Drinking water optimization with taste

• Brita plans to launch a new type of capsule concept for soft drinks 

• The company benefits from Zühlke's development experience in the food and household machinery sector  

• An innovative solution is developed as a basis for the application for new patents 

From initial idea to final series production – Zühlke’s know-how in the field of product development made it possible for BRITA to introduce its new ‘yource’ machine to the market as planned.

Task

BRITA, a leading expert in the global market of drinking water optimisation and individualisation, wanted to launch a new capsule concept for soft drinks: the user draws tap water, optimises it with the new machine and then enriches it with the flavours on offer. Zühlke was responsible for the following tasks: 

• Overall development of the machine 
• Selection and coordination of suppliers together with BRITA 
• Development of the disposable capsule 

Solution

Capsule: The development of the capsule began with a preliminary study that aimed to identify ideas and concepts for the sterile filling of a container with a syrup that could be stored for a long time. A solution was to be found for the continuous feeding of the syrup into the machine’s water stream. Using the functional samples developed in Zühlke’s workshop, the developers refined the concept to the extent that the first injection moulds could be produced. These components were used to optimise and test the machine. 

Machine: Based on the design specified by BRITA, Zühlke engineers were able to develop a system architecture in a relatively short time. The main focus was put on the usability concept, the water enhancement and the development of an interface for the capsule. At the same time, injection moulding tools were designed for all design elements. Test series with the pre-prototypes showed which optimisations had to be incorporated in the realisation phase. The realisation phase ended with final approval of the tools. Following the ramp-up-support to the OEM manufacturer Zühlke also provided support in optimisations during series production of the globally licensed machines.