Stainless steel insulated cup

Before purchasing a thermos it's also important to consider the different types of lids or caps that are available to choose from when determining the right thermos. The large variety of thermos lids to chose from, offers a larger opportunity for customising your very own corporate gift for your business. Buying a thermos with the appropiate lid for your business as a corporate gift is a great way to show your customers, employees and clients that you are attentive to their needs. In this article, below are the different types of thermos caps and lids with their respective descriptions and functions that you must know before purchasing a thermos as a corporate gift.
 

The slide button cap is one of the most common thermos lids. The slide button lid thermos offers a quicker and more accessible method for opening thermos flasks. This lid is accompanied with a slide lock feature to prevent unnecessary opening and spilling. This type of thermos cap is suited for a medium size thermos at around 500ml for those who drink at relaxed environments like in school or in the office.

 

 

The screw lid is one of the most common thermos lids. It's simple design ensures lower production cost and retains heat better due to being made of entirely stainless steel. This thermos lid allows for quick pouring and is completely leak proof making it a great travel mug for both light and demanding outdoor activities. The cap may also be characterised by a small handle which is suitable for carrying or hanging the thermos of an object. However, it's plain design doesn't have any interesting or inspiring features. Many modern screw lid thermoses are plated with plastic on the exterrior to provide more customisable designs for manufacturers.

 

The push lid cap is accompanied with a screwable cup for the thermos flask. After screwing off the thermos cup lid, the button on top of the lid can be pushed as the contents of the beverage can be poured into the thermos cap. The drink can be consumed from the thermos cup as opposed to drinking it straight from the flask. One particular advantage of this design is that it's suitable to drink it with tea that still has teabags inside or other flavouring solid material inside the thermos. This prevents solid substances unintentionally being poured into the cup causing splashing. However, this thermos lid is not recommended for use when drinking it with food like stew or soup as the solid contents can not pass through the push lid.

 

A Twist lid (also known as a flex sip lid for a Hydroflask) is another different type of lid for a thermos. The twist lid feature allows for the thermos to be locked and unlocked without needing to screw the thermos off which allows for quick access for drinking. The twist feature also prevents any form of leakage when turned to the locked position. One design flaw with the thermos twist lid is that the mouth opening may be too small and cannot be adjusted. For quick pouring or emptying of the drink is more efficient to screw off the twist lid and pour as normal.

 

Given the large variety of thermos lids and caps that are available to select from as your business corporate gift, each lid has their own respective advantages and disadvantages. Generally, if you are choosing a corporate gift for a large audience for your customers it's better to choose the thermos that is best suited for normal activities such as attending school or going to the work place. Therefore, is best recommended to select a thermos with a slide button cap or a screw cap. However, if you're corporate gift is for a niche audience or target market who engage in outdoor activities such as camping a push button lid thermos with a screwable cap is preferable.

In recent times, thermoses have become more popular than ever before and many businesses are looking to design thermoses as a corporate gift for their customers and clients. But, how does a thermos actually work? A Thermos is specially designed to retain the heat of a liquid over a long period time. An everyday type of thermos is capable of keeping hot drinks warm for at least 8 hours while larger and higher quality thermoses can retain heat for 12-18 hours. That leaves us questioning, how is it possible for a thermos to be able to keep drinks hot for a long time aswell as keeping cold drinks cool.

First, let's look at the history of how a thermo originated. A thermos is a vacuum flask which insulates a liquid in a container over long periods of time. It was first invented in 1892 by Scottish Scientist Sir James Dewar, he created a vacuum flask which was composed of two flasks which one flask was placed inside the other where they joined at the neck which created a vacuum to keep the temperature of the contents inside the flask stable. In 1904, his creation was later transformed into a commercial item by two german scientists, Albert Aschenbrenner and Reinhold Burger who realised that this idea could be utilised to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cool. Therefore, they created the first thermos for everyday use. 

