Put a lid on it
A lidding solution for capsules being used in a new tea machine has been designed and manufactured by Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Bury.
The T.O by Lipton is the result of five years’ research and development by brand owner Unilever and uses loose tealeaf capsules.
All the capsules have perforated alufoil lids, which are critical to the operation of the machine. Its two prongs puncture the carefully placed perforations on the lids, allowing water to be ‘injected’ through one side and forcing the tea leaves out of the other side into the brewing chamber to infuse. There are also different lid sizes for the various different blends which contribute to setting the brewing cycle time and water temperature for that particular variety; as the machine can sense the different lid sizes and adapt its settings accordingly.
The lids are produced from alufoil with the variant name and brand logo de-embossed out of diamond pattern embossed foil, which was enabled by investment in new equipment.
John Chadwick, managing director, Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Bury, comments, “We are delighted to be involved in producing such a high profile product, which presented us with a number of unique challenges. We needed to create lids of the highest quality which were easily perforable by the machine, yet robust enough to protect the integrity of the capsule, including the aroma and freshness of the product inside.
“We also had to manufacture the lids to a very tightly controlled tolerance, as the exact position of the perforations determines the functionality of the machine and the brewing process.”
