Packaging Development

We work with you every step of the way – from evaluation to execution – guiding and advising throughout your packaging development journey.

New Beginnings.

Lighting The Touch Paper

Our unique closure solutions can deliver an array of game-changing benefits, so it is at this initial stage where we consult with you to establish what matters most to your stakeholders.

From seal integrity to sustainability, from user experience to design, and from ROI to supply chain survival, we know every brand has a unique set of needs, so we undertake a discovery phase to get under the hood of your brand.

We always aim to fully immerse ourselves in your project requirements, packaging construction and your market expertise.

By asking the right questions, we can pinpoint your greatest needs and then produce a conceptual solution to take into the testing and refining stages.

Setting Out On The Journey

Upon completing the discovery phase, we propose a sample foil cap with the approximate geometries and aluminium properties that we feel will provide the best starting point for your project.

By providing a physical foil cap and showcasing some prototype cap aesthetics such as printing or embossing designs featuring your branding, we give you something tangible to present to the other stakeholders within the project.

This shows what is possible and lights the touch paper for the packaging development to get well and truly underway.

Testing & Refining Your Concept

Once you've approved an initial concept and are ready to embark further on the journey, we'll take you through a series of critical testing phases that will shape your final solution.

Our process consists of six stages:

Stage 1 - The 'Basic Cap'

We design and produce a ‘Basic Cap’ that allows us to assess the correct foil construction and seal layer properties that will be compatible with your container(s) and internal/external coatings.

It will enable us to assess primary sealing compatibility and suggest initial container and/or overcap conflicts or improvements if required.

Stage 2 - Performance & Design

Our futurologists commence work on perfecting the foil cap geometry and assessing the cap strength and performance.

They’ll also experiment with design features such as the pull-tab feature – which is essential for the consumer’s opening experience – and any cap aesthetics such as printing, embossing or textured foil to elevate the overall look and feel of your packaging.

Stage 3 - Analyzing Behaviors

We analyze the behaviors and natures of separation between the foil cap and the opening aperture material.

For instance, we assess the witness marks left on PET, HDPE and glass containers if required. With pulp constructions, we would assess the level of fibre disruption upon peel of the foil and make any changes necessary to remedy this.

We also utilize integrity testing to detect leakages in the package via internal pressurization, strength testing to meet the requirements of regulatory bodies and, finally, consumer peel strength curve data to calibrate the perfect peel for your brand and deliver a superior consumer experience.

Our Peel Curve Analysis determines the initiation peel forces through to peak peel forces and the separation forces of the two materials resulting in a consumer experience peel curve graph facilitated via a highly calibrated Instron measuring device. This test allows FORDS to optimize the sealing balance and the desired newtons of force to initiate and separate the foil caps.

Hand Tools and a customized Seal Head are also designed and produced by FORDS at this stage for your specific application. These are all compatible with the new generation FORDS LabEQ which is available to purchase separately and can be used for production and consumer trials.

Stage 4 - Sealing Trials

Sealing trials and validation are the focus at Stage Four. This stage only begins once suitable relationships between container, foil cap geometry and coatings of both the container and foil sealing layer have been achieved.

An induction sealing evaluation is carried out with a fully developed custom induction seal head. This is done to accomplish an absolute hermetic primary seal that optimizes seal strength to ensure the package complies with supply chain & distribution stress tests.

Stage 5 - Shelf Life Testing

Stage Five is optional and comprises of shelf-life seal testing and/or supply chain testing such as ISTA.

FORDS will further optimize the performance of the package for certain standards or to achieve certain milestones that you require – such as a minimum/maximum shelf-life exposure, oxygen barriers or ingress, secondary hermetic closure gasket placements, overcap usage and safe transit testing etc.

Stage 6 - The Knowledge Transfer

The final stage is the knowledge transfer. Here, samples of your containers sealed with your new cap design will be sent out to you.

In many cases, we also present you with your very own project specific ‘Knowledge Case’ comprising all the tools you need for cap making. This is all part of our project package and comes at no extra cost.

Going further, you can pair your new Knowledge Case with our LabEQ (purchased separately) to create a fully industrial sample-making solution that can be housed in your own facilities and that provides the modularity to integrate any additional Knowledge Cases for future projects.

lab tech example
Lab Tech

The LabEQ & LabEQ-X

See our range of lab equipment which enables you to produce both low volumes and commercial grade samples in-house.
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