Smartcoated Pasteurizable containers for beer

SIPA of Veneto, Italy is a global leader of PET Stretch Blow Moulding Machines for the production of PET bottles and have developed Smartcoat™, an industrial coating system suitable for all products needing an Oxygen and CO² barrier.

The SIPA Smartcoat solution was conceived to produce clear high performance barrier containers and consists of dip coating technology, where two layers of proprietary organic coatings are applied onto the external surface of PET or PP containers.  Both layers are applied by means of a dipping and spinning technology: the thickness is regulated by adjusting the spin velocity. After a flash off into Infrared and hot air ovens, both coatings are UV cured.

 The technology has recently been adopted in the manufacture of PET containers for alcoholic beer products, which can withstand tunnel pasteurization at 65°C for 15 minutes.

Beer requires a strong protection from oxygen ingress and from CO² loss. In general, 1 or 2 ppm of maximum oxygen uptake are tolerated before beer products start degradation, while 15% of CO² loss is considered adequate to maintain the desired level of fizziness.

SIPA developed and tested 350ml, 500ml, 1 litre and 1.5 litre bottle sizes guaranteeing an excellent oxygen and carbon dioxide barrier, allowing a shelf life from 6 to 9 months.

The output range from the patented, modular Smartcoat™ machinery is from 9000 bph up to 36,000 bph depending on bottle diameter

The bottles have been tested and approved as ‘fully suitable’ for recycling by Fraunhofer Institute of Germany and the American FDA.