Two pioneering new technologies from NMP Systems GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of KHS GmbH, have been shortlisted for the German Packaging Award 2014.
The nomination is for the combination of the new Direct Print and Nature MultiPack developments – both currently at the prototype stage.
Together they produce a multipack without a secondary packaging, with information printed directly onto each polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle.
The jury voted the “new, sustainable packaging system without packaging materials, the overall concept of which has been superbly implemented” into the semifinal.
Of the 230 submissions, 61 have managed to make it this far.
KHS is one of three nominee companies in the beverage packaging systems category.
The German Packaging Award will be presented on November 11, 2014, to mark the start of the BrauBeviale 2014 trade show in Nuremberg, Germany.
Combining two technologies successfully
Direct Print enables the direct digital printing of PET bottles without a need for a classic label.
The ultra violet inks used for printing have opacity and brilliance and set on the containers within a few milliseconds.
White, cyan, magenta, yellow and black can be applied, as well as various special colors, producing a high-resolution color image with an optical resolution of 1,080 x 1,080 dpi.
Extensive research has confirmed that the entire range of inks is fully food grade.
The bottles that have been printed using the Direct Print process are suitable for bottle-to-bottle recycling.
Nature MultiPack produces multipacks where the bottles or cans are bonded to one another using specially developed adhesives.
The principle can be applied to PET bottles and theoretically also to glass bottles and cans.
Compared to containers conventionally wrapped in film Nature MultiPacks save on both packaging materials and energy during production.
The sustainable, more cost-efficient system is also easy for consumers to handle.
