Aerosol cans are convenient as they make painting, polishing, and using other household chemicals like detergents, deodorants, and air fresheners easy. The two main types of aerosol dispensers are cans and misters. In the past, aerosol spray manufacturers used chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in aerosol packaging, which was damaging to the ozone layer.

However, aerosol spray manufacturers stopped using CFCs after they were banned and moved to products that do not deplete the ozone layer. Aerosol spray manufacturers started using other chemicals like propane and butane as propellants. As much as they are not ozone-damaging, these products have other undesirable features. For example, they are highly flammable and harmful to inhale.

In this article, we will look at everything from the manufacture of aerosol products to their packaging and benefits.

What Are Aerosols?

An aerosol is the cloud of gas or liquid that emerges from an aerosol can. It is a fine liquid mist with numerous solid particles dispersed through the gas. Examples of aerosols include steam from your kettle or fogs since they comprise water droplets distributed through a large air volume.

Smoke is also an aerosol, but it contains solid particles of unburned carbon combined with the warm rising air. Another example of an aerosol is the smoky steam above a candle flame. It includes a mixture of unburned carbon and water vapor dispersed through the air.

Why Aerosols Feel Cold

Aerosols feel cold when sprayed on your body due to evaporation. For instance, aerosols like deodorants or perfume misters are volatile liquids that evaporate at normal temperatures. When the contents of the cans leave the nozzle, they evaporate immediately.

The liquid molecules are broken down to convert the aerosol filling to gas, which uses a lot of energy. The energy produced is then absorbed into the liquid, causing it to cool. In addition, when you blow aerosols onto your skin, you will feel cold due to evaporative cooling.

Your body will generate the energy required to turn the liquid spray into gas. Evaporative cooling occurs inside and outside the can because spraying reduces the can’s inside pressure causing its cooling.

How Aerosol Spray Manufacturers Make the Cans

There are different ways aerosol spray manufacturers design their products. Most manufacturers use metals that can safely hold pressurized liquids and gasses. Manufacturers make most household aerosols from thin steel metal sheets and coat them with another material to prevent rusting or reactions with the propellant or aerosol filling.

Professionals use tin coating and apply it through electroplating to form a tinplate material. Aerosol spray manufacturers warp the tinplate into a cylinder with a welded top and bottom to make the can leakproof. Today, most aerosol spray manufacturers replace tin with plastic linings to make their products eco-friendly.

Additionally, plastics like polymer are cheaper and recyclable. Some manufacturers design their cans with a small aluminum lump pressed through a die forming a cylinder from a single metal piece. They use the offset printing method to label the product and write instructions.

You can also find aerosol cans made from glass. Glass is an ideal material theoretically as it does not corrode or react with the aerosol filling. Unfortunately, glass breaks under extremely high pressure or when dropped.

Working of Aerosol Cans

It is not easy to pressurize liquids; therefore, pouring liquid paint or hairspray into a can will result in the improper functioning of an aerosol. Luckily, pressurizing gasses is pretty easy. That is why aerosol cans contain two substances: The product you wish to release and a propellant that helps force out the aerosol filling into the air.

Before use, you need to shake the can to ensure the liquid product and the propellant mix well. Propellants are liquefied gasses, meaning when highly compressed or stored above their boiling point, it still takes a liquid form. The product is a liquid at room temperature, so the manufacturer pours it into the can before sealing it.

On the other hand, they must pump the propellant under high pressure after sealing the container. Keeping a propellant under sufficiently high pressure will eliminate any room for expanding into gas, so it will remain in liquid form.

Aerosol cans are designed with a mechanism to turn the aerosol filling into finely and evenly dispersed mist. To ensure the aerosol filling, like detergent or spray, comes out evenly when you spray the can button, aerosol spray manufacturers squeeze the contents in the container with a pump or compressor.

They store aerosol filling above standard atmospheric pressure to make it come rushing out when you hit the top button. The valve opens when you press the button, reducing pressure on the liquid propellant. As a result, it starts boiling and breaks the particles free, which form a layer of gas at the can’s top.

The pressurized layer pushes the liquid product and propellant up to the nozzle. Some aerosol cans have ball bearings which help mix the product and the propellant to push out a fine mist. When the liquid content flows through the nozzle, the propellant turns into gas, forming a fine spray.

In some can designs, the evaporating propellant creates bubbles in the aerosol filling, forming foam. Several factors affect the consistency of the dispensed product. These include product-propellant ratio, propellant pressure, aerosol filling chemical content, and the propellant and valve system shape and size.

Configuring the above elements differently enable aerosol spray manufacturers to make various aerosol products. Regardless of the liquid that comes out of the can, whipped cream, or spray, the aerosol can working mechanism is similar across all products.

Manufacturing Process of Aerosol Sprays

Reputable aerosol spray manufacturers adhere to strict controls, quality standards, and environment procedures. These regulations are vital to producing products with maximum quality. Most manufacturers use the following process in the production of their aerosol filling:

Sourcing Raw Materials

Manufacturers source raw materials from reliable suppliers in the industry. Consequently, their products have the best elements that provide practical solutions. In addition, the best aerosol spray manufacturers offer clients a catalog with a variety of raw materials that comply with the standards in all fields, including food and cosmetics industries.

Product Development

After getting the necessary materials, the company will begin the product development stage. Competent aerosol manufacturers have robust expertise in the development of newer products. They can adapt to the current market trends and demanding needs of customers.

