CN107922074B - Aseptic filling system, container sterilization unit, and aseptic filling method - Google Patents
Aseptic filling system, container sterilization unit, and aseptic filling method Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN107922074B CN107922074B CN201680047285.1A CN201680047285A CN107922074B CN 107922074 B CN107922074 B CN 107922074B CN 201680047285 A CN201680047285 A CN 201680047285A CN 107922074 B CN107922074 B CN 107922074B
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- container
- unit
- cooling
- sterilization
- mouth
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 230000001954 sterilising effect Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 100
- 238000004659 sterilization and disinfection Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 80
- 238000012371 Aseptic Filling Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 42
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 26
- 238000001816 cooling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 62
- 238000011049 filling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 33
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 32
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 31
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 25
- 238000000071 blow moulding Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 22
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims description 19
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 claims description 12
- 230000001050 lubricating effect Effects 0.000 claims description 6
- 238000007789 sealing Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 22
- 239000012809 cooling fluid Substances 0.000 description 18
- 239000008223 sterile water Substances 0.000 description 14
- 238000007664 blowing Methods 0.000 description 8
- 229920000728 polyester Polymers 0.000 description 8
- 230000002093 peripheral effect Effects 0.000 description 5
- -1 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 5
- 229920000139 polyethylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 5
- 239000005020 polyethylene terephthalate Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 5
- 230000036544 posture Effects 0.000 description 4
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000002950 deficient Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000002411 adverse Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000013043 chemical agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000470 constituent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005429 filling process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000009477 glass transition Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005461 lubrication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920003207 poly(ethylene-2,6-naphthalate) Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 229920001707 polybutylene terephthalate Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000011112 polyethylene naphthalate Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003507 refrigerant Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011347 resin Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920005989 resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 238000012859 sterile filling Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
- A61L2/00—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor
- A61L2/02—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor using physical phenomena
- A61L2/04—Heat
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61L—METHODS OR APPARATUS FOR STERILISING MATERIALS OR OBJECTS IN GENERAL; DISINFECTION, STERILISATION OR DEODORISATION OF AIR; CHEMICAL ASPECTS OF BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES; MATERIALS FOR BANDAGES, DRESSINGS, ABSORBENT PADS OR SURGICAL ARTICLES
- A61L2/00—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor
- A61L2/16—Methods or apparatus for disinfecting or sterilising materials or objects other than foodstuffs or contact lenses; Accessories therefor using chemical substances
- A61L2/18—Liquid substances or solutions comprising solids or dissolved gases
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
- B29C49/42—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C49/00—Blow-moulding, i.e. blowing a preform or parison to a desired shape within a mould; Apparatus therefor
- B29C49/42—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
- B29C49/76—Neck calibration
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B55/00—Preserving, protecting or purifying packages or package contents in association with packaging
- B65B55/02—Sterilising, e.g. of complete packages
- B65B55/04—Sterilising wrappers or receptacles prior to, or during, packaging
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B55/00—Preserving, protecting or purifying packages or package contents in association with packaging
- B65B55/02—Sterilising, e.g. of complete packages
- B65B55/04—Sterilising wrappers or receptacles prior to, or during, packaging
- B65B55/06—Sterilising wrappers or receptacles prior to, or during, packaging by heat
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B67—OPENING, CLOSING OR CLEANING BOTTLES, JARS OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS; LIQUID HANDLING
- B67C—CLEANING, FILLING WITH LIQUIDS OR SEMILIQUIDS, OR EMPTYING, OF BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, CASKS, BARRELS, OR SIMILAR CONTAINERS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; FUNNELS
- B67C7/00—Concurrent cleaning, filling, and closing of bottles; Processes or devices for at least two of these operations
Abstract
The invention provides an aseptic filling system, a container sterilization unit and an aseptic filling method, which can reliably inhibit the deformation of a container even in the condition of continuously performing the processes from the container forming to the container filling with content liquid. An aseptic filling system (10) for aseptically filling a sterilized content liquid into a sterilized container (C), the aseptic filling system comprising: a container molding unit (20) for performing blow molding of the container (C); a container sterilization unit (30) disposed downstream of the container molding unit (20); a filling unit (40) which is disposed downstream of the container sterilization unit (30) and fills the container (C) with the content liquid; and a capping unit (50) disposed downstream of the filling unit (40), the container sterilization unit (30) including: a heating and sterilizing unit (31) that performs heating and sterilizing of the container (C); and a cooling unit (32) that cools the mouth (C1) of the container (C) downstream of the heat sterilization unit (31).
