Bormioli Luigi has invested in decoration equipment for sputtering at its glass facility in Parma, Italy.
Sputtering is a decoration technique that offers complete control of metal applications for glass that are 100% recyclable.
The technique also allows products to have the benefits of metallisation, such as shine and shock resistance, although the application process is very different.
Emanuela Fava, R&D Manager of the Parma decoration workshop, said: "The sputtering technique we have invested in has all the aesthetic advantages of metallisation and a lot of flexibility.
"The decoration is applied in a vacuum according to a specific process to obtain a metallic finish and multiple shades.
“The major advantage of sputtering is the control of the deposit of metal fragments, in order to preserve the transparency of the bottle and its recyclability.”
The chosen metal – steel, gold, silver or copper, for example – is transformed with gas and deposited on the surface of the bottle in the form of micro-fragments, making it possible to determine thickness for a minimal impact.
Its main objective is to offer glass that remains transparent, making it detectable in recycling streams, thereby guaranteeing recyclability.
