An Overview of Customising Your Own Thermos in 2024
2022-12-09 - Article ID: 5758
A thermos is specially designed to keep hot beverages hot and cold beverages cool for long lengths of time. For this reason, a thermos is one of the best water bottles for having your favourite beverages stored on the go. Nowadays, thermoses are so diverse that they come in all different shapes and designs with each thermos having different purposes and function. For this reason, thermoses have become a popular corporate gift for companies. By knowing the usage scenario of a thermos, they can be customised as a corporate gift according to our customers' needs. Before, customising your own thermos it is important to know all the different customisable features of a thermos. Below, will provide an overview of how a thermos works, the different thermos materials, the varying sizes, types of lids and the various printing methods that can be used to customise a thermos as a corporate gift.
A thermos is a vacuum flask which insulates a liquid in a container for long lengths of time. It was first invented by Scottish Scientist Sir James Dewar in 1892. He designed a vacuum flask which was composed of two flasks; one flask was placed inside the other where they joined at the neck. This created a vacuum effect to keep the temperature of the liquid inside the flask stable. This invention was later transformed into a commercial item which could be utilised to keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cools for long periods of time, thus creating the thermos, which further became a popular corporate gift choice for businesses.
2. How a Thermos Works
An everyday type of thermos flask is able keep hot drinks warm for at least 8 hours while a larger and higher quality thermos can retain heat for 12-18 hours. A thermos is made up of an inner and out flask inside a container. The gap between the two flasks is absent of air which results in a vacuum that reduces the heat transfer from conduction and convection. A thermos flasks that can reduce conduction, convection and radiation from a flask can keep temperatures stable for long periods of time. A diagram of the thermos flask structure is shown below.
2.1 Where Heat Is Lost
In most thermoses, the flask lid or cap is made up of rubber and plastic which is a source for heat loss from the flask. Although a thermos is surrounded by a vacuum layer up to the neck of the bottle, heat can still be lost at the mouth of the flask. Therefore, most modern thermoses are produced to have a short bottleneck to reduce heat loss. This is an important feature to note when choosing your customisable thermos corporate gift as shorter thermos bottlenecks are preferred over longer bottlenecks.
2.2 How Drinks Are Kept Cool
In addition, to keeping drinks warm, a thermos is also designed to keep drinks cold for long periods of time. Due to the vacuum effect caused by the space between the two flasks within the container being absent of air, condensation is prevented on the outside of the flask when containing cold liquids. This ultimately results in cool beverages remaining cool for long periods.
3. Materials
A thermos can be made up of multiple different materials these include: stainless steel, aluminium, plastic and glass. Selecting the best and appropiate material is essential when customising a corporate gift thermos for your clients. Each matieral have different properties which affects their effect on reducing heat transfer in the thermos. Among these, stainless steel is one of the most commonly used materials when customising a thermos as a corporate gift as it's most effecitive at reducting heat transfer. Below, the efficiency and durability of the various materials used for customising thermos water bottles will be described.
3.1 Stainless Steel
One of the most common materials found in thermos flasks is stainless steel. It's very resilient and its resistant to corrosion. It's a widely available and cheap material which makes it a good choice for companies producing large quantities of customised thermoses. A Stainless steel thermos can retain the required temperature of a liquid for long lengths of time. It's capable of keeping hot beverages hot for 6 hours and cold beverages cool for 24 hours. Stainless steel is also sanitary and anti bacterial hence it's also the best recommended material to be used in thermos soup pots for storing food.
3.2 Austenitic Stainless Steel (304 vs 316)
Before customising a stainless steel product as a corporate gift, one important characteristic of stainless steel to note is that there are two types of stainless steel. Austenitic stainless steel is a form of stainless steel that contains a significant amount of chromium and nickel aswell as some iron. When purchasing thermos mugs, thermos flasks or stainless steel cuttlery, we will see numbers marked on the product like 304 Stainless steel, 316 Stainless steel, etc. The 300 series stainless steel achieve their structure by the addition of nickel. 304 Stainless Steel and 316 Stainless Steel are food grade stainless steels which are approved worldwide. They have excellent heat and corrosion resistance so they are frequently used in tableware, cutlery, thermoses and water bottles. The 316 stainless steel differs from the 304 stainlees steel due to its stucture. The molybdenum content of 316 Stainless Steel is 2% higher than 304 Stainless steel. The higher molybednum content results in 316 stainless steel being more resitant to heat transfer and corrosion. Therefore, when customising a stainless steel flask as a corporate gift for your business or for personal use it is recommended to select a 316 Stainless steel thermos flask.
