Products

Tube, Aerosol and Aluminium Bottle Coatings

Arctube is Arctic’s range of coatings for containers impact extruded in one piece from an aluminium slug: internal lacquers for collapsible tubes, internal linings for monobloc aerosol cans and aluminium bottles, and external basecoats and overvarnishes. It also covers overprint varnishes for laminate and plastic tubes. Every grade is specified against the fill, the line and the forming that follows.

Overview

Arctube covers the coatings used on containers that are impact extruded in one piece from an aluminium slug: collapsible tubes, monobloc aerosol cans and aluminium bottles, and the varnishes used on laminate and extruded plastic tubes. On the aluminium containers every coating is applied to the formed container, not to flat sheet. The internal lacquer is sprayed by a lance into the rotating container and cured, the basecoat is roller coated with the container on a mandrel, and the decoration and overvarnish are cured last.

Tubes and monoblocs are both extruded from a slug but ask different things of the film. A collapsible tube is annealed soft before it is lacquered, so that it can be squeezed, rolled up and folded at the crimp, and every film on it has to follow that deformation without cracking. A monobloc can is not annealed after extrusion, because its work-hardened wall carries the pressure. Its internal cure runs hotter than any other step on the line and partly softens that wall, which is one reason for low-cure linings. Monoblocs and bottles are necked after the last bake, so their films are formed after cure.

The internal lining is specified against the fill. Alkaline hair colourants, water-based aerosol formulations with dimethyl ether, solvent-rich adhesives and some pharmaceutical preparations attack both the film and the aluminium beneath it. Film continuity is read by current conduction through an electrolyte, but that measures exposed metal, not resistance to the fill. The decision rests on pack tests with the actual fill at elevated temperature, run to the customer’s protocol.

Regulation follows the fill. Food pastes, beverages and food aerosols are food contact. Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/3190 prohibits the use of bisphenol A, and of other bisphenols classified as hazardous, in the manufacture of food-contact varnishes and coatings. It entered into force on 20 January 2025, its main transition period ended on 20 July 2026, and a longer transition to 20 January 2028 applies to certain single-use articles. Conventional epoxy-phenolic lacquers are based on bisphenol A, so Arctube offers BPA non-intent (BPA-NI) grades for these uses. Toothpaste and cosmetic tubes are not food-contact packaging: in the EU the safety assessment of the cosmetic product under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 takes in the packaging, and pharmaceutical tubes are qualified under the customer’s own dossier. Arctic holds no approvals for these products, and declarations are issued on request.

Arctube sits between two neighbouring Arctic ranges. Metal Packaging Coatings (Arccan) covers two-piece and three-piece food and beverage cans, can ends, closures, sheet-fed metal decorating and three-piece tinplate aerosol cans. Metal Decorating Inks (Arcdeco) holds the dry offset inks printed on tubes and monobloc aerosol cans; inks for aluminium bottles are specified per job. Arctube is coatings only: the lacquers, linings, basecoats and varnishes that sit beneath and over that print.

The tube, monobloc and bottle line

Tube and monobloc line: slug extruded and trimmed, tubes annealed, internal lacquer sprayed and cured, basecoat, dry offset print, overvarnish and final cure; monoblocs are necked after the last bake.

The Arctube range

11 products in 5 families. Each is specified against the substrate, the process and the service conditions of the job rather than supplied from a fixed catalogue.

Internal Lacquers for Aluminium Collapsible Tubes

Spray-applied internal lacquers for annealed aluminium tubes carrying pharmaceutical ointments, cosmetics, toothpaste, adhesives and food pastes. The film has to resist the fill for the shelf life and stay continuous when the tube is squeezed, rolled up and folded at the crimp.

Arctube TL 110 General-Purpose Internal Tube Lacquer

A single-coat epoxy-phenolic internal lacquer for annealed aluminium tubes carrying pharmaceutical ointments and creams, cosmetic creams, toothpaste, and neutral adhesives and sealants. It cures to a gold-toned film that has to stay continuous when the tube is squeezed, rolled up and folded at the crimp, and that carries the latex band at the open end. Under-cure leaves a soft film that can take up odour or give up extractables to the fill. Over-cure or excess film weight makes it brittle, so it cracks at the fold and fails porosity after flexing. Its epoxy resin is based on bisphenol A, so this grade is not offered for food-contact tubes.

