Ardagh upgrades its 3D Studio for metal packaging artwork for cans, Easy Peel & Easy Open lids

30-Jan-2019 - Last updated on 30-Jan-2019 at 14:36 GMT

A 3D prototype for Gaya iced coffee. Photo: Ardagh 3D Studio.

Ardagh has updated its 3D Studio with enhanced capabilities adding improved technologies, a greater packaging portfolio and improved user experience.

Ardagh Group launched its 3D Studio for metal packaging artwork in 2016, and the updated version has been created with its software partner WebPac, which offers cloud-based technology, improved features and greater speed and flexibility.

Augmented & Virtual Reality

Martin de Olde, marketing and business development manager, Food & Speciality metal division, Ardagh, said 3D modelling is a powerful tool in the marketing decision-making process with potentially significant savings on launch timelines.

“In 2016, our 3D studio was built by Turnavisual. At the time this was a good technical platform. However, we realized we needed to keep innovating this platform and ready ourselves for the future (augmented and virtual reality options) as well as offer an appealing platform to customers who do not necessarily have their own 3D software,” he said.

“The existing software was not able to offer those options and that is why we switched to Webpackaging. They built custom built software for us which is also cloud based.

“One of the obstacles we faced is that a customer who had created their own 3D model could not easily share this with others. In the new 3D Studio, you can easily share your files with whomever and you do not need to have any design software yourself to be able to view the 3D prototypes.”

Ardagh handles thousands of artwork projects at its graphic studios, with the enhanced studio, customers can visualize their artwork at the early stage of the packaging development as a 3D model within minutes.

Design library

“We have built up a huge design library of different metal packaging formats, from food cans to aerosols, kegs, Easy Peel lids and Easy Open lids to enable our customers to launch and develop their brands,” added de Olde.

The picture shows a 3D prototype of a newly-released can created in Ardagh’s 3D Cloud-based Studio at Ardagh Group offices in the Netherlands, for Gaya iced coffee. The shape was then created through blow molding.