Capping Machine Styles - Spinning, Snapping and More

Products change based on consumer trends and demands and the packaging used for those products abides by pretty much the same rules.  In many areas, pouches are replacing plastic bottles as a more flexible and sustainable solution.  An influx of distilled spirit producers following the deregulation of many laws on producing and packaging spirits is another recent trend.  Changes in trends can lead to changes in packaging machinery as well, including the capping equipment used to secure the products.  While many cappers used in today's packaging systems are tried and true, there are emerging machines that are currently gaining popularity.

Many bottles, and even some pouches and other containers, still use a screw on type cap.  These closures can range from simple flat caps to sports caps, flip tops, trigger sprayers and many others.  Either spindle cappers or chuck capping machines will normally be used for these types of closures.  Screw caps are probably still the most popular of all closure types and are secured to the bottle by simply spinning the cap on the pre-threaded container.  Spindle cappers use sets of wheels to tighten caps, while the chuck capper uses a chuck head and insert to do the same.  While these machines have been used on the standard PET bottle and cap for years, they continue to expand their territory as more and different packages use screw on lids, including a number of products packaged in pouches.

The emergence of the distilled spirits industry in the recent past has led to an influx of capping machines for T corks and other bartop type plugs.  The bartop capper works in a manner similar to that of a snap capping machine.  On an inline system, the bartop corker includes a diving, padded capping plate that generally descends to push T corks or other plug type closures into place.  While snap cappers work well with caps that simply snap into place, the bartop corker is manufactured specifically to handle T corks and similar caps.  Bartop cappers are available in a number of different designs as well, and will often be custom manufactured for a specific project.

ROPP cappers have been used on wine bottles for quite some time, but the rise of craft breweries and smaller wineries, as well as expansion into other industries, have made these machines more popular in recent years.  ROPP cappers both thread and seal caps and bottles through the use of heads using both knives and rollers.  In addition to wine and craft liquors, ROPP caps may be found on olive oils, other beverages and some medical products.  

 

While the above capping machines will not handle all of the cap and container combinations found on today's products, they account for a vast majority of them.  Of course, custom cappers are always available for special projects and new closures.  If you would like more information on capping equipment from Liquid Packaging Solutions, please contact a Packaging Specialist at 1-888-393-3693 today.