P•ink custom caps: all the technical features

If you have any curiosity or doubts concerning the technical aspects of our caps, this is the right place to find the answers.

The features of custom crown caps with P-ink

With P-ink, you can independently customize 26 mm and 29 mm caps thanks to the online shop. Let's look at all the technical features in detail.

What does a crown cap ordered on P-ink look like?

The crown caps you'll find on P-link are the same ones Pelliconi has been making available to the largest international beer, wine and beverage producers for years.

These are metal shells in 220-micron-thick chrome band with a double-lip profile gasket, suitable for all types of beverages, pry-off (so can be opened with a corkscrew), and of which you can customize the cap top (the circular surface of the cap).

You can make the customization yourself in the P-ink online shop, or make a request to our team if you want to print multiple graphics on the same base color or if you want to apply your pantone to the cap top.

The product data sheet is available for download.

What are the characteristics of cap seals?

All P-ink custom cone caps have a compound (otherwise called a liner or sealing) applied by compression molding. Such a seal chosen for P-ink service is made of soft plastic, ensures maximum performance in sealing internal beverage pressure, and can be either PVC free or Oxygen Scavenger.

What does a PVC free compound cap mean?

A PVC-free gasket for crown caps ensures food safety because there is no contamination of the bottled beverage by PVC component chemicals, no phthalates and additives, harmful substances.
In fact, the compounds Pelliconi applies to P-ink caps are made of polyethylene and also act as a physical barrier against oxygen and other volatile substances.

It is also the best solution from the point of view of environmental sustainability: its disposal is not harmful since it does not release toxic substances such as dioxin into the atmosphere, and its production has a low environmental impact.

What is it and how does the Oxygen Scavenger work?

An Oxygen Scavenger gasket cap is a PVC-free cap that has an added layer of sodium sulfite. This is an active compound that has the function of absorbing excess oxygen during the shelf life of the beverage to preserve its characteristics longer. An example is the case of beer, which tends to become acidic when in contact with oxygen.

The absorbing power is activated by moisture and heat and tends to disappear in the next 6 months, after which the cap behaves as a PVC free barrier.

This is the ideal solution for those who want to delay the process of oxidation of the beer and thus organoleptic alterations, generally the beers most susceptible to this process are industrial pale ales with little flavor.

Compatibility of caps with bottles and capping systems

When choosing stoppers for one's beer, wine or beverage we are concerned about their compatibility with bottles and capping systems. So let's see how P-ink crown caps perform.

Are the caps ordered on P-ink compatible with my bottles?

Crown caps featured on P-ink are compatible with all standard glass bottle sizes:

• Beers (both 33 cl bottles with 26 mm crown caps and 50 or 75 cl bottles with 29 mm caps)
• Sparkling wines
• Sparkling wine
• Cider
• etc

How important is the quality of the bottle for the good seal of the cork?

The quality of the bottle glass as well as the quality of the workmanship affect the performance of the stopper. The presence of imperfections on the surface, due to the poor quality of the glass, can affect the good seal of the stopper and thus also the goodness of the bottled beverage.

Will the compound have a good seal on the glass?

The compound found on P-ink caps is PVC free soft plastic or Oxygen Scavenger. In our long experience, we have found that a soft liner offers better performance in terms of sealing on glass at pressures and product quality.

What are the main bottling and sealing methods?

The capping methods that can be used for bottle closure depend on the level of closure matrix automation used by the producer of beer, wine, or any other beverage. Thus we can have:

• Closing matrix on manual single-head - Closing is done by hand using a lever.
• Locking matrix on pneumatic mechanical single-head - The reciprocating movement is performed automatically upon operation of a button by the operator.
• Closure matrix on electro-mechanical multi-head - Caps are distributed to the capping heads, which automatically descend onto the bottles, each positioned with rotary motion to perform cap closure on each bottle.
  
  

Depending on the level of industrialization and the number of heads, it is always advisable to run a series of tests and check all the cap/bottle/head combinations. This is to calibrate the capping machine with the new P-ink caps.

Can I test P-ink crown caps before making the purchase?

You can request samples of P-ink caps., to be inspired by the customization possibilities, but also to test the quality of the caps and compatibility with your bottles and capper.

Questions about the preservation and quality of P-ink caps.

Whatever your cap, find out how best to store them to keep their material quality and graphic rendering intact.

How to properly store caps?

Crown caps do not have a limited shelf life but it is definitely essential to store them in a suitable environment, which is:

• Dry
• Ventilated
• Sheltered from the light
• Away from moisture and odorous substances

If the cap is rusting, what can be the causes?

As mentioned above, the storage environment of the cap affects the maintenance of its original qualities. A rusty cap certainly indicates a humid and poorly ventilated storage environment, which can also result in the absorption by the compound of odors.

Another factor that can lead to rust on the cork is failure to dry after bottling and pasteurization. In fact, an iron cork, if left wet, will go through oxidation at the cutting edge, which is why, if your corking plant is not equipped with an automatic drying system, we encourage you to dry the bottles thoroughly.

What certifications do P-ink caps have?

Choosing P-ink means choosing stoppers produced entirely in Italy, by a world-leading and experienced company like Pelliconi. P-ink caps can be used for standard bottle sizes, both for beer and sparkling wines and other beverages.

In detail:

• As for the formats
  
  • The 26 mm crown caps meet the standards defined in EN 17177, and ISO 12821 and 12822 standards for glass bottles with crown caps.
  • The 29 mm P-ink stoppers are intended for use of those glass bottles that fall under GME13.07 for sparkling wine, sparkling wine and cider.
    
• All caps have food certifications, are EU and FDA compliant, thus suitable for use on aqueous, acidic and low-alcohol beverages, resistant to pasteurization. [EC 1935/2004 Art 16 and EU 10/2011 Art 15, Annex IV].
• All Pelliconi products are also compliant with the 94/62CE regulation on packaging and packaging waste

Conclusions

Quality has always been one of Pelliconi's core values, a value it has also wanted to convey with P-ink, to offer an innovative yet solid and safe service.
If you have any other doubts or questions do not hesitate to contact us, our technical team is ready to answer any questions.