Screw lock, left-right lock or spring outside: choosing a lotion pump

A lotion pump is chosen by three things: how it locks, how much it delivers per stroke, and what it looks like on the bottle. Our three series cover the common combinations.

01 · Screw lock: VM-02

The head is screwed down for transport. Unscrew it, the head rises and the pump is ready. Simple, robust and the highest output of the three: 1.60 to 2.20 ml per stroke. Eight head shapes (A, B, C, E, G, M, V, Y). Typical for shampoo, shower gel, hand soap and household liquids in 250 ml to 1 litre bottles.

02 · Left-right lock: VM-02 LR

Turn the head a quarter to unlock; when locked it cannot be pressed. Faster to open than a screw lock and preferred for retail cosmetics that travel in a bag. 1.20 to 1.60 ml per stroke, eight head shapes (D, F, H, I, J, L, P, Q).

03 · Spring outside the liquid path: VM-04

The VM-04 is a left-right lock pump whose steel spring sits outside the liquid path. The product never touches metal, which matters for acidic or sensitive formulas, natural cosmetics and anything that would discolour or corrode a spring. 2.00 ± 0.20 ml per stroke, five head shapes (D, F, H, I, L).

04 · Dosage

Output is measured with water. Thick lotions deliver slightly less per stroke and need a wider dip tube; tell us the viscosity or send a sample. As a rule: shampoo and shower gel 1.5 to 2.2 ml, hand soap 1.2 to 1.6 ml, body lotion 1.5 to 2.0 ml.

05 · Head shape and closure finish

Head shape is a design choice; all heads of a series share the engine. The closure is ribbed (standard) or smooth, both in the colour of the head, or aluminium collar, bamboo collar or water-transfer print. These three are not colourable: only the head takes your colour.

06 · Neck finishes

All three series come in 24/410, 24/415, 28/400, 28/410 and 28/415. The pump engine is the same across the necks; the closure is the part that changes.

07 · One colour, plastic parts

Lotion pumps are quoted with one colour for head and plastic closure: white, blue, red, green or yellow, solid or transparent, or a Pantone code. If you need a second colour, write it in the special build field and we quote it.