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates to an aseptic filling system, a container sterilization unit, and an aseptic filling method for aseptically filling a sterilized content liquid into a sterilized container, and more particularly, to an on-line blow molding type aseptic filling system, a container sterilization unit, and an aseptic filling method for continuously performing processes from the molding of a container to the filling and sealing of a content liquid.
Background
Conventionally, an Aseptic filling (Aseptic filling) method of filling a sterilized content liquid into a sterilized container in an Aseptic environment has been widely used (for example, see patent document 1). In this aseptic filling method, the container is heated and sterilized by blowing hot water or hot medicinal liquid into the container in a container sterilization unit, the sterilized container is filled with a content liquid at normal temperature, and then the sterilized container is closed by closing the container with a sterilized cap.
In this aseptic filling method, since the sterilized content liquid at normal temperature is filled into the container, the container is not required to have heat resistance, and therefore, a non-heat-resistant polyester bottle in which the mouth portion of the container is not crystallized is generally used. The non-heat-resistant polyester bottle has the following advantages: the container is easy to be lightened and thinned, the cost can be reduced, the heat-resistant treatment of the bottle is not needed, and the manufacturing method can be simplified.
However, in the case of a non-heat-resistant polyester bottle, for example, a non-heat-resistant PET bottle containing polyethylene terephthalate as a main material, softening is started at a temperature of about 70 ℃, and in the case of heat sterilization of the container, hot water of about 60 to 90 ℃ or hot chemical liquid of about 55 to 75 ℃ is blown to the container, so that the container is easily deformed after heat sterilization of the container. Therefore, it is also generally known: in order to suppress the deformation of the container, the container is cooled by a method such as blowing low-temperature sterile water or the like to the container after the heat sterilization of the container (see, for example, patent documents 2 and 3).
Patent document
Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2014-231356
Patent document 2: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 11-227726
Patent document 3: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2008-133049
Disclosure of Invention
On the other hand, in recent years, in the same factory, an in-line blow-molding aseptic filling system has been used which performs the process from container molding to filling of a content liquid into a container in succession. In this in-line blow-molding aseptic filling system, a container molding unit for performing blow molding of the container is provided upstream of the container sterilization unit, and the container fed out from the container molding unit is fed into the container sterilization unit, and the container is heated and sterilized in the container sterilization unit.
However, in the in-line blow-molded aseptic filling system, the following sometimes occurs: a portion of the sealed container that is discharged from the aseptic filling system results in a poor closure, i.e., the cap does not fit well to the mouth of the container.
The inventors of the present invention speculate that the reason for the defective closure is: residual heat from preform heating during blow molding remains in the mouth portion of the container discharged from the container molding unit, and the container is subjected to heat sterilization treatment in a state where the residual heat remains in the container, thereby causing a defective cap.
To explain the above in detail, in recent years, the following tendency is present in the inline blow-molding aseptic filling system: the container molding unit and the container sterilizing unit are disposed adjacent to each other or in the vicinity of each other for downsizing the entire system and the like. In this case, the residual heat of the preform heating at the time of blow molding is not removed from the container during the transfer and conveyance of the container between the container molding unit and the container sterilization unit, and therefore the container is supplied to the container sterilization unit in a state where the residual heat of the preform heating remains at the mouth portion of the container.
Further, when the surface temperature of the mouth portion of the container immediately after the container is discharged from the container molding unit is about 50 ℃, the container is supplied to the container sterilizing unit in a state where the residual heat of about 50 ℃ remains in the container, and hot water of about 60 to 90 ℃ or hot chemical agent of 55 to 75 ℃ is blown to the container in the container sterilizing unit, the temperature of the mouth portion of the container reaches the glass transition temperature of the polyethylene terephthalate resin, that is, about 70 ℃ earlier than the case of heat sterilizing the container from which the residual heat is removed, and as a result, the state where the mouth portion of the container is softened is maintained for a long time.
