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3D-Printed Product Turners for Beverage Packaging Lines

Save up to 70% compared to machined plastic or metal product turners

Product Turners rotate cans, jars and other containers during rinsing, inspection, bottom coding and format handling. Traditional bent-wire guides and machined plastic blocks can be expensive, slow to customize and material intensive. With the igus 3D printing solution, Product Turners made from wear-resistant iglide® i150 filament can reduce production costs by up to 70%, lower material use by more than 90% and reduce the CO₂ footprint by more than 85%. The custom helix design adapts to different can formats and conveyor layouts for smooth, controlled movement in continuous operation.

Cans and can turners

Smooth product entry and exit

Can turner top view

Custom helix geometry

Can and can turner front view

Designed for compact conveyor layouts

Application Profile

Application need:

A cost-effective, flexible Product Turner for high speed beverage conveyor systems, with throughput up to 120,000 cans per hour. The part is used to guide cans through a controlled turn for line processes such as rinsing, inspection, coding or format handling.

igus solution:

A custom 3D-printed Product Turner made from wear-resistant iglide® i150 filament. The printed helix geometry can be adapted to different can formats, conveyor layouts and production requirements without the cost and delay of traditional machined plastic blocks.

Industry:

Packaging and Beverage Packaging Industries

Key Requirements:

  • Fast production for custom and replacement parts
  • Wear-resistant material for continuous, high-speed motion
  • Custom geometry for can sizes and conveyor layouts
  • Lightweight design for easier handling and cleaning
  • Food contact options for FDA and EU 10/2011 requirements

Success for the customer:

  • 70% cost savings
  • 90% material savings
  • 85% lower CO2 footprint
  • Shipping in as little as 3 days

Why 3D Printing Works for Product Turners

Product Turners require complex helix geometry and often need to match specific can formats, conveyor layouts and line requirements. Custom 3D printing makes it faster and more cost-effective to produce a Product Turner that fits the application without the delays of traditional machining.


  • Custom geometry for different can sizes, container shapes and conveyor layouts
  • Fast production for new formats, replacement parts and application-specific designs
  • Less material waste than machined plastic blocks
  • Wear-resistant iglide® i150 filament for smooth, self-lubricating motion
  • No tooling required for custom designs and design adjustments

Start your custom Product Turner project

Design support

Share your container size, conveyor layout and line speed. An igus 3D printing expert can help review the right Product Turner design for your application.

Request a free sample model

Can turner sample

See the printed helix, material quality and turning concept firsthand. Request a sample model to evaluate the design before starting a custom Product Turner project.

Printed with iglide® i150 Filament

Design support

iglide® i150 filament is the wear-resistant FDM material used to produce the Product Turner through our custom 3D printing service. It supports smooth, self-lubricating motion and fast customization for different can formats and layouts.

White Paper: igus 3D Print Materials vs. POM

Can turner sample

Compare igus 3D printing materials against POM in real wear tests. See how self-lubricating iglide® materials support longer service life, design freedom and faster custom-part production for moving applications.