CONTROL & AUTOMATION
ADDITIONAL MACHINE SIZE
KHS GMBH
SUCCESSFUL INNOFILL CAN C: KHS IMPLEMENTS
ADDITIONAL MACHINE SIZE WITH GREATER CAPACITY
Huge interest in the new can filler / Compact
design gives smaller breweries many
benefits / For up to 27,800 cans per hour
It gives operators the technological
innovations of the big machines and is
convincing with its compact design and
quick installation: with the Innofill Can C
can filler KHS GmbH satisfies the demand
of smaller breweries on the international
market.
Since introducing the prototype at drinktec
2017 there has been increased interest in
the new technology from the Dortmund
systems supplier. This is one of the reasons
why KHS is launching a further machine size
with a greater capacity to market this year.
At the world premiere of the Innofill Can
C at drinktec 2017 Canadian craft brewery
Steamworks procured the very first machine
with a serial number of 001.
In commissioning the can filler in February
2018 the Dortmund systems provider laid
the foundations for the future machine
series. “The high order entry demonstrates
that this machine concept is already
proving convincing,” says Kevin Rathbun,
project manager at KHS USA. The machine
manufacturer has already sold a number of
the new can fillers worldwide.
KHS shipped the can filler in a single
container to the customer in Vancouver
where it was commissioned on site on a
plug-and-produce basis without any need
for complicated installation processes.
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As the 21 filling and three seaming stations,
valve manifold, cladding and control cabinet
on the Innofill Can C form an enclosed,
ready-to-produce machine unit, all that
had to be done during installation was to
connect up the electricity cables, piping and
conveyors.
Only 14 days from delivery to
commissioning
Just 14 days lay between delivery and the
commissioning of the prototype. According
to Steamworks its new plant engineering
fills approximately 15,000 cans an hour in its
standard 355-milliliter can format. The craft
brewery also uses cans holding 473 and 500
milliliters. “With its new development KHS
has again made the technical innovations
of its big machines available to the craft
brewing segment,” says Rathbun.
Steamworks’ CEO Gershkovitch is very
pleased with his new can filler. “I like the KHS
approach to design. In my experience things
with a logical array work best.” In addition
to the compact layout and fast installation,
Gershkovitch also appreciates the machine’s
hygienic design. In particular, this includes
a gapless bell guide with PTFE expansion
joints (Teflon) and bells which are lifted and
positioned fully electropneumatically to seal
the cans – without any mechanical action
from cams and rollers. This does away with
the need for water lubrication, simplifies
cleaning and promises a service life which is
up to twice as long as before.
The Innofill Can C is designed for low to
medium outputs depending on the can size.
KHS is to initially implement a further
machine size this year in order to increase
the capacity for filling 330-milliliter cans
from 15,600 to 27,800 cans per hour. “In
addition to craft brewers, who continue to
grow and grow, medium-sized breweries are
also increasingly asking for further cost-
efficient machines for the medium capacity
range,” emphasizes Rathbun. According to
specifications the can filler can also process
carbonated soft drinks or CSDs. “The output
is then slightly higher”, Rathbun states.
KHS GmbH
KHS is one of the leading
manufacturers of filling and
packaging systems for the
beverage, food and non-food
industries.
The KHS Group includes the
following companies: KHS GmbH,
KHS Corpoplast GmbH, NMP
Systems GmbH and numerous
subsidiaries outside Ge rmany.
In 2017 KHS and its 5.070
employees achieved a turnover
of around €1.14 billion within the
Salzgitter consolidation.
www.khs.com