Substrates Impact-extruded collapsible tubes in 99.5 to 99.7 per cent aluminium, annealed before lacquering, cylindrical or conical, with open or membrane nozzles.
Process Sprayed by lance into the rotating tube, typically 5 to 9 micrometres dry film, then cured typically 3 to 10 min at about 220 to 280 degrees C metal temperature in the internal curing oven, set against the customer’s oven. Porosity is read to EN 15384-1 or EN 15384-2, and again after flattening to the customer’s protocol, and a trial on the customer’s line is required.

Arctube TL 140 BPA-NI Internal Tube Lacquer

A single-coat internal lacquer for aluminium tubes, formulated without bisphenol A or BPA-based epoxy resins as raw materials (BPA non-intent). It is directed at food pastes such as tomato concentrate, condensed milk, mustard and mayonnaise, and at pharmaceutical and cosmetic brand owners who exclude bisphenols. It is based on polyester chemistry, which is flexible but less resistant to strong alkali and solvent than epoxy-phenolic, so it is not the grade for hair colourants or solvent-rich adhesives, where it softens or blisters in the pack test. For food use, compliance is established on the finished tube by migration testing against the law of the market of sale.

Substrates Annealed impact-extruded aluminium tubes for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic fills, cylindrical or conical.
Process Sprayed by lance into the rotating tube, typically 5 to 9 micrometres dry film, and cured typically 3 to 10 min at about 200 to 260 degrees C metal temperature, set against the customer’s oven. Pack tests with the actual fill and migration testing on finished tubes come before any food use, and a trial on the customer’s line is required.

Arctube TL 260 High-Resistance Two-Coat Tube Lacquer

A two-coat epoxy-phenolic internal system for tubes whose fill attacks both the film and the aluminium beneath it: alkaline oxidative hair colourants carrying ammonia or ethanolamine, depilatory creams, solvent-rich adhesives, and pharmaceutical preparations whose actives or excipients react with aluminium. The second coat closes the pores a single coat leaves at the shoulder and nozzle, which is where alkaline fills start to corrode the metal and generate hydrogen. Resistance to ammonia is checked to EN 15653. Because the total film is heavier, flexibility at the crimp is the limiting property. A single-coat lacquer on these fills typically shows as blistering, gassing or a swollen tube in the pack test.

Substrates Annealed impact-extruded aluminium tubes for hair colourant, depilatory, adhesive, technical and pharmaceutical fills.
Process Two spray passes by lance, typically 10 to 16 micrometres total dry film, with a flash or intermediate cure between coats and a final cure of typically 3 to 10 min at about 220 to 280 degrees C metal temperature, set against the customer’s oven. Pack tests with the actual fill at elevated temperature and a trial on the customer’s line are required.

Internal Linings for Monobloc Aerosol Cans and Aluminium Bottles

Spray-applied internal linings for impact-extruded monobloc aerosol cans and aluminium bottles, specified against the fill and the propellant together. The family covers a low-cure grade, a polyamide-imide grade for aggressive fills and a BPA-NI grade for beverages and food aerosols.

Arctube ML 230 Low-Cure Monobloc Aerosol Lining

An internal lining for monobloc aerosol cans, formulated to cure at around 200 degrees C metal temperature instead of the roughly 230 to 260 degrees C of a conventional internal bake. The internal cure runs hotter than any other step on a monobloc line and partly anneals the work-hardened wall, so a lower cure keeps more of the alloy’s strength, which helps lightweight and harder-alloy cans hold their test pressure, and it cuts oven energy. It is directed at anhydrous fills with hydrocarbon propellant, such as deodorants and hairsprays, and is offered in epoxy-phenolic and BPA-NI versions. Run in an oven that cannot hold the lower window evenly, it under-cures and fails the solvent rub and the pack test.

