The Italian glassmaker has just acquired a new equipment dedicated to sputtering for its glass decoration workshop in Parma. This new surface treatment technique makes it possible to metallize a bottle while preserving its transparency, for a 100% recyclable glass. The company presented this innovation during the Paris Packaging Week trade show, which was held on January 17 and 18, 2024, in Paris, France.
A well-known technique in the world of plastic packaging, the use of sputtering is much less common for the decoration of perfume glass vials. Eager to provide its customers with innovative industrialized techniques that meet today’s environmental challenges, Bormioli Luigi has invested two million euros in the creation of a new production line dedicated to sputtering in its factory in Parma, Italy.
Sputtering is akin to vacuum metallization. It offers product the same shine and resistance to shock, scratches and juices.
“Sputtering gives us more flexibility. It consists of applying the decoration under vacuum using a physical process which distinguishes it from metallization. It not only allows you to obtain metallic effects on the glass but also coloured ones. The technique is interesting from an aesthetic point of view, but above all from a recyclability point of view since it allows you to modulate the transparency of the bottle [1],” said Emanuela Fava, R&D manager at Bormioli Luigi.
Bormioli Luigi’s first development project with this new production line dedicated to sputtering, the limited edition of La Vie Est Belle L’Extrait, from Lancôme, perfectly illustrates what can be achieved through this technique. “The client’s request was to obtain a metallic effect combined with a specific shade, that was unique to this edition, while ensuring recyclability thanks to the colour gradient allowing to adjust the opacity of the bottle,” explained Emanuela Fava. “Two other developments are underway, but it is still too early to say more,” concluded Bormioli Luigi’s R&D manager.
