Caps and Closures

Borealis is a leading supplier of innovative solutions for the caps and closures industry. Our customer-driven approach to innovation coupled with our polymer design capabilities and exclusive technologies, such as Borealis Nucleation Technology (BNT), allow us to offer timely, value-creating products that meet the needs of this rapidly evolving sector.

Understanding market need

Plastic caps and closures are increasingly replacing traditional metal closures and are expected to account for more than 50% of the European market by 2009. The market can be segmented into standardised and customised caps and closures.

Beverages such as beer, carbonated soft drinks and mineral water require standardised caps. The major material requirements of these products are:

• easy processing,
• good performance at the filling line,
• ease of opening,
• security of the content.

Customised closures are used in several different applications, such as beverages, liquid foods, personal care products and household industrial chemicals (HIC). Major material requirements that are common to most customised applications are:

• user convenience, 
• child safety,
• innovative dispensing features such as hinged caps, closures on gable top packages and stand-up pouches, wide-mouth lids, and sprays,
• shelf appeal through exceptional gloss, transparency, and attractive colours,
• product differentiation and recognition for brand owners.

Benefits for end-users and converters

Borealis has fully understood the changing lifestyle patterns of modern consumers, and has tailored its caps and closures grades accordingly:

• On-the-go lifestyle: these are light-weight yet solid products that are easy to open but do not leak; they retain their properties in all weather conditions.
• Individualistic approach: smaller sizes and fun packaging, bright and glossy colours and innovative shapes.
• Concern for safety: tamper-proof and child-proof closures.

Aside from meeting the needs of the modern consumer, Borealis grades also help brand owners create differentiated products that increase the brand visibility and shelf appeal of their products.

To meet these consumer requirements, plastics converters need versatile grades, with excellent mechanical and flow properties that allow the creation and use of new designs and colours. Borealis offers converters a complete range of polypropylene (PP) homopolymers, and random and block (heterophasic) copolymers that cater to these requirements.

Dedicated solutions for caps and closures

Borealis has developed several PP grades to fit each and every requirement in the standardised and customised caps and closures market.

BD950MO is a stiff and impact resistant Polypropylene (PP) heterophasic copolymer based on proprietary Borealis Nucleation Technology (BNT). It is designed for water and carbonated soft drinks caps and can be processed by both compression and injection moulding. In addition to its outstanding mechanical properties and very low stress whitening, it also offers exceptional dimensional consistency regardless of colour pigments and considerable potential for cycle time reduction and weight reduction.  

HG385MO is a polypropylene (PP) homopolymer with MFR 25, based on proprietary Borealis Nucleation Technology (BNT). It has been specifically developed for the injection moulding of different closures.

This grade features:

• good flow properties,
• excellent anti-static behaviour,
• optimised mechanical properties,
• good gloss,
• reduced warping in addition to the possibility to down gauge and to reduce cycle time by up to 10%.

RE450MO is a unique polypropylene (PP) random copolymer with organoleptic properties. It is designed to fulfill the needs of the bottled water, sports and energy drinks market. This grade retains the natural taste of the liquid inside while delivering design possibilities not previously available with existing polyethylene (PE) or PP caps.

RE450MO contains ultra-low levels of volatile organic compound (VOC), giving the material high purity. Tests have shown that it fully matches the excellent taste and odour properties of standard PE grades commonly used for beverage caps.

From a design perspective, RE450MO also offers:

• good flow,
• low stress whitening
• good hinge performance.

Its flow flexibility allows versatile designs based on transparency, translucency and colouring. Moreover, hinges and closure fittings can withstand the stress of repeated use with minimal discolouration.