DECORATION | INNOVATION


in fast-food outlets -- is a major feature. The devel- opment of high-quality lenticular and holographic label printing capabilities to enhance a label’s visual attraction are a popular feature that pad printing and direct-to-container print cannot match. “In Asia – generally considered the fastest-grow-


ing market across the label market – the lack of regional homogeneity and the complexity of the supply chain have so far restricted the speed of IML’s acceptance in the emerging economies of China, India, and South East Asia, where the key on-the-go beverage markets are highly competitive.” However, in Japan, IML enjoys an established


market in the health and personal care product segments, with some 30% share of the country’s total IML usage. China offers the greatest growth potential, but IML is currently limited to certain market segments like lubricants, which AWA research indicates represent an estimated 60% of China’s IML usage. Across the region, the injection moulding format dominates. AWA says IML is currently experiencing competi-


tion from direct-to-container print. Pad printing is an established and popular process in many markets. However, AWA says, the main and growing competition to IML comes largely from today’s advanced digital inkjet presses, which certainly deliver the high-quality graphics that brand owners expect, and also offer some unique, and much-prized, advantages such as mass personalisation and limited editioning. “Direct-to- container digital inkjet print certainly constitutes a paradigm shift, and it may represent 3% to 5% of product decoration in the next ten years -- or an even greater market share,” the consultant says. The in-mould production process involving a printed image is expanding into fields other than labelling that are exhibiting lively growth, AWA goes on. Again, a paradigm shift in its breadth of


The global in-mould label market by region


applications, it says. It envisages more complete product decoration, which might also deliver brand owners’ interactive customer communication devices, such as augmented reality options, as well as sensors and even printed electronics using conductive inks. Viappiani Printing, a major supplier of IML


labels, has been involved in a cooperative project, presented at NPE2018 in Orlando in May, to develop large coffee capsules for the US market (Keurig K-Cups) that are injection moulded in biodegradable PLA and also decorated with PLA labels. Talking to Injection World at Plast 2018 in Rho, Italy, in May, Matjaž Gorjup, the company’s General Manager, says that PLA is a difficult material to print. “It is also not so easy to cut,” he says. But the company has nevertheless managed to obtain high quality labels. “We are very proud of what we have achieved. This is a small part and we are working with a difficult material.” If the technology succeeds, it could prove to be


a key moment in the development of the coffee capsule. As moves towards the circular economy continue, and the EU in particular takes a closer look at single-use packaging, the concept of wholly compostable coffee capsules – no difficult combi- nations of organic waste, aluminium and non-bio- degradable plastics – is likely to become increas- ingly interesting. Every day, tens of millions of coffee capsules are used around the world and only a tiny proportion are recycled (virtually none are composted, although at least one European coffee maker uses Mater-Bi from Novamont for some of its capsules). At NPE, the process was running on a Netstal injection moulding machine running with a mould from Fostag and automation from Beck Automation. PLA labels from Verstraete IML were also used. The


www.injectionworld.com


Left: PLA coffee capsule with PLA label pictured at Viappiani Printing’s Plast 2018 stand


June 2018 | INJECTION WORLD 35


PHOTO: PETER MAPLESTON


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