Miami Herald

Posted at 8:57 a.m. EDT Saturday, May 5, 2001

Florida firm creates self-cooling soda can, no cooler needed

BRADENTON, Fla. -- (AP) -- How about a cold beer on demand without lugging an ice chest or waiting in line? Simply twist the can and it chills.

A Florida company developed the technology and teamed with a leading global can maker to produce a can that can drop the temperature of its contents at least 30 degrees Fahrenheit in three minutes.

The ``I.C. Can'' resembles an aluminum can and works on vacuum heat pump technology, much like a refrigerator. The desiccant in the vacuum draws heat from the beverage through an evaporator into an insulated heat container attached at the bottom of the can.

There is a water and gel mix in the small cylinder. The two bind and cool by sucking out the heat, like evaporation.

``We're not creating cold, we're just removing heat,'' said Barney Guarino, president and CEO of Tempra Technology, a small private company which has worked on thermal technology since 1991.

Tempra, located in Bradenton south of Tampa, partnered with packaging giant Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc. of Philadelphia to develop and mass produce the can.

``It is quite exciting and interesting. I think everyone agrees there is marketing opportunity for on-the-go consumers -- hiking, boating, fishing,'' said Dan Abramowicz, a Crown executive vice president.

``If market trials go well and there is strong interest by customers, it probably would take us 18 months to have a fully commercial line capable of producing millions of containers,'' Abramowicz said.

Guarino says the company is negotiating with a European beer maker and some soft drink companies. He estimates a 16-ounce can with 11 fluid ounces would sell for about $1.50. The self-contained can contains no gases or chemicals and is nontoxic and recyclable.

A quick twist of the can breaks the seal, triggering the chilling process. The unit will continue to pump out heat until there is no more heat to remove. Then it will just remain idle. On a hot day, the liquid is expected to stay cold about 25 minutes. It won't go below freezing.

``Crown is one of the best and most highly regarded packaging companies in the industry and its involvement will certainly get a hearing from the beverage companies,'' said John Sicher, publisher of Beverage Digest, a trade publication based in Bedford, N.Y.

But Sicher envisions only ``modest potential'' for the product, saying it will sell at a premium price and probably have limited appeal because of the accessibility of cold beverages from vending machines and convenience stores.

However, Tom Bachmann, publisher of Chicago-based Beverage Industry, said the product will at first be popular with boaters and campers.

``But as the cans gains acceptance there could be a real benefit to Third World countries and countries where there is a lack of refrigeration,'' he said.

In the United States, Bachmann predicts ``self-chill'' beer and soda cans on the market by next summer with the technology then extending to juices, sport and energy drinks and water.

But the Coca-Cola Co. is somewhat cool to the concept. Robert Baskin, company spokesman in Atlanta, said the soft drink giant has been looking at the technology for years. Coca-Cola sells 17 billion cases of its products a year, Baskin said. The company has 16 million retail outlets globally and more than 2 million vending machines in the U.S. and Japan that dispense chilled Coca-Cola drinks.

``The issue becomes 'Can a package be commercialized at an affordable price?'' Baskin said. ``It isn't commercialized yet.''

In late April, Tempra made its first public demonstration of ``I.C. Can'' in Denver at Cannex 2001, the packaging industry's forum for can manufacturers and suppliers.

Guarino said it took a third-place award for creative or innovative technology. He was optimistic that its popularity will grow.

``With ``I.C. Can'' it will be a home run or it's not going to go at all,'' Guarino said. ``Thermal technology has unlimited applications. It's limited only by the imagination.''

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2001