Whether your customers want them, or you just like them better for one reason or another, I think you should make sure you are looking at the total cost involved before you commit to a purchase of canning equipment.

Canning equipment runs the gamut from filling one can at a time by hand to piling up thousands of cans an hour. With this variation come a lot of differences in how complicated the equipment is and how difficult it can be to set up and operate. 

Some equipment will require professional installation and training of your folks on how to operate it. Make sure the prices you are looking at are complete, installed, trained up and ready to run. Another consideration here is turnover. If you have employees trained up to operate your canning line and they leave your employ, you will have to start that training process all over again, sometimes requiring you to pay a company rep to come out or take a lot of your time to train them.

The MicroFilling line of products are simple to setup and use. After watching a short video and running thru a simple training program that is printed in the owner’s manual, you are ready to fill bottle or cans (did I mention that we are the only packaging solution that does both?).

When looking at options remember that the time you spend setting up, tearing down, cleaning and adjusting your machinery is all time – and time is money. With our filling line the setup is simple, just plug it in, connect the air and CO2 lines and you are ready to fill. When you’re done, you rinse it off, blow it dry and you can tuck it away until next time.

Another consideration is floor space. Real estate taxes, HVAC, maintenance, insurance – you pay for every inch of floor space in your operation so look closely at the space commitment you will have to make to accommodate your canning line.

The MicroBottler with the modular canning attachment takes up less space than some pets. At less than 6’ long, and 2’ deep it will fit almost anywhere. With its wheeled base, you can roll it right up to your tanks on bottling day and when you are finished, cover it up and roll it right thru a standard doorway and store it anywhere. You can store it in a closet if you need to.

Some filling lines require complicated maintenance programs that take you or your employees away from the task at hand. With the MicroBottler there is almost no maintenance. Keep it clean and hit a few lubrication points with a grease gun and it’s good to go for next time. It’s a very durable and simple machine that wont have you doing complicated disassembly/cleaning/lubricating/reassembly procedures to keep it ready for use.

Parts availability is a common malady for some packaging lines but not with us. Unavailable parts cost you money in the form of down time and we understand this. Our machine was designed to use simple off the shelf parts when possible. We are not in the “Parts business” like some of our competitors, who base their business model on selling you parts down the road.

The owners manual of the MicroBottler contains parts breakdowns as well as part numbers and contact information for many commodity items (fittings etc.) so you can buy them directly from the same source we get them from. Several items may be available at your local hardware store. All of the other custom made parts are made in our shop and always in stock for quick shipment if you ever need parts support for your machine. 

Technical support is a sore subject with some people we have talked to after they purchased the wrong packaging solution. Some companies simply don’t support their product- which can cost you dearly. Some companies want to charge you to send someone out to work through your issues.

With the MicroFilling system, our tech support is always free and always ready to help you with anything that may arise. Whether you are having problems connecting your machine, difficulties dialing in your product fill or have questions about repairs or maintenance.

Even if you bought your machine years ago and you need us to talk a new employee through some sort of problems, we are always here to help – free forever.

With the can craze in full swing, we have more and more customers wanting to add the canning module to their MicroBottler, either when purchasing new or as an addition to their existing machine. We have the only system on the market that allows this, and we are quick to oblige them.

Seaming cans however, is not nearly as simple as crown capping bottles. Variations in cans and can ends require some minor adjustments at times, and unfortunately the only way to truly know if your seams need adjustment is to cut them open and have a look. This will require you to perform measurements and use tools you are not familiar with; but with some study and some practice you can handle this.

The internet is full of information on can seam inspection and, like any information gleaned from the internet, you should be sure to apply your common sense and verify it from several sources before taking it as gospel. Since can specs and lots of inspection information is readily available, I will just run down the way we inspect seams, which we think is a pretty no-nonsense system that anyone can do with a little practice.

There are three items you should buy to properly inspect your can seams: 

• Dremel (or similar) tool with a fine-toothed metal cutting blade.
• Vernier/dial/or digital calipers
• Magnification eye loupe

Cans should be inspected periodically or anytime you suspect a problem with your seams.

First and Second operation thickness and height measurements can be taken from outside the can without cutting, so they can be easily monitored.

