The selection of aluminum can LIDS for beverage applications includes a comprehensive consideration of product character, economy, and consumption conditions. Carbonated beverages, for example, their can LIDS are anticipated to withstand an internal pressure of 7 bar. So the SOT (Stay-on Tab) design is commonly adopted. Its sealing surface width should be ≥1.2 mm, and material thickness 0.28-0.32 mm. However, for low-pressure products inside like fruit juice (≤3 bar), the RPT (Ring Pull Tab) lid can be selected. The thickness can be reduced to 0.24 millimeters, and the cost of a single can lid is saved by 0.002 US dollars. According to the 2023 report of AB InBev, when 5 billion cans of carbonated beverages are manufactured annually, the utilization of SOT aluminum can LIDS can maintain the leakage rate below 0.005%, which can save approximately 1.8 million US dollars in quality claim expenses per year over RPT.
From the perspective of production efficiency, the compatibility rate between the can lid and the filling line directly affects the production capacity. For instance, Red Bull’s production line adopts high-speed coiling machinery (3,400 cans per minute), and it requires that the radius precision of the can lid coiling edge should be within ±0.03 millimeters. When the deviation exceeds 0.05 millimeters, the downtime rate of the equipment will increase by 15%. Japan’s Yamato Can 1.8-gram lightweight aluminum can lid has the potential to reduce 12% of the energy consumed on the production line but needs to be combined with a high-precision winding mold (unit price 80,000 US dollars per set), and the investment payback period is approximately 2.3 years. Coca-Cola’s test results in 2022 show that the use of high-precision can LIDS has increased the efficiency of its filling line from 92% to 97%, with an increase in production of 120 million cans annually.
Environmental protection regulations are transforming aluminum can LIDS design. EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive requires the recycling rate of all can LIDS to be 75% by 2030, but the traditional RPT has a metal loss rate of up to 1.2% in the recycling stream due to the separation of the pull ring. For this, the Redber Group of Austria has developed the EcoSeal patented technology. By optimizing the depth of the can lid scratch (from 0.15 millimeters to 0.10 millimeters), the integrity rate of the aluminum material after opening has increased from 98.5% to 99.4%, and the purity of recycled aluminum has been improved by 0.3%. After Nestle introduced this technology to its French factory in 2023, the annual carbon footprint of each factory was reduced by 420 tons, and it received a 380,000-euro subsidy from the government.
In the aspect of consumer usage, the opening force of the aluminum can lid has to balance between safety and convenience. 68% of the energy drink market are between the ages of 18 and 35. They would prefer SOT caps with an opening power of 25 to 30 Newtons (with a probability of accidental opening ≤0.001%), while the older demographic (such as 28% from Japan aged 65 and above) would prefer RPT caps (with an opening power of 15 to 20 Newtons). According to Carlsberg’s 2024 global survey, by increasing the opening diameter of the can cover by 0.5mm (from 5.0mm to 5.5mm), the liquid flow rate can be increased by 18%, and for the sports drink, consumer satisfaction can be enhanced by 23%. This measure will increase the material cost per cover by 0.15 cents, and the marginal cost has to be diluted by large-scale production (≥1 billion pieces per year).
Technological innovation is rearranging the choice factors. The smart aluminum can lid launched by PepsiCo in 2023 incorporates an NFC chip (4×4 mm dimension), which has the ability to track product circulation data and provide promotional messages. It increases the price of an individual lid by $0.08 but boosts the repurchase rate by 12%. In addition, the nano-coating technology developed by the United States Silgin Company has extended the tank LIDS’ corrosion resistance life from 18 months to 36 months, and expanded the humidity tolerance range from 30-70% to 10-90%, which is applicable for transportation in the tropic zone. This technology has increased the market share of Coconut Tree brand coconut juice in Southeast Asia by 9% in 2024 and also reduced the rate of damage by 4.7 percentage points.