Substrates Monobloc aerosol cans impact extruded from 1000-series aluminium or from harder alloys such as 3000-series grades, with round, flat or shaped shoulders.
Process Sprayed by lance into the rotating can, typically 5 to 12 g/m2 dry film, quoted as mg per can for the customer’s size, and cured typically 6 to 12 min at about 190 to 215 degrees C metal temperature, set against the customer’s oven. The oven is profiled with a logger on cans before a trial on the customer’s line, which is required.

Arctube ML 250 BPA-NI Lining for Aluminium Bottles and Food Aerosols

A BPA non-intent internal lining for impact-extruded aluminium bottles and for monobloc food aerosols, covering water, still and carbonated beverages, spirits, edible oils and aerosol cream. The film has to follow the metal through heavy necking into a narrow threaded or crown neck without cracking, and for beverages it has to be neutral in taste and aroma. It is formulated without bisphenol A or BPA-based epoxy resins for markets that apply the EU ban, but food-contact compliance is established on the finished container by migration testing and, for beverages, sensory testing. Used on a fill it has not been tested against, such as a strongly acidic juice or a high-strength spirit, it can blister or affect flavour.

Substrates Impact-extruded aluminium bottles with screw, roll-on or crown finishes, and monobloc aluminium cans for food aerosols.
Process Sprayed by lance into the rotating container, typically 5 to 12 g/m2 dry film, quoted as mg per container, and cured typically 6 to 12 min at about 200 to 240 degrees C metal temperature before basecoating, set against the customer’s oven. Porosity is read after necking, pack, sensory and migration testing precede commercial use, and a trial on the customer’s line is required.

Arctube ML 380 Polyamide-Imide High-Resistance Lining

A polyamide-imide (PAM) internal lining for monobloc aerosol cans carrying fills that defeat epoxy-phenolic: water-based formulations with dimethyl ether, hair mousses and styling foams, water-based air fresheners and insecticides, and technical sprays with aggressive solvents. Dimethyl ether is partly miscible with water, up to about 35 per cent by weight, and carries it to any defect in the film, where the aluminium corrodes under pressure. PAM resists these fills better than the other linings, but it cures at the top of the conventional bake window and is not a low-cure product. Specified where it is not needed it adds cost and oven load; left out where it is needed, the result is pitting and leakage.

Substrates Monobloc aluminium aerosol cans, and aluminium bottles for technical and household fills that need the same resistance. Not offered for food or beverage contact.
Process Sprayed by lance into the rotating can in one or two coats, typically 8 to 20 g/m2 total dry film, each coat cured typically 6 to 12 min at about 240 to 260 degrees C metal temperature, set against the customer’s oven. Qualification is by storage of filled, valved and pressurised cans at elevated temperature, then teardown, after a trial on the customer’s line.

External Basecoats for Tubes, Monoblocs and Bottles

Roller-applied white, coloured and clear basecoats that carry the dry offset decoration. Tube grades are specified for flexibility at the crimp, and monobloc and bottle grades for necking and for colour retention through the bakes that follow.

Arctube BC 120 Flexible White Basecoat for Collapsible Tubes

A white basecoat for annealed aluminium tubes, also supplied tinted and in solid colours, that carries the dry offset decoration and sets the whiteness and opacity of the finished tube. It is specified for flexibility first: the tube is squeezed, rolled up and folded at the crimp, and the basecoat has to follow the soft metal without cracking or flaking. It also has to accept the inks at press speed and hold its whiteness through the final bake. Over-cured or applied too heavily, it cracks at the fold. Under-dried, it marks on the transfer pins and picks off on the printing blanket.

Substrates Annealed impact-extruded aluminium tubes, internally lacquered and cured, cylindrical or conical.
Process Roller coated onto the tube carried on a mandrel, typically 8 to 16 micrometres dry film for white, then dried typically 4 to 8 min at about 100 to 140 degrees C before printing and cured through in the ink and varnish bake. Flexibility is checked on crimped and rolled tubes, and a trial on the customer’s line is required.

