Lightweight Containers has extended the KeyKeg beverage dispense system range with the launch of the cylindrical KeyKeg20 – the first of a “new generation”.
The new one-way keg, available in 20- and 30-litre versions from Q1 2013, owes its key characteristics to the Double Wall technology that surrounds the bag containing the beverage within.
Applying the Double Wall technology results in a cylinder inside a cylinder, with its two walls working together dynamically, giving the KeyKeg resistance to higher internal pressures and extreme low deformation at high pressures.
Even soft drinks, stouts and other highly carbonated beverages can be filled in the new KeyKeg, the company says.
A multi-layer inner bag contains the beer, wine or soft drink and protects it from contact with propellant gas during dispensing.
The sleeve is securely applied on the inner container, providing extra visual depth, used for communication with the end user, including safety devices and QR codes.
“We have worked continuously for two years to develop the Double Wall technology and the cylindrical KeyKeg20,” says Lightweight Containers R&D director Bert Hanssen.
“Newly developed PET-processing technologies like laser cutting and ultrasonic welding suddenly brought the cylindrical shape within our reach. This enabled us to fulfil all the wishes of the entire supply chain in the design of this KeyKeg.”
Consortium approach
As part of the KeyKeg consortium, Lightweight Containers began producing 20-litre and 30-litre KeyKegs in 2006.
The consortium consists of six leading companies in the packaging industry. Lightweight Containers is responsible for R&D, sales and marketing; Schoeller Arca Systems for production, assembly and stockholding; Scholle Packaging takes care of the inner bag assembly; SIPA produces the moulding machinery and tooling; m + f KEG-Technik produces the filling machines; and DSI develops and produces the dispense systems.
All-round improvements
Like its predecessors, the liquid content of the KeyKeg20 is dispensed by pressurizing the space between the bag and the ball.
According to the company, the beverage maintains “best drinking conditions” as it does not come into contact with the propellant gas when it is dispensed.
The new one-way KeyKeg20 is said to be extremely resistant to external influences, withstanding “very high temperatures” during transport in hot climates and unaffected by moisture.
“Being especially resistant to damage from outside, this KeyKeg is even safer to use,” the company says.
For environmental considerations, more than half (54%) of the KeyKeg’s shell is made from recycled PET, while the grip consists of 100% recycled PP.
The cylindrical shape also provides improved logistical qualities, so that 80 cylindrical KeyKeg20 units fit on one pallet. “This shape combined with its low weight mean that 65% less transport is needed for the cylindrical KeyKeg compared to steel and other kegs,” the company says.
The new design is an “explicit reflection of its users’ needs” – lightweight and extremely stable, the new KeyKeg has an ergonomic grip, and takes up less space than its predecessor, fitting easily into existing cooling cabinets.
The fully automated production line in Den Helder, the Netherlands, has a capacity of 400 KeyKegs per hour.
“We think in terms of the total supply chain,” says Jan Veenendaal, CEO of Lightweight Containers. “Hundreds of companies in the total supply chain in 45 countries have asked us a lot and taught us a lot. The result is the cylindrical KeyKeg20!”
'Revolutionary' cylindrical KeyKeg20 for beverage dispensing
