“Innovation rewarded with a Gold Medal in Market Development category”
Award for reinvention: new stainless steel up to 30% lighter and greener
With an optimised design and a revolutionary manufacturing process, TECNALIA has developed VERTEX, a keg that is up to 30 % lighter and greener, which retains the properties that have made stainless steel a benchmark material in this sector.
This is true innovation in the form of a traditional product like a beer keg, which has been awarded the Gold Medal in the Market Development category at the World Stainless Steel Association gala in Beijing. This award recognises the technical effort and impact that this development can have on the industry.
Reducing the weight of steel kegs without resorting to plastic
Traditionally, beer kegs have been made from AISI 304 stainless steel because of its strength and hygienic properties. However, it was necessary to explore alternative materials that would make it lighter, improve ergonomics and make it easier for delivery drivers to handle, thus helping to reduce the risk of injury.
In addition, by partially replacing steel, steel consumption would be reduced and this would in turn cut CO₂ emissions during the manufacturing process.
- The main aim was to prove that it is possible to reduce the weight of steel kegs without resorting to plastic or making them less resistant.
- Another aim was to get rid of the idea that there was no more room for innovation in this product by using duplex stainless steel for the first time to manufacture kegs.
Collaborative projects
The project has been developed by Thielmann Portinox España and Acerinox.
The work has been carried out in an ambitious R&D project in collaboration with TECNALIA and Aime. It includes the identification and numerical analysis through FEM simulation, prototyping, physical testing, industrial validation and mass production, and shows that innovation applied to stainless steel still has a long way to go.