Sigg
Sigg bottles are bottles made in Switserland from a single piece of pure aluminium, the size of a hockey-puck. An extruding press forms the puck into a cylinder in a single movement after which it is pressed into one of several possible bottle shapes. A separate threading ring is inserted and secured. Once the bottle has been formed, it is cleaned and the interior is sprayed with a food-compatible stove enamel which is heated while the outside is coated and heatbonded with powder paint.[1]
History
The company was founded in Biel in 1908 by Ferdinant Sigg and produced kitchenware, bottles and electrical appliances from aluminium. .
Interchangeability
All Sigg bottles use the same diameter head and thread system which results in interchangeability of bottles and caps. Different cap styles exist such as a normal screw on cap with loop, caps with glow-in-the-dark markers, sports-bottle caps and caps with added protection from dust.
Advantages and disadvantages
Aluminium bottles are resistant to shocks and deformations, lightweigt and protect the contents from light. The interior epoxy coating is flexible and will not break or crack during deformations. As a result of this, no elements can leak into the transported liquid unlike Lexan bottles. Sigg bottles have been determined by Backpacker magazine to be the world's toughest water bottle.[2] The thin aluminium does not offer any insulation which means that condensation can build on the outside of the bottle when cold drinks are transported and hot drinks will result in a bottle which can not be touched.
Each year, new designs of the Sigg bottle are added to the collection while others are no longer produced. The design of Sigg bottles has led to them beeing part of the permanent design collection of the NY Museum of Modern Art[3]. The classic bottle is of a single red whilst more modern bottles can have designs on them and are available in both glossy or matt finishes.