IN Brief:
- CleanClic Connect uses a hermetic initial seal and positive reclosure for direct dispensing.
- SIG offers the fitment across pack sizes from 1.5 to 20 litres.
- The system supports fresh, extended shelf life, hot fill and aseptic applications.
SIG has launched CleanClic Connect, a fitment for bag in box foodservice systems that keeps the product path closed during connection, dispensing and disconnection.
The design uses a hermetic seal before first use and a positive reclosure mechanism after the dispensing probe is removed. SIG offers the fitment across packs from 1.5 to 20 litres for products including beverage concentrates, teas, creamers and shake mixes.
Before a pack is connected, the product remains isolated behind the original seal. Engagement with the dispensing probe opens the internal path and allows liquid to move directly from the flexible bag into the dispensing system without first being poured into a separate reservoir.
Removing the probe returns an internal plug to its closed position. The fitment is intended to limit leakage and exposure when staff disconnect a pack before it is completely empty or remove it during cleaning and servicing.
A closed connection reduces open handling between the package and the serving point, although the fitment still has to tolerate repeated physical handling throughout transport, installation and use. Seal integrity at the filler does not prevent failures later if the connection is damaged or incorrectly engaged in the dispenser.
SIG lists the system for fresh, extended shelf life, hot fill and aseptic products, each of which places different requirements on the package. Fresh products generally rely more heavily on refrigeration, while hot fill uses elevated filling temperatures and aseptic processing requires sterilised product and packaging to remain protected from recontamination.
CleanClic Connect can be used with SIG’s SureFill 42 Aseptic filler where the application requires aseptic handling. The fitment then becomes one part of a wider sterile packaging system in which the bag, closure, filling operation and subsequent dispensing equipment all have to preserve the intended product conditions.
The packaging structure performs a separate job from the closure. SIG offers the fitment with DuraShield, a three layer laminate incorporating EVOH for oxygen barrier performance and oriented nylon for mechanical strength, while the connection controls movement of product out of the bag.
Neither component can compensate completely for poor specification of the other. Strong barrier material will not prevent leakage through a damaged connection, and a secure fitment cannot preserve shelf life if the bag structure provides inadequate protection for the product inside.
Cleaning becomes more complex once the package is attached to dispensing machinery. SIG describes CleanClic Connect as suitable for systems using cleaning in place procedures, allowing sanitation to be incorporated into the equipment routine without requiring every product contact component to be dismantled manually.
The final cleaning regime still depends on the dispenser, product and operating conditions. High sugar concentrates, dairy ingredients and other viscous liquids can leave different residues, while pipe length, valves and dead spaces inside the machine influence how easily cleaning fluid reaches all product contact surfaces.
Pack evacuation affects both cost and waste. Product left behind in a nominally empty foodservice pack cannot be sold or served, and a small residual volume becomes significant when the same loss is repeated across a large estate of dispensing machines.
Connection geometry, bag collapse and pump operation all influence how much product can be removed. SIG is positioning CleanClic Connect around reliable dispensing from initial connection through to the end of the pack, with the reclosure mechanism intended to preserve control when that sequence is interrupted.
The 1.5 to 20 litre range also allows the same connection concept to cover different rates of consumption. Smaller packs can suit products with lower throughput or shorter open life, while larger formats reduce the frequency of changeovers where dispensers operate continuously.
Foodservice systems place different demands on packaging from products handled only inside a factory. Packs are installed by operators working across many locations, used over several serving periods and sometimes removed before all contents have been dispensed, so connection design has to tolerate routine variation in handling.
CleanClic Connect addresses that interface between the flexible pack and the machine. Its performance will ultimately be judged by whether the seal, reclosure and evacuation behaviour remain consistent after transport and repeated use, because the most expensive failures occur after a filled pack has already left the production site.
