RPC Bramlage has provided its expertise to the manufacture of an innovative beverage can that is revolutionising the wellness and sport beverages market: the FreshCan.
Many new drinks in the functional beverages segment contain active ingredients which only have a short life in aqueous solution and soon lose their effectiveness. With the new FreshCan, however, it is possible to keep these active ingredients separate from the liquid and not mix them until the can is opened. This is achieved by means of a plastic capsule in the can, the so-called 'wedge' produced by RPC Bramlage, which keeps the dietary supplements stored in a dry environment until the beverage is consumed.
The concept was developed by Ball Packaging Europe, one of the leading beverage can makers in Europe, and Degussa FreshTech Beverages, which contributed the expertise for the dietary supplements and on how to fill these into the wedge. RPC Bramlage co-operated with these companies in developing the original concept to market maturity.
The project demonstrates RPC Bramlage's precise mould technology and expertise in widget manufacture, as success required the accuracy of critical points and holes. RPC Bramlage produced several wedge variants of various shapes and made of different plastics, which Ball Packaging Europe then filled and tested in the can. The main difficulty was to ensure that the wedge is waterproof without this impeding the easy opening of the container, and RPC Bramlage demonstrated considerable ingenuity to resolve these two ostensibly contradictory requirements.
Important requirement from Ball Packaging Europe, and RPC Bramlage worked extensively to ensure that the wedge displayed the appropriate degree of buoyancy. Nevertheless it has a reliable opening mechanism. When the can is opened, the pressure inside it drops causing the wedge lid to spring open, allowing the contents to mix with the liquid. This solution provides significant logistical advantages for the filling process because the container and the wedge can be supplied to the beverage producer separately.
There are very wide-ranging fields of application open to the new FreshCan technology. Milk drinks or sport and energy drink producers can now develop innovative beverages which would not have been possible without this technology.
One of the first companies to recognise the tremendous opportunities offered by the new container was the New York-based Brain Twist Inc. In autumn 2005, this company launched its vitamin/mineral drink "Defense" in the USA.