Arctube BC 160 Basecoat for Monobloc Cans and Aluminium Bottles

A white, coloured or clear basecoat for monobloc aerosol cans and aluminium bottles, applied over the cured internal lining and ahead of dry offset printing. It carries the decoration and sets opacity and colour, and in its clear and tinted forms it lets a brushed aluminium surface show through. It is specified for adhesion and hardness through the necking and shaping that follow the last bake, where the shoulder is compressed in many stages, and for colour retention through the ink and varnish bake. Too soft a film scuffs on conveyors and marks in the necker. Too brittle a film cracks at the shoulder and neck.

Substrates Monobloc aluminium aerosol cans and impact-extruded aluminium bottles, plain or brushed.
Process Roller coated on a mandrel, typically 10 to 20 micrometres dry film for white and 3 to 8 micrometres for clear or tinted, cured typically 5 to 10 min at about 140 to 200 degrees C metal temperature, set against the customer’s oven. Necking follows the last bake, so adhesion is judged on formed containers after a trial on the customer’s line.

Overvarnishes for Tubes, Monoblocs and Bottles

Clear gloss, satin and matt finishing varnishes applied over the decoration to set the finish and the rub and scuff resistance. Each grade is matched to the ink system and to the forming the container sees after cure.

Arctube OV 110 Flexible Gloss Overvarnish

A clear gloss overvarnish applied over dry offset decoration on aluminium tubes, monobloc cans and bottles, to protect the inks, set the gloss level and give the rub and scuff resistance the pack needs through filling, cartoning and use. On tubes it is specified for flexibility, because the varnish is the outermost film when the tube is squeezed, rolled up and folded at the crimp. On monoblocs and bottles it has to take necking and give the slip the filling line needs. A varnish mismatched to the ink system, or cured short, loses intercoat adhesion, and a film too hard for a tube crazes at the crimp.

Substrates Decorated aluminium tubes, monobloc aerosol cans and aluminium bottles, over Arctube BC basecoats and Arcdeco or other dry offset inks.
Process Applied wet on wet over the inks by the varnish unit of the printer and cured with them, or as a separate roller pass after the ink bake, typically 3 to 8 micrometres dry film, cured typically 4 to 10 min at about 150 to 200 degrees C metal temperature, or by UV over UV-curing inks. Compatibility with the inks is confirmed in a trial on the customer’s line.

Arctube OV 220 Matt and Satin Overvarnish

A matt or satin overvarnish for monobloc aerosol cans, aluminium bottles and tubes, adjusted from a low satin to a deep matt and available with a textured or soft-feel surface. Matting particles break up the surface of the binder film, so a matt varnish is harder to make both flexible and abrasion resistant than a gloss one, and its matt level moves with film weight and cure. The grade is matched to the forming the container sees: the tube version for the crimp, the monobloc version for necking. Applied unevenly or cured off the window, it shows as gloss banding around the container or as burnishing where containers rub together.

Substrates Decorated aluminium tubes, monobloc aerosol cans and aluminium bottles, over Arctube BC basecoats and dry offset inks.
Process Applied and cured as for Arctube OV 110, typically 4 to 10 micrometres dry film. Matt level is agreed against a signed reference container after a trial on the customer’s line.

Overprint Varnishes for Laminate and Plastic Tubes

UV-curing overprint varnishes for printed ABL and PBL laminate web and for extruded polyethylene and polypropylene tubes decorated on the mandrel, in gloss, matt and soft-touch finishes.

Arctube LT 150 UV Overprint Varnish for Laminate and Plastic Tubes

A UV-curing overprint varnish for printed ABL and PBL laminate web and for extruded polyethylene and polypropylene tubes decorated on the mandrel, supplied in gloss, matt and soft-touch finishes. It protects the print, sets the finish and resists the product smeared on the tube in use, including creams, gels and toothpaste, and it has to flex with the tube without cracking. Where printed laminate is reeled after printing, set-off onto the product-contact inner layer is a migration route, so a low-migration version is specified for oral care, food and pharmaceutical tubes. Under-cured, it smells, sets off in the reel and scuffs.