3.3 Plastic
Most thermoses that are made up of stainless steel, incorporate multiple layers of plastic into their design for larger customisation. The addition of plastic can reduce heat loss by lowering thermal conductivity. However, plastic is not used within the flask and can only be used to line the outside of the flask and the lining on the thermos cup lid or cover. It's important to ensure when customising a mug that the plastic products used in the thermos are food grade safe materials and are BPA free (Bispehnol A). The plastic coat on a stainless steel thermos provides more colours and design as opposed to plain stainless steel surfaced flasks. A plastic thermos corporate gift provides a great surface for customising designs and advertising company brands.
3.4 Aluminium
Aluminium is also a common material used for producing thermos flasks and thermos bottles. Anodized aluminium is a light matieral and it is also cheap to manufacture. Comapred to stainless steel, anodized aluminium is durable and corrosion resistant. Aluminium is a light metal therefore it's lighter than stainless steel water thermos flasks. An aluminium thermos is best suited for casual and casual outdoor activities. Generally, aluminium thermos flasks are more stylish in appearance in contrast to stainless steel water bottles. However, before purchasing and designing an aluminium thermos it is important consider aluminium thermos bottles that are lined with BPA free epoxy resins. This is because, there is a small probability that aluminiumcan react to certain liquids therefore a protective lining is required to prevent the flask to mix with the liquid inside.
3.5 Is a Thermos Microwavable?
A thermos can NOT be put into a microwave. A thermos contains metals like stainless steel. When metal is placed inside a microwave, the metal will start to spark which make cause a fire or an explosion.
4. Different Sizes
Before customising a thermos as a corporate gift, it should be noted that all thermoses have different purposes depending on their capacity. Generally smaller size thermos bottles are more suited for school, college or office environments. In contrast, larger thermos flasks are best suited for outdoor activities and sports which can be carried in a bagpack as opposed to being restricted carrying the thermos by hand. Below is a summary of the recommended activities based on the thermoses different sizes.
4.1 Thermos 200-300ml
This small thermos size is most suited for toddlers and infants. It often comes with a straw which makes it easier to drink and its thermos design has colourful designs or cartoon images making it popular with kids.
4.2 Thermos 300-400ml
This small sized thermos is suitable for older kids and it may also contains colorful design and images. This thermos may also have a straw for conveniency.
4.3 Thermos 400-500ml
This thermos size is the most common as it is best suited for students or workers, because of its lightweight design and capacity is suitable for carrying to school or to work. The design looks more plain and simple in contrast to the kids thermos flasks
4.4 Thermos >500ml
Thermoses above 500ml in size typically come in 500ml, 750ml, 1L or 2L in size. This thermos is suited for sports and demanding outdoor activities like hiking and camping. The larger thermos sizes also make it a great option for carrying hot food like soup when camping.
4.5 Product Dimensions
The product size, length and width varies dependent on it's volume. Below is a diagram for the measurements of both the width and heights changes of a thermos with different volumes.
4.6 Imperial vs Metric system
When choosing a thermos online to customise, you may notice the weight of thermos may be in ounces (oz) rather than millilitres (ml). What is the main cause in the different measurement? The reason for this, is because the United States a different form of measurement known as the imperial system. Therefore, when choosing your customised thermos for a large corporate gift order, please take note of the capaicity units since millilitres
dont correlate with ounces. In addition, it's also significant to note that in some rare occasions the British imperial fluid ounces is also used as a form of measurement when describing a thermos product. However, the British fluid ounces is also different to US ounces. To simplify the conversion, a table is shown below highlighting the conversion between millilitres, British imperial fluid ounces and US imperial ounces for the most popular thermal flask sizes.
