The global coding- and marking-equipment market is on a clear growth path. As shown in a recent Grand View Research report, the market was worth $17,528 million worldwide by the end of 2024.

Furthermore, GVR’s projections estimate its value will reach $24,927 million by 2030, with a significant 6.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). As the research’s findings suggest, this expansion is primarily driven by the industrial sectors where identification and traceability are becoming more critical—namely pharmaceutical, food and beverage, cosmetics, and electronics.

Specifically, food and beverage is at the very top, accounting for more than one-third of total market demand by the end of 2024. It’s easy to assume the reason is that the food and beverage segment is one of the most regulated across countries all over the world. For example, in the United States the regulatory backdrop is defined by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), requiring robust recordkeeping that facilitates rapid trace-back and trace-forward of foods.

In other words, food and beverage facilities need to maintain linked supplier and customer records (“one step back, one step forward”) so affected lots can be quickly located and removed from the market if an investigation or recall is needed. Thus, FSMA’s emphasis on preventive controls and documented traceability inevitably affects coding and marking choices throughout U.S. operations.

From a technological point of view, the aforementioned report highlights that inkjet product-marking systems are the most widely employed by businesses all over the world. Continuous inkjet (CIJ) alone accounts for more than 30% of global market share, while thermal inkjet (TIJ) is expected to be the fastest-growing segment over the 2025–2030 horizon.

That said, inkjet isn’t always the optimal choice in every food and beverage scenario. Specifically for beverages packaged in aluminum cans, application environments often combine very high line speeds with wet or condensing surfaces. Under those conditions, alternative technologies might deliver more consistent results and lower operational risk than inkjet alone.

Switching from inkjet to fiber laser marking solutions at Pepsi

High-capacity beverage lines represent a real challenge for most marking and coding systems. When high-speed operations and strict precision requirements combine with wet environments—and condensation forms on aluminum cans’ surface—inkjet solutions aren’t always the most reliable option. Under these conditions, the interaction between ink and condensate-coated metal can cause visible variability and undermine first-pass readability. Furthermore, attempts to cope with similar situations tend to add complexities, such as more intense energy use as well as downtime occurrences. In fact, in their effort to render aluminum cans suitable for inkjet coding, many facilities employ pressurized air blowers, which translates into more energy-intensive and time-consuming processes.

To address those operational challenges, Pepsi Bottling Ventures opted to switch from inkjet to Domino fiber-laser coding technology, installing F720i systems for direct application on aluminum cans. In detail, F720i fiber-laser printers use optical fiber cables doped with special atoms to generate and guide light. Moving through the doped fiber, the light is amplified, producing highly focused laser beams that can engrave metallic surfaces such as aluminum.

Pepsi Bottling Ventures’ primary goal behind the adoption of fiber laser as a substitute for inkjet was to stabilize print quality at line speed, reducing sensitivity to condensation at the same time. “With ink jet coding, the ink doesn’t always land where you want it,” says Mike Collins, general manager at Pepsi Bottling Ventures. Following the switch, the reported outcome was high-resolution, permanently readable codes applied to more than 100,000 cans per hour.

Another practical reason for the transition was the humid atmosphere itself. “With ink jet coding, you really have to put in a lot of hot air to get it to where [the can is] dry,” says Collins. By doing away with drying requirements, line engineering is simpler and less energy intensive.

“Quality, productivity, and sustainability—these are the three reasons that we converted our can coding to a fiber laser,” says Pepsi’s engineering unit vice president Sabri Kundakcioglu. “Line efficiency is improved, cost of production has been reduced, and customer complaints about poor printing quality have been reduced.”

From a total-cost-of-ownership perspective, moving from inkjet to fiber laser eliminates inks and solvents, along with their storage, handling, and disposal. It also reduces the need for hot-air drying or dedicated climate control, translating into lower energy consumption. In high-speed, wet environments, these practical differences explain how a laser-based approach to coding can be more reliable and have lower operational risk than inkjet alone.

Aluminum cans laser-marked with Domino F720i.

Choosing the right coding and marking solution

As the Pepsi Bottling Ventures case study suggests, choosing the right coding and marking technology requires careful evaluation based on a wide array of variables. With laser systems for can coding, for example, three specific criteria deserve particular consideration: The protection class, the supported line speed, and the printed characters per second.

Printhead and cabinet protection class: Washdowns, sugar-laden aerosol, and temperature fluctuations are part of daily life in canning operations. Unless the equipment’s optic and electronic parts are properly protected, moisture and physical residues can degrade beam stability and code contrast, resulting in unplanned downtime. As a rule of thumb, the printhead should be rated IP65 for resistance to water jets and dust. Although the electrical cabinet can be IP55 when installed in dry spaces, an IP65 rating is strongly recommended—and very often technically mandatory—in areas exposed to washdowns or high, noncondensing humidity.

Supported line speed: In high-capacity lines, aluminum cans pass the marking window in mere milliseconds. Unless the laser is able to keep up with the conveyor speed, the printed texts will appear stretched or compressed, compromising first-pass readability. That’s why a high line-speed rating (in the order of hundreds of meters per minute), combined with a reliable mark-on-the-fly synchronization, is essential to maintain geometry on concave can bottoms without inhibiting the filler.

Characters per second (CPS): This parameter quantifies the laser system’s writing capacity. CPS must be matched to your code length and throughput. For example, at about 100,000 cans per hour, the approximate time span for each can is around 40 milliseconds. Therefore, a 24-character code requires an average capacity of 600 CPS. Thus, relying on high-performing laser systems capable of 2,000 CPS, such as the Domino F720i, is essential to absorb conveyor jitter and guarantee the code is completed cleanly within the kinetic exposure time.

Conclusion

The global coding- and marking-equipment market is growing significantly—especially in pharma, food and beverage, cosmetics, and electronics—with inkjet technologies currently representing its largest share.

Despite its wide employment by industries all over the world, inkjet doesn’t always represent the best possible option. As the Pepsi Bottling Ventures business case suggests, fiber laser coding can display superior performances in high‑speed, wet canning environments, offering extreme precision and permanent high‑contrast marks.

Selecting the most appropriate coding and marking solution can be a complex task. It’s essential to at least keep an eye on the most relevant technical specifications of each solution taken into consideration—for example, protection class, supported line speed, and characters per second for fiber laser printers, and how they relate to the specific needs of your industry or individual company.

Navigating technical and practical complexities associated with specific industrial segments and their related necessities is really where experience pays off. That’s why working with reliable and competent partners is crucial. With a long track record in industrial marking and labeling—as well as strategic partnerships with top brands all over the world such as Domino Printing Sciences—Nimax SpA combines hands-on consulting with innovative solutions designed for seamless integration, ultimately helping businesses to focus on what really matters.