The first digital printing process Direct Print Powered by KHS™ for PET bottles has now been re-certified by the European PET Bottle Platform (EPBP). This means that a second development from KHS and NMP-Systems, a subsidiary of KHS, has received the initiative's approval within a very short space of time following the Nature MultiPack™.
Some time ago, printed bottles would have been unthinkable in the recycling process. However, the research carried out by KHS and its development partners has paid off: Direct Print Powered by KHS™ has once again received provisional certification from an official body. The award-winning printing process was first certified as recyclable in 2013 and has now been certified again. This is independent confirmation: PET bottles printed with Direct Print Powered by KHS™ have no negative impact on rPET and are officially approved for bottle-to-bottle PET recycling.
In order for the printed containers to be approved for this recycling process, the experts faced special challenges during development: „The washing water must not be contaminated during the recycling process and the ink must not be allowed to settle on the crushed PET bottles,“ explains Martin Chess, Head of the Printing Technology Department at KHS GmbH. The company succeeded in developing a digital printing process with low-migration, LED-UV-cured inks for food-safe decoration of PET bottles in which the print reliably breaks off into flakes during the recycling process.
More quality, more performance
Current laboratory tests for the Belgian market, in which random samples of recycled PET bottles were analysed for chemical residues, confirm the Safety. Printed PET bottles from Martens Brouwerij were included in the recycling cycle there. In 2015, the Belgian brewery was the first beverage producer to launch PET bottles with Direct Print Powered by KHS™ onto the market and has since relied on the technology, which has been continuously developed for the customer. This includes higher print quality, new decoration options and the resulting flexibility to customise the print on each individual bottle with different motifs. An additionally developed print image control system is intended to ensure the quality standard at an even higher level of industrial performance.
In addition to the attractive Marketing opportunities Schach sees even more advantages for customers in the end customer sector: „Production costs will fall in the long term, as labels and their storage are no longer required and no adhesive is needed.“