Presume that: if the mouth of the container is clamped by a jig for holding the mouth of the container and transferring and conveying the container as shown in fig. 3 in a state where the mouth of the container is softened, the container is cooled only after the heat sterilization of the container, and the impact and pressure at the time of the clamp gripping are applied to the mouth of the container, and the cross-sectional shape of the mouth of the container is slightly deformed, and the like, and the mouth of the container is deformed, and as a result, the cap cannot be satisfactorily attached to the mouth of the container.
Another reason for the above phenomenon is considered to be: the mouth portion of the container is formed thicker than other portions (body portion, etc.), and therefore, residual heat tends to remain inside the mouth portion (core portion) of the container.
The object of the invention is therefore: to solve these problems, an aseptic filling system, a container sterilization unit, and an aseptic filling method are provided which can reliably suppress deformation of a mouth portion of a container and can satisfactorily cap the mouth portion of the container even when processes from molding the container to filling the container with a content liquid are performed consecutively.
An aseptic filling system according to the present invention is an aseptic filling system for filling a sterilized content liquid into a sterilized container in an aseptic environment, and includes: a container molding unit for performing blow molding of a container; a container sterilization unit disposed downstream of the container molding unit; a filling unit disposed downstream of the container sterilization unit and configured to fill the container with the content liquid; and a capping unit disposed downstream of the filling unit, the container sterilizing unit including: a heating sterilization unit that performs heating sterilization on the container; and a cooling unit that cools the mouth portion of the container on the downstream side of the heating and sterilizing unit, thereby solving the problem.
The present invention provides a container sterilization unit for an aseptic filling system which is provided between an upstream container molding unit and a downstream filling unit and performs a sterilization process on a container, the container sterilization unit including: a heating sterilization unit that performs heating sterilization on the container; and a cooling unit that cools the mouth portion of the container on the downstream side of the heating and sterilizing unit, thereby solving the problem.
An aseptic filling method according to the present invention is an aseptic filling method of aseptically filling a sterilized content liquid into a sterilized container, and solves the above-described problems by molding the container by blow molding, heat-sterilizing the molded container, cooling a mouth portion of the heat-sterilized container, and then filling and sealing the sterilized content liquid.
According to the invention relating to the first, fifth, and seventh aspects, the container molded by blow molding is heat-sterilized, and then the mouth portion of the container is subjected to cooling treatment, whereby filling and capping can be performed after removing residual heat at the time of blow molding of the container and heat by heat sterilization. Therefore, the time required for the mouth portion of the container to be softened can be shortened, and as a result, in the in-line blow-molding aseptic filling in which the process from the container molding to the filling of the content liquid into the container is performed continuously, the deformation of the mouth portion of the container can be suppressed reliably, and the cap can be satisfactorily fitted to the mouth portion of the container.
According to the invention relating to the second and eighth aspects, by further performing the cooling process on the mouth portion of the container between the downstream side of the blow wheel provided in the container molding unit and the upstream side of the heating and sterilizing portion of the container sterilizing unit, it is possible to heat-sterilize the container after reliably removing the residual heat remaining inside (deep portion) the mouth portion of the container at the time of blow molding. Therefore, the deformation of the mouth portion of the container can be more reliably suppressed, and the cap can be satisfactorily attached to the mouth portion of the container.
According to the invention of the third aspect, the container sterilization unit includes the jig for gripping the mouth portion of the container and conveying the container, and the jig cooling mechanism for cooling the jig, whereby it is possible to remove excess heat from the mouth portion of the container by the jig which is in contact with the mouth portion of the container when the container is conveyed, and to prevent residual heat from being transferred to the mouth portion of the container during blow molding, and the jig which has accumulated heat in the jig from heating the mouth portion of the container, and therefore, it is possible to further reliably suppress deformation of the mouth portion of the container with a simple configuration.
According to the invention of the fourth aspect, the jig cooling mechanism is configured to: since the fluid for lubrication is supplied to the jig to cool the jig, it is not necessary to separately provide a mechanism for cooling the jig and a mechanism for lubricating the jig, and thus the system configuration can be simplified.
According to the invention of the sixth aspect, by further providing another cooling portion for cooling the mouth portion of the container on the downstream side of the heat sterilization portion of the container sterilization unit, it is possible to heat sterilize the container after reliably removing the residual heat remaining inside (deep portion) the mouth portion of the container at the time of blow molding. Therefore, softening and deformation of the mouth portion of the container can be more reliably suppressed. Further, by locating the other cooling unit in the container sterilization unit, the refrigerant type of the cooling mechanism can be widened.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is an explanatory view showing an aseptic filling system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing the state of the container in each step.
Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where the container is held by the jig.
Description of the symbols:
10. sterile filling system
20. Container-forming Unit
30. Container sterilization unit
31. Heat sterilization part
31 a. sterilizing nozzle
32. first cooling section
32 a. first cooling nozzle
33. second cooling section
33 a. second cooling nozzle
40. filling unit
50. capping unit
60 container conveying mechanism
61. clamp
62-1 to 62-10. first to tenth turntables
70. outlet conveying area
C. container
C1. container mouth
C2. neck
C3. head
Detailed Description
An aseptic filling system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
First, the aseptic filling system 10 is a system for molding the containers C and aseptically filling the sterilized content liquid into the sterilized containers C, and as shown in fig. 1, includes: a container molding unit 20 for performing blow molding of the container C; a container sterilization unit 30 disposed adjacent to or near the downstream side of the container molding unit 20; a filling unit 40 disposed downstream of the container sterilization unit 30 and configured to fill the container C with the content liquid; a capping unit 50 disposed downstream of the filling unit 40 and configured to attach the sterilized cap to the mouth C1 of the container; an exit transport zone 70; and a container conveyance mechanism 60 that conveys the containers C from upstream toward downstream of the container sterilization unit 30.
Here, the sterilization process of the container C in the container sterilization unit 30, the filling process of the content liquid in the filling unit 40, the capping process in the capping unit 50, and the like are performed in the sterile room maintained in the sterile state. In the aseptic chamber, since the aseptic air is introduced from the outside into the filling unit 40 and the aseptic air is recovered (exhausted) from the container sterilizing unit 30 (near the first cooling unit 32) and the outlet transfer area 70, the aseptic chamber is maintained at a positive pressure.
The container C of the present embodiment shown in fig. 2 and 3 is a non-heat-resistant polyester bottle having a container mouth portion C1 that is not crystallized, and when the non-heat-resistant polyester bottle is a PET bottle, softening starts at a temperature of about 70 ℃. In the non-heat-resistant polyester bottle having a mouth portion C1 which is not crystallized, it is preferable that the water content of the container mouth portion C1 of the preform of the container C, that is, the bottle preform is 3000ppm or less so as to exert the effect of suppressing the deformation of the mouth portion C1.
Hereinafter, each constituent element of the aseptic filling system 10 will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 3.
First, the container molding unit 20 is configured to: after the heated preform is placed in a mold, the container C is blow molded by blowing pressurized air into the mold while stretching the preform in the longitudinal direction to expand the preform in the circumferential direction.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the container sterilization unit 30 includes: a heating sterilization unit 31 for performing sterilization treatment on the container C; a first cooling unit 32 for cooling the mouth C1 of the container C on the upstream side of the heat sterilization unit 31; and a second cooling unit 33 for cooling the containers C downstream of the heat sterilization unit 31.
The heated sterilization part 31 sterilizes the container C by blowing hot water of about 60 to 90 ℃ or hot chemical liquid of about 55 to 75 ℃ to the container C. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the containers C are sterilized by blowing hot water or hot chemical liquid onto the outer surface and/or the inner surface of the containers C from a plurality of sterilizing nozzles 31a provided around the fifth to eighth turrets 62-5 to 62-8.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the first cooling portion 32 cools the mouth portion C1 by spraying a low-temperature cooling fluid such as sterile water, sterile air, or a sterile liquefied gas onto the mouth portion C1 of the container C immediately after the container C is discharged from the container molding unit 20, which is the downstream side of the container molding unit 20. In order to reliably suppress deformation of the mouth C1 caused by residual heat from preform heating during blow molding of the mouth C1 of various polyester bottles made of various polyesters (polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, etc.) as a main material, the temperature of the cooling fluid is preferably about 50 ℃ or lower, and preferably 20 to 40 ℃ as appropriate. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the vicinity of the mouth C1 of the container C is cooled by blowing sterile water of about 30 to 40 ℃ onto the outer surface of the container mouth C1 from a plurality of first cooling nozzles 32a provided on the outer peripheral side of the second and third turntables 62-2 and 62-3. The time for ejecting the cooling fluid from each of the first cooling nozzles 32a is about 0.25 to 5.0 seconds.
