The difficulties of prising open and pushing closed 5-30ml metal conical paint and chemical containers ended this year. Ardagh Group developed the SpRing Latch system, which eliminates the need for the manual closing required with standard latch ring closures, and so provides a safe solution to a problem that the industry has faced for many years.
Ardagh says the solution offers flexibility, is reliable and economical; it allows manufacturers to switch from an impractical manual closure to an automated system without investing in expensive closure equipment.
To develop the system, Ardagh Group worked with Dutch packaging design specialists, Plato Product Consultants. The latch ring closure is applied vertically in closed configuration. It is equipped with a spring that stretches under influence of the pressure on the ring, making it possible to press it over and then clasp on to the edge of the paint can. With this simple action the packaging is completely sealed, while it can still be opened the usual way without the use of a tool. Because of this design, it was also possible to decrease the outer diameter of the edge and the paint can while keeping the volume and height of the can the same, so 20% more cans fit on a pallet.
The system has been rewarded with a bronze award in the competitive 2014 De Gouden Noot ["Golden Nut"] Packaging Awards.
