Beverage Gas Innovator Milcarb to Launch “Switch-Series” with Telemetry for Remote Monitoring of Nitrogen and CO2 Gases in the restaurant industry.
Milcarb developes Accompanying Mobile App that Accesses Tank Data & Delivers Alerts Directly to Android and iOS Devices
Gas (carbon dioxide and/or nitrogen) is a standard ingredient in beer. To achieve the ideal pour, pressurized gas is used to push the draught beer from the keg to the faucet. No gas = no beer.
In most workplaces, it’s considered impolite to talk about passing gas. At Milcarb, that’s their job. For five decades, Milcarb has been a leader in the beverage-gas industry. Milcarb’s gas-tastic innovations keep beer, craft cocktails, cold-brew coffee and soda flowing at restaurants and bars across the land. You can’t pour the perfect pint without a little nitrogen or CO2 to give it that bubbly mouthfeel. And who wants a flat, uncarbonated soda or seltzer? Yuck.
Based in Aurora, Illinois, Milcarb innovates, manufactures and distributes beverage gas systems, nitrogen generators and custom components that help beverage-serving businesses cut costs, reduce downtime and serve better drinks.
Milcarb’s ingenious product line includes the N2UⓇ Nitrogen Generator (makes unlimited on-demand nitrogen), the CarboSwitch 5100™ (auto-switches CO2 tanks to eliminate disruptions) and the B2U Gas Blender (supplies the appropriate nitrogen/CO2 ratio to propel beer from the keg to the glass without disturbing the flavor characteristics).
A few months back, those crafty product designers at Milcarb brewed up another great idea - turning their dispensing switches into “smart” devices capable of taking measurements through sensors, then transmitting the data to gas distributors who may be located hundreds of miles from the tanks they maintain. “The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a rising trend in the past five years, even more so in the beverage industry as of late,” said Milcarb Product Engineer Taylor Turner.
Turner said the new Milcarb Switch-Series (patent pending) is aimed at gas distributors and will offer them “more peace of mind” because they will know how smoothly their customers’ beverage systems are running at all times.
Say you’re a gas distributor and you’re wondering if you need to drive over to the Old Town Beer Shack two towns over to deliver a new CO2 tank. Instead of trekking over to check the tank, you can check your Milcarb App. Or, say there’s an emergency. Open the Milcarb App and hit the “kill switch” feature to shut off the system without even setting foot on the premises. Great for emergencies or for customers running behind on their bills.
Bringing the Remote Beverage Gas Monitoring System to Life
Milcarb has been manufacturing tank switches for years, but they had no IoT (Internet of Things) capabilities -- until now. With the new system, Milcarb Monitors take measurements and collect data, then feed the data to the cloud through wi-fi. The Milcarb App -- built by eXcelisys -- accesses the data from the cloud (hosted by Amazon Web Services IoT) and delivers the data to users. The Milcarb Switch-Series monitors tank pressure, ambient temperature and battery power and can be retrofitted onto most systems.
Milcarb App Features
E-MAIL Notification: An automated e-mail is generated upon a change in optimal-non-optimal pressure, as well another e-mail notification once pressure levels reach a critical state.
Real-time monitoring: Nitro-Switch includes real-time ambient temperature monitoring that can be accessed through the app. Quick-start setup: Adding a new Milcarb Switch-Series device is quick & easy; app asks for device type, ID, location, etc., all on one screen.
Milcarb Switch Series - works in conjunction with the Milcarb App
CarboSwitch (patent pending): manifolds 2, 3, or 5 high-pressure gas cylinders; sends notifications via email when main and/or emergency supply is depleting; monitors tank pressure; auto-switches from main gas supply to emergency reserves; distributes pressure readings daily every six hours-- wi-fi capable. BulkSwitch (patent pending): Designed for bulk CO2 systems and featuring a remote kill switch accessible in the app; auto-switches to emergency backup and sends email notification at this time to request a delivery -- wi-fi capable. NitroSwitch (patent pending): for blended gas systems; monitors main nitrogen supply generator pressure and emergency nitrogen supply pressure; “Run-Time Controller” will shut down nitrogen generator due to compressor overuse (such as system running constantly due to an issue with leaks, etc.); kill switch can be deployed through app; temperature sensor for real-time temperature monitoring -- wi-fi capable.
The Milcarb App in Action!
Milcarb App splash screen (above). Milcarb App home screen (above). Selecting Activate > Add New Device on the home screen brings up the “new device” interface (above), which walks users through the configuration process so they can add new devices and get the data flowing quickly.
Above: Selecting Alerts on the home screen brings up this screen. Notice the alerts are “color coded” for status.
Milcarb’s new Switch-Series brings IoT to the beverage industry, offering gas distributors remote beverage gas telemetry monitoring. After the device auto-switches a tank to the emergency back-up, it sends a notification to request a delivery.
The Devices will be able to be modified with extra bells and whistles once the product is launched. Some thoughts for the future will be to incorporate communication to on-site CO2 monitors, as well as Bulk CO2 tanks. This could later help Milcarb incorporate AI to develop delivery routes based on location and tank capacities. The future is looking bright!
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