Further, when only the mouth portion C1 of the container C is cooled as in the present embodiment, it is more preferable to appropriately select a nozzle that causes the cooling fluid to be locally concentrated only in the outlet shape of the mouth portion C1, for example, a flat outlet shape with a small diameter or the like.
The position to blow the cooling fluid such as sterile water is not limited to the outer surface of the mouth C1 of the container C, but it is preferable to blow the cooling fluid to the inner surface of the mouth C1 so that the mouth C1 of the container C can be reliably cooled in a short time. Further, a cooling fluid adjusted to a temperature capable of reliably cooling the mouth portion C1 may be blown onto the entire outer surface of the container C and/or the entire inner surface of the container C.
Further, as described above, by ejecting the cooling fluid from the first cooling nozzle 32a provided on the outer peripheral side of the adjacent plurality of turntables 62 (second and third turntables 62-2 and 62-3) to the mouth portion C1 of the container C, the cooling fluid can be blown to the entire surface of the mouth portion C1, not only to one surface in the circumferential direction of the mouth portion C1. In fig. 1, the first cooling nozzles 32a are provided separately on the adjacent turrets 62, but may be arranged so as to face each other on the inner and outer peripheries of 1 turret.
The second cooling unit 33 cools the mouth portion C1 of the container C by spraying a low-temperature cooling fluid such as sterile water, sterile air, or liquefied gas onto the container C on the downstream side of the heat sterilization unit 31, that is, immediately after the container C is sterilized by the heat sterilization unit 31. In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the vicinity of the container mouth portion C1 is cooled by blowing sterile water of about 30 to 40 ℃ onto the outer surface of the mouth portion C1 from 3 sets of second cooling nozzles 33a disposed on the outer peripheral side and the inner peripheral side of the ninth turntable 62-9 so as to face each other. The time for ejecting the cooling fluid from each second cooling nozzle 33a is about 0.25 to 5.0 seconds.
In addition, as in the case of the first cooling section 32 described above, a cooling fluid such as sterile water may be blown to the inner surface of the mouth C1, the entire outer surface of the container C, and/or the entire inner surface of the container C at a temperature adjusted to reliably cool the mouth C1. In particular, when the containers C are transported in the inverted state in the heat sterilization unit 31 and the second cooling unit 33 as in the present embodiment, if the liquid cooling fluid such as sterile water is blown onto the entire outer surface and/or the entire inner surface of the containers C, the liquid cooling fluid flows down and collects at the mouth portion C1, and therefore, the same effect as that obtained when the cooling fluid (sterile water, sterile air, sterile liquefied gas) is blown locally only to the mouth portion C1 can be obtained.
The second cooling nozzle 33a may be arranged in a divided manner like the first cooling nozzle 32a described above. However, since the temperature for sterilization of the containers C in the heat sterilization part 31 is as high as about 65 to 90 ℃, it is preferable to rapidly cool the containers immediately after sterilization, and it is preferable to arrange the plurality of sets of second cooling nozzles 33a so as to face each other as in the present embodiment.
As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the container transfer mechanism 60 includes: a plurality of clamps 61 for holding the mouth C1 of the container C from the left and right sides; and a plurality of turntables 62(62-1 to 62-10) which can rotate around the upper and lower axes.
The plurality of grippers 61 are provided on the outer periphery of each turntable 62, and revolve with the rotation of each turntable 62 while holding the mouth portion C1 of the container C, thereby conveying the container C along the outer periphery of each turntable 62. When delivering the containers C between the adjacent turntables 62, as shown in fig. 3, the lower portion of the neck portion C2 of the mouth portion C1 of the container C is held by the clamp 61 provided on one of the turntables 62, and the lower portion of the head portion C3 of the container mouth portion C1 is held by the clamp 61 provided on the other turntable 62, whereby the containers C are delivered.
