New hybrid technology makes high-volume ‘bottle-can’ manufacturing less expensive, faster, and more sustainable than existing process, for beverage products.
For about a decade, aluminum bottles for beverages have beckoned to brand marketers, the package’s eye-catching, silver surface and shaping opportunities providing a powerful brand differentiator. But the cost has been less than attractive to those requiring high volumes. Premium, short-run niche-market products and limited-edition promotional packages have made up the bulk of aluminum beverage-bottle applications so far.
The marketing world loves the aluminum bottle, A lot of people like what you can do graphically, as well as with shaping. But from the standpoint of cost and sustainability, there are some challenges to the bottles because of the way they have been made using impact extrusion.
These new benefits build upon aluminum’s existing strengths as a beverage package. Among them, aluminum’s “superior barrier properties, break-resistance, and UV protection.In terms of sustainability, aluminum bottles are the most desirable product in the recycling stream, as the use of recycled aluminum requires only 5 percent of the energy required to manufacture virgin aluminum.