Substrates Surface-printed ABL and PBL laminate web, and extruded single-layer or co-extruded PE and PP tube sleeves after flame or corona treatment.
Process Flexo, letterpress or offset coating unit on the web press, or the varnish station of a dry offset or screen tube decorator, cured under mercury or LED UV lamps matched to the grade. Adhesion and side-seam weld are checked on finished tubes, and a trial on the customer’s line is required.

Typical operating window

The figures below are the typical operating window for this range, not a measured result for any one batch. Confirmed values are issued with the Technical Data Sheet and Certificate of Analysis by our laboratory.

Property	Typical operating window	Method
Supply viscosity, spray-applied internal lacquers and linings	30 to 60 s, 4 mm flow cup at 23 degrees C, or the 3 mm cup for thinner grades, adjusted at the line to the spray equipment	ISO 2431
Supply viscosity, roller-applied basecoats and overvarnishes, and UV varnishes	200 to 3,000 mPa.s at 25 degrees C, according to grade and application unit	Rotational viscometer at a stated shear rate, ISO 3219-2
Non-volatile content	25 to 45 per cent for solvent-borne internal lacquers, 20 to 35 per cent for polyamide-imide, 50 to 70 per cent for pigmented basecoats, 35 to 55 per cent for thermally cured overvarnishes, 95 to 100 per cent for UV varnishes	ISO 3251
Internal lacquer film, collapsible tubes	5 to 9 micrometres dry per coat, 10 to 16 micrometres for two-coat systems, roughly 6 to 12 g/m2 per coat	EN 13048 on finished tubes
Internal lining film weight, monobloc cans and bottles	5 to 12 g/m2 dry per coat, 8 to 20 g/m2 for two-coat systems, reported to the customer as mg per container for the container size	Gravimetric, container weighed before and after stripping the cured film, in-house
Dry film thickness, external basecoats and overvarnishes	8 to 20 micrometres for white and coloured basecoats, 3 to 8 micrometres for clear and tinted basecoats, 3 to 10 micrometres for overvarnishes	ISO 2808
Cure schedule, internal tube lacquers	3 to 10 min at about 200 to 280 degrees C metal temperature, according to grade and set against the customer's oven	Temperature logger with a thermocouple on the container, traced through the oven, in-house
Cure schedule, monobloc and bottle linings	6 to 12 min at metal temperature: about 190 to 215 degrees C for Arctube ML 230, 200 to 240 degrees C for Arctube ML 250, 240 to 260 degrees C for Arctube ML 380, set against the customer's oven	Temperature logger with a thermocouple on the container, traced through the oven, in-house
Cure schedule, external basecoats and thermally cured overvarnishes	Tube basecoats dried 4 to 8 min at about 100 to 140 degrees C; monobloc and bottle basecoats 5 to 10 min at about 140 to 200 degrees C; overvarnishes 4 to 10 min at about 150 to 200 degrees C; UV varnishes cured to a lamp dose agreed at trial	Traced temperature logger, in-house; UV dose by radiometer at the substrate plane
Cure state	Pass in the acetone polymerisation test on tube lacquers; 50 to more than 100 methyl ethyl ketone double rubs without breakthrough on other thermally cured grades, according to grade	EN 15766 on finished tubes; ASTM D5402
Adhesion	Cross-cut classification 0 to 1 on flat aluminium panels; no lacquer removal by tape on the finished container	ISO 2409 on panels; EN 15421 on finished tubes
Flexibility	No cracking or loss of adhesion on the conical mandrel on coated aluminium panel; on tubes, porosity after flattening, rolling up and folding within the customer's limit	ISO 6860; porosity after flexing read by EN 15384-1 or EN 15384-2, with the flexing to the customer's protocol
Porosity of the internal film	Current reading within the acceptance limit agreed for the container size at qualification; limits are not transferable between container sizes, electrolytes or test voltages	EN 15384-1 (sodium chloride) or EN 15384-2 (copper sulphate) on aluminium tubes; current conduction with an electrolyte fill on monoblocs and bottles, to the customer's or an industry protocol
Ammonia resistance, tube lacquers for alkaline fills	No blistering, softening or loss of adhesion under the conditions of the standard, for Arctube TL 260	EN 15653
Specular gloss of overvarnishes at 60 degrees	75 to 95 GU for gloss grades, 5 to 40 GU for satin and matt grades, below 5 GU for soft-touch grades, with 85 degree readings for grades below 10 GU at 60 degrees	ISO 2813, on flat panels coated alongside the trial
Pack test with the actual fill	No blistering, delamination, corrosion or change in the product after storage, commonly at 40 to 50 degrees C for 1 to 6 months, as the customer's protocol sets	Customer protocol; aerosols tested valved and pressurised with the actual propellant

