Produzione di capsule di caffè in alluminio: materiali, macchine e guida alla produzione

How Aluminium Coffee Capsules Are Made: Materials, Machines, and the Full Manufacturing Process

Aluminium coffee capsules are increasingly taking a share of the world’s capsule market, which. fell to an estimated USD 32.62 billion in 2025, according to Mordor intelligence. For roasters and private label brands and beverage businesses getting into capsules, it is essential to know the ingredients, manufacturing process, and machines – the raw materials, the process, and the machine – since these factors determine the final product’s quality, shelf life, commodity regulations, and unit economics. This guide reveals the entire process of producing aluminium coffee capsules, from the choice of alloy to filling, sealing, and recycling.

Why Aluminium Is the Preferred Material for Coffee Capsules

Aluminium, unlike plastic, provides an absolute barrier to light, oxygen and moisture, three potential causes of degradation of ground coffee after roasting. This is the key property that differentiates aluminium capsules from plastics and is the principal reason that all the main producers including Nespresso, manufacturing approximately 14 billion capsules a year, have selected it decades ago and not changed.

In a practical way this translates into aluminium having a shelf life of 9-12 months after sealing, vs 3-6 months for standard plastic capsules. Which is significant for any roaster or private label brand selling through retail outlets with uncertain shelf life. Aluminium is also suited to withstanding the temperature and pressure of espresso brewing (generally 90-95C at 9-19 bar) without distortion and imparting bitterness or other offn flavors into the drink.

Apart from the performance benefits, aluminium has a sustainability factor that will increasingly influence consumers’ buying decisions in the future. The International Aluminium Institute has indicated that some 75 per cent of all aluminium ever made is circulating today as the metal can be recycled endlessly with no degradation of its structure or barrier properties. For brands directly targeting these conscious consumers, that is an obvious selling point.

Aluminium Alloy Specifications and Capsule Material Composition

However, not all aluminium alloys are appropriate for the can forming process. Industry standard alloys are 8011-O or 8079-O temper, which have the necessary formability (deep drawing without micro cracking) of the softer tempers to maintain hermeticity.

8011 vs 3003: Choosing the Right Alloy

For most nespresso capsule and holder formats the 8011 alloy with iron and silicon additions delivers the required high plasticity and corrosion resistance on purity of 99%. 8011 is the expected norm across the industry for most ali alu capsule ships. If the capsule or container shape is more complex, requiring multi-cavity, and must undergo elevated mechanical loads during transportation, a 3003 alloy with manganese additions will be required allowing for higher tensile strength and greater elongation.

For comparison, a typical Nespresso Original capsule has top outer diameter=37 mm, base diameter=24 mm, and height=29 mm with a wall thickness in the order of 110 m (0.11 mm) and an empty weight in the order of 1.0 g.

Interior Coating and Food Safety

Capsules are coated internally with an epoxy or BPA-non-intent (BPA-NI) lacquer barrier to prohibit direct contact between the aluminum surface and the roasted ground coffee bean or brewed product, with indications that the coating must meet compliance requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA 21 CFR 175.300) 50 ppm overall migration of non-volatiles in coating to food and the European Union legislation (EC) No 1935/2004 overall migration should not exceed 10 mg/dm, with comply documentation supplied by contractors. This interpretation must be tested on each production run.

External design may be printed with bespoke branding using approved food-safe inks. Capsule surfaces can be anodized or lacquered across a range of colours, providing private label manufacturers the ability to personalize product branding without any additional tooling costs.

The Coffee Capsule Manufacturing Process: From Bean to Sealed Pod

Coffee capsule manufacturing follows a standard production chain, integrating capsule formation, coffee preparation, and automated filling and hermetic sealing into a continuous, uninterrupted sequence. All formats are processed in the same plant (Nespresso, K-Cup, Dolce Gusto, Lavazza compatible).

1. Aluminium Sheet Stamping – Blank 8011-O aluminium coil is fed at high-speed (>600 up to 1,200 cycles/min) into a transfer press that prints and deep draws each capsule cup, holding rim tolerances to 0.02mm.
2. Interior Lacquer Coating – Cup is coated with food-safe lacquer by a downstream coating station, which forms an oxygen barrier.
3. Coffee Roasting and Milling – Beans are traditionally roasted to a medium-dark colour to increase solubility during extraction, then sent through an industrial 3-stage roller mill (breaking, intermediate grinding and ultra-fine final grinding) to produce consistent grain size for each capsule.
4. Capsule Sanitizing – Papery, dimpled capsules are blown through with dust-free compressed air, then multiple capsules consecutively pass through an UV sterilizing chamber to fulfill food-grade hygiene standards.
5. Auger Filler – Doser feeds in 5.5-7g of cold ground coffee from a single constant-level hopper to each capsule with ±0.2 grams level accuracy.
6. Nitrogen flushing – between dosing and hermetic sealing stages, multiple ports of nitrogen injection inside the capsule displace residual oxygen to targeted levels of <2%, high purity lines reaching under 1% oxygen, with a shelf life of 9-12 months.
7. Lid Cutting and hermetic sealing – lid foil is cut to size and hermetic seal heat applied to top of capsule, in turn preventing ingress of light, humidity and oxygen at the point of consumption.
8. Quality control & Inspection – Sealed capsules are subject to inspection, with submersion-based measurement of residual OTR and C0 levels for adherence to seal integrity standards. Rejected capsules are discarded.
9. Inscatolamento & Palletizing – Final capsules are placed into cartons and palletized for shipment. A typical linea di produzione di capsule di caffè can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days from order to first shipment.

