Application
Aluminium Slugs for Collapsible Tubes
The starting blank for every collapsible aluminium tube — pharmaceutical ointments, toothpaste, hair colour, cosmetic creams and industrial adhesives. Engineered for the thinnest walls and the longest shelf lives.
Why aluminium dominates collapsible tube packaging
A collapsible tube has one job that sounds simple but is unexpectedly demanding: dispense product on demand, then stay collapsed without springing back to suck air (and oxygen) into the contents. Plastic tubes spring back. Laminated tubes partially spring back. Only aluminium collapses fully and stays collapsed — which is why it remains the gold-standard packaging for products where oxygen exposure ruins shelf life.
Beyond collapsibility, aluminium provides a complete light, moisture and gas barrier. For pharmaceutical and high-end cosmetic products this is decisive: the tube is the difference between a six-month shelf life and a three-year shelf life on the same formulation.
Collapsible tube end-products served by our slugs
- Pharmaceutical ointments and creams — antibiotic creams, antifungal creams, ophthalmic ointments, dermatological treatments, hemorrhoid preparations
- Oral care — toothpastes, medicated dental gels, denture adhesives
- Hair care — hair colour (where the chemistry demands a full aluminium barrier), bleaching creams, depilatory creams
- Cosmetic creams — premium skin creams, hand creams, anti-ageing formulations, sunscreens (some markets)
- Food — concentrated pastes (tomato, anchovy, wasabi), condensed milk in regions permitting it
- Industrial — high-grade adhesives, sealants, anti-seize compounds, lubricant pastes, electronic potting compounds
What the impact extrusion process demands of the slug
A collapsible tube is impact-extruded from a perforated slug in a single press stroke. A typical 30 mm diameter, 6 mm thick slug becomes a 30 mm diameter tube 150–200 mm long with walls thinner than 0.15 mm. That's an extreme deformation ratio — the aluminium must flow plastically by more than ten times its original length without rupture.
This places three uncompromising demands on the slug:
- Maximum ductility — achieved through 99.7% pure primary aluminium (EN AW-1070A) and controlled annealing
- Uniform grain structure — any coarse-grained region in the slug becomes a thin spot or pinhole in the tube
- Concentric center hole — the hole becomes the tube nozzle, and its position determines whether the cap will seat correctly
Our perforated slugs are designed around these three demands from the melt onward. Three decades of pharma and cosmetic tube customers have validated the result.
What we deliver to tube manufacturers
Pharma packaging is a documentation-heavy industry. Our supply meets it.
Pharma-grade purity
99.7% pure primary aluminium with batch-level chemical certificates and ISO 9001:2015 quality documentation.
Concentric center holes
Precision punching for tight hole-position tolerance — critical for cap-thread alignment on the finished tube.
Fine grain microstructure
Controlled annealing for uniform grain size — enabling tube walls as thin as 0.11 mm without tearing or pinholing.
Food-safe lubrication
Eco-friendly, food-safe lubricants applied pre-extrusion — essential for primary contact pharma and cosmetic packaging.
Lot traceability
Melt-to-shipment traceability with batch reports linking every slug lot to its source melt analysis.
Export-grade packing
VCI-lined cartons and fumigated pallets — surface oxidation prevented through long sea-freight routes.
Recommended product
For collapsible tube manufacture, specify our Perforated slugs.
Perforated Slugs (With Center Hole) →
Precision-pierced aluminium slugs engineered for the impact extrusion of collapsible tubes. 12.5 – 135.8 mm diameter, EN AW-1070A grade, 99.7% pure aluminium.
View product specifications →Frequently asked questions
Why are collapsible tubes made of aluminium?
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Aluminium gives collapsible tubes three properties that no other material matches simultaneously: full barrier protection (against oxygen, light and moisture), complete collapsibility without springback (so the tube empties cleanly and prevents back-suction of air), and non-reactivity with most pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations. Laminated and plastic tubes can match one or two of these but not all three.
What wall thickness can be achieved in collapsible tubes?
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Modern collapsible aluminium tubes achieve wall thicknesses between 0.11 mm and 0.18 mm depending on tube diameter, length and contents. This requires a high-ductility starting slug — typically EN AW-1070A grade at 99.7% purity — combined with controlled impact extrusion and downstream annealing.
Are aluminium collapsible tubes suitable for pharmaceutical use?
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Yes. Aluminium collapsible tubes are widely used for primary pharmaceutical packaging — ophthalmic ointments, dermatological creams, dental gels, hemorrhoid treatments, anti-fungal pastes, and many oral medications. Internal lacquering (epoxy, phenolic or similar) is applied where chemical compatibility with the active pharmaceutical ingredient requires it.
Can aluminium collapsible tubes be printed and decorated?
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Yes. After impact extrusion, collapsible tubes are typically base-coated (white or coloured), offset-printed with brand and product information, and over-varnished. The slug surface finish — vibrated or tumbled — must be free of rolling defects to take downstream decoration cleanly.
What is the typical lifespan of a collapsible aluminium tube on shelf?
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Properly manufactured aluminium collapsible tubes provide multi-year shelf life for most pharmaceutical and cosmetic products — limited by the product inside, not the tube. The full aluminium barrier prevents oxygen permeation and light damage, which are the main shelf-life killers for sensitive formulations.
Discuss your specifications with our team
India's largest aluminium slug manufacturer. Serving 50+ countries since 1978.