In the food and beverage industry, 500ml can sizes (nominal diameter 66mm, height 122mm) need to be precisely matched with the main equipment of the automatic production line. For instance, the Krones filling machine. Its adjustable width range of feeding guide rail is 65-68mm with a tolerance of ±0.5mm. The adaptability rate is up to 99.7%, and it can process 36,000 cans per hour. In the Foshan factory’s new line of Coca-Cola production in 2023, the filling accuracy was improved to ±1ml through dynamically compensating the positioning deviation of the cans (≤0.3mm) by using servo motors, and the loss rate every year was reduced from 0.8% to 0.15%.
The sealing machine needs to be compatible with curling parameters for 500ml can sizes. Sidel’s EvoFILL Seam series can be supported by sealer can mouth diameters of 53.5mm to 58.5mm, coiling at speeds of up to 2,000 cans per minute with an error rate of just 0.05%. Measured results show that its sealing strength (compressive resistance ≥620kPa) and sealing performance (leakage rate <0.01%) fully meet the FDA requirements. Since the Budweiser Xiamen factory initially imported this equipment in 2022, through the optimization of adaptability, the time of model change has been shortened from 8 hours to 25 minutes, and the output capacity per year has increased by 18%.
The labeling machine’s compatibility has a direct influence on its efficiency. The KHS Innoprint SML labeling system has a tank height of 100-150mm, can be used for a label length of 180-220mm (which meets circular body labels of 500ml can sizes), and has positioning accuracy of ±0.5mm. According to the 2024 industry report, its labeling speed is 80,000 cans per hour and with a vision inspection system (false detection rate <0.02%), it ensures that the label alignment error is ≤1mm, and it saves 23% energy compared to conventional models.
During packaging, Tetra Pak’s TBA 19 cartoning machine can process 500ml can sizes with a can diameter of 65-68mm. By adjusting the grasping force of the adaptive manipulator (controllable in the range 0.5 to 5N), the rate of deformation of the body of the can is reduced to 0.001%. The machine integrates AI algorithm and can automatically modify the mode of configuration in real time (e.g., 6×4 or 5×5), increasing the utilization efficiency of the carton space from 82% to 95%. After its use at Red Bull’s Austrian plant in 2023, packaging material costs were reduced by 12%.
Warehousing and logistics equipment also needs to be redesigned. Dematic’s AutoStore system perfectly fits the size of the 500ml can dimensions by modifying the size of the storage compartment (67mm×67mm×125mm) to fit, and storage density is four times that of regular shelves. Its robot handling rate is 3m/s, pick rate is 1,200 boxes per hour, and it runs in a cold chain environment of -5℃. After the Heineken warehouse refurbishment at the Netherlands in 2024, the inventory turnover rate increased by 30% and energy usage decreased by 19%.
Industry cases and practices demonstrate that modular design is the solution to equipment compatibility. Sidel’s Combi Predis equipment, for example, can be modified to produce 250ml-750ml tank shapes by replacing the module (within 30 minutes’ time investment), supporting ±25% capacity range in 500ml can size. This minimizes manufacturers’ conversion cost from single-line multi-category by 45%, supporting flexible manufacturing needs of 86% of global beverage companies.