Take a systematic approach to inspecting can seams. Perform only operation one on a can and inspect that operation. Make any necessary adjustments (Lift pressure, operation one roll height and operation one thickness) and re-inspect until you are happy with the results before moving on to inspect operation two.

Make any necessary adjustments (operation two roll height and final seam thickness). Good resources for seam component descriptions and troubleshooting tips can be found at www.seamschool.com and www.doubleseam.com.  Seam integrity is your responsibility, do not assume that your seams are in spec just because they look good on the outside.

Can seams should occasionally be cut across the seam very carefully using a sharp, fine tooth metal cutting blade.  The desire is to have a seam which is viewable under magnification, without having been ground smooth and indecipherable.  A dull cutter will melt the aluminum, when cut correctly you will be able to see each layer as in the photos below. A set of calipers can then be utilized under magnification to roughly measure the various seam element dimensions.

Seam thickness should not vary more than .003” around the periphery of the can.

Seams should be smooth with no sharp edges or bumps/roughness present.

The below image is representative of a proper seam profile. There is a layer of sealant applied to can ends at the time of manufacture that will fill the area between the top rim of the cover and top rim of the Can Body (between the top and second layers in these images). It is important that this sealant be sandwiched tightly in this space. 

Copyright – SeamSchool.com

ver·sa·til·i·ty /vərsəˈtilədē/

Noun:

Having the ability to adapt or be adapted to many different functions or activities.

“The MicroBottler has amazing versatility.” Look at that. Right from the dictionary.

Let’s talk for a minute about versatility. Whether you’re a small craft beverage maker who is ready to start packaging, or one of the “Big Guys” looking for a way to package your lower volume products or samples without interrupting your big packaging line; you need to get your head around how versatile the MicroFilling line of products are before you decide what to buy. Let us delve more deeply into what makes our little machine the most versatile beverage packaging solution available on Planet Earth.

With most bottling solutions, you have to pick what type, and in most cases the exact size and style of bottle you want to package in. In the Bottling world it is not uncommon for a change in size or style, or even the type of cap- to require a “retooling”.

Retooling is code word for we send a guy out to your place to change it over. You pay the guy, pay for his travel, pay for his hotel, pay for all the parts (sometimes more than half the cost of the original machine) to get your machine changed over.

To add insult to your financial ruin, you must stand around NOT bottling, while this Tool “Retools” your machine. Then if you want to change back…. get the Tool back in here for another Retool….. I’m irritated just thinking about it.

But fear not… You’re smart. Once you hear how great the MicroFilling system is, you’ll make the right decision. Up until now you have only heard how lame our competitors in the bottling market are. So, compare that situation with the MicroFilling line of products.

STEP 1: You buy the MicroBottler, which is priced lower than most of our competitor’s right up front.

STEP 2: Then when you want to add or change bottle sizes, you buy our low-cost bottle totes (they are actually so simple you could probably make them) to fit your new bottles.

Yeah, no I didn’t forget a step. That’s really it. You just need a way to hold four bottles at the right spacing and you’re done.

If you have been packaging in cans, or are trying to get started with it, you certainly are aware that there is now a serious can shortage. It is a worldwide problem that will likely be blamed, at least partially, on Covid19 but let’s face it we have eyes and can see that there are just a ton of craft beverage makers either brand new and packaging in cans, or switching over from bottles to cans.

Whatever the cause, it has created a terrific problem for can manufacturers that they will most likely remedy by ramping up production as soon “they can” (sorry, dad jokes are a standard feature here). In the meantime, you’re left to deal with the inconvenience of trying to source cans for your canning, where you can (OK, I’m starting to annoy myself.)

Here is a brief synopsis of how this shortage might affect your business, pitfalls to watch out for and ways we can help you achieve your end goal – which is to get your product packaged and turned into profit, because at the end of the day, that’s what its all about.

Its never a good idea right? You have your MicroFilling line up and running with the cans your customers love and BAM!!! All of a sudden, the place you were getting cans from no longer has them available, and you’re forced to hunt around for a replacement. Be careful what you buy, as you might be on the verge of big problems.

Changing can or can end sizes, styles or even just changing manufacturers of the same exact sizes and styles, might cause your seamer to need readjusting (regardless of seamer brand) and if you don’t have the right tools and a good understanding of can seam inspection, which is actually pretty darned complicated, it can be a real problem for you. If you own a MicroBottler with a can seamer: we want to help, we’re always glad to inspect your seams for you.

