CYPET Technologies showcased a new and innovative beer keg made out of PET during the Brau Beviale 2018. It is called the Zeg©, an ultra-light weight keg made of 100% recyclable material. This development was conceived to become the new standard in PET beer kegs.
The Zeg features a top chime and handles that are integrated with the rest of the keg body. This allows to reduce the manufacturing costs, since there is no need to separately produce the top chime and assemble it onto the keg. The strong mechanical properties of PET allow for the top chime to be lighter in weight than conventional chimes yet still able to handle the loads that the Zeg will face through its life cycle.
In terms of safety, the Zeg withstands a high burst pressure (4 times higher than the normal beer dispensing pressure), and includes a special relief valve at the neck to reduce pressure and avoid failure. When the internal pressure of the container builds up, the valve is automatically activated, allowing excess pressure to escape. The valve protects the Zeg all through its life cycle, even when the keg is coupled during the filling stage. Once the container has been emptied, it can be easily de-pressurised manually using no tools, ready for recycling.
Such a novel concept demonstrates the great flexibility that the CYPET machines offer when it comes to developing highly differentiated products. The company has also developed other large containers with an integrated handle in the past and continues to make progress in terms of innovation. Furthermore, this technology allows a multiple containers to be blown on the same machine, making the most out of the investment and reducing manufacturing costs.
At PET Packaging Network, we have been partnering with CYPET Technologies for several years now, promoting the adoption of this PET injection-stretch-blo-molding technology (ISBM) throughout the Latin American market.