Application

Collapsible tube line

A collapsible tube is impact extruded from a slug of 99.5 to 99.7 per cent aluminium into a wall commonly 80 to 130 micrometres thick, then trimmed and threaded. Extrusion work-hardens the metal, so the tube is annealed: a short pass through an annealing oven makes it soft again, which is what lets the finished tube be squeezed, rolled up and folded at the crimp without splitting. The internal lacquer is applied after the anneal, onto a clean surface, and never sees annealing temperatures.

A lance enters the open end and sprays the lacquer while the tube rotates, covering shoulder, nozzle area and body, and the lacquer is cured in the internal oven. The tube is then carried on a mandrel past the basecoat roller, dried, printed by dry offset and overvarnished, and inks and varnish are cured together. A latex band or heat-seal lacquer is later applied inside the open end to seal the crimp. It is not an Arctube product, but it sits on the internal lacquer, so the two must be compatible.

Monobloc aerosol line

A monobloc aerosol can is impact extruded from a slug and trimmed, and on some lines the wall is also ironed or the outside brushed. It is washed or degreased to remove the extrusion lubricant, internally lacquered by lance with the can rotating, and cured. Unlike a tube it is not annealed after extrusion, because the work-hardened wall is what lets the can hold its test pressure. Basecoat, dry offset print and overvarnish follow, and the can is necked and shaped only after the last bake. Necking closes the open end, in many small stages, down to the curl that takes the valve cup, so every film on the can, inside and out, goes through that forming after cure.

Aluminium bottles

Impact-extruded aluminium bottles are made on the same principle and carry the same sequence of internal lining, basecoat, decoration and varnish. The difference is at the neck. A bottle is necked much further, to a narrow finish threaded for a screw cap or roll-on closure or formed for a crown, so the internal lining follows heavier forming and a porosity reading means something only when it is taken after necking. Beverage fills add taste and aroma neutrality and, where the filler pasteurises, resistance to the pasteurisation cycle.

Laminate and plastic tubes

Laminate tubes start as a printed web. Aluminium barrier laminate (ABL) or plastic barrier laminate (PBL) is printed, overvarnished and reeled, then slit, formed into a sleeve and welded along the side seam before the head is formed. The side-seam overlap is normally kept free of print and varnish, and the heat of the seam weld is part of the varnish qualification. Extruded tubes are the other way round: the polyethylene or polypropylene sleeve is extruded and headed first, then flame or corona treated and decorated on a mandrel by dry offset or screen, with the varnish applied at the decorator. Arctube LT covers the varnish on both routes; the inks are outside Arctube.

Curing and energy

Cure figures here are metal temperatures logged on the container through the oven, not oven set points. On a monobloc line the internal cure runs hotter than any other bake, conventionally about 230 to 260 degrees C, and it partly anneals the work-hardened wall: alloy studies report tensile strength losses of roughly 5 to 12 per cent after a bake at 240 degrees C, depending on alloy. A low-cure lining at around 200 degrees C keeps more of that strength, which supports lighter walls and harder alloys, and uses less oven energy. A tube has already been annealed soft, so on a tube line a lower cure saves energy but does not change the temper. External bakes run cooler, typically about 100 to 200 degrees C, but a white basecoat sees every bake after it, so its colour is judged through the full sequence. Under-cure is not visible on the line and shows later as a soft film, a failed solvent rub or taint.