Table: Converting millilitres to US and British Imperial Ounces.
Millilitres (ml)
US Imperial Ounces (Oz)
British Imperial Ounces (Oz)
300
10.14
10.56
500
16.91
17.6
750
25.36
26.4
1000
33.81
35.2
5. Types of Thermos Lids
When customising a thermos its important to consider the different types of thermos lids and caps that are available. Selecting the most appropoaite thermos cap is significant in designing a thermos flask for its desired function and purpose. Below are examples of a few types of thermos lids and caps that you can consider when customising a thermos.
5.1 Push Button Lid
The push button lid 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 lid is suited for a medium size thermos at around 500ml for those who drink at relaxed environments like in school or in the office.
5.2 Screw Lid
The screw lid is one of the the most popular thermos lids. It's simple design ensures lower costs to produce and it's able to retain heat better as its made entirely of stainless steel. This thermos lid allows for quick pouring and is completely leak proof making it a great travel flask for both light and demanding outdoor activties. One drawback is the lack of customisation, it's plain design doesn't have any interesting features unless it's coated with a plastic coat to open more opportunities to customise.
5.3 Push Lid Button
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.
5.4 Twist Lid
A twist lid (also known as a flex sip lid for a hydro flask) 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, it is more efficient to screw of the twist lid and pour as normal.
6. Printing Methods
Printing a logo on a thermos 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. Printing a customised design on a thermos is great for corporate gifting, as it's a suitable gift for major events such as anniversaries, holidays or promotional events. Generally, 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.
6.1 Screen Printing
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.
6.2 Pad Printing
Pad printing (tampography) is also another thermos printing option. It is a relatively new technique that prints 2D pictures or designs onto any bottle, mug, flask, 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 which makes it a great method for thermos customisation. However, although more complex designs can be printed with greater detail; the biggest limitation is speed. Needing to add multiple colours need separately can delay customisation rate and increase production costs.
6.3 Laser Marking 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.
6.4 Water Transfer Printing
Water transfer printing (also known as cubic printing, water transfer imaging and immersion printing) is a printing method to apply designs onto any object. This method is suited for thermos flasks as the ink can stick to the stainless steel or plastic material. Designs are created by preparing a special hydrographic film that floats on top of the water basin. The thermos is then dipped into the container so that paint can stick to the surface. This printing method is very fast and efficient as it can produce a large amount of customised printed objects in a short period of time. However, this technique is generally suited for single colors or simple patterns. Therefore, this printing method has a limitation for thermos customisation.
FAQ
Heat is lost through the glass envelope in the flask by conduction, and heat is also lost through the plastic cap.
The best thermos material is 316 stainless steel.
No they are different. 1 oz is the same as 29.6 ml
A thermos that's at least 750ml (24oz) in size. Generally, 1L (32oz) or 2L (64oz) is more preferred as it's larger capacity is good for storing water for long periods of time
In general, a thermos that's around 500ml (16oz) in size is more suited for students and professionals due to its light weight and capacity.
Absolutely, there are many cost effective printing methods to choose from. Printing your company brand on a corporate gift is a powerful way to connect to your customers.
It is recommended to heat up your thermos by adding boiling hot water to rise the temperature of the thermos' surface to ensure food stays hot longer
The lids or caps are generally made of plastic, however some components are made of stainless steel as shown in the screw lid.
The best thermos lids are the types of lids that have a broad usage. Generally a thermos with a slide button cap or a screw lid cap are most recommended.
Nearly all thermos lids are leak proof when properly closed. Most lids either have a slide lock feature or a screw cap to prevent unwanted leakage.
Graduated with a Masters degree from Ireland with a Masters degree in Business Information system. English native speaker specialising in business and data analyst. Currently enrolled in Tunghai University's language centre for studying Mandarin Chinese and undertaking a student marketing internship at SourceEC. My role involves content writing, SEO analysis and web page optimisation After my studies and completion of this internship, I am hoping to pursue a career in data analytics in the digital marketing field in Asia.
