A Revolution in Keg Technology
With Draught Master™, the first non-refillable PET keg is launched to the market that has outstanding barrier characteristics and fully meets Carlsberg's high quality standards for beer.
Partners who can think innovatively are of great importance when it comes to the technical implementation of innovative product ideas. This was the case when it came to developing new keg equipment for Draught Master™ - a non-refillable PET keg system containing different styles of Carlsberg beer - Carlsberg logically placed its trust in KHS Till's know-how. As a world market leader in the field of keg equipment, KHS Till has engineering expertise that is unique worldwide and thanks to the great experience and correspondingly high competence of the in-house Research and Development Department, at the same time acts as a trendsetter for keg equipment. Alois Monzel, Engineering Manager KHS Till: "We create products out of ideas."
Draught Master™ is a world innovation and is a complete concept that has been thought out down to the last detail. With Draught Master™, the first non-refillable PET keg is launched to the market that has outstanding barrier characteristics and fully meets Carlsberg's high quality standards for beer. Direct connection of the non-refillable PET keg to the tapping system and the integral cooling device provide maximum convenience. Other positive aspects, such as the ease of use, minimal maintenance effort, and the lightweight PET container, also contribute to the idea of convenience.
Draught Master™ is available in 5-liter and 20-liter sizes. The target group for the 5-liter size is mainly the end consumer. With such customers, Carlsberg is opening up a new keg target group and is now also offering "freshly tapped" chilled beer that the consumer can enjoy in the relaxed atmosphere of his own home. An absolutely brilliant idea and not just in light of the upcoming Soccer World Cup. The 20-liter size is intended for use in the restaurant trade. Draught Master™ can also be used in bars, restaurants, and bistros with relatively low beer sales, without any problems. An important advantage is that beer can be kept in Draught Master™ for at least 21 days after it is first tapped and even then, it still tastes just as fresh as it did on the first day. The shelf life of the sealed Draught Master™ is approximately six months.
Extensive market testing by Carlsberg in seven European countries has confirmed the high level of acceptance of Draught Master™.
Together with Carlsberg, KHS Till has developed a system concept for racking non-refillable PET kegs that has been specially matched to Carlsberg requirements. The Innokeg PETDraught is a world innovation in the area of keg system technology.
With its completely new design, the filling valve is the heart of the innovative keg system. Before racking, the keg opening is sealed and the PET keg is pressurized twice with CO2 and then depressurized after each phase. Long filling tubes are used to carry out the bottom-up racking process. This keeps the oxygen pick-up in the product low and saves CO2. The racking process is broken down into individual phases: After the pressurization process, the liquid valve is allowed to open and the slow initial filling phase begins. The fast filling process begins as soon at the filling tube submerges into the beer. Racking is slowed down again in the narrow neck area for exact fill level measurement followed by pre-depressurization and final depressurization. The racking process is controlled by means of the DFC (Direct Flow Control) system, which achieves maximum filling accuracy by using a control valve at the product feed. The filling speed is controlled at all times, and the pickup of oxygen and gas in the product is minimized. A further advantage of the DFC system is the exact control of the filling quantity by means of volumetric monitoring using magnetic-inductive flow metering. The racking system can be quickly changed over when switching to another size of PET keg. Programmed options can be simply called up at the push of a button.
The racking process is followed by the sealing process. A plastic cap is fitted to the PET keg to which the tap has already been connected. The background to this is maximum convenience. This method makes tapping quick and easy for both the restaurant trade and consumers.
Freshly racked, the PET kegs are placed into waiting cartons. An upstream carton unfolder uprights folded cardboard blanks, folds in the bottom flaps, and glues them in place. The cartons, each containing one PET keg, are then sealed by a separately installed carton sealer.
Another special feature of the innovative KHS Till complete system for Carlsberg is the integration of cutting-edge Innopal RK articulated robot equipment. The PET kegs are picked up by articulated robots directly after the blow molder and fed to the racking system. In a further step in the complete concept specially developed for Carlsberg, the articulated robots also remove the filled cartons and supply the caps complete with integral tap.
Jan Nørager Rasmussen, Innovation Manager at Carlsberg Breweries A/S: "KHS Till has implemented our idea of racking beer in non-refillable PET kegs with technical perfection. With Draught Master™, we are therefore now able to provide our customers with beer of outstanding quality in a highly innovative container. We expect Draught Master™ to be extremely successful - both in the restaurant trade and with consumers."
