Zero
Water Used
Lervig Waterless Bottle Rinsing
Lervig Brewery in Norway needed its beer bottles thoroughly cleaned inside before filling, and its existing methods were inefficient and costly. SolvAir solved the issue with…
Breweries
SolvAir eliminates bacteria, prevents corrosion, and realises substantial cost savings for AB InBev.
SolvAir's advanced systems offer bottling plants superior moisture control, improving production and significantly reducing waste.
AB InBev is the world’s largest brewer, with production lines running at 37,000 to 50,000 bottles an hour. Moisture under the metal crown caps of its bottles was compromising quality, and SolvAir solved the issue with a 24 Nozzle Cap Dryer and Paxton PX1000 7.5kW blower on each of two production lines.
01
The Problem
Moisture under the crown caps
AB InBev faced persistent issues with excessive moisture in the crown area of their bottles, compromising labelling quality and packing processes. SolvAir’s central blower systems and stainless steel Air Knives were already drying the periphery of each bottle, but the water retained under the metal crown caps posed significant quality control challenges for their bottling operations.
02
The Implication
Corrosion, rejections and wasted materials
Persistent moisture under the caps caused concerns about bacterial growth and crown cap corrosion, a particular risk once the bottles were in transport. The resulting bottle rejections led to substantial waste of product and packaging materials, negatively impacting AB InBev’s profitability and their ability to meet production targets.
03
The Solution
Cap Dryers on two production lines
SolvAir trialled a first version of the Paxton Cap Dryer on AB InBev’s line in close liaison with their team, then refined and adjusted its design from the results. Its lateral and upper air slots focus the air on the neck and crown of the bottle, and a manual adjuster sets its height.
SolvAir then installed two 24 Nozzle Cap Dryers, one on each of AB InBev’s two production lines, each with its own Paxton PX1000 7.5kW blower. Each blower delivers 1,500 m³/hr at 130 mbar and is housed in a Blower Enclosure to reduce noise. Together they reduced the moisture under each cap to just 0.3mg, well below AB InBev’s target of under 1mg, effectively resolving all quality control and production issues.
Kit & applications in this project
Results
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0.3mgWater Per Cap
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EliminatedBacteria & Corrosion
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50k/hrLine Speed
By addressing AB InBev’s moisture challenges, we helped them surpass their production targets by 70%. This success demonstrates SolvAir’s commitment to delivering solutions with substantial, measurable ROI.
Chris Davies Managing Director | SolvAir
Could this work on your line? Talk it through with a SolvAir engineer.
Trusted by breweries across the globe, SolvAir's Air Knife Systems are proven across the world's most demanding production lines.
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read more about Lervig Waterless Bottle Rinsing
60,000/hr
Bottle Capacity
SuperBock Advanced Bottle Drying
SuperBock’s brewery in Porto, Portugal, bottles beer in 33cl glass bottles on a line with a capacity of 60,000 an hour. Residual moisture around the crown…
Wondering what air could do on your line?
Talk it through with a SolvAir engineer. If compressed air is anywhere in your cleaning, drying or blow-off process, the savings case usually writes itself.
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