Bottle cap

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A generic 21-tooth crown cork bottle cap

A bottle cap or bottle top is a common closure for the top opening of a bottle. A cap is sometimes colorfully decorated with the logo of the brand of contents. Metal caps with plastic backing are used for glass bottles, sometimes wrapped in decorative foil. Metal caps are usually either steel or aluminum, [1] and of the crown cork type. Flip-top caps (like flapper closures) preceded such caps.

Contents

Plastic caps are used for plastic bottles, functioning as screw caps, or plastic caps may have a pour spout rather than being detachable. Plastic caps are commonly made from polyethylene or polypropylene, [2] and caps for plastic bottles are often made of a different type of plastic from the bottle.

A cork stopper is another type of closure for the top of a bottle.

Types

Caps were originally designed to be pressed over and around the top of a glass bottle to grab a small flange on the bottleneck.

Crown cork

The crown cork was patented by William Painter on February 2, 1892 (U.S. Patent 468,258). It had 24 teeth and a cork seal with a paper backing to prevent contact between the contents and the metal cap. The current version has 21 teeth. To open these bottles, a bottle opener is generally used.

The height of the crown cap was reduced and specified in the German standard DIN 6099 in the 1960s. This also defined the "twist-off" crown cap, now used in the United States, Canada, and Australia. This cap is pressed around screw threads instead of a flange and can be removed by twisting the cap by hand, eliminating the need for an opener.

Flip-top

The "flip-top", "swing-top" or "Grolsch" style consists of a plastic or ceramic stopper held in place by a set of wires. Prior to the invention of the crown cork, this was the dominant method of sealing bottles that contained carbonated liquid.

Other types

Screw cap

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Plastic screw caps for bottles
Tethered cap that remains attached to the bottle Pulloon kiinnitetty pullonkorkki 4.JPG
Tethered cap that remains attached to the bottle

Screw on closures are the most common bottle caps. They are easy to apply by a wide variety of automated equipment, or they can be applied by hand. The application torque of closures, however, must be controlled in order for the closures to perform properly in the field. Closures must be applied tight enough to maintain a seal and to resist closure back-off, but must not be applied so tightly that the end user cannot remove the closure. They are often found on top of beers, such as Coors or Bud Light.

Screw caps were originally an internal thread design. A glass bottle/jar with an internal screw-thread immediately below a gasket-seat, having a beveled seat, was patented by Hyman (Himan) Frank of the William Frank & Sons, Inc. of Pittsburgh, PA. He was awarded patent US 130208 A on August 6, 1872.

In the European Union, the 2021 EU directive on "tethered caps" demands that screw caps of PET beverage bottles under 3 litres (including composite containers, i.e. carton) will have to be afixed to the bottles starting July 2024 in order to reduce waste and improve recycling.

Closure lining materials

Foamed polyethylene (F217[ citation needed ])

Commonly used with plastic screw caps. F-217 is a soft polyethylene foam core covered on top and bottom with solid, clear polyethylene supplied in 0.050-inch thickness. F217 has become the industry standard due to its all-purpose compatibility, resilient, compressible seal, cleanliness (no pulp dust) and economy. F217 liners have excellent chemical resistance and a low moisture transmission rate. F217 has good taste and odor resistance.

Plastisol

Plastisol is the standard lining material used in metal closures for vacuum packing glass bottles and jars. Plastisol is a flowed-in compound, usually a dispersion of PVC resins in plasticizers. It forms a solid, self-bonding, sealing gasket in the closures. Plastisol liners are used in metal twist-off and metal continuous thread screw caps for use on hot-pack food products where the preservation of a vacuum is essential.

Pressure-sensitive liners (PS 22[ citation needed ])

Styrene foam material coated on the down-facing side with torque-activated adhesive. Pressure-sensitive inner seals adhere to plastic or glass bottles with normal application torque. Pressures sensitive liners are supplied pressed into closures and adhere to the bottle finish when the closure is applied. Pressure-sensitive liners stick to the container because one side is coated with pockets of adhesive. When the closure is applied to the container, the pockets of adhesive rupture between the closure and finish of bottle or jar. The pressure-sensitive liners then stick to the bottle or jar and remain in place when the closure is removed. No extra equipment is required. The closures are supplied with a standard liner as a backing. This material needs a dry land area on the bottle and therefore is suitable only for use with dry products such as vitamins, foods and pharmaceuticals.

Polyseal cone liners

Molded in Low-Density Polyethylene, Polyseal cone liners form to the inside of the bottleneck providing a leakproof seal which guards against back-off and product evaporation. Excellent for use with acid products and essential oils, these closures are recommended for use on glass bottles only.

