The sealing of the beverage cans is often considered the most important part of any can line. This complex art form can come across as simple, however it is a highly precise process where every intricate detail matters.
Modern can sealing centres around the double fold process in which the lid and can body are mechanically folded together across a number of steps. In total, five material layers must engage precisely into each other to ensure a tight-fitting seam is produced that helps protect the product from contamination or oxidation. For the producer, the sealing process is often the most critical part of line performance, as it has the highest influence on product quality.
While quality and performance are some key requirements for a can seamer, maintaining reliable operations while meeting elevated hygiene standards is key to delivering operational efficiency. The process of can seeming exposes components to a high level of mechanical stress. Therefore, a seamer must be robust and require minimal maintenance. These key deliverables are not new in principle, Krones has been meeting them with the Modulseam since 2017. Therefore, when Krones came to develop the latest Modulseam, they aimed to create a unit that delivers additional value to the customer through innovative solutions while exceeding the markets current requirements.
Initially, Krones developed the first Modulseam versions for medium speed performance with the goal to expand the series to other variants. The aim was to generate a holistic concept across the whole bloc that met Krones high hygiene standards while utilising the latest servo technology to ultimately cover the entire performance bandwidth of can line solutions. This represents a significant step forward in the features of the can line of the future. At the start, there was great emphasis placed on the know-how of the entire “can seaming” process. Therefore, a fully parameterised test bench was installed in Krones’ technical centre in Neutraubling to help aid in the development of this new can line. This allows Krones to process the entire range of can and lid formats currently available to the market and offer customers with consulting services all on Krones equipment.
The results of this continued investment by Krones has delivered an optimised concept with plenty of innovative elements. The continuous servo drive concept allows all movement axes to be controlled precisely which helps reduce maintenance expenditure and improves process reliability. Along with full access from all sides, the new Modulseam is considerable easier to make format changes and conduct maintenance activities.
Features such as intelligent recipe management, automatic height adjustment and optimised handling parts allows for quicker product changes delivering further value to customers. Hygiene is maintained by use of stainless-steel components, compartmentalised drive sections and a slanted tabletop for targeted media drainage. Experience gained with the current installed base and customer feedback has helped deliver a further optimised seamer in terms of design, cleanability and stability of the machine.
The Modulseam series has now been completed with the arrival of the new high-performance version, which handles up to 135,000 cans per hour with 18 seaming heads. This means the Modulseam now covers the entire bandwidth of outputs and formats with options from 4 to 18 seaming heads available. Over the next 18 months, Krones will be shipping 50 Modulseam seamers to customers across the world.
