Quality lab
Quality lab
We have comprehensive laboratory facilities that enable us to carry out a full range of tests, not only on all shapes and sizes of preforms and containers (including jars, handled containers and beer kegs), but also on caps, closures and separate handles, plus all the materials they are made from.
As well as sophisticated instruments calibrated by the most famous firms, Sipa is able to perform customised test-batches tailored on specific customer's needs: the uniqueness of certain containers means that it is also necessary to be flexible when creating ad hoc instruments to test their characteristics.
Tests on preforms and containers include numerous measurements for dimensional accuracy, mechanical, physical and chemical tests, several functional tests of which hot-fill distortion , stress cracking resistance, drop and leakage tests, as well as a host of other more specific ones . As far as materials characterisation is concerned, SIPA Lab has competence not only in PET, but also polyolefins (PP, HDPE), polystyrene and biopolymers.
SIPA Lab is able to characterise existing containers and develop new barrier packaging using oxygen scavengers, or special coatings. It uses a variety of tools to determine the mechanical and physical characteristics of coatings, including various devices to test for hardness, adhesion, abrasion resistance, and so on.
We can determine the loss of carbon dioxide and, in the case of products susceptible to oxidation, oxygen uptake, using various techniques, depending on the protocols of various clients, and determine the shelf-life of final packaging.
For CSD application, the Lab is equipped with a small filling line to pressurise the bottles and replicate industrial processes. Valid tests also to simulate nitrogen dosing, hot/warm filling or pasteurisation of containers.
If you need any explanations or a feasibility study, please contact us, we will be glad to provide an evaluation.
Our services
Analysis from pellet to container, to guarantee a complete vision on:
- The choice of the best plastic material both for new applications or for optimisation of current production
- Optimisation of the cost/performance ratio
- Package development
- Tests to measure packaging behaviour in the filling line (carbonation, hot filling, nitrogen dosing, pasteurisation tunnel)
- Interpretation of norms and control procedures
- Feasibility studies for innovative production
- Documentation supporting certification requests (FDA, FAO, etc.)
Our tests
Analysis is performed on:
- Percentage humidity (Karl Fisher Method)
- Acetaldehyde (Ground Parison Method)
- DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry)
- FT-IR_ATR (Attenuated Total Reflection FT-InfraRed Spectrometer)
- Dimensions
- Humidity Percentage
- Acetaldehyde content
- Concentricity and perpendicularity
- Ovality
- Weight and thickness distribution
- Control of thread dimensions
- Flux lines
- Isochronism and Isoclinic fringes
- Visible defects
- Dimensions
- Visible inspections
- Top load (vertical e radial)
- Perpendicularity
- Drop test
- Stability angle
- Handling/pouring
- Wall thickness
- Weight/capacity controls
- Burst test
- Stress cracking
- Thermal Stability
- Barrier activity (BIF)
- Material distribution
- Thread finish controls
- Shrinkage/hot filling trials
- Vacuum tests
- Pasteurisation test
- Cap leakage tests
- Shelf-life/top load Simulations
- CIP simulation
- Nitrogen filling trials