Ball

Ball’s FUSION^® aluminium bottle is a breakthrough innovation in the market.

FUSION^® in combination with Ball’s High Definition printing offers premium added value to your brand portfolio.

FUSION^® what’s available

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FUSION^® bottles

design guide tutorial
FUSION^® closures

design guide tutorial
FUSION^® & closures design & colour

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FUSION^® distortion

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FUSION^® design - size

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

FUSION^® Aluminium bottles are available in two sizes: 250 ml & 330 ml
FUSION^® design - process

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

Depending on capacity the FUSION^® bottle can be produced using a two-stage process:
1. The preform is produced to the required size, printed and then palletized
2. The pallets with preforms are transported to the FUSION® necking process where they are loaded onto the necking operation. Here our lightweight, sophisticated FUSION^® aluminium bottle is created.
FUSION^® design - guidelines

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

The print process which is used to decorate the preforms for our FUSION^® aluminium bottle is the same as we use to decorate our cans. The same generic design & screen guidelines apply as for cans.
Refer to the Design section in this print guidelines portal for the latest information.
FUSION^® design - design guide template

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

The artwork for our FUSION^® bottle should be developed using the relevant design guide template. You can download the design guide template from the FUSION^® what’s available section in this website.
For a tutorial on the correct use of the template, refer to the FUSION^® overview page in this section of the website.
FUSION^® design - distortion

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

Because the neck of the bottle is formed after printing, elements in this area are distorted. In this print guidelines portal we have dedicated a separate section to the theme of distortion. Refer to the section FUSION^® Distortion on the main Fusion page where we outline what to take into account when creating an artwork for our FUSION^® aluminium bottle.
FUSION^® colour - ink stations

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

The maximum number of colours available to print your design on our FUSION^® aluminium bottle is six.
FUSION^® colour - substrate

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

FUSION^® designs are printed directly on the aluminium substrate. This is beneficial for the bottle’s premium appearance.
FUSION^® colour - guidelines

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

For FUSION^® the same colour guidelines apply as indicated in the Colour section in this print guidelines portal. Refer to this section for detail.
FUSION^® colour - matching

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

Our FUSION^® experts aim to match the colour target supplied by our customers as close as our print process allows on aluminium with the special FUSION^® inks and varnishes.
FUSION^® colour - ink concentration 1

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

Due to the fact that the printing happens prior to the necking in the process, a phenomenon occurs which is known in our FUSION^® process as “ink concentration”. This effect is more visible on a taller neck, therefore you will notice it better on a 330ml bottle.
FUSION^® colour - ink concentration 2

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

The shaping process of the bottle neck compresses this area which causes the ink in the neck to be compressed as well. All the pigments of the ink are moved closer together. The effect is always visible: the colour in the neck appears slightly darker than on the body of the bottle and is usually less glossy than on the body. Ink concentration is part of the process and cannot be compensated. We recommend using it to your benefit on the design for your bottle.
FUSION^® colour - neck area

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

The previous pages informed about ink concentration and how this occurs. Be aware that also without a printed colour in the neck this area will appear more matt than the rest of the bottle. This happens because the metal compresses in this area during the necking process. This is part of the process and cannot be compensated. Even with the high gloss varnish which is already used for all FUSION^® bottles only a little compensation is achieved.
FUSION^® closures - general guidelines

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

Closure production for our FUSION^® aluminium bottle is outsourced by Ball. The Ball team of FUSION^® experts is able to help you organise custom made closures. Check for the latest information on lead times for custom made closures with your local Ball sales team. For general guidelines on closure development refer to the FUSION^® closures tutorial on this website.
FUSION^® closures - design guide template

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

The artwork for the FUSION^® closure should be developed using the relevant design guide template. You can download the design guide template from the FUSION^® what’s available section in this website.
For a tutorial on the correct use of the template, refer to the FUSION^® closures tutorial on this website.
FUSION^® closures - colour 1

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

Should the colour of your closure be a close match to the main colour of your FUSION^® bottle, it is important to first approve the colour for your bottle (on a metal colour swatch). The approved rollout is shipped to the manufacturer of your closure for colour matching. Some tolerance is required. We cannot guarantee a 100% match between the colour of your bottle and the closure.
FUSION^® closures - colour 2

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FUSION^® design

FUSION^® colour

FUSION^® closures

Consider to use a different colour closure to the main colour of your bottle.
Often the total package benefits from this approach.
FUSION^® distortion - general

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Because the neck of the can is formed after printing, elements in this area will be distorted. Distortion means that the shape of an element in the artwork changes during the necking process. It is possible to compensate distortion by applying a pre-distortion factor.
FUSION^® distortion - neck & shoulder area

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During the necking process the area of the neck and shoulder shrink. This provides the FUSION^® bottle with its unique shape, but it also reduces the available space in this area. Elements move closer and therefore space between them is reduced. We recommend you to take this into account when creating your design for our FUSION^® Bottle.
FUSION^® distortion - single shapes

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Elements which are printed in the neck area change shape:
A round shape changes to an oblong shape the higher it is printed in the neck
Text which is printed in the neck area is compressed
A square shape changes to a rectangle shape in the neck area
FUSION^® distortion - straight lines

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Ball recommends avoiding the use of straight lines in the neck area. These become curved during the necking process. There is a limit to what can be achieved by applying a pre-distortion factor. Horizontal distortion is caused by the grain in the aluminium.
FUSION^® distortion - continuous shapes

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Continuous shapes are shapes that start in the main body and continue into the neck area. Consider these shapes before you use them as they will change appearance when the neck is formed. By applying the correct pre-distortion, it can only be compensated partially. A rectangle shape changes appearance if no pre-distortion factor is applied (see image to the right).
FUSION^® distortion - continuous patterns

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When adding a continuous background pattern to your design, please consider the influence the distortion of the neck area has on your design. Due to the distortion a design that is balanced on the straight wall of the preform might appear un-balanced after necking.
FUSION^® distortion - target

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During the creation of your design always keep the desired final result in mind. In order for our experts to apply the correct pre-distortion factor it is important to always communicate a clear visual of the desired final result together with your artwork.
We recommend you to use the shape of the bottle to benefit your design.
FUSION^® distortion - pre - distortion factor

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A pre-distortion factor is applied by Ball to compensate for the distortion which occurs during the necking process. The final factor can only be applied by a Ball qualified reproduction studio. They use a distortion grid which has been created especially for the different Ball FUSION^® bottles. By applying the relevant pre-distortion factor, Ball is able to achieve an acceptable compromise, but is not able to guarantee a 100% compensation for every shape.
FUSION^® distortion - pre-distortion other

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Be aware that the distortion of shrink sleeves & our FUSION^® aluminium bottles cannot be compared. Pre-distortion for a shrink sleeve is only applied horizontally, whilst for our FUSION^® aluminium bottle it is applied in both directions as the aluminium is extended in the neck area.

FusionBottlesDistortionInAction

Fusion^® design distortion simulation

Use the slider to change the preform into a Fusion^® bottle and watch the distortion at every stage

Select an artwork below

Undistorted

Distorted

FUSION^® aluminium bottle

In this section you find useful information to guide you on design development for our FUSION^® aluminium bottle. Download the design guide template to create your bottle or closure design and have a close look at the tutorials which show you how to use the templates. We invite you to use the FUSION® design & colour guidelines and distortion information in this section to your benefit. All the other can design guidelines in this portal apply to the FUSION^® bottle too.

If you are interested in our FUSION^® aluminium bottle, please contact your local Ball sales team during design creation. Our professionals guide you through the process and are able to advise you with regards to project lead times & costs.