Direct to product inkjet printing hits industrial-scale production

The first direct print system from KHS is in industrial-scale production using Xaar 1002 printheads to print directly onto PET beer bottles at Martens Brouwerij in Belgium. 

The equipment uses Xaar 1002 GS6 printheads to jet high resolution, 360 dpi physical and 1080 dpi optical, text and images in five colours (CMYK+W) using low migration LED-cured inks directly onto PET bottles at the production rate of 12,000 bottles per hour.

The system has been developed by KHS GmbH, a global manufacturer of filling and packaging systems, and has been commercialised by NMP Systems GmbH, a KHS subsidiary for innovation businesses.

‘Direct printing onto empty PET bottles using Xaar 1002 greyscale printheads is a breakthrough technology that enables beverage companies to change graphics within minutes instead of weeks,’ said Phil Johnson, managing director of NMP. ‘The use of digital technologies for micro marketing in the packaging sector to maximise consumer engagement is accelerating. The ability to create designs and print them directly onto bottles quickly virtually ‘on-the-fly’, is a powerful marketing tool which will give brands the ability to localise, personalise and customise their products to drive highly-effective promotional campaigns. Brand owners are looking for deeper consumer engagement and digital printing will make it a reality. The system, including certified low-migration ink, artwork and pre-press solutions, sampling and industrial printing, will move PET bottle decoration into the filling and packaging world on an industrial scale.’

Mr Johnson added, ‘Xaar 1002 printheads enable us to print high quality graphics at PET line production speeds in single-pass directly onto PET bottles with excellent reliability. Particularly important is Xaar’s TF Technology which keeps the inks in continuous circulation. This allows us to mount the printheads vertically in skyscraper mode on the print station carousels confident that they will jet inks, smoothly and accurately onto the bottles. The bottles are printed at maximal jetting speed with excellent registration and consistent print quality through the Direct Print industrial printer.’

The system jets graphics up to 70 mm in height onto bottles ranging from 40-125 mm in diameter with fast, automatic changeover from one bottle size to another when required. Modular in design the KHS system is available in configurations of 12,000, 24,000 or 36,000 bottles per hour.