The structure of a stainless steel thermos flask is composed of an inner flask, an outer flask and a flask cover. The gap between the two flasks is partially absent of air which creates a vacuum that results in reducing heat transfer by conduction and convection. There is a layer of silvered glass that is placed on the inner flask wall to provide insulation to reduce heat transfer. This vacuum structure is effective in maintaining the contents of the flask for a long period of time.

 

To understand how a thermos retains heat its first important to understand the different forms of heat transfer. According to the second law of thermodynamics there are three types of heat transfer: Conduction, convection and radiation. A thermos flask that can reduce these three modes of heat transfer can keep temperatures stable for a long period of time. Let's first look at the three modes of heat transfer.

Heat (thermal) conduction is the process by which heat is transferred from a hotter object to a colder object. In relation to thermoses, the vacuum flask design reduces the effectiveness of heat conduction. This is because the vacuum is inside another flask which is separated by a vacuum. The lack of contact between the flasks surfaces in the thermos greatly prevent heat loss.

Heat radiation is the transfer of heat from an object of high temperature to an object with lower temperature when the two objects are not in direct physical contact with each other. The best way this is prevented in a thermos is during the manufacturing stage when silver is plated between the two layers of flasks in the thermos. Silver can reflect heat radiation therefore, the heat loss can be effectively reduced. This structure makes it difficult for internal heat to dissipate. 

Heat convection is the transfer of heat from one place to another due to the movement of fluid. However, vacuum convection does not take place inside a thermos flask. This is because the vacuum between the walls does not allow convection to take place as there is no air movement between the inner and outer walls due to the absence of air. Thus, heat loss from heat convection is prevented in thermoses.

The flask lid is composed of plastic and rubber. Most of the thermos is surrounded by a vacuum layer up to the neck of the water bottle. The only section of the thermos that can emit heat is the mouth of the flask. Therefore, during production the thermos bottleneck is shortened as much as possible to reduce heat loss. Therefore, the best thermos to consider purchasing as a corporate gift or for personal use, is a thermos that has a large capacity but a small bottle opening which will greatly reduce heat transfer.

Not only are thermoses designed to retain the temperatures of hot liquids but they can also keep cold drinks cool for long periods of time. Due to the structure of the thermos flasks, the gap between the two flasks being absent of air, this vacuum effect virtually eliminates condensation on the outside of the flask when holding cold liquids. Thus, resulting in cold beverages staying cold a long time.

 

Thermoses are capable of keeping drinks hot and cold drinks cool for long periods of time. They are beneficial in our lives as it helps us drink our favourite beverages like tea, coffee, water, lemonade, etc., during the hot or cold months of the year. Outside of these drinks it's also possible to put other products like milk, yoghurt, chicken soup or stew into the thermal flask. However, if these foods are not carefully prepared beforehand or these foods are not consumed within a safe appropriate time, there is a risk of food poisoning or salmonella. A thermos is a great corporate gift which creates an opportunity to connect with your clients, however, when purchasing a large order of custom made thermoses as a corporate gift for your customers; It is important to know the food safety that comes when preparing a thermos for lunch: how long is it safe to keep food hot in a thermos, should I heat the food beforehand, or can I microwave my thermos to heat up my food. These are important questions to know if you are providing information to your customers about thermos food safety as part of your corporate gift. The answers to these questions will be addressed below.

Bacteria can rapidly grow at temperatures from 4°C to 60°C, therefore decomposable foods in thermoses should not stay at this temperature range for more than 3 hours. To be one the safe side, one method to track the temperature of your food in the thermos is to use a thermometer and to time how long the food has been in the thermos. You can check both the time and how hot the food is before u pour it in the thermos and then check it again later before eating. If it's been below 60°C and it's been over 4 hours, it's best to discard the food. To ensure it's safe to eat food in a thermos it must be prepared correctly beforehand.

Before, putting your previous night's leftovers into your thermos or thermal flask, you have to make sure you reheat the food and its piping hot before you pour it into your thermos. Hot foods should be heated to 100°C before being added to the thermos.

