Schreiner ProTech develops authenticity seal for beer keg from Huber Packaging Group

Beer poured at home from the DRAFTKING party keg made by the Huber Packaging Group retains its freshness for up to 30 days as though it had just been tapped at a bar or pub, provided the consumer buys an unopened keg. To guarantee this, Schreiner ProTech developed an authenticity seal for the tap of the 5-liter keg. The specialty seal cannot be closed again unnoticed once the keg has been opened and provides reliable authenticity protection. At the same time, breweries can use the seal on the tap for advertising their brands.

The objective of Schreiner ProTech’s project development was to achieve a process-stable authenticity seal for the DRAFTKING beer keg from the Huber Packaging Group. “The authenticity seal has to be particularly sturdy to withstand the production environment of the filling lines and external cleaning of the kegs at the breweries,” explained Markus Britsch, Business Unit Manager Beverage at the Huber Packaging Group.
To qualify the film, the experts from Schreiner ProTech initially conducted material tests in the laboratory to guarantee rugged marking and functional adhesion of the label. A special adhesive ensures reliable bonding with the low-energy plastic material of the tap. 
The material, liner and roll make-up were subsequently adjusted to the high cycle rate of the keg production line. The label dispensing system has to guarantee trouble-free application as the seals are dispensed in parallel to the fully automated production run. “We were involved in the concept design of the seal right from the beginning. This allowed us to respond quickly and – as needed – flexibly to the requirements,” said Christian Staudt, the responsible project manager at Schreiner ProTech.

Breweries can also have the labels custom-printed with their logos and use them for advertising purposes. In this case, Schreiner ProTech pre-prints the original seals with brand graphics using flexo-printing technology.