packaging | Caps & closures Athena Cube machine


have involved putting a shrink or foil sleeve around a bottle of wine. However, for premium brands, cap mould- ers are investing in dedicated cells to produce high quality closures made up of a number of complex parts.” A recent example involved develop- ing a combination aluminium and


plastic tamper evident snap-on security


closure. Comprising a non-refillable valve for high-risk markets, it also includes a tamper evidence mechanism that provides


part-eject assist feature to ensure a consistent freefall of closures at the fastest cycles, and sensor-driven mould alignment to reduce mould wear. Husky’s Mold ID technology provides information on mould maintenance, process set-up and operation for each start-up. The company has also developed HyperSync, a fully


integrated system for speciality closure manufacturing. The HyperSync is a synchronised system with mould, machine, hot runner and auxiliaries designed to work together to deliver faster cycle times at a lower total part cost, with no impact to product quality. It includes eIMC in-mould closing technology, which the company says allows for the safe overlapping of mould functions, providing precise, controlled closing of flip-top closures while still in the warm position. The speed of closing is carefully controlled, allowing for quick closing move- ments with precision; this ensures the fastest closing speed while maintaining the ideal force required and ensuring optimal part quality. The use of eIMC in-mould closing technology provides up to 20% increase in productivity, with nearly two seconds saved per cycle depending on the application.


Right: The alcoholic beverage


market is one of the worst affected by


counterfeiting


Beating counterfeiters One recent initiative in cap moulding at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag is helping to solve counterfeiting in the drinks industry. New security measures, including anti-refill and tamper evidence caps, can now be achieved through the latest injection moulding techniques. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) reported in July 2016 that legitimate industries lose approximately €1.3bn annually due to the presence of counterfeit spirits and wine in the EU marketplace. As well as replicating the bottles, labels and packaging of well-known drink brands, the technique of refilling is increasingly widespread, especially in Asia. Conse- quently, manufacturers are making labels more difficult to copy and bottles harder to refill. “One way to counteract counterfeiting and product


tampering is through the design of packaging that cannot be easily copied,” says Kevin Heap, packaging expert at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag UK. “Until recently, this may


44 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2017 www.injectionworld.com


an irreversible opening event to leave permanent evidence of initial opening. The cap is produced in high volumes and is modular by design, so that trade customers can adapt it to different spirit brands. The cap works by releasing a plastic part when each


bottle is opened. It is impossible to reinsert this part back into the cap’s neck and when it drops down it reveals a highlighted ring to indicate that the bottle has been opened. For the production of these caps, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag supplied five all-electric IntElect Smart 220 tonne and 450 tonne machines, all fitted with the activeFlowBalance technology, as part of a dedicated manufacturing cell. Repeatable moulding precision is crucial to the


performance of each cap’s internal mechanism. “Within each aluminium cap are 14 plastic parts, making the assembly highly complex,” Heap says. “Because each plastic element is small and needs to fit together to form the overall tamper evident mechanism, part quality is paramount. This is where activeFlowBalance helps, by ensuring even filling of the mould, precise shot weights and consequently fewer defects. IntElect machines mould the plastic component, which are then assembled into the cap’s aluminium sleeve by down- stream automation lines.” Other methods of deterring counterfeiters include


concealing unique identifiers, such as a QR code or holograms, on the inside of cap labels. While these can


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