Before adding hot food to a thermos, the thermos should be heated up before hand to help with retaining the heat of the food in the thermos. First, add boiling hot water from the kettle into the thermos and cover it. Wait over 5 minutes while you heat the food. Then, carefully pour out the boiling hot and add your piping hot food into the thermos and seal the lid.

Can a Thermos Be Put in the Microwave?

Customising a thermos flask (also known as vacuum flasks) as a personal or corporate gift has many distinct advantages. You can print your favourite pattern, logo, advertisements or your company brand on the face of the flask. Customising thermos flasks is great for corporate gifting, as it's a suitable gift for major events such as anniversaries, holidays or promotional events. Typically, thermos flasks have a stainless steel or plastic surface which makes them appropriate for printing. Currently, there are many ways to print your desired logo and design on the surface of the thermos. Below are a list of different printing methods with their respective costs and effects that your business can consider for designing your flask as a corporate gift for your customers.

Screen printing is a technique to transfer a design, artwork or logo onto a flat surface using dye or ink. The printing machine is not only designed for flasks but it can also print on any cylindrical object or container. It can print on metal, plastic and glass. Bottle screen printing consists of creating a stencil (a screen) and using that stencil to apply layers of ink onto the face of the flask and perfectly wrapping the artwork around the bottle on all sides. After the screen is created it can be reused, which reduces customisation productions costs which makes it a very suitable option for mass producing affordable and large corporate gift orders. However, bottle screen printing can only use one or two colours at most, and the patterns printed on the logo are relatively simple and not complex. In addition, the printed ink durability is not very long and made start to scratch off after a year or two of use.

Pad printing (also known as tampography) is a relatively recent technique that prints 2D designs onto any flask, mug, container or any other irregularly shaped objects by a digital machine. It's a process that involves transferring ink from a silicone pad onto a flask to generate a printed logo or image. This technique is more suited for more complex designs and objects that don't have a perfect cylindrical shape. Pad printing facilitates more colours and finer print in contrast to screen printing. However, although more complex designs can be printed with greater detail the biggest limitation is speed. Adding multiple colours need to be added separately which delays customisation rate. However, pad printing is still an effective and common method for printing thermos corporate gifts. 

Laser marking is a method that uses laser light to engrave patterns, designs and logos on thermos flasks. This is very suitable for thermos flasks that are made with metal or stainless steel which provides greater durability and resilience. Unlike other printing methods, engraved patterns from laser marking can't be peeled or easily faded away. Therefore, making it a suitable option for companies looking for creating customised thermos flask souvenirs.

Water transfer printing (also known as water transfer imaging, cubic printing and immersion printing) is a technique to apply printed designs onto an object. This method is suited for thermos flasks as they are made of stainless steel or metal. Designs are created by preparing a special hydrographic film that floats on top of the water tub. The thermos flask or mug is then dipped into the container and the paint sticks to the surface. This printing method is very fast and efficient as it can produce a large amount of customised corporate gifts in a short period of time. However, this technique is generally suited for single colors or simple patterns.

Thermal transfer printing is a digital printing method which involves preparing a 300dpi image or design and passing it through a heat transfer machine to melt the image and coat it onto a surface of the thermos flask or mug. Images that were transformed through heat transfer can withstand various temperatures when being washed and wont easily fall off. Although, this method can be used for mugs and thermos flasks, it generally is easier to use for clothing.

All methods mentioned are all viable options for printing your company brand, logo or design on your desired thermos flask or mug. Customised printed designs make perfect ideal corporate gifts and souvenirs for employees, clients and for special promotional events. The best method to consider would depend on budget and production volume. For simpler designs and faster production, screen printing and water transfer printing are two good options for designing your thermos as a corporate gift. However, for more complex designs no time constraints, pad printing is a very recommended option.

