Innovation of an existing product using colour-change technology. Original design of a product providing a new use.
Purpose: to make a multi-use bottle stopper – already on the market – more attractive by adding a new advantage over its competitors. With a minimal increase in its cost, the stopper would provide an added benefit to the end customer: knowing the temperature of the bottle at a glance.
Heat-sensitive product used: water-based heat-sensitive inks for screen printing.
Work carried out: after some preliminary validation tests, two heat-sensitive inks of clearly distinct colours were finally chosen: magenta and blue, which were calibrated at two different temperatures: +10ºC and +24ºC, respectively. The customer designed white-paper templates with die-cuts to the appropriate size for the chosen area: circles 24 mm in diameter.
The circle screen-printed with both inks is placed on the top of the stopper and, to protect it from moisture and/or dirt, it is sealed with a transparent polyester film.
The combination of both inks – associated with its characteristic hysteresis – generates a gradation of colours from white to dark blue/violet that makes it possible to display different colours and shades from +4ºC to +20ºC, covering the consumption temperatures of a wide variety of drinks, from soft drinks or dairy products to red wines, including white wines, rosés and cavas.
This customised sensor in the form of a paper label definitively adds to the multi-use stopper – already original in itself – a genuine advantage, different from the rest of the competition.
This item is currently sold in many retail establishments, including well-known prestigious department stores, and remains a leading product in its sector.