In the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, the containers C are conveyed on the first to third turntables 62-1 to 62-3 in an upright state (i.e., in a state in which the container mouth C1 is directed upward), then the postures of the containers are inverted from the upright state to an inverted state (i.e., in a state in which the container mouth C1 is directed downward) on the fourth turntable 62-4, then the containers C are conveyed on the fifth to ninth turntables 62-5 to 62-9 in an inverted state, then the postures of the containers C are inverted from the inverted state to the upright state on the tenth turntables 62-10, and the containers C are discharged from the container sterilization unit 30 in the upright state.
The posture of the container C in each step in the container sterilization unit 30 is not limited to the above-described posture, and may be arbitrarily determined according to the embodiment.
The aseptic filling system 10 includes, in addition to the above-described components, a fluid supply mechanism (not shown) for supplying a lubricating fluid such as sterile water to the opening/closing support portion of each of the clamps 61 so that the opening/closing operation of each of the clamps 61 is smoothly performed. The fluid supply mechanism for supplying a fluid such as sterile water to the jig 61 may also have a function as a jig cooling mechanism for supplying a fluid to and cooling the mouth C1 grip portion of the container C of the jig 61.
The mouth C1 of the jig 61 is often made of metal, and the mouth C1 of the jig 61 is likely to store heat due to heat transfer such as when hot water for sterilization or a hot chemical in the heat sterilization unit 31 is thermally contacted with the mouth C1 of the jig 61 or when the mouth C1 itself is heated. The heat accumulated in the grip portion at the mouth portion C1 of the clamp 61 may be transferred to the mouth portion C1 of the container C again to heat the mouth portion C1. Therefore, by adjusting the temperature and the amount of the lubricating fluid supplied to the jig 61, the jig 61 can be cooled by the lubricating fluid. In this case, it is preferable to adjust the temperature and amount of the lubricating fluid so that the holding portion of the mouth C1 of the jig 61 is maintained at a temperature of 20 to 40 ℃.
Further, a jig cooling mechanism may be provided separately from the fluid supply mechanism.
In the present embodiment, the first and second cooling portions 32 and 33 and the fluid supply mechanism (jig cooling mechanism) are connected to a common fluid supply source that supplies a fluid such as sterile water. However, the method of supplying the fluid to the first and second cooling portions 32 and 33 and the fluid supply mechanism (jig cooling mechanism) is not limited to the above method, and may be connected to a separate fluid supply source, for example.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the configuration is such that: sterile air is introduced from the outside in the filling unit 40, and is recovered (discharged) at the outlet delivery zone 70 on the downstream side of the capping unit 50 and at the upstream side (near the first cooling portion 32) of the container sterilization unit 30. This prevents hot water for sterilization or hot chemical liquid discharged from the heat sterilization unit 31 from entering the filling unit 40, and prevents moisture in the container sterilization unit 30 or in the filling unit 40 from entering other areas such as the container molding unit 20.
The first cooling unit 32 may be disposed at any position as long as it is disposed between the downstream side of the blowing wheel of the container molding unit 20 and the upstream side of the heat sterilization unit 31 of the container sterilization unit 30.
In the case where the container molding unit 20 is provided on the inner and outer peripheral sides of the turntable of the container transfer mechanism 60 (not shown) on the downstream side of the blow wheel provided with a plurality of blow molds or the like for blow molding the container C1, it is preferable that the cooling fluid be a gaseous fluid such as sterile air or liquefied gas other than sterile water in order to prevent the inside of the molding unit 20 from being wetted and prevent adverse effects caused by humidity when the container C is molded.
Further, if the first cooling section 32 is located on the upstream side of the heating/sterilizing section 31 in the container sterilization unit 30 as shown in fig. 1 of the present embodiment, sterile water can be selected as the cooling fluid, and therefore, the selection range of the cooling fluid is widened, and the same fluid supply source as the cooling mechanism of the jig 61 described above can be adopted.