 

A thermos (also known as a thermal flask, vacuum flask or thermos water bottle) is a long concealed flask that insulates liquids for a very long time. Unlike other water bottles, a thermos is composed of two flasks placed one inside the other that joins at the neck of the flask which reduces heat transfer significantly. Therefore, thermoses are great for keeping hot beverages warm and cold beverages cool for a long time.  It's important to consider the material of your thermos if you plan on ordering a large quantity of thermoses as a corporate gift. Thermoses are the perfect corporate gift to consider to give to potential clients and customers. A durable resilient thermos corporate gift can leave a long lasting impression on your colleagues thus promoting your business brand.

Thermos flasks are made up of a variety of materials including stainless steel, aluminium, plastic, and glass. Each material has a different effectiveness on reducing heat transfer emitted from the thermal flask. Below the types of metals and materials used will be explored

 

One of the most common materials found in thermos flasks is stainless steel. It's resistant to corrosion and it's very resilient. It's a cheap and widely available material which is suited for producing large quantities of thermoses. Most Thermos products are manufactured using 304 Stainless steel (also referred to as 18/10 or 18/8 stainless steel) and are composed of 8-10% Nickel and 18-20% Chromium. Stainless steel can maintain the required temperature of a liquid for a long period of time. Hot beverages can be kept hot for 6 hours while cold beverages can be kept cool for 24 hours. Polished stainless metals will only lose less than 10% of heat to irradiative heat transfer. Stainless steel is also sanitary and anti bacterial hence it's also used in thermos soup pots for storing food. They do not leak water and there is no concern for linings to disintegrate. due to stainless steel not needing an inner coating.

Austentic stainless steel are a form of stainless steel that contains a significant amount of chromium and nickel as well as some iron. It's crystalline structure is austenite and it prevents steel from being hardened by heat thus making them non magnetic. The 300 series stainless steel achieve their structure by the addition of nickel. Therefore, when we buy thermos mugs or cutlery or stainless steel cutlery, we will see numbers marked on the product like 304 Stainless steel, 316 Stainless steel, etc. 304 Stainless Steel and 316 Stainless Steel are internationally approved food grade stainless steels. They have good corrosion resistance and heat resistance hence they are commonly used in cutlery, tableware, water bottles and thermos flasks. The molybdenum content of 316 Stainless Steel is 2% higher than 304 Stainless steel. Therefore, selecting a 316 Stainless steel thermos flask is preferred if you are in a strenuous harsh environment. A corporate gift made of 316 stainless steel is the best quality material to give to your customers.

Aluminium is also a common material used for manufacturing thermos mugs and thermos bottles. Anodized aluminium is a light material and also cheap to produce. Like, stainless steel, Anodized aluminium is corrosion resistant and durable. Aluminium is also a light metal hence it's less heavy than stainless steel water bottles. Generally, an aluminium thermos is best suited for casual and less strenuous outdoor activities. Aluminium water bottles are generally more stylish in appearance unlike stainless steel water bottles. However, aluminium is more likely to react to certain liquids therefore it's required for them to come with a protective lining the prevent the bottle to mix with the liquid inside. Therefore, it's important to only consider aluminium thermos bottles that are lined with BPA free epoxy resins. 

Most thermal flasks and water bottles are made up of stainless steel, multiple layers of plastic are incorporated into their design. The addition of plastic further reduces the lower thermal conductivity thus preventing heat loss. However, plastic is not used within the flask and is used to line the outside of the flask and the lining on the thermos cup cover. All thermos plastic products are food grade safe materials and are BPA free (Bisphenol A). The plastic coat on a stainless steel thermos provides more colours and design as opposed to a stainless steel surfaced bottles. Plastic thermos bottles are great for customising new designs and making corporate gifts.

Inside a thermos is a glass envelope holding the vacuum. This glass in wrapped in a plastic or metal case and is coated with silver to decrease infrared radiation. Silvered glass and the thermos vacuum are large factors in reducing heat transfer by convection, conduction and radiation. However, one explanation to why heat eventually gets lost from the thermos is because heat actually gets lost through the glass which provides a conduction path where the inner and outer walls meet at the top of the flask. This heat loss is not very significant but it is one of the explanations as to how hot liquids inside a thermos eventually cools down. The other major reason for heat loss is through the cap of the thermos.

Metals like aluminium and stainless steel are the best for preventing heat transfer. Of the three modes of heat transfer (convection, conduction and radiation) only the design of the vacuum chamber in the thermos flask is efficient at preventing just convection and conduction. However, radiation, can easily move through the vacuum. Unlike plastic, metals like stainless steel and aluminium are effective at reducing heat transfer from radiation. Between stainless steel water bottles and aluminium water bottles, aluminium is more suited for less strenuous activity is better in appearance. However overall, the most durable and best thermos is the 316 Stainless Steel Thermos flask as it is the most corrosion and temperature resistant. Therefore, when preparing a thermos corporate gift order, it's best recommended to select the 316 stainless steel material. This resilient material will be the perfect corporate gift for your customers to highlight your company brand.

A thermos (thermoflask, vacuum flask, Hydro Flask) can come in varying sizes. Recently, thermoses have become a popular corporate gift choice for companies looking to connect with their customers. The quantity of a thermos can range on average anywhere from 200ml to 1000ml. Therefore, before ordering a thermos or water bottle as a corporate gift it is important to consider all the available sizes because when a business decides to order a large quantity of thermos corporate gifts it's important to select the appropriate thermos size for your customers' needs which will a play a significant role in advertising your company brand when designing a thermos bottle as a corporate gift. Below is a summary of the most common thermos sizes and their function that your business should examine before ordering a thermos as a corporate gift.

Customised thermoses can all have different purposes depending on their capacity. Smaller thermos flasks are generally more favoured for light activities while larger thermoses are more suited for long trips or demanding activities. Below is a summary of the recommended activities based on the thermoses different sizes.


 

One of the smaller thermos flask size range, that is most suited for toddlers and infants. It comes with a straw making it easier to drink and it is often popular with very young kids as it has colourful designs or cartoon images.

This small sized thermos is suitable for older kids and also contains colorful design or images. This thermos may also come with a straw.

This thermos is best for students or workers, its lightweight design and capacity is suited for carrying to school or to work. The design looks more plain and simple in contrast to the kids thermoses.

Thermoses above 500ml can be anywhere from 500ml, 750ml, 1L or 2L in size. This thermos is suited for sports and demanding outdoor activities like hiking and camping. The larger sizes also make it a great option for carrying hot food like soup when camping.

The product size of a thermos is correspondent to its volume. Below is an image of the measurements for both the width and heights changes of a thermos with different volumes.

 

When choosing a thermos flask you may notice the weight may be in ounces (oz) rather than millilitres (ml). The reason for that is because the United States is one of the few countries that uses the imperial system which has a different forms of measurement. Therefore, when choosing your customised thermos please take note of the capaicity units since ounces dont correlate with millilitres. In addition, it's also important to note that in some rare cases the British imperial fluid ounces is also used as a form of measurement however, the British fluid ounce is different to the US customoary fluid ounce.  Below is a table showing the conversaion between millilitres, British imperial fluid ounces and US imperial ounces for the most popular thermal flask sizes.

For transporting your thermos it is also important to note the size and weight. Generally smaller thermoses are more suited for school, college or office environments. In contrast larger thermoses are best suited for outdoor activities and sports which are more suited to be carried in a bagpack as opposed to carrying by hand. Some thermoses are also equipped with a handle which makes it more convenient when pouring out hot and cold drinks. Other thermoses are also equipped with a handle that is placed on top of the thermos cap making it easier to carry around.

A customised thermos or Hydro Flask can have commemorative signifiance. It not only serves the purpose of being a thermal water bottle but it symbolizes the company's unique culture through the visualisation of patterns, colors and craftmanship. It shapes the company' brand, reflects the company's character and at the same time expresses gratitude to the recipient of the gift. Furthermore, staying hydrated is a daily neccessity, the thermos has significant influence on our every day life. A thermos is suitable as the company's first choice for corporate gifts for employees, customers, clients, stakeholders and perspective partners.