In Closing: Child-Resistant Packages
Packaging Concepts' child-resistant sprayer, seen on a Bactine package below. Suppliers are making child-resistant packaging cost-effective.
By Marie Redding, Senior Editor
New types of child-resistant caps and closures frequently appear now for a variety of products, from baby oil to sunscreen. However, whenever a package has to be changed to meet requirements from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), companies can face multimillion-dollar expenses.
Thankfully, many suppliers have found cost-efficient solutions for manufacturers that have to comply with these regulations, discovering alternatives to purchasing new, often expensive, tooling. "As a whole, the industry has gotten past the learning curve," says Jeff Greenleif of the marketing department for Rexam Closures & Containers. "We have definitely advanced to the point where we have many stock products that comply with the Poison Prevention Packaging Act."
Packaging Concepts Association Inc. has introduced a child-resistant sprayer that company president Phil Meshberg calls the only one of its kind. The sprayer snaps on and even sprays upside down. Currently being used by Bayer for Bactine Pain Relieving Cleansing Spray, it complies with CPSC requirements for child-resistant closures on products containing 5 mg of lidocaine in a single package.
The closure has a twist-lock actuator, with a small press-in tab on the side that makes it child resistant. To unlock the actuator, the tab must be pushed in and held while it is rotated with the other hand. The actuator even stays locked during shipping, so there is no need for an overcap. Both the lockable actuator and the snap-on sprayer fit onto a special neck finish that guarantees a permanent seal after filling.
"The child-resistant safety tab is built into the actuator, which makes it more cost-effective," according to Henry Delaney, vice president of engineering at Packaging Concepts.
Delaney says, "As a general rule, what seem to be the simplest things are usually the hardest to make." He chose DuPont's Delrin for molding this actuator because "it has a memory and springs back. This material allows the user to push in easily on the tab, which will spring back out again and lock the actuator on the sprayer when not in use."
Combining the actuator and the pump was also a bit of a design challenge, since it had to be assembled in a spraying position to allow the actuator to be fully seated. "A small ramp was designed into the child-resistant tab to allow it to flex inward, so it wouldn't interfere with assembly," says Jack Leitman, package development manager at Packaging Concepts. Next, while on the assembly line, the actuator is rotated back to its locked position.
As formulations continue to advance and the CPSC continues its watch, we expect to see even more unique, cost-efficient, child-resistant solutions in the future.