The look and feel of excellence
CSD represent an important drink category, showing positive trajectories globally, with USA, Mexico, and China being the top countries per billion units. Players active in this segment are now selling value to consumers, rather than volume, by proposing smaller sizes, new packs and therefore contributing to the proliferation of SKUs. Beer on the other hand remains the largest category within the alcoholic beverage segment, representing more than 75% of the volume of alcoholic beverages produced globally. Most of the breweries still prefer to use glass bottles, with more than 58% of the global production done in glass, whilst also increasingly tending to the diversification of packaging.1 The glass bottle, with its high premium look and feel, therefore needs a filling that can ensure that the quality of the product inside matches the quality of the packaging on the outside.
“EvoFILL Glass marks the latest milestone in Sidel’s filling portfolio. Product quality and an advanced level of versatility are more and more driving the development of our innovations. Our new solution is flexible, hygienic and sustainable, helping manufacturers to get ready for the upcoming challenges in premium drinks production,” declares Stefano Baini, Product Manager Filling at Sidel.
Highest hygiene and precision: the keys to quality
EvoFILL Glass especially stands out with a number of features which guarantee highest performance in the bottling process. First, the filling level is controlled by level probes, ensuring very high accuracy and flexibility: this is made possible by managing a wide range of filling set points without any adjustment or replacement of parts. In addition, by using swirling in the product deflection into the bottle, low foaming is secured, therefore contributing to production efficiency.
Furthermore, EvoFILL Glass has been engineered according to top hygienic standards. The new design includes the “no base” architecture, the new drive system with servomotors, and – especially – its external beverage tank and integrated small product chamber. Overall, its features ensure the easiest operations during production and maintenance, while helping manufacturers deliver the highest quality products to their consumers.
Maximum uptime through unlimited flexibility
The EvoFILL Glass especially supports brewers by managing to hold the dissolved oxygen pick-up down to 10 ppb and by processing a wide range of filling levels without the need for probe adjustments for enhanced uptime and top product quality. Additionally, with 48 to 192 valves on the filling carousel, manufacturers are able to handle a wide range of speeds – from 25,000 to over 80,000 bottles per hour2 – and bottle sizes from 200ml up to 1L. Fast changeover time for different bottle diameters is ensured by the re-designed handling parts, which are now lighter and smaller. This results in changeover time shorter than 30 minutes with one operator. Also, the bottle height changeovers are fully automatic for maximum productivity. A 98.5% efficiency and possibility to handle a broad spectrum of drink types and filling temperatures are only some proof points of the excellent productivity that EvoFILL Glass delivers.
Crowning outstanding performance
The ultra-clean crowner manufactured by Sidel, with its open design and off-set crowning ring, adds further performance to the bottling process with no internal lubrication needed. The stainless-steel construction with its dedicated nozzles for the washing of the crimping area underlines the high focus on optimal hygiene and product safety. The solution features an upgraded washing system with three washing areas for maximum safety in case of bottle burst.
Sidel EvoFILL Glass is perfectly complemented by the Gebo OptiFEED® crown feeder, delivering quality and compliant crowns, in a compact space. This is achieved via its integrated vision device, allowing unsuitable crowns to be spotted and seamlessly ejected, without stopping the flow.
Whilst developing the OptiFeed solution, sustainability was high on the agenda of the design team. As a result, the solution removes the need for air and thereby eliminates the risk of contamination that can sometimes occur during usage. Instead, mechanical discharge moves the crowns, keeping electrical power consumption to under 1 KW. This creates a smooth handling process and improves hygiene while reducing the environmental impact.
More information on Sidel EvoFILL Glass go to sidel.com/evofillglass.
1Euromonitor June 2018
2Beer, 330ml bottle
