Aluminum collapsible tubes are one of the most common packaging solutions in cosmetic, health care, pharmaceutical, food and adhesive industries. They are ideal for packing low viscosity products, such as lotion, cream, ointment and adhesive.
The tube collapses as the contents are squeezed out, effectively preventing suck back of air or contaminants and thus maximizes shelf life of product.
Below are the key production procedures for making aluminium collapsible tubes:
Step 1: Slug Extrusion, Tube Trimming and Annealing
All tubes are made from aluminum slugs, usually in 99.7% purity. Slugs are put into extrusion press machine and molded into tubes. The extruded tubes then go through a trimming process, with mouth and shoulder being threaded, shaved and trimmed. Further, extruded tubes have to be annealed in the oven under 3,500 degree Celsius to reach proper degree of softness.
Step 2: Internal Lacquer
To avoid chemical reactions between tube and its contents, the inner wall of tubes will be duly lacquered to form a protective coating. Depending on the chemical features of the contents, clients can request for plain or double lacquering.
Step 3: External Coating & Printing
The extruded tubes can be coated externally with polyester resin, usually in white color. Also called as base coating, external coating forms a protective layer on the surface of tube. The coated tubes then proceed to offset printing process. Foil stamping in gold, silver or pearl white colors is also available.
Step 4: Capping
Caps are affixed to the tubes afterwards. Caps are made of PP or PS plastic, with various styles and colors to choose from, including flowerpot (snip tip top), rounded, angular, flat top, stiple top, piercer (cap with puncture point), stand-up (smooth, full-width), flip-top (natural dispensing cap with snap-top), concave top, tamper-proof, etc.
Step 5: Latex Lining
For products that are sensitive to air and moisture and require maximum shelf life, enhanced latex lining is required. Shin Dorn can do adjustable width of latex bands at the rear open end of tube to prevent content leakage.
Now, the empty aluminum collapsible tubes are done! Shin Dorn offers filling and packaging services for adhesive glue, lubricant & grease, car body filler and shoe polish. Products to be packaged can be provided or specified by clients. Shin Dorn has semi and fully automatic filling machines to complete the work. Shin Dorn also offers a variety of packaging options, such as blister pack, double blister pack, cardboard box, plastic bag, as well as bulk pack. For further information, please contact Shin Dorn’s sales team at EMAIL