Pneumatic Scale Angelus (United States) - Counter-pressure canning line answers the call for carbonation in craft beverage.

To help craft beverage producers meet the growing demand for hard seltzers, ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, sparkling wines and higher-carbonation beers, Pneumatic Scale Angelus (PSA), a Barry-Wehmiller Packaging Systems company with nearly 130 years of canning experience, has introduced the CB50C counter-pressure integrated canning line.

Employing six individual filling heads and a single-head seamer, the CB50C uses isobarometric counter-pressure technology, coupled with proprietary magnetic flowmeters, to deliver a system capable of one-milliliter filling precision. The line is rated for continuous operation at speeds up to 50 cans per minute.

Counter-pressure canning technology allows craft beverage producers to fill highly carbonated beverages, in excess of 2.7 volumes of carbon dioxide. In isobarometric filling, the can being filled and the product going into the can are at equal pressure, maintaining carbonation solubility throughout the filling process.

“Our CB50C system uses true isobarometric filling technology,” said Mike Davis, Product Line Leader for Can Filling for PSA. “Because our fill tank is positioned above the fill heads, the product is gravity-fed, versus being pumped or forced upward. This means the product experiences little to none of the agitation that causes the unwanted reductions in carbonation levels seen with other filling methods.”

PSA introduced the CB50C counter-pressure system to the market last summer, and several craft brewers have begun running full production with the line; many more are in PSA’s queue to receive their machines. Consumer demand for carbonated beverages and unique conditions caused by the global pandemic have driven craft beverage producers to examine their product offerings and the way they take them to market.

"COVID-19 and the tap room closures that resulted from it created an extremely challenging environment for the craft beverage industry,” said Adam Brandt, Vice President of Sales for PSA. “But, for enterprising brewers, it also afforded them the opportunity to expand their portfolios into markets they might not otherwise have ventured into right away. There are so many opportunities to expand, and we’re excited to be able to partner with them and help them realize growth in these new areas.”

The CB50C has many of the same features as PSA’s well-known CB50F and CB100F open-air canning systems. Magnetic flowmeter technology helps brewers get a perfect fill with little waste, and an under-cover gas flush system helps keep dissolved oxygen levels low. In addition, the company’s high-speed, industry-leading double-seaming technology keeps cans sealed tight, extending critical shelf life. The integrated system is optimized for sleek and standard can bodies, and is designed for quick-change adjustments and easy changeovers for various can heights and body diameters, with no valve change required. Operating the system is simplified with a compact footprint and an intuitive HMI that allows for individual fill head volume adjustments.

PSA is one of several Barry-Wehmiller companies represented by BW Packaging Systems, which brings together the collective packaging capabilities of Accraply, BW Flexible Systems, BW Integrated Systems, PSA and Synerlink.