Testing and pack trials

Porosity is read by current conduction: the container is filled with an electrolyte, a fixed voltage is applied for a fixed time between an electrode in the electrolyte and the metal, and the current, in milliamperes, indicates exposed metal. Tubes are tested to EN 15384-1 (sodium chloride) or EN 15384-2 (copper sulphate), and again after flattening, rolling and folding to the customer’s protocol, which is where a brittle film shows. Monoblocs and bottles are tested on an enamel rater to the customer’s or an industry protocol. The reading measures continuity on the day, not chemical resistance. Film weight, cure state, adhesion and, for tube lacquers, ammonia resistance are checked to the methods in the specification table. None of this replaces the pack test: filled containers stored at elevated temperature, commonly 40 to 50 degrees C, for the period the customer’s protocol sets, then opened and examined for blistering, corrosion, adhesion loss and change in the product. Aerosol pack tests use valved cans with the actual propellant.

Handling and storage

Grades are stirred before use and filtered into the spray or roller system, thinned only with the thinner named on the Technical Data Sheet, and never mixed with other grades or another supplier’s material. Changing a spray line from an epoxy-phenolic grade to a BPA-NI grade needs a full flush of pumps, lines and guns, because carry-over compromises the BPA-NI status. Containers are kept closed and stored within the temperature range and shelf life on the Technical Data Sheet, with water-borne grades kept from frost and UV varnishes from light. The Technical Data Sheet, Safety Data Sheet and regulatory declaration are issued on request.

Specifying this range

The container

Is it an aluminium collapsible tube, a monobloc aerosol can, an aluminium bottle, a laminate tube or an extruded plastic tube?
What are the diameter, length and capacity, and for tubes, is the nozzle open or closed by a membrane?
Which aluminium or alloy is the container made from, and is the can lightweighted or made in a harder alloy where temper retention matters?
What test pressure is the aerosol can rated to, and what shoulder, neck or thread shape is formed after the last bake?

The fill

What is the product, its pH, water content and solvent content, and does it contain ammonia, ethanolamine, thioglycolate, chloride or actives known to attack aluminium or organic coatings?
For aerosols, which propellant is used, hydrocarbon, dimethyl ether, compressed gas or nitrous oxide, and is the formulation water-based?
What shelf life and storage climate must the pack survive, and what pack-test protocol will be run?
Has the fill already been packed in a lined aluminium container, and with which lining and result?

The line and oven

How is the internal lacquer applied: how many lances and guns, one coat or two, and at what line speed?
What metal temperature and dwell does each oven deliver, and has it been logged on containers rather than read from the set point?
Is the internal oven the limit on line speed or energy, and is a low-cure grade being considered for that reason?
Does the line change between epoxy-phenolic and BPA-NI grades, and how are pumps, lines and guns flushed?
For polyamide-imide, can the line run a grade in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)? In the EU, REACH Annex XVII, entry 71 permits NMP only with worker exposure kept below set limits.

Decoration and downstream

Which dry offset inks are used, thermally cured or UV-curing, and are they Arcdeco or another supplier’s?
Is the overvarnish applied wet on wet or as a separate pass, and what gloss, matt or tactile finish is wanted?
For tubes, which crimp fold is used, and is a latex band or heat-seal lacquer applied at the open end?
For monoblocs and bottles, how many necking stages and what shaping follow the last bake, and what slip does the filling line need?
For laminate tubes, which web press and side-seam welding method are used; for extruded tubes, which pre-treatment and decorator?

Regulatory and end use

Is the fill food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, oral care or technical, and in which markets will it be sold?
Does the brand owner require BPA-NI, or the exclusion of other bisphenols or named substances, whatever the legal requirement?
For food contact, which regulation applies in the market of sale, and who runs migration testing on the finished container?
For food and beverage containers sold in the EU, must the basecoat and overvarnish also be BPA-NI? External coatings on metal are within the scope of Regulation (EU) 2024/3190, with a transition to 20 January 2028 for single-use articles coated with a BPA-based varnish on the external metal surface only.
For pharmaceutical tubes, what extractables, leachables and stability work will the customer run, and does its change control require notice of formulation changes?
Which declarations are needed with the Technical Data Sheet?

Related ranges

Documents and specification

The Technical Data Sheet, Safety Data Sheet and regulatory declaration for any grade in this range are issued by our laboratory against the substrate and process you are running. Tell us the job and we will specify against it.