Linerless designs – land seal (crab’s claw)

A popular general purpose linerless sealing mechanism which can be used on most all bottles. The design typically features a 0.045” molded inner flange which when applied with normal application torque compresses to approximately one-half of its thickness while sealing against the bottle lip. The liner creates a watertight seal with a bottle having a minimum 0.065” wide sealing surface which is free of nicks, burrs or irregularities. This style linerless mechanism is available in popular dispensing caps and has the advantage of being simpler & cheaper to manufacture.

Promotional use

Soda companies particularly use caps for promotion. A message is printed on the inside of the cap and people with the right message may win a prize. Since the bottle must be purchased to determine the message and win, people usually purchase more of the drink to increase their chances of winning. Some companies print interesting facts, riddles or games on the inside of caps.

A long-running promotion by the Coca-Cola company was the MyCokeRewards program started in 2006, whereby an alphanumeric code printed on the inside of the cap could be entered on Coca-Cola's website in return for points.

A portrait of William Saroyan made of plastic bottle caps in Yerevan, Armenia Saroyan 20210905 105449447.jpg
A portrait of William Saroyan made of plastic bottle caps in Yerevan, Armenia

One of the more prominent uses of the conventional metal bottle cap in popular culture is its use in the Fallout series of video games. In the series' post-apocalyptic world, bottle caps, usually shortened simply to "caps", have been widely adopted as a de facto currency. Although official currencies are used by some of the more developed factions, caps are essentially a universal medium of trade across the wasteland, to the point that the discovery of a working bottle cap press threatens to destabilize the economy. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cork (material)</span> Tree bark tissue harvested for commercial use

Cork is an impermeable buoyant material. It is the phellem layer of bark tissue which is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber, which is native to southwest Europe and northwest Africa. Cork is composed of suberin, a hydrophobic substance. Because of its impermeable, buoyant, elastic, and fire retardant properties, it is used in a variety of products, the most common of which is wine stoppers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bottle</span> Narrow-necked container

A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal stopper, an external bottle cap, a closure, or induction sealing.

A screw cap or closure is a common type of closure for bottles, jars, and tubes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jar</span> Rigid, approximately cylindrical container with a wide mouth or opening

A jar is a rigid, cylindrical or slightly conical container, typically made of glass, ceramic, or plastic, with a wide mouth or opening that can be closed with a lid, screw cap, lug cap, cork stopper, roll-on cap, crimp-on cap, press-on cap, plastic shrink, heat sealed lidding film, an inner seal, a tamper-evident band, or other suitable means. The English word "jar" originates from the Arabic word jarra, which means an earthen pot or vessel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stopper (plug)</span> Conical closure used to seal a container

A stopper, bung, or cork is a cylindrical or conical closure used to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube, or barrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Closure (container)</span> Devices and techniques used to close or seal a bottle, jug, jar, tube, can, etc.

A closure is a device used to close or seal a container such as a bottle, jug, jar, tube, or can. A closure may be a cap, cover, lid, plug, liner, or the like. The part of the container to which the closure is applied is called the finish.

A hermetic seal is any type of sealing that makes a given object airtight. The term originally applied to airtight glass containers, but as technology advanced it applied to a larger category of materials, including rubber and plastics. Hermetic seals are essential to the correct and safe functionality of many electronic and healthcare products. Used technically, it is stated in conjunction with a specific test method and conditions of use. Colloquially, the exact requirements of such a seal varies with the application.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crown cork</span> Form of bottle cap

The crown cork, the first form of bottle cap, was invented by William Painter in 1892 in Baltimore. The company making it was originally called the Bottle Seal Company, but it changed its name with the almost immediate success of the crown cork to the Crown Cork and Seal Company. It still informally goes by that name, but is officially Crown Holdings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mason jar</span> Glass jar used at home to preserve food

A Mason jar, also known as a canning jar, preserves jar or fruit jar, is a glass jar used in home canning to preserve food. It was named after American tinsmith John Landis Mason, who patented it in 1858. The jar's mouth has a screw thread on its outer perimeter to accept a metal ring or "band". The band, when screwed down, presses a separate stamped steel disc-shaped lid against the jar's rim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass milk bottle</span>

Glass milk bottles are glass bottles used for milk. They are reusable and returnable – used mainly for doorstep delivery of fresh milk by milkmen. Once customers have finished the milk, empty bottles are expected to be rinsed and left on the doorstep for collection, or rinsed bottles may be returned to a participating retail store. Bottle sizes vary depending on region, but common sizes include pint, quart or litre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass bottle</span> Narrow-necked container