Just ship us a few seamed cans full of your best product (a nice bitter IPA is always welcome) and we will drink it, cut the cans open, inspect the seams and let you know if they need adjustment and how to make those adjustments. OK OK – we’ll even do it if you ship them full of water, but we will give you a good social media shoutout if we like your product.

If you own one of our machines and you want to learn how to inspect your own seams, give us a call and we can help walk you through the process and point you to some help on the ol’ Google Machine so you can understand it yourself. We’re definitely “Teach a man (or woman) to fish” kind of people. And if teaching you to fish means you feel compelled to ship us your product for taste testing, hey – we’re not here to judge!

So here’s the sales pitch right – the MicroBottler is THE ONLY option on the market that allows you to bottle AND can. So in the short term, why not just step back out of the fray and package in bottles. The beauty of the MicroBottler is that YOU DON’T HAVE TO CHOOSE!

Your customers want to buy your product, so why not sell it to them? Its really that simple, and your customers and distributors will understand, you are doing what needs to be done to keep you moving forward. Switching over to bottling temporarily can completely solve your distribution problem. When the can drought is over, you can switch back to cans, or maybe your customers will say, “You know, my dad was right, it does taste better out of a bottle.” 

If you haven’t bought a filling machine, yet then fear not the can shortage, it’s as simple as making the right choice in machinery right now. Buy a MicroBottler without canning now so you can sell bottled goods and then later, when there are plenty of cans to be had and you have made some money, you can add the can seamer. It’s a choice that “seams” so easy, I keep waiting for cave men to start calling. (Ugh, a rare Dad Joke Double)

If you have our MicroFilling solution already and you have reached a point where you need to be able to fill and seam different can sizes, either because your customers want it or because you just cannot get the stuff to do the 202 B64’s anymore, fear not. We are releasing Version 2.0 of our can seamer.

It uses standard Angelus tooling and has infinite height adjustability, so it works with all combinations of standard cans and ends, from 8oz 200’s all the way up to 32oz 300 Crowlers! We have taken everything we learned from the first version and made it so much better. We are actually pretty excited about it. 

Call us immediately for details, like right away, don’t even finish lunch just call now and talk with your mouth full, we won’t tell your mother. 518-747-0626

While filling cans or bottles directly from the tank eliminates some unneeded work (kegging, keg washing, handling kegs etc.) sometimes it just doesn’t work out that you are ready to fill when the tank is full, so you find yourself needing to fill from kegs. This is no problem at all for the Microbottler system; in fact, it’s what we originally designed it for. 

When filling any carbonated beverage, you will soon learn that foam is your nemesis…. 

Foam is a necessary evil. Your customers want to experience the same carbonation level from your bottles or cans as they get when they are in your tasting room and you must give them that experience. BUT — to do so means that you must get that foaming frothy beast into that can or bottle without letting all that magic escape. In this post, we’ll try to break down exactly what is happening and help you understand how to keep the foaming at a minimum so that all that energy gets stored in the bottle/can and your customers can experience it.

Foam, or simply put — bubbles, are just the CO2 that is dissolved in your beverage, escaping due to a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure, increase in temperature or agitation. The type of beverage determines the shape, size and characteristics of these bubbles and is what determines how it presents itself; fizzy seltzer or rich creamy head.

It seems obvious, but I will mention it out of an abundance of caution; the higher your carbonation level is, the more “ANGRY” your beverage will be, and the higher tendency it will have to foam.

In all cases, it is best to fill with your beverage at the lowest temperature you can possibly get it chilled down to. The colder it is, the less tendency it will have to release its CO2 out into the atmosphere. Here are a few points about foaming that should help you understand it and how it effects your filling process. 

First – the two most important pieces of advice with regards to bottling carbonated beverages:

• Always be as cold as possible.

• Always operate at the lowest pressures possible (read on to understand how to determine this but remember, always stay as low as you can go).

Whether you’re filling from kegs or from a tank, that vessel will have to be pressurized. This pressure serves two purposes: to drive or displace the liquid from the tank and to hold the CO2 in solution.

