FDBusiness.com

At BrauBeviale 2014 KHS is again presenting a wide range of innovations and product improvements. The company is thereby demonstrating the consistent manner in which it pursues its vision of becoming first choice in technology and service. The particular focus of the trade show booth will be on filling, keg and decorating technology and KHS’ comprehensive consulting and other services.

Innofill Can DVD with major technological advances in oxygen pickup and CO2 consumption

In the filling technology field KHS will be exhibiting an electronically controlled, volumetric filler for cans in the form of the Innofill Can DVD with a capacity of up to 120,000 cans/h. In doing so, KHS is setting a clear benchmark. The system is equally suitable for different products such as beer, mixed beer beverages, wine, sparkling wine, soft drinks and also water in beverage cans with capacities from 0.1 to 1 liter. If particularly sensitive beverages, such as mixed beer drinks or still water, are processed, the Innofill Can DVD can be installed in a special KHS sanitary room with filter units in the ceiling. Above all, key features of the innovative can filler are significantly improved technological values, which have been proven many times in practice, and its optimized hygienic design.

The oxygen pickup when filling 0.5-liter cans of beer previously lay between 80 and 120 ppb and carbon dioxide consumption was approx. 800 to 1,000 grams per hectoliter. With the help of the CAN+ low-pressure purging process used in the Innofill Can DVD, the oxygen pickup can be reduced by up to 50% while the CO2 values remain constant. On the other hand, the CO2 consumption can be reduced by up to 30% while the oxygen content remains constant. It is also possible to reduce both oxygen pickup and CO2 consumption, thus matching the technological values perfectly to the particular beverages to be processed.

With the Innofill Can DVD, the following design features, among others, illustrate the consistent use of hygienic design: the open design of the can feed and discharge conveyors; no front table; drives in the form of servomotors mounted in star columns or encased in stainless steel; star columns and filler carousel connected by means of cross pipes without flanges in which cables and pipes are also laid; filling valves which can be easily flanged to and removed from the valve support; media feed through hygienic pantograph joints.

The particularly hygienic design of the system results in reduced cleaning times and increased maintenance intervals. The associated water, energy and cleaning media costs are minimized and system availability increased. Maintenance costs are also significantly reduced thanks to the absence of many mechanical drive connections.

Another important feature of the innovative filling system is the centering bell guide, which is implemented here by means of expansion joints. This enables the mouth of the can to be sealed under aseptic conditions. For the first time permanent water lubrication of the filling valves is not required and is always included in the CIP and sterilization process. Also of great importance is the fact that the can seamer is connected using servo technology.

Innokeg Combikeg fully upgraded

The Innokeg Combikeg, which has been fully upgraded, will also be receiving a great deal of attention during BrauBeviale. The hallmark of the keg, washing and filling machine, with a capacity of up to 80 kegs/h, is its extremely compact design. The systems for washing the kegs inside and out and for racking them are integrated into one housing, as are the media tanks, controls and conveyors. The Innokeg Combikeg is based on the proven rotary principle which has been continuously developed by KHS for decades. The target group is small to medium-sized businesses in the brewing, soft drinks, mineral water, fruit juice and wine sectors. One of the features that has been optimized on the Innokeg Combikeg is the safety paneling. Doors are now only half-height. The reason for this is that this makes it easier to keep an eye on the valves and sensors. Faster responses are possible when required and the system availability increases. An additional caustic spray, the task of which is to remove the ink code on the keg fitting and on the keg shoulder, is incorporated into the exterior washer. New valves (seat valves with cup gasket) are used specially for the washing stations. They are extremely robust in design and withstand the severe conditions which are present due to the use of chemicals and steam. As before, cap diaphragm valves are used on the filling station. In this way, all treatment stations are optimized accordingly to satisfy the individual requirements. Another important aspect is that the rotor main drive in the Innokeg Combikeg is no longer pneumatic. Instead, use is made of a servomotor which ensures very soft acceleration and braking of the keg when changing stations. Among the kegs to benefit from this are the particularly sensitive slim kegs and Petainer kegs. As well as processing steel kegs with a capacity of between 10 and 58 liters, the Innokeg Combikeg traditionally also handles classic Petainer kegs with adapters. The machine is also outstandingly equipped for the new non-refillable keg from Petainer which is presented at the trade show for the first time.

Direct Print – the revolutionary technology for direct digital printing

Direct Print, the revolutionary technology for the direct digital printing of PET bottles, is the subject of a major forum to be held at the BrauBeviale trade show booth. The printing process uses only UV inks which have a low viscosity, dry in milliseconds, adhere very well to PET bottles, have a high opacity, can be overprinted and ensure a brilliant color image (optical resolution of the printed images: 1,080 x 1,080 pixels). Extensive studies confirm their unrestricted suitability for use with foodstuffs. Another important factor is that printed PET bottles are suitable for bottle-to-bottle recycling without restriction. A sample Direct Print printer will be on show at BrauBeviale which is primarily used when only a few bottles are to be printed for presentation purposes and the like.

Bottles & Shapes service and consultancy portfolio provides added value right down the line

KHS traditionally provides added value right down the line with its globally unique Bottles & Shapes service and consultancy portfolio for the design and development of premium plastic bottles. At BrauBeviale packaging designer Claudia Schulte will be showing interested visitors how the specific properties of a PET bottle can be successfully combined with high-quality design. This applies equally to the PET bottle and cap concept as well as to the appropriate bottle decoration which will be directly demonstrated at the trade show using the aforementioned example Direct Print printer. All development steps are carried out from a holistic perspective. The focus at all times is on economic, ecological and functional aspects of the packaging to an equal measure. Lightweighting to suit the application is one of the features to play an important part in this process. Finally, all known influences are simulated and applied to the virtual packaging. As an example, these also include the stress the plastic bottle is subjected to while being conveyed through the line and up to and including the palletizing process, and also later during onward shipment to the retail trade and points of sale.

The new Plasmax+

In connection with plastic bottle production and finishing Plasmax+ will also be arousing great interest at the trade show. Especially beverages and liquid foods with a higher pH will greatly profit from the recently developed Plasmax+ process. It is as safe and reliable as the standard Plasmax process but has a better long-term stability with higher pHs of 4.5 or more. Where the bottle material is subject to greater mechanical stress from high internal pressures, for example when filled with carbonated beverages, Plasmax+ has the better barrier effect. This therefore considerably extends the range of possible applications for Plasmax+. The new technology can also be retrofitted into existing InnoPET Plasmax machines.

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KHS GmbH is one of the leading manufacturers of filling and packaging systems for the beverage, food and non-food industries. Headquartered in Dortmund, Germany, the company has over 4,500 employees worldwide.

KHS GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Salzgitter AG. With around 25,000 employees throughout the globe the German steel and technology group achieved a turnover of over €9 billion in the business year 2013. Within the Salzgitter Group the KHS Group and two other special machine manufacturers make up the technology division and are part of the core business of the MDAX-listed corporation.