Bonding Foil to a Plastic Bottle

Objective

To heat aluminum foil inside a plastic bottle for a bonding/cap sealing application; this application is for the food industry.

End Product

bottle cap

Equipment

Ambrell EASYHEAT™ 4.2 kW, 150-400 kHz solid state induction power supply with a workhead and coil specifically designed for this application.

Materials

Aluminum foil sandwiched between the bottle and cap

Temperature

150 ° F (66 °C)

Frequency

150 kHz

Testing

A custom-designed single position multiple-turn pancake coil was built to generate the required heating for the application. Initial tests were conducted to optimize the power delivered to the part. Once a satisfactory pattern was achieved with the proper coil design, parts were traversed over the coil at a rate of about 45 bottles per minute. It was  confirmed that the aluminum heated sufficiently to create a bond between the foil and the bottle, meeting the client’s objective.

Benefits

• Speed: Induction met the client’s time requirements and is generally faster than other heating methods.

• Throughput: Induction’s fast heating is conducive to production lines in the food industry thanks to its rapid heating and versatility.

• Repeatability: The client can expect the same result in the same amount of time every single time with induction heating. 

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