#Craftmate: Friendship XXL
What do you expect from a good friend? That he’s always at your side, supports you in all your endeavours, and that there’s one thing above all you can have with him: a whole lot of fun. But what if you as a beverage canner are now looking for a dependable partner who can lend a can-do helping hand with your production operation? Then here I’ve got precisely what you need: permit me to introduce – #Craftmate.
Craftmate – does that ring a bell? After all, “craft”, that’s currently one of the buzzwords in the beverage industry: craft beer is – literally – on everyone’s lips, craft breweries are springing up everywhere, and thanks to home-brewing kits, every beer fan can now meanwhile become a craft brewer him/herself. Combined with the word’s second syllable, “mate”, this means Craftmate is your good friend when it comes to craft beer – or to be more precise getting the liquid gold safely into the cans.
But who or what exactly is Craftmate?
Craftmate, that’s the new can filler from Krones, and the expert for the small output range. What makes it so special? Although it’s the smallest among Krones’ family of can fillers, it works just as hard and reliably as its big siblings.
But is it actually possible for stainless steel to trigger feelings of friendship? My answer is quite definitely: yes – let’s see if you agree:
The little brother …
Small output, maximised precision: Craftmate gets even small production quantities (from 12,000 16-ounce containers per hour) safely into the can – and is doubly flexible about it: the omni-competent allrounder can handle different can sizes and formats, and copes effortlessly with both beer and other carbonated beverages.
To make sure Craftmate is affordable for the small output range in particular, it’s in some points been intentionally designed a bit simpler than Krones’ other can fillers: for example, the cans are raised and pressed against the valves purely by pneumatics, and the carousel’s height is adjusted manually.
… possesses just as much know-how as its big siblings
In terms of know-how, by contrast, Craftmate needs to fear no comparison with its »big« siblings: as a member of Krones’ family of can fillers, it of course incorporates Krones’ field-proven technology. So during the filling operation there aren’t any helping hands as such, but there are 24 electro-pneumatically controlled filling valves. And with the guaranteed values for oxygen pick-up, filling accuracy and CO2 consumption, the new can filler is uncompromisingly the equal of its high-speed counterparts from Krones.
Small but exquisite
Although our Craftmate was not unveiled until last year’s BrauBeviale and can thus still be described as a genuine youngster, it’s already part of our #GermanBlingBling advertising campaign. Rightly, in my view: because the likable helpmate is a friend to craft brewers and craft beer fans alike: for brewers, it’s the indispensable helper, enabling them to get their precious delicacies safely into the cans. And as a beer-drinker it makes sure you can always enjoy superlative craft beer from a can – a gift from a best friend for best friends, so to speak.
