Bormioli Luigi perfects eco-friendly satin-finishing

The process proposed by the glassworks respects the environment, while guaranteeing functional and aesthetic advantages.
Bormioli Luigi has developed an innovative, environmentally-friendly solution for finishing glass bottles and containers: ecological satin finishing, a ceramic lacquering process that complements the traditional acid-etching process.
Thanks to this process, it is possible to reproduce the optical and tactile effect of "frosted glass" without resorting to toxic and polluting substances: this new technology uses a water-based lacquer, which vitrifies at around 600°C, creating a satin finish on the surface of the glass article.
Compared with the acid-etching process, ecological satin finishing offers a series of advantages, both functional and aesthetic: as it contains no harmful substances, it has a lower impact on the environment, and there are no emissions of volatile organic compounds or disposal of toxic waste. This also means greater safety in the working environment, whereas with traditional frosting, standards must be scrupulously observed to protect operators and ensure safe transport of products and disposal of toxic residues.
Water-based lacquering also makes it possible to obtain a final product that can be recycled to 100 %; processing waste is minimal, as the sprayed product does not adhere to the bottle, and is recovered and reused almost to the end. It's also worth pointing out that bottles treated with this type of lacquer do not present any problems of material transfer, so much so that this process has been adopted even in the food sector for finishing glasses and bottles.
In terms of the aesthetic results that can be achieved on the final product, ceramic lacquering is more versatile than acid etching: it allows the use of a wide range of color pigments and the calibration of color intensity. Ecological satin finishing can take advantage of masking, i.e. it can be applied only to certain parts of bottles or containers. Finally, this solution is compatible with certain additional machining operations, including decorations that can be fired up to 600°C.