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Explore every stage of the modern plastic bottle and container manufacturing process with our interactive process map. From raw material preparation and preform production through to stretch blow molding, filling preparation, inspection, labeling, and palletizing, every step requires precision, consistency, and rigorous quality control. By clicking on each stage within the diagram below, you…
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Explore every stage of the modern canmaking line with our interactive beverage can manufacturing process map. From coil handling and cupping through to decorating, necking, and palletizing, each step in the process demands precision, consistency, and quality assurance. By hovering over each stage in the diagram below, you can discover the most relevant beverage can…
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Overview Burst strength testing is one of the most widely used methods for evaluating the performance of sealed flexible packaging. It applies controlled internal pressure to a package until failure, measuring the point at which the seal or material gives way. For quality managers, R&D specialists, and operations experts working across flexible packaging production, burst…
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Definition: Wet coating thickness measurement is the process of measuring the thickness of applied coating or paint layer immediately after it has been applied to a metal coil substrate — before the coated product enters the curing oven and dries. This is achieved using non-contact, optical sensor-based technology positioned inline at the point of application. Why it matters: In coil coating production lines, coatings travel at high…
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Color consistency in metal can manufacturing refers to the ability to reproduce a brand's specified colors accurately and repeatedly across every decorated aluminum or steel beverage can - regardless of production run, facility, or geography. In the can-making industry, color is measured using three attributes: hue (the recognized color, such as red or blue), chroma (the vividness or saturation of that color), and lightness (how light or dark the color appears). These are quantified using…
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Our metrology toolkit has been created by specialist experts with in-depth knowledge It offers insight and best practice advice for UK-based manufacturers working with CMMs, arms, height gauges, or master artefacts. Through UKAS-accredited Torus Metrology Services, you can rest assured that your metrology needs are being handled by true specialists with the appropriate knowledge, certifications, and expertise required to deliver results. Our free toolkit offers advice on…
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To ensure that paints and coatings are easy to apply and durable in their nature, oils and additives are required. To know that the addition of these components doesn’t adversely affect the composition of your final paint or coating, you need thorough and efficient viscosity testing. Oils and lubricant additives in paint The addition of…
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Can seaming to achieve robust, hermetically sealed metal packaging is a preferred practice to protect a wide range of types of products across many industries. An effective double seam is crucial to the integrity of a can. The process of can seaming has been around for decades and has undergone some massive transformations over the…
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Viscosity describes how easily a liquid flows. A high-viscosity coating is thick and slow moving; a low-viscosity one is thin and runny. For paints and coatings this single property influences almost every stage of use, from how a product is pumped and dosed in production, to how it atomizes at a spray gun, to how…
Viscosity is a fluid's resistance to flow. In paints and coatings it governs how a product brushes, sprays, rolls, levels, and resists sagging, and it is one of the most routinely checked quality parameters on the line and in the lab. A coating that is too thick drags and clogs; one that is too thin…
Key terms Term Definition Viscosity A fluid's resistance to flow. Dynamic viscosity Resistance to flow under an applied shear, measured in pascal seconds (Pa.s), poise (P), or centipoise (cP). Kinematic viscosity Dynamic viscosity divided by density, measured in centistokes (cSt); what a flow cup effectively reports. Shear rate The rate at which a fluid is…
How to validate protective coatings with adhesion and corrosion testing Protective coatings only deliver value if they stay bonded to the substrate and resist the environments they're exposed to. Whether you're coating bridge steel, automotive body panels, marine structures, or industrial components, two families of test give you the evidence you need: adhesion testing and…
Key terms Adhesion: The strength of the bond between a coating and its substrate. Substrate: The surface a coating is applied to, such as metal, concrete, wood, or plastic. Pull-off adhesion test: A quantitative test that measures the perpendicular force needed to detach a coating from its substrate, reported in MPa or psi. Dolly: The…
Coating adhesion and corrosion testing are two complementary coating test and measurement methods used to confirm that a protective coating will perform once a product is in service. Together they answer two questions that matter to quality, R&D, and operations experts: will the coating stay attached to the substrate, and will it protect that substrate…
Key terms Chain scission. The breaking of long polymer molecules into shorter chains, reducing molecular weight. Driven by heat, shear, and oxidation during use and reprocessing. Post-consumer recyclate (PCR). Material recovered from products that have completed their intended use and been collected from end users. Post-industrial recyclate (PIR). Material recovered from manufacturing scrap, trim, or…
How to validate the performance of recycled and sustainable plastics Reprocessed polymers inherently differ from virgin materials, so validating their performance calls for a deliberate, standards-led approach. This explainer sets out why recycled plastics need their own testing strategy, which properties to measure, how the core test methods work, and how to build a defensible…
What is recycled and sustainable plastics testing? Recycled and sustainable plastics testing is the structured measurement of the mechanical, flow, and durability properties of polymers that contain recycled content, carried out so manufacturers can confirm the material performs as required for its end use. It is a core part of quality control and R&D for…