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes may be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the filling unit is provided immediately after the container sterilization unit, but in the case of performing the container sterilization by the hot medical liquid, a bottle washing unit for washing away the hot medical liquid may be provided between the container sterilization unit and the filling unit.
Claims (5)
1. An aseptic filling system for filling a sterilized content liquid into a sterilized container in an aseptic environment,
the aseptic filling system is characterized in that,
the disclosed device is provided with: a container molding unit for performing blow molding of a container; a container sterilization unit disposed downstream of the container molding unit; a filling unit disposed downstream of the container sterilization unit and configured to fill the container with the content liquid; and a capping unit disposed at a downstream side of the filling unit,
the container sterilization unit includes: a heating sterilization unit that performs heating sterilization on the container; and a cooling unit for cooling the mouth of the container on the downstream side of the heating and sterilizing unit,
and a cooling unit for cooling the mouth of the container, the cooling unit being disposed between a downstream side of the blow wheel of the container molding unit and an upstream side of the heating/sterilizing unit of the container sterilizing unit.
2. The aseptic filling system of claim 1,
the container sterilization unit includes a jig for holding a mouth portion of the container and conveying the container, and the jig further includes a jig cooling mechanism for cooling the jig.
3. The aseptic filling system of claim 2,
the jig cooling mechanism is configured to: the jig is cooled by supplying a lubricating fluid to the jig.
4. A container sterilization unit for an aseptic filling system which is provided between an upstream container molding unit and a downstream filling unit and performs a sterilization process on a container,
the container sterilisation unit is characterised in that,
comprising: a heating sterilization unit that performs heating sterilization on the container; and a cooling unit for cooling the mouth of the container on the downstream side of the heating and sterilizing unit,
the heating and sterilizing unit further includes another cooling unit for cooling the mouth of the container on the upstream side of the heating and sterilizing unit.
5. An aseptic filling method for aseptic filling of sterilized content liquid into sterilized container,
the aseptic filling method is characterized in that,
molding the container by blow molding, heat-sterilizing the molded container, cooling the mouth of the heat-sterilized container, filling and sealing the sterilized content liquid,
further cooling the mouth of the container from a position downstream of the blow molding to an upstream side of the heat sterilization.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP2015-174980 | 2015-09-04 | ||
| JP2015174980A JP6086136B1 (en) | 2015-09-04 | 2015-09-04 | Aseptic filling system, container sterilization unit, and aseptic filling method |
| PCT/JP2016/074678 WO2017038584A1 (en) | 2015-09-04 | 2016-08-24 | Sterile filling system, container disinfecting unit, and sterile filling method |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN107922074A CN107922074A (en) | 2018-04-17 |
| CN107922074B true CN107922074B (en) | 2020-02-18 |
Family
ID=58186007
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN201680047285.1A Active CN107922074B (en) | 2015-09-04 | 2016-08-24 | Aseptic filling system, container sterilization unit, and aseptic filling method |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JP6086136B1 (en) |
| CN (1) | CN107922074B (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2017038584A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP6897716B2 (en) * | 2019-06-14 | 2021-07-07 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | How to cool the filling valve of an aseptic filling machine |
| BR112022026103A2 (en) * | 2020-06-22 | 2023-01-17 | Liquiform Group Llc | SYSTEM FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY FORMING AND FILLING A POLYMERIC CONTAINER |
| DE102020130007A1 (en) | 2020-11-13 | 2022-05-19 | Krones Aktiengesellschaft | Process for manufacturing plastic bottles and stretch blow molding machine |
| DE102022122330A1 (en) | 2022-09-02 | 2024-03-07 | Krones Aktiengesellschaft | Method and device for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers using compressed air recycling |
