Engineered Printing Solutions has announced the sale of its 100th single-pass DTO system, marking a significant milestone in the industrial shift toward digital production.
Engineered Printing Solutions (EPS) has announced the sale of its 100th single-pass Direct-to-Object (DTO) inkjet production system. The Vermont-based company, known for its industrial printing and automation capabilities, marks this milestone in partnership with Kingston Aluminium Technology (KAT) of Canada.
Founded in 1985 as a pad-printing engineering firm, EPS has evolved into a key player in industrial digital printing. The company has deployed over 2,000 pad printers and 300 multipass DTO inkjet systems globally. Now, with 100 production-grade single-pass machines in the field, EPS states that it possesses one of the most experienced installed bases in the DTO market.
The 100th system supports KAT’s patented Alumishape technology, which produces uniquely shaped aluminium bottles. KAT required a solution to decorate the metal before the bottle-forming process. To meet this challenge, EPS engineered a flexible single-pass system that prints on the substrate prior to shaping, ensuring the artwork withstands the forming process without distortion. The system operates at a speed of 80 cans per minute.
Ben Pilon, President of BPE Group, KAT’s parent company, highlights the collaborative nature of the project. He comments: “Working with EPS was a completely different process compared to other solutions. EPS provides quick response times, creativity, and the ability to problem solve. They worked with us to develop something new and I felt confident that together it would be a great solution.”
According to EPS, this milestone reflects broader market trends reshaping product decoration. Manufacturers increasingly require support for shorter batch sizes, long-tail SKUs, and on-demand customisation. Traditional analogue methods often struggle to meet these needs cost-effectively due to tooling expenses and setup times. EPS notes that single-pass digital DTO eliminates plates and screens, allowing for rapid artwork changes and variable data integration.
Ken Stack, Executive Chairman at EPS, describes the sale as a pivotal moment. He says: “Reaching our 100th single-pass DTO system is more than a sales milestone – it marks a turning point in how manufacturers think about product decoration. Digital DTO has moved from early adoption to mainstream production, driven by the need for agility, automation, and measurable ROI.”
The company also points to rising labour costs as a driver for digital adoption. EPS claims that single-pass UV inkjet reduces labour hours by up to 81 per cent when aligned with automation-ready workflows.
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