Digital printing has the ability to print on many substrates, including rigid containers like a beverage can, an aerosol can or a tube. The difference between digital printing and traditional metal decorating is that the latter is printed using plates or screens, while digital printing can be directly applied on a cylinder, greatly simplifying the decoration process while offering unmatched operational flexibility and major sustainability advancements.

Headquartered in Israel, Velox Ltd. is a specialist in direct-to-shape digital decoration solutions. Velox was founded in 2012 by two brothers with extensive experience in leading digital printing companies.

“The Velox vision is to leverage digital printing technology to revolutionize mass production of direct-to-shape rigid containers by enabling high-quality printing, unique decoration features, and an efficient printing process (due to the ability to print only what you need, when you need it), at competitive pricing,” said David Leshem, chief business officer at Velox Ltd.

“Sustainability is a key consideration, with a focus on reducing waste and environmental impact, particularly in high-volume production. This would be achieved by eliminating setup and production waste, as well as overproduction, which in turn would reduce the impact of inventory storage, shipping, and other processes,” Leshem observed.

Leshem noted that from the outset, ink was integral to the vision.

“Recognizing that driving a paradigm shift in the industry would require breakthrough technology in terms of both the printing system and in the ink, Velox focused on developing its inks in-house to complement its state-of-the-art system architecture,” Leshem added.
Initially, Velox targeted the cosmetics market with an advanced decoration solution for plastic tubes, with several successful installations. Velox later shifted its focus to the beverage can market, with a particular emphasis on the craft beverage sector.

“Craft beverage packaging producers demand flexible volumes, the ability to address multiple SKUs, unique and high-quality decoration features, and reduced delivery times, making them ideal candidates for Velox’s digital technology,” Leshem said. “Digital direct-to-container decoration is increasingly penetrating this market, which has traditionally relied on plastic shrink sleeves and labels. Velox’s digital technology and high-volume speed enable the printing of low to mid-volume production runs with exceptional quality, efficiency, and sustainability benefits, eliminating hundreds of tons of shrink sleeves and label plastics annually.”

Leshem pointed out that Velox’s technology also offers benefits to mainstream beverage can makers, enabling them to leverage digital decoration for special marketing campaigns and to improve their overall production line efficiency by shifting short production runs (less than 200,000 units) to digital.

The Velox technology can additionally address the aerosol cans and aluminum bottles markets, where digital direct-to-shape decoration for mass production makes sense, as it streamlines processes by eliminating production steps and enhancing sustainability.

Leshem observed that Velox distinguishes itself from competitors through several key factors.

“Firstly, it has developed unique inks tailored to its printing system, contributing significantly to machine performance. Velox’s ability to offer print speeds of up to 500 cans per minute without compromising print quality is unmatched in the market. In-house development of digital inks, which is unique to Velox, has generated several types of inks. For example, a uniquely formulated, highly opaque white ink, which enables striking design interactions with the metallic surface of cans. Velox’s ability to print on the entire surface of containers, including not only the neck area but also the neck and chime, is another unique advantage.”

Innovation is a core value for Velox.

“Unlike other companies in this space, which adapted analog platforms to digital printing, Velox built its technologies from scratch specifically for digital direct-to-shape applications and high-volume production,” said Leshem. “The Velox solution incorporates multiple stations through which each container passes, ensuring high-quality printing and continuous production.”
Velox has made significant advances in equipment and ink technologies.

“On the ink side, it’s the ink technology that enhances both decoration quality and ink efficiency,” Leshem said. “The ability to control the size of ink drops and to strategically determine where to apply small drops and where to allow them to spread into wider drops is a game changer. Velox has continued to enhance its ink technology, driving improvement in terms of both print quality and ink consumption.

“On the equipment side, Velox’s system architecture introduces an innovative concept in the form of an elliptical track with multiple carriages, each capable of holding tens of containers, while passing through various stations. This is key to achieving the high production speeds,” added Leshem.

Leshem noted that Velox believes that digital decoration will replace the use of shrink sleeves and labels in the beverage craft industry.

“This transformation has already begun and is expected to expand further as more countries implement bans on single-use plastics and more companies recognize the operational agility that digital technology offers,” Leshem continued. “Moreover, digital decoration will increasingly be adopted by can-makers and co-packers seeking to provide brands with customized packaging options for promoting sports events, festivals, concerts, and special seasonal promotions, such as for holidays, and to foster collaborations with other brands.

“Looking ahead, Velox plans to expand beyond its current and expanding presence in beverage cans, plastic tubes, and aerosol cans, to additional verticals such as plastic and glass bottles, jars, and semi-cylindrical containers,” Leshem concluded. “The company remains committed to investing in digital printing solutions, aiming to introduce more features and new ink formulations to further enhance capabilities and meet evolving market demands.”