What’s a packaging tube? A tube packaging is a soft squeezable container that can be used for liquids such as creams, ointments, gel & paste. Basically, a tube is a cylindrical, hollow piece with round or oval shapes, made of plastic, plastic aluminum laminated, paperboard, or aluminum.
The tube was invented by the American John G Rand approximately 180+ years ago.
How packaging tubes are made?
Both ends of this tube are treated differently during the manufacturing process and filling. In general, on one end of the tube body, there is a round orifice, which can be closed by different caps and closures. The orifice can be shaped in many different ways: sealed, open, open with a plastic on-sert nozzle, or open with plastic long nozzles. Plastic nozzles in various styles and lengths are just one good example. To attach caps and closures, in most cases a thread is tapped onto the opening structure. The other end is sealed in a different method based on the material of the tube.
For the aluminum collapsible tube, the cream/gel/ointment will be filled at the end of the tube and sealed by the machines or tools.
For the plastic tube, the cream/gel/ ointment has two methods to be filled. 1. It will be filled at the end of the tube and sealed by the machine like the squeeze aluminum tube; 2. It will be filled from the open tip which is better for smaller quantities, as it is much slower than filling from the end.
For the Aluminum laminated tube, the cream/gel/ ointment has two methods to be filled as the plastic tube. So we can see there are two different packaging tubes when the customer received: 1. the end is open and the orifical is with cap; 2. The end is sealed and the orifical is open and without cover.
Tube History and Market Segment
The empty collapsible tube as a packaging solution has been through many stages and even after 180+ years, it remains a vibrant solution with a great future. Overall market shares of the individual tube types still favor aluminum tubes, accounting for the largest share with about 40% of the world market. Though laminated tubes are still far behind with 30% share of the world market but are growing very fast and backed by a lot of innovations in the field is poised to become the most preferred material type for the tube industry, although the price is higher than aluminum collapsible tubes.
As in previous years, most of the tubes produced were used in the cosmetics market, whose share was almost 40% of the total. The pharmaceutical packaging aluminum tube and toothpaste are similarly ranked, accounting respectively for almost 22% and about 20% of all tubes. The food sector accounts for some 5% while almost 13% of tube production goes into industrial applications and the household sector like paints empty aluminum tubes.
Aluminum Tubes
Collapsible Aluminum Tubes are not poured from liquid aluminum; they are produced by the process of impact extrusion. In this process, the aluminum tube is extruded from a small piece of the aluminum slug with the round shape of a coin. Furthermore, something all squeeze aluminium tubes have in common is that the other open end is folded several times after the contents have been added ensuring total separation of the contents from the surrounding atmosphere. The tube is thus hermetically sealed and nearly germ-free due to the high temperatures during the production process making it especially suitable for the packaging of highly perishable contents. The filled content can be easily squeezed out by the pressure of two fingers multiplies the convenience of the user.
The newest printing process offers a great opportunity for packaging designers to express their creativity with endless possibilities of multi-color printing. Good design can expand their brands to end-user quickly. Furthermore, it is possible to coat the inside of the tube with special coatings (epoxy resin) to prevent the material from reacting with the contents.
Packaging Aluminum tubes – a safe bet
The outstanding feature of aluminum tubing is its unique barrier properties. Aluminum is impermeable to light and air and more resistant to heat and corrosion than other metals. This prevents the ingress of bacteria, germs, and other potentially harmful substances.
At the same time, the highly volatile components of the contents cannot escape. This means that valuable and sensitive ingredients remain effective for a long period of time. In the food sector, one can forgo the use of preservatives. Aluminum tubes are heat resistant and thus provide the best prerequisites for aseptic processing along the entire process chain. This is why it is the obvious choice for packaging tubes for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food products, and is very beneficial for storing these products that are directly consumed or come into direct contact with the skin and body.
Thanks to the use of the latest technologies, collapsible aluminum tubes can now be printed in outstanding quality with a decorative finish. Designers and marketing specialists appreciate these new opportunities for brand presentation, and consumers develop brand loyalty at the point of sale.
In 2022, a year of global energy scarcity, the prices of bulk raw materials such as aluminum and copper have been at record highs, so aluminum’s recyclable metal properties have led customers to increasingly prefer it as a container for packing their products.
Plastic Tubes
Packaging tube containers can also be produced in plastic, most commonly PE. The use of plastic tubes is very popular for the storage of Cosmetics such as hand creams etc. and also some foodstuff. The plastic tube retains its shape after each “squeeze” unlike laminate tubes such as toothpaste tubes. Plastic tubes can also be highly decorated or have a special additive such as soft touch to make the tube more appealing during use or point of sale (POS).
Plastic tubes – always in great shape
Modern plastic tubes can be produced either as a monolayer or multilayer depending on the process chosen and the client’s specific requirements. The starting materials are the respective plastic granules that are needed to produce PE or PP tubes or tubes with a multilayer structure.
The main market for plastic tubes is the cosmetics industry but they are also used in the food sector and for household or industrial products. They are used in small quantities as well for pharmaceutical products or for toothpaste.
Thanks to their properties, plastic tubes offer particularly good opportunities for printing, design, and decorative features. Transparent elements and coatings play their part, too: highly attention-getting and strongly communicative in appearance. Plastic tubes maintain their original shape until they are empty. This means the visual presence of the brand and its core messages are fully effective until the very end.
The plastic tube isn’t recyclable. The price also grows as the price of oil climbs, and it loses its advantage more and more.
Aluminum Laminate tubes
Laminate tubes are made from webs that comprise at least five different layers including the barrier layer. The two longitudinal edges of the laminate are welded together to form the tube body, which is then joined to the tube shoulder with its closure to give a reliable and impermeable seal.
Depending on the product and contents, laminate tubes can have a barrier layer of aluminum, plastic, or ceramic and – in the case of transparent laminates – a barrier of polyester. Laminate tubes combine the beneficial properties of the different materials: excellent barrier effect to protect the contents and high-end print quality using practically all printing techniques like silk printing, hot stamping, and silver stamping to produce that persuasive brand presence at the point of sale.
The tube’s new ‘invisible’ weld seams together with the appropriate printing technology allow 360° printing of the tube bodies – all the way around.
Most aluminum laminate tubes are supplied for the toothpaste market but they are playing an increasingly more important role in cosmetics and in other fields of application.
The aluminum laminated tube is different from aluminum tube although it has an aluminum layer, here is the difference https://beautyskypackaging.com/aluminum-tube-vs-aluminum-laminated-tube/
If you are looking for a trustful packaging tube supplier, you may contact Beauty Sky Packaging which was founded in 2009.
Paper tube packaging
Paper tubes are mainly used for the packaging of handicrafts, such as tea, handmade products, ornaments, etc. There are obvious differences with several other types of packaging tubes, it isn’t squeezed tube/collapsible tube. So this article will not introduce more.
