Client: Marco Silva, Co-Founder & Production Lead

Company: Vessel Branding Co.

Location: Lisbon, Portugal

MTUTech Printer Model: 360 Rotary UV Printer MT-Cylinder EIF

Challenge: Vessel Branding Co. specialized in promotional merchandise, but their growth was capped by the limitations of traditional printing methods. Tapered wine bottles, conical sports bottles, and insulated tumblers were either impossible to decorate with full-wrap, high-definition graphics or required expensive, time-consuming pad printing setups for short runs. Clients demanded vibrant, complex, and durable designs on any rounded object for marketing campaigns, often with tight deadlines and low minimum quantities.

Solution & Detailed Implementation: The installation of the MTUTech SpinRoto 360s was transformative. This 360° rotary UV printer was chosen for its full wrap printing capability and high-precision helical printing mechanism.

Setup and Fixturing: For a recurring order of 1,000 branded reusable aluminum water bottles for a marathon, the team selected the custom jigs that perfectly secured the bottle. 

Precision Printing Process: The design—a multi-colored, gradient logo wrapping seamlessly around the cylinder—was loaded. The printer’s laser sensor first auto-detected the object's position. As printing commenced, the bottle rotated with flawless synchronization while the UV print head traversed along its axis. It laid down a crisp white underbase layer, followed by the full CMYK color layers, and finally a protective clear gloss coating. The integrated UV-LED lamps cured each layer instantly, preventing ink running or smudging on the curved surface.

Versatility in Production: Immediately after the bottle run, the team switched to printing on tapered glass gin bottles for a local distillery. By simply changing the jigs and loading a new print profile, they were running a completely different job within 15 minutes. The ability to handle materials from glass, metal, and plastic to ceramic made them a one-stop shop.

Result: Vessel Branding Co. eliminated outsourcing and became the go-to source for impossible-to-print items. Lead times for full-wrap decoration were reduced by 70%. They captured a dominant share of the regional promotional drinkware market, with revenue from this segment increasing by 300% within two years. The durability of the directly printed, UV-cured graphics led to exceptional client feedback and repeat business.