New STM Arrow Can EPV 14/2 machine coming soon to Nepomucen brewery
The beverage market in Poland and worldwide has been changing rapidly in recent times. The sustainability trend is affecting all beverage producers, from breweries and alcohol production to the natural juice and dairy industry. Consumer awareness has increased significantly, and concepts such as carbon footprint and packaging sustainability have entered everyday life – moreover, they have forced producers to adapt to current trends of extended social responsibility. One result of eco-development is the ever-growing popularity of aluminium packaging in the beverage industry – we are of course talking about cans. They are lightweight, have excellent barrier properties, are very easily recyclable, are made of a single material and can be transported far more by road, thus reducing air pollution. The above advantages have led to increased demand for filling machines designed to package beverages in this type of packaging.
STM GROUP has been supplying filling machines and complete process lines for small and medium-sized breweries for years. Our latest machine is the STM Arrow Can EPV 14/2 with a nominal capacity of 6,000 cans per hour of 500 ml. The machine is equipped with 14 mechanical isobaric pourers, whose opening and closing is operated by a system of electronically controlled pneumatic cylinders. This gives incredible autonomy to the operation of each nozzle, correlated to a preset position during the rotation of the filling machine. The operator can manage parameters such as the timing and frequency of post-pour venting, the length of time the can is blown or the timing of opening and closing the nozzle – a major advantage when filling highly foaming beverages and products sensitive to oxidation, such as beer. The filling machine is also equipped with a PPB dissolved oxygen meter, a carbon dioxide modulating valve unit, a beer proportional valve, pressure and temperature sensors and one of the best pumps available on the market from GEA. The whole is topped off with a double-headed seamer, a special sealer which, during its two operations, stitches the lid permanently together with the can, ensuring a total seal and barrier. The same seamer is used by the world’s leading and top machine manufacturer Krones in the KOSME – CANTO line. The sealing procedure itself is enhanced by the injection of inert gas under the lid and the optional use of liquid nitrogen or the application of a foam breaker when required, All components in contact with the product are made of AISI 316L grade stainless steel, which is resistant to the highly invasive agents used during the CIP procedure. We are a member of the EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group), which obliges us to apply the world’s strictest guidelines and rules when designing bottling machines. On the other hand, our long-standing passion for beer has taught us what to do to ensure that our machines have a record-low oxygen build-up during the bottling of this product, which affects TPO (Total Packed Oxygen), and it is this parameter that determines the preservation of sensory qualities over the long axis of guaranteed shelf life. It is also worth noting that the design of the latest bottling machines has changed, they are designed with separate enclosures, so operators have ideal service access, which is also an advantage from a hygiene point of view.
There is no doubt that the STM Arrow Can EPV 14/2 brings with it a whole package of benefits for small and medium-sized filling companies in the beer and beverage industry. A good example is the Nepomucen brewery – one of the most recognised craft breweries in Poland. Founded by true beer enthusiasts Piotr and Mariusz Musielak, it impresses with its beautiful location next to the Barycz Valley Landscape Park on the border of Wielkopolska and Lower Silesia. In order to create the brewery, the founders rebuilt a century-old bakery and designed all the brewing equipment themselves. Currently, the brewery has made huge investments in equipment for beer production and bottling, undergoing a technological revolution. We are happy to be part of it and thank you for the past years of cooperation.
