted for its introduction by the 4th quarter of 2003.
Alcoa Closure Systems International (CSI), a subsidiary of Alcoa, is an outgrowth of the 1972 consolidation of the company's worldwide closure (bottle cap) and capping equipment businesses. In its 21 locations and offices worldwide, CSI employs nearly 5,000 persons. They produced and sold in excess of 55 billion closures during 2002.