The higher your carbonation level is, and/or the warmer your liquid is – the higher this pressure will have to be to hold that CO2 in solution or “Keep the genie in the bottle”. So because of this, the feed lines is the first place where foam can enter your process. Foam that starts in the feed lines will plague you throughout the process and must be nipped in the bud at this stage before you continue on with diagnosing your foaming problem. Foaming feed lines will always provide a place for bubbles to gather at the highest point and form a large pocket of CO2 that will cause uneven filling which deepens your headache.

Once you have gotten your feed lines chilled by flushing cold beverage into them, foaming in the feed lines is remedied one of two ways. The preferred method is to lower the temperature of your liquid. If this cannot be done, then you will have to increase the pressure of the tank or keg that holds the beverage. You must increase this pressure until the foaming stops, but do not increase it anymore than necessary. You can watch the liquid in the clear lines until you see the foaming stop. 

Once you have the feed lines flowing without foam, (there will always be visible bubbles here and there, just make sure you are not watching bubbles constantly forming) it’s time to start filling.

While you are filling you should have a thin (3/8” or so) layer of foam on top of the liquid as the level rises up. This is easy to verify with bottles, but a little more difficult with cans unless you have X-Ray vision, which must be awesome for you. With cans you have to monitor how much foam is expelled into the vent lines before liquid is visible.

If the foam is excessive, there is only one remedy. If you are using cans – this is where you should be glad you bought the right machine because counterpressure is the answer and many of our competitors do not use counterpressure for can filling. You need to increase counterpressure to keep that foam while filling at bay. The closer you raise your counterpressure to the pressure of the tank/keg, the slower the liquid will flow, so you will likely also have to increase fill time.

After your containers are filled you can sometimes experience foaming before you get the bottle cap or can end on. If this is the case, it is usually caused by counterpressure or temperature too high. Remember, always be as cold as possible (you’re getting that right? colder is better).

So the solution here is to lower counterpressure – but wait, you say you had to raise it to where it is so you can control foaming while filling…. Well, sometimes it’s a very delicate balancing act. This is where that second piece of advice comes in – always use the lowest pressures possible. If you can lower that keg/tank pressure a couple PSI without starting a foaming problem, you can lower your counterpressure the same amount. Or perhaps you can lower your counterpressure and live with a little bit more foam while you’re filling, and if you can do either or both of these –  you may just eliminate that little “POP” you get when you raise your fill heads and that can eliminate your foaming problem after filling.

Another trick: if all else fails, is to just wait a few seconds before you lift the heads. Usually, your counterpressure will slowly leak down a bit which means a more gentle transition to atmospheric pressure. For some beverages you might have to develop a habit of counting to 10 or whatever works for you, before lifting the heads.

In an absolute worst case – where you cannot get it under control even after lowering temperature and pressures as low as you can, you could very slowly open the drain valve on the counterpressure tank and allow it to slowly drop to atmospheric pressure before raising the heads. Although certainly not ideal, with a little practice, this will not be a bad tradeoff for being able to package a particularly “ANGRY” beverage.

Seeing a semi automatic bottling equipment demonstration helps craft beverage producers know what bottling line is right for them! We invited local craft beverage producers for a free demo of the Microbottler and lunch at a beautiful location.

We loaded up the MicroBottler the day before so we could get an early start. Seneca Falls is about four hours from our shop in Fort Edward, NY. Par for the course with this spring’s weather patterns, we ran into some cold, blustery April showers when we were unloading and on our return trip.

Guests came from over three hours away to learn more about the MicroBottler. We gave a little history on how DK Advanced Technologies began. It was all because friends at a local brewery couldn’t find an affordable bottling line that would fit in their brewhouse!

Our team gave a great overview of the machine’s operation, how to set up your bottling workspace for efficient flow, basics of filling and crown capping. The group had some great questions about changing bottles, and were excited how easily (and affordably!) the MicroBottler can switch packaging shapes and sizes.

Everyone enjoyed some lunch from a local restaurant, as well as some samples of Craig and Jon Paul’s root beer and craft brews. After lunch, a few participants stepped up to try bottling themselves. One brewery owner shared that she felt much more comfortable with the bottling process after trying it herself. Mission accomplished.

Fleur de Lis owners Jon Paul and Craig were gracious hosts. We enjoyed giving the demonstration and bottling a few of their beers later that afternoon. Be sure to check out their limited release bottles!