SAVING TIME AND PRINTHEADS IN CYLINDRICAL, DIRECT-TO-OBJECT PRINTING

Nano Pin Curing is a patent-pending technology developed by Inkcups.It enables direct-to-object (DTO) printing onto transparent cylindrical vessels without needing to fill the vessel with a UV-blocking substance or stuffing agent. These vessels include glassware, clear plastic bottles, wine and spirit bottles, candle holders and drinkware. First unveiled in late 2024, Nano Pin Curing became available to the market in February 2025. This new technology can be adopted as a field-upgradable retrofit or as an optional feature on new Inkcups DTO cylindrical UV printers – the Helix, Helix+ and Double Helix.

“Nano Pin Curing is a patent-pending technology developed by Inkcups”

For a long time – with most UV-digital printers – it has been necessary to stuff clear vessels with a UV-blocking agent, such as a ‘foxtail’ or pellets. Without this, there is a risk of curing the machine’s printheads, thus compromising printhead performance. However, there are two main problems that come with using blocking agents. Blocking agents add a lot of labour time and also introduce dust and debris into the process. This means that the vessels require cleaning again after printing. Inkcups developed Nano Pin Curing to change these factors for its Helix customers.

UV ‘pinning’ is the process of using a dose of UV light to fix droplets of ink in place. This needs to be achieved before the droplets have time to spread out beyond the extent intended in the design – effectively pre-curing them. Nano Pin Curing uses a coherent, polarised, directional beam of UV light to effectively ‘pin’ the ink in the same moment as it is being jetted. The light is concentrated only on the area where it is needed. This means that full power can be achieved, confined to that particular area. At over 4W/cm² peak power, this ensures full pinning – or even up to full curing – depending on the speed at which the vessel is turning. By concentrating the beam in this way, Inkcups has been able to significantly reduce stray UV light to printheads. As a result, the life of the printhead itself is considerably extended.

Nano Pin Curing dramatically improves production efficiency as it removes the need to stuff bottles and other vessels. This not only eliminates the stuffing and post-decoration cleaning steps, but also the associated clean up. In particular, for small-necked bottles – which would previously have had to be filled with beads through a funnel – the resulting time saving is dramatic. Another important benefit, of course, is the reduction in maintenance costs relating to the replacement of DTO printheads that may otherwise have been impacted by stray UV light.

“Inkcups has been able to significantly reduce stray UV light to printheads”

In addition to time and maintenance savings, Nano Pin Curing also makes it possible for Helix users to DTO print seamlessly on the solid part of glassware known as the sham. This ability to print on the sham has traditionally presented a real challenge for UV-LED print technology. This is due to light being reflected back towards the printheads. However, Nano Print Curing now enables printing to start at the bottom of a glass and then progress over the sham. It offers a huge benefit for those looking to digitally decorate candle holders, spirits bottles and drinkware.

The reorganisation of the printheads within the system, to facilitate Nano Pin Curing, also sees a repositioning of the varnish printhead to be next to the colour printhead. This adjustment speeds up overall throughput by up to 10%. In addition, a precision laser-alignment tool has been introduced to ensure optimal print positioning. 

Inkcups has long been a proponent of the potential for DTO-printing technology to transform packaging and labelling. The intention is for Nano Pin Curing to unlock a lot of potential in this area. In particular, for market segments such as spirits, wine, cosmetics and fragrance, where the interior of the vessel must remain sterile. For businesses DTO printing onto drinkware and candle holders – whether for hospitality, homewares or promotional materials – being able to print on the sham of a piece of glassware opens up a new world of design possibilities.

The Helix, Helix+ and Double Helix are all registered Trademarks of Inkcups