For many people, a good start to their day begins with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. A large number of households have been relying on practical capsule
systems that magically produce cappuccino, espresso, and more at the touch of a button. Greiner Packaging (greiner-gpi.com) is also now getting into the booming coffee capsule market by producing coffee capsules. In collaboration with an internationally known player in the coffee industry, Greiner has spent the past few months working on the implementation that will guarantee the best quality.

New market standards
The result is a capsule that sets new standards not just in how the coffee tastes, but in sustainability as well. The production process begins with extrusion of the foil from which the capsules are thermoformed. A hole is punched in the center of each capsule through which the coffee can flow. A precise fit is key here. The same goes for the edge at the bottom of the capsule where a filter is inserted. Only a precise production process allows smooth processing of the capsules. A fully automated camera system (Vision Control) monitors the entire production process. The packaging is also fully automated and touchless. To meet the high quality requirements, the capsules are measured and examined touchlessly using computer tomography, thus guaranteeing perfect measurement. The accurate production and control processes both ensure that rejects are reduced to a minimum. Nevertheless, any capsule reject is ground up and fed back into the production process – an absolute plus for environmental protection. “Together with our client and our client’s experience, we have been able to define a new level of quality for coffee capsules. That has allowed us to set new market standards,” says Kenneth Boldog, sales director for K Europe.

Barrier technology for the best aroma
The capsules consist of polypropylene plastic incorporating a barrier layer of EVOH. This “multi barrier technology,” or mbt for short, produces a higher oxygen barrier in the packaging. This protects the filling – the coffee, in this case – from external effects, thereby substantially increasing the shelf life and aroma protection. Even the best coffee quality can now be ensured over a long period.