Manufacturing Stage

The manufacturing process depends on the manufacturing procedures set by the specification the aerosol filling must adhere to. Moreover, manufacturers will have a quality manual against which they will check intermediate controls like soaking, yields, weights, and pressures.

Checking the Finished Product

After completing the pallet, aerosol spray manufacturers need to carry out another check on the resulting products to verify if traceability, safety, yield, and other crucial elements are correct. The process checks for deficiencies to know whether to accept or reject a product. Manufacturers will register the flaws if products are rejected and correct them under their protocols.

Aerosol Packaging

Aerosol packaging has been in use for the longest time. An American chemist developed it in 1941, and since then, companies have used aerosol cans to package food, cosmetics, home cleaning products, pharmaceuticals, and medical products.

Aerosol packaging may be the only appropriate choice for some products. Consumers use aerosols in their households, outdoors, and even traveling. Typical aerosol can products include hairspray, deodorants, lubricants, cleaning disinfectants, spray paint, and air fresheners.

Aerosol cans come in aluminum cylinders or containers that act as spray bottles to dispense the aerosol filling as mist or foam. Individuals can still see aerosol products in the market, but those manufactured and sold in the United States lack chemicals that deplete the ozone layer.

Manufacturers now use propellants like hydrocarbons and nitrous oxide, which impact the carbon footprint negatively. These products contribute to ground-level ozone due to the hydrocarbons and compressed gasses that produce volatile organic compounds.

What’s more, many aerosol spray manufacturers make aerosols with 25 percent recycled materials, making the cans recyclable. Therefore, using the aerosols has a positive impact on the surrounding. Plus, aerosol packaging is resistant to tampering, and you can quickly identify tampers. These safety features make them ideal for many consumers.

Key Benefits of Aerosol Packaging

There are numerous benefits you will enjoy using aerosol packaging. Aerosol packaging options are worth considering due to the following reasons:

• Ease of use: It is one of the major selling points of aerosol packaging. You can easily aim and press the can with a single finger to dispense the product you want.
• Safety: Aerosol spray manufacturers hermetically seal aerosols, reducing their likelihood of leaking, breaking, or spilling. Additionally, the seal provides an efficient way of preventing tampering.
• Allows users control: Aerosol cans are efficient in that they allow users to control the amount of product coming out of the container with the push of a button. Thus, it helps minimize wastage and spillage and allows for more efficient use of products.
• Cost-effectiveness: Aerosol cans control the particle size, volume of product dispersed per second, dispensing pattern, and spray concentration for maximum effectiveness. Further, the container protects the aerosol filling such as paint and finishes. They allow storage without evaporating, extending the shelf life.
• Recyclable: Aerosol cans are made from aluminum, which is recyclable.
• Convenience: Another benefit of aerosol packaging is that it is spill proof and prevents mixing applicators and containers. In addition, you can store refill products in the same aerosol cans for a longer time.
• Clean use: You can use aerosol contents without contact with the container. Therefore, you can safely share personal products. Plus, the cans protect product contamination, germs, and mess.
• Availability of unique products: Aerosol packaging has availed products that would be out of the market like long-distance insecticides sprays, shaving creams, asthma inhalers, and other products.

How to Choose the Ideal Aerosol Packaging

It is necessary for aerosol spray manufacturers to determine the size, color, and other features of the aerosol container depending on the product. Most aerosol can sizes have diameters ranging between 35-76mm and height of 70-265mm.

The top openings on most cans are one inch. Regarding the base coat color, you can find white or clear cans. Once manufacturers have determined the appropriate size and color, they can think about the decorations on the can that will match their brand and products.

Manufacturers can choose brushed aluminum, soft-touch, or high-gloss decorating options. Also, some professionals go for textured and metallic designs. The can’s shoulder style will determine the packaging shape. It may be bullet, round, flat, oval, or conical.

Furthermore, aerosol spray manufacturers need to consider the BPA and Prop 65 standards. They need to look at the liner choices that match the BPA requirements depending on where they package and distribute their products. For instance, food products demand BPA NI liners as they do not contain BPA.

Lastly, aerosol producers also need to consider the pressure required to dispense the aerosol filling from the valve. The product filler should provide proper guidance on the right pressure resistance to ensure the contents dispense correctly.

Bag-On-Valve Packaging

A valve is an essential component of an aerosol can as it allows controlled dispensing of the contents. It is located at the top of the can, just below the button you should press.

The button contains a spring that prevents it from remaining permanently open. Pressing the button, the valve opens, reducing pressure inside the can, allowing the aerosol filling to escape. Releasing the button causes the springs to close the valve.

Modern aerosol containers contain the bag-on-valve (BOV) system. The system completely separates the can content (or aerosol filling) from the propellant, resulting in a 100 percent pure product by creating a barrier between the product and the aerosol can liner.

Aerosol cans with BOV systems look similar to the traditional aluminum cans, but their operating mechanism is different. When you press the valve in BOV systems, the area between the can and the bag is filled with air and nitrogen. As a result, you will keep the product, and the propellant separate all the time.

Manufacturers can fill BOV systems with fluids and viscous products with a thickness that can pass through the valves. Consumers can find BOV cans in most of the same industries as the other aerosol cans. In addition to the regular aerosol products benefits, BOV systems have the following benefits:

• An effective barrier that prevents oxygen entry or exit from the can
• The product and propellant are entirely separate in the can.
• Eliminates the risk of container combusting as it makes use of non-flammable propellants

Conclusion

Reading the article will give you insights into the manufacture and packaging of aerosol products. Aerosols are common in most households due to their convenience. You can easily dispense controlled amounts of the product you want with the push of a button.