A glass bottle is a bottle made from glass. Glass bottles can vary in size considerably, but are most commonly found in sizes ranging between about 200 millilitres and 1.5 litres. Common uses for glass bottles include food condiments, soda, liquor, cosmetics, pickling and preservatives; they are occasionally also notably used for the informal distribution of notes. These types of bottles are utilitarian and serve a purpose in commercial industries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vial</span> Small glass vessel or bottle used in laboratories or hospitals

A vial is a small glass or plastic vessel or bottle, often used to store medication in the form of liquids, powders, or capsules. They can also be used as scientific sample vessels; for instance, in autosampler devices in analytical chromatography. Vial-like glass containers date back to classical antiquity; modern vials are often made of plastics such as polypropylene. There are different types of vials such as a single dose vial and multi-dose vials often used for medications. The single dose vial is only used once whereas a multi-dose vial can be used more than once. The CDC sets specific guidelines on multi-dose vials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wine cork</span> Stopper used to seal wine bottles

Wine corks are a stopper used to seal wine bottles. They are typically made from cork, though synthetic materials can be used. Common alternative wine closures include screw caps and glass stoppers. 68 percent of all cork is produced for wine bottle stoppers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alternative wine closure</span> Alternative methods for wine closure

Alternative wine closures are substitute closures used in the wine industry for sealing wine bottles in place of traditional cork closures. The emergence of these alternatives has grown in response to quality control efforts by winemakers to protect against "cork taint" caused by the presence of the chemical trichloroanisole (TCA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Induction sealing</span> Process of bonding thermoplastic materials by induction heating

Induction sealing is the process of bonding thermoplastic materials by induction heating. This involves controlled heating an electrically conducting object by electromagnetic induction, through heat generated in the object by eddy currents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ground glass joint</span> Used in laboratories to easily assemble apparatus from parts

Ground glass joints are used in laboratories to quickly and easily fit leak-tight apparatus together from interchangeable commonly available parts. For example, a round bottom flask, Liebig condenser, and oil bubbler with ground glass joints may be rapidly fitted together to reflux a reaction mixture. This is a large improvement compared with older methods of custom-made glassware, which was time-consuming and expensive, or the use of less chemical resistant and heat resistant corks or rubber bungs and glass tubes as joints, which took time to prepare as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canteen (bottle)</span> Reusable type of water bottle

A canteen is a reusable drinking water bottle designed to be used by hikers, campers, soldiers, bush firefighters, and workers in the field. It is usually fitted with a shoulder strap or means for fastening it to a belt, and may be covered with a cloth bag and padding to protect the bottle and insulate the contents. If the padding is soaked with water, evaporative cooling can help keep the contents of the bottle cool. Many canteens also include a nested canteen cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamper-evident band</span>

A tamper-evident band or security ring serves as a tamper resistant or tamper evident function to a screw cap, lid, or closure. The term tamper-proof is sometimes used but is considered a misnomer given that pilfering is still technically possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screw cap (wine)</span> Cap for wine bottles

A screw cap is a metal, normally aluminium, cap that screws onto threads on the neck of a wine bottle, generally with a metal skirt down the neck to resemble the traditional wine capsule ("foil"). A layer of plastic, cork, rubber, or other soft material is used as wad to make a seal with the mouth of the bottle. Its use as an alternative to cork for sealing wine bottles is gaining increasing support. In markets such as Australia and New Zealand screw caps on bottles have overtaken cork to become the most common means of sealing bottles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flip-top</span>

A flip-top, swing-top, lightning toggle, or Quillfeldt stopper is a type of bail closure frequently used for bottles containing carbonated beverages, such as beer or mineral water. The mouth of the bottle is sealed by a stopper, usually made of porcelain or plastic, fitted with a rubber gasket and held in place by a permanently attached wire bail. The bottle can be opened and resealed repeatedly without the use of a bottle opener, with the wires acting in the same way as a latch clamp. The flip-top was the dominant method of sealing beer and mineral water bottles prior to the invention of the crown cork.

References

  1. "Can you recycle metal bottle caps? | Recycle Coach". recyclecoach.com. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  2. "How are Plastic Bottle Caps Made?". Caprite Australia. 2020-08-28. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
  3. Obsidian Entertainment (2010-10-19). Fallout: New Vegas . Bethesda Softworks. Scene: Pressing Matters. Alice McLafferty: "People have been counterfeiting bottle caps forever, but it's always been small scale. A bottle cap press is a whole other threat. We can't have anyone devaluing our currency by mass producing new bottle caps."

Further reading