Drinktec 2025
AI and automation for every need
Drinktec, the world's leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry, will take place in Munich from 15 to 19 September 2025. Over 1,000 exhibitors from more than 50 countries are expected. On more than 73,000 square metres, exhibitors from the entire value chain will showcase their expertise for all tasks and challenges in the industry.
The trade fair is characterised by three main themes. In addition to topics such as "Water Reuse" and "Wastewater Treatment", the main theme of "Circularity & Resource Management" will also focus on key issues such as energy recovery, the use of residual materials from the production process and the optimised use of materials in packaging technology. The second key topic, "Data2Value", focuses on process transparency and the integration of solutions that integrate machine learning or AI applications. The third key theme "Lifestyle & Health" will also provide interesting impulses, where trade fair visitors will receive ideas on flavour solutions for non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beer as well as non-alcoholic wines and fermented drinks, among other things.
Oxygen measurement with labels
BBull Technology from Königsbach-Stein (Hall A6 / Stand 470) will be showcasing the automation of quality control. The QLM solutions do away with manual spot checks; instead, a sample batch automatically passes through a bypass in which seam and weight checks are carried out, for example. Each container is assigned to a specific filling and closing unit, including full traceability and return to the process. With the new Image 360 GII, 360° inspection can be automated, as it reliably checks labels, defects and codes and can optionally integrate closure and logo inspection. With AI-supported image recognition, BBULL DL classifies damaged, dirty or incorrect bottles without manual parameterisation in the empty crate. This makes set-up easier and is transferable to other lines with similar formats.
Jürgen Escher (Hall A6 / Stand 432) from Merdingen will also be presenting new developments in inspection and quality assurance. Minos and Linos are fully automatic linear inspection machines. They use high-resolution CCD cameras and LED lighting to inspect sealing surfaces, bases, 360° side walls and threads, caustic with HF technology and residual liquid with IR. technology, residual liquid with IR. Both systems have teleservice, bottom blow-off, rejection in the event of dirt and breakage. The Minos system is specially designed for very small businesses with limited space and an output of up to 15,000 bottles per hour. The Linos system achieves an output of up to 60,000 bottles per hour. The company is also presenting a new wet glue labelling machine that labels up to 25,000 bottles per hour precisely in the belly, chest or neck. Containers can be labelled from dry to wet. The entire machine housing and the labelling station housing are made of stainless steel, the back labelling station can be disengaged and the locking star wheel is pneumatic. There is a separate pallet shaft with glue pallets for each piece of equipment, which ensures that the pallet immersion depth can be set reliably.
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From clever glass-in-glass detection using pulsed X-rays and deep-learning-capable X-ray image processing to deep insights for optical empty and full product inspection, Heuft Systemtechnik from Burgbrohl will be exhibiting in Hall B4 / Stand 121/321. The performance of the hardware and software software solution Heuft Reflexx A.I. for intelligent real-time processing and analysis of detection images has been consistently expanded. A newly integrated deep learning algorithm helps to denoise X-ray images and intelligently remove artefacts. This allows the smallest foreign objects to be reliably identified even in difficult cases and distinguished from harmless product and packaging structures. The algorithm also realises a more in-depth identification and evaluation of the individual characters of inkjet coding, such as best-before dates, for OCV. At Drinktec 2025, Heuft will be demonstrating for the first time how its advanced AI increases the detection reliability of seamless all-surface empty bottle inspection while further minimising the false rejection rate.
Platform for a flexible system layout
In the wet section of a production line, control cabinet solutions are generally preferred in order to protect sensitive inverter electronics in harsh and damp production areas. In the dry section, a decentralised installation concept with motor-integrated inverters has its strengths because costs and effort for individual planning and star-shaped installations from the control cabinet can be significantly reduced. It is also possible to utilise both advantages with one technical solution. SEW-Eurodrive (Hall C4, Stand 460) will be demonstrating this at Drinktec using a rotary segment with transport technology. The drive technology from SEW-Eurodrive enables system realisation with a universal inverter platform for centralised and decentralised installation. For the wet section, the Movitrc Advanced control cabinet inverter with integrated safety technology, flexible fieldbus connection and scalable power range fulfils all requirements for conveyor technology. The Movigear Classic drive unit and the DR2C synchronous motor achieve motor efficiency class IE5 and, together with the inverter, form an energy-optimised solution with minimal commissioning effort. Various IE5 solutions with IP54/65 protection are available in the dry end with Movimot and Movigear. These can be designed either with a motor-integrated inverter or for mounting the inverter close to the motor in the field. The decentralised installation of the drive units enables consistent modularity and standardisation of the transport systems. Depending on the conditions on site, conveyor elements can be combined for a flexible system layout.
Platform for a flexible system layout
In the wet section of a production line, control cabinet solutions are generally preferred in order to protect sensitive inverter electronics in harsh and damp production areas. In the dry section, a decentralised installation concept with motor-integrated inverters has its strengths because costs and effort for individual planning and star-shaped installations from the control cabinet can be significantly reduced. It is also possible to utilise both advantages with one technical solution. SEW-Eurodrive (Hall C4, Stand 460) will be demonstrating this at Drinktec using a rotary segment with transport technology. The drive technology from SEW-Eurodrive enables system realisation with a universal inverter platform for centralised and decentralised installation. For the wet section, the Movitrc Advanced control cabinet inverter with integrated safety technology, flexible fieldbus connection and scalable power range fulfils all requirements for conveyor technology. The Movigear Classic drive unit and the DR2C synchronous motor achieve motor efficiency class IE5 and, together with the inverter, form an energy-optimised solution with minimal commissioning effort. Various IE5 solutions with IP54/65 protection are available in the dry end with Movimot and Movigear. These can be designed either with a motor-integrated inverter or for mounting the inverter close to the motor in the field. The decentralised installation of the drive units enables consistent modularity and standardisation of the transport systems. Depending on the conditions on site, conveyor elements can be combined for a flexible system layout.