Coffee Capsule Filling and Sealing Machines: Types and Specifications

There are two main types of capsule filler and sealer – linear and rotary – the primary factor influencing your selection should be your monthly volume and growth plans.

Both styles of machine utilise the same fundamental technology of auger filler dosing, nitrogen flushing and heat sealing. Where they differ is throughput and the manner in which the capsules are transported from station to station. Linear machines move capsules in lanes via a straight path while rotary use a rotating circular turret position capsules around the various station locations at high speeds and using less floor space – an innovation that has revolutionised production.

For forming of capsule cups (prior to filling), some manufacturers have moulded encapsulating presses integrated with filler and sealer designs. C-Series compact presses (45-80 ton, 1-5 cavity) are suitable for boutique roasters wanting to fill single origin capsules, while high volume presses (63-80 ton, up to 6 cavity) are suited to bulk scale producers. All provide the dimensional accuracy critical for proper compatibly with existing brewing equipment.

UN coffee capsule filler and sealer should be evaluated not only on maximum speed, but on minimum changeover times, feeding reliability and cleaning downtime.

How to Choose the Right Coffee Capsule Packaging Machine

Choosing a coffee capsule packaging machine is a capital investment which will define your production capacity, product mix and unit economics for years to come. When selecting a package machine avoid under capacity planning (as your volume grows you are forced to invest in multiple lines) or overlooking the importance of a well-made inert gas system – both are costly mistakes. This checklist highlights the seven critical areas to consider.

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  Volume di produzione — Calculate your current monthly capsule demand and project 2-year growth. If you expect to cross 500,000 capsules/month within 18 months, start with a rotary machine. Buying linear now and replacing it in two years doubles your capital outlay.
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  Capsule Format Compatibility — Confirm the machine handles your target format (Nespresso, K-Cup, Dolce Gusto, or custom). If you plan to offer multiple formats, prioritize machines with rapid mold changeover — some models switch formats in under 30 minutes, others require hours.
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  Material Handling — Aluminium, plastic, and compostable capsules each behave differently in feeding and sealing. A machine calibrated for aluminium may need adjustment for a compostable capsule filling machine workflow. Verify material compatibility before purchase.
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  Nitrogen Flushing Capability — Ask for residual oxygen data from actual production runs, not just brochure specs. Target below 2 percent for aluminium capsules, below 1 percent for premium lines.
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  Precisione di riempimento — Confirm ±0.2 g accuracy. Inconsistent dosing leads to flavor variation that damages brand reputation more than any other quality issue.
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  Tempo di cambio — If you produce multiple SKUs (different blends, grind sizes, or capsule formats), changeover time directly impacts your effective daily output. Machines designed for quick changeover pay for themselves in reduced downtime.
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  After-Sales Support — Evaluate spare parts availability, response time for technical support, and whether the manufacturer offers on-site training. A machine that runs 20 percent faster but takes two weeks to get replacement parts is slower in practice.

Aluminium vs Plastic Coffee Capsules: A Manufacturing Comparison

Choosing between aluminium and plastic capsules impacts every facet of your supply chain – from the cost of raw materials to at home perceived value and end-of-life waste processing. While the material choice ultimately is often presented as an eco question, the manufacturing and performance differences to better inform production decisions are in many ways just as critical.

Compostable capsule materials are a third alternative but still hampered by infrastructure restrictions. Commercial composting facilities that could handle capsules are not available in all geographies, cost per capsule exceeds that of aluminum and plastic, and barrier qualities are less than aluminium’s – resulting in a shorter shelf life. For most new entrants in capsule manufacturing, aluminium remains the default choice for its combination of performance and recyclability.

Sustainability and Recycling in Aluminium Capsule Production

Aluminium can be recycled forever without losing barrier or mechanical characteristics-a benefit no plastic or compostable material can offer. As such, aluminium capsule production is arguably better suited for circular economy principles, although recycling infrastructure still needs to mature in many areas.

Nespresso, who is the largest aluminium capsule producer, has published granular sustainability data to track performance at an industry level. In Nespresso’s sustainability report, all Original capsules are now manufactured with 80 percent recycled aluminium, while 88 percent of their Vertuo capsules are manufactured with 85 percent recycled material- provided by Novelis through a dedicated recycled aluminium supply chain announced in 2020.

Global capsule recovery stood at 35 percent in 2024, and Nespresso has published a plan to reach 50 percent by 2025, and 60 percent by 2030. To achieve these goals, they have supported the installation of over 100 Eddy current separators in public collection centers around the world, dating back to 2009. 65 machines were added in France, after Nespresso proved the technology’s superior performance in test plants. Nespresso opened its capsule recycling program to other capsule companies in 2019—such industry-wide cooperation rather than competition is the only way to build a universal, global recycling infrastructure for the industry.

For private label producers and new market entrants, aluminium capsules reduce the sustainability objections consumers raise about single-serve coffee — particularly when sourced from post-consumer recycled aluminium, turning what could be an environmental liability into a positive brand story.

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