The next generation coffe cup?
Capitalizing on our expertise and knowledge of the In Mold Labeling process, General Press has partnered with a North American chemical manufacturer to develop a premium quality I-IML decorated coffee cup. The process requires a printed, die cut label, which is picked and placed inside the mold. The mold cavity is filled with expandable polystyrene (EPS) resin, which fuses with the label and results in a finished decorated cup.
This process eliminates the need to apply post mold graphics, which cuts down on production time and additional handling. Because the labels are printed offset litho, there are no limits to the level of graphics that can be obtained. And because the cup is made of EPS, the insulation properties of the cup are unmatched, eliminating the need for a sleeve or double cupping.
Early on in the development of the cup, a polypropylene (PP) label with a pre-applied EVA adhesive was utilized. It was apparent that this style of label was adding too much cost to the finished cup, making it non-competitive in the market. The challenge was put to General Press to develop a paper-based label to reduce the overall cost.
The demands placed on a paper substrate in an in mold process were severe. Firstly, paper does not hold a static charge well, which is vital to holding the label tightly to the mold wall. During the fill cycle, heated steam is mixed with the EPS beads as they are injected into the cavity. Needless to say, paper and moisture are not a good combination. And moving away from a pre-treated EVA to an in-line applied adhesive proved to be the biggest challenge of all. A good label bond to the cup and a perfect label seam were crucial to manufacturing a premium cup.
General Press worked very closely with it’s inks, coatings/adhesives, and substrate suppliers, as well as with the cup manufacturer’s engineers over many, many months. One by one, each of these major hurdles and a few minor ones, too, were overcome. Some issues were solved by trial and error, some by applying our many years of expertise, and some by defining and establishing tight performance and quality control processes to the project.
Early on, scrap rates related to label failure ran extremely high. As the project progressed, and improvements at each stage were implemented, scraps rates gradually decreased. A licensee utilizing this technology in the Pacific Rim reports scrap rates now at 2%, which is in part a testament to the performance of label.
This innovative new coffee cup technology is still in its infancy in terms of market penetration. Considering the benefits - molded and labeled in a single manufacturing step, enhanced graphics, superior insulation and structural integrity - it is no wonder why this cup is setting a new standard in the hot/cold beverage cup market. General Press was able to help move this project to market with the development of not only a high performance label, but a lower cost option as well.
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Evolving
into plastic labeling
As
is commonplace in convenience stores, beverage bottles are
displayed in ice coolers located in high traffic areas of
the store. The problem with displaying products in this
way is that after beverage bottles are submerged for several
hours, their paper labels begin to break down and separate
from the bottles. To solve this problem we worked with a
number of our water and beverage customers to find the best
materials. With research, development, and testing a solution
was achieved.
The solution for this problem
is Oriented Polypropylene film (OPP). This material is impervious
to water and has a surface look and feel that suggests higher
quality and value. Synthetic labels offer the ability to
print photographic quality graphics and the labels are extremely
durable. Of course the material costs are higher than C1S
wet strength papers, but the enhanced look and performance
of the synthetic material easily offset the higher costs.
With our unique ability to provide OPP film labels in a
cut and stack format, no costly equipment re-tooling is
required by our customers to label their products.
With the growing acceptance
of OPP opaque film in the marketplace, interest began to
develop in clear OPP films for the “no label”
look and see-through graphics. Here is where General Press
can distinguish itself in the marketplace. Our state-of-the-art
offset presses can process clear films as thin as 50 microns
(57 micron is industry standard) with utmost ease. The thinner
the film, the more competitively priced the label. Additionally,
clear OPP film allows for the possibility to reverse print
the label to offer the utmost scuff and rub resistance.
If your beverage product is
in need of an upgrade to OPP film, especially clear OPP
film, a phone call to General Press should be your top priority.
We’ll be happy to partner with you and offer our expertise
in this area. Time and time again, we hear from bottling
plants around the country that our labels are the best running
and best performing in the marketplace.
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