Citations (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH11502175A (en) * | 1995-03-23 | 1999-02-23 | シデル | In-line bottling equipment |
| JPH11227725A (en) * | 1998-02-19 | 1999-08-24 | Shintaku Kogyo Kk | Sterilizing device of plastic container |
| JP2004307062A (en) * | 2003-04-01 | 2004-11-04 | Khs Mas & Anlagenbau Ag | Washable lifting mechanism |
| WO2010137486A1 (en) * | 2009-05-26 | 2010-12-02 | 東洋製罐株式会社 | Container sterilization/cleaning system |
| JP2012086879A (en) * | 2010-10-20 | 2012-05-10 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Food & Packaging Machinery Co Ltd | Container filling system and electron beam sterilization unit |
| JP2012184034A (en) * | 2005-03-16 | 2012-09-27 | Krones Ag | Method and device for sterile filling with fluid |
| JP2015157651A (en) * | 2015-04-02 | 2015-09-03 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Beverage filling device |
Family Cites Families (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE102006053193A1 (en) * | 2006-11-09 | 2008-05-15 | Krones Ag | Apparatus and method for producing plastic containers |
-
2015
- 2015-09-04 JP JP2015174980A patent/JP6086136B1/en active Active
-
2016
- 2016-08-24 CN CN201680047285.1A patent/CN107922074B/en active Active
- 2016-08-24 WO PCT/JP2016/074678 patent/WO2017038584A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPH11502175A (en) * | 1995-03-23 | 1999-02-23 | シデル | In-line bottling equipment |
| JPH11227725A (en) * | 1998-02-19 | 1999-08-24 | Shintaku Kogyo Kk | Sterilizing device of plastic container |
| JP2004307062A (en) * | 2003-04-01 | 2004-11-04 | Khs Mas & Anlagenbau Ag | Washable lifting mechanism |
| JP2012184034A (en) * | 2005-03-16 | 2012-09-27 | Krones Ag | Method and device for sterile filling with fluid |
| WO2010137486A1 (en) * | 2009-05-26 | 2010-12-02 | 東洋製罐株式会社 | Container sterilization/cleaning system |
| JP2012086879A (en) * | 2010-10-20 | 2012-05-10 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Food & Packaging Machinery Co Ltd | Container filling system and electron beam sterilization unit |
| JP2015157651A (en) * | 2015-04-02 | 2015-09-03 | 大日本印刷株式会社 | Beverage filling device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| WO2017038584A1 (en) | 2017-03-09 |
| CN107922074A (en) | 2018-04-17 |
| JP6086136B1 (en) | 2017-03-01 |
| JP2017047965A (en) | 2017-03-09 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| JP5359020B2 (en) | Aseptic filling method | |
| CN107922074B (en) | Aseptic filling system, container sterilization unit, and aseptic filling method | |
| US20110272861A1 (en) | Method for pre-treating preforms and blow molding apparatus for pre-treating and blow molding preforms into containers | |
| EP3118129B1 (en) | Method and apparatus for the sterilisation of containers | |
| US11655133B2 (en) | Cap sterilizer, content filling system, cap sterilization method, and content filling method | |
| CN106715321B (en) | Carbonated beverage filling method and apparatus | |
| JP2018122927A (en) | Cap sterilizing device, content filling system, cap sterilizing method and content filling method | |
| JP2022093895A (en) | Aseptic filling method and aseptic filling machine | |
| JP5804165B2 (en) | Aseptic filling equipment | |
| JP6079734B2 (en) | Aseptic filling method and apparatus | |
| JP5880647B2 (en) | Aseptic filling method and apparatus | |
| JP5804164B2 (en) | Aseptic filling method and apparatus | |
| JP7472889B2 (en) | Aseptic filling method and aseptic filling machine | |
| JP6886642B2 (en) | Cap sterilizer, content filling system, cap sterilization method and content filling method | |
| JP6886643B2 (en) | Cap sterilizer, content filling system, cap sterilization method and content filling method | |
| EP3769793B1 (en) | Method for producing sterile receptacles and bottling plant comprising said producing apparatus | |
| JP6973693B2 (en) | Aseptic filling method and aseptic filling machine | |
| JP6886644B2 (en) | Cap sterilizer, content filling system, cap sterilization method and content filling method | |
| JP6007954B2 (en) | Aseptic filling method and apparatus | |
| JP5610022B2 (en) | Aseptic filling equipment | |
| JP6516098B2 (en) | Content filling method and apparatus | |
| JP5967245B2 (en) | Soft drink filling method and apparatus | |
| JP2022096392A (en) | Container sterilization method, container sterilizer, and content filling system | |
| JP2022096386A (en) | Container sterilization method, container sterilizer, and content filling system |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant |