EP0528217B1 - Method and device for treating refundable plastic bottles - Google Patents

Method and device for treating refundable plastic bottles Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0528217B1
EP0528217B1 EP92112875A EP92112875A EP0528217B1 EP 0528217 B1 EP0528217 B1 EP 0528217B1 EP 92112875 A EP92112875 A EP 92112875A EP 92112875 A EP92112875 A EP 92112875A EP 0528217 B1 EP0528217 B1 EP 0528217B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
bottles
process according
bottle
gas
volume
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EP92112875A
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German (de)
French (fr)
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EP0528217A1 (en
Inventor
Egon Ahlers
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Krones AG
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Krones AG
Krones AG Hermann Kronseder Maschinenfabrik
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    • 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
    • B67C7/0073—Sterilising, aseptic filling and closing
    • 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

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method for treating empty reusable plastic bottles according to the preamble of claim 1 and a device suitable for carrying it out according to the preamble of claim 21.
  • Reusable plastic bottles like reusable glass bottles, must be cleaned thoroughly before refilling. While lye temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius and more are completely problem-free with glass bottles, such lye temperatures would lead to intolerable deformation or even complete destruction of the bottles when cleaning plastic bottles. PET bottles are therefore currently treated with an alkali temperature of around 58 degrees Celsius. However, even at this relatively low temperature, which is just portable due to the required cleaning effect, the bottles shrink slightly. The resulting reduction in volume has reached an intolerable size after about 20 revolutions of a reusable bottle, so that the bottle in question is no longer usable. In the same sense, temperature loads on the way to or from the consumer or at the consumer also affect the bottles, especially in hot countries and in the summer months. The achievable circulation figures for reusable plastic bottles, especially PET, have so far been far below the usual circulation figures for glass bottles.
  • a device for treating reusable plastic bottles with a filling element with a seal for the bottle mouth and a lifting device pressing the bottles against the bottle of the type mentioned at the outset is known from WO 91/18823, which has a higher priority.
  • the filling member has a supply line for a hot gas with a control valve and a supply line for a compressed gas with a control valve.
  • the invention has for its object to provide a method for treating reusable plastic bottles and a device for its implementation, with which the achievable number of cycles or service life is increased noticeably.
  • the increase in volume of the bottles according to the invention at least approximately compensates for the shrinkage during cleaning and other influences.
  • the volume increase is carried out before each new filling, the number of cycles can be doubled without any problems.
  • the increase in volume can be carried out for a specific bottle type with constant parameters, so that the desired constant or at least only a slight reduction in the bottle content is ensured on a statistical average.
  • the bottles can also be measured in terms of volume and / or dimensions, and the increase in volume can be according to the measured values for a batch of bottles or for each individual bottle can be controlled individually. In this way, the shrinkage of the bottles can be compensated for within much narrower limits. In the simplest case, it is sufficient to measure the height and / or the diameter of the bottles.
  • the volume increase can take place at different times and in different locations, e.g. at a collection point for reusable bottles. It is particularly expedient if it takes place after cleaning the bottles with hot lye and immediately before filling the bottles with a drink or the like within a filling system for reusable bottles. The shrinkage of the bottles during cleaning is then immediately compensated for and the increase in volume of the bottles can be integrated into the function of the filling system.
  • the volume can be increased on the way of the bottles from a cleaning machine to a filling machine, for which a separate station is required.
  • the volume can also be increased within a filling machine, so that there is no need for a separate station and the additional effort compared to a conventional filling system remains low.
  • the increase in volume according to the invention brings about an increase in the number of rotations as well as an increase in the filling accuracy with the usual "height filling” or a Improvement of the appearance of the bottles with regard to the filling height in the case of a "custom filling".
  • the alkali temperature and thus the cleaning effect can be increased without any adverse effects.
  • the increase in volume itself is advantageously carried out by the measures specified in claims 8 to 18. These can be mastered at a low cost with regard to the decisive parameters and easily adapted to the bottle material. In particular when using steam, there is the additional effect of sterilizing the interior of the bottle. In this way, the shelf life of the filled liquid can be increased significantly.
  • the volume is expediently only increased for those bottles which have suffered a loss of content as a result of shrinkage, and the volume increase is restricted in such a way that the volume achieved does not exceed the nominal content of a bottle in its original state.
  • the device according to FIG. 1 has a filling element 1 with a housing 14, which is attached laterally to the boiler 15 of a rotary counter-pressure filling machine, not shown any further. This is set up for filling PET reusable bottles 16 - hereinafter referred to as bottles - with a drink.
  • a supply line 4 for saturated steam (indicated by dots) with a control valve 5, a supply line 6 for CO2 under a pressure of 4 bar (indicated by crosses) with a control valve 7, a supply line 12 for the drink from top to bottom formed or arranged with a valve 13 and a servomotor 17 and a discharge line 18 for the gas emerging from the bottle 16 with a control valve 19.
  • the feed lines 4 and 6 and the discharge line 18 are connected with the interposition of their control valves to the upper end of a gas pipe 8, which is arranged in a height-adjustable manner in the housing 14 and is connected to the servomotor 17.
  • the gas pipe 8 protrudes downward from the housing 14 and carries the valve 13 for the beverage, which cooperates with a valve seat 22 formed in the housing 14.
  • an outlet opening 11 for the beverage which is concentric with the gas pipe 8.
  • an annular chamber 21 is formed in the housing 14, in which a sealing ring 2 is arranged so as to be vertically movable.
  • the chamber 21 is connected to the discharge line 18 via a channel 23.
  • the connection between the chamber 21 and the discharge line 18 via the channel 23 is open (see FIG. 1); If the sealing ring 2 assumes its upper end position, the connection is interrupted (see FIG. 2).
  • the device also has a lifting device 3 for the bottles 16 to be treated, consisting of a plate for supporting the bottle base and a pneumatic lifting cylinder (not shown further) and a control cam.
  • a lifting device 3 for the bottles 16 to be treated consisting of a plate for supporting the bottle base and a pneumatic lifting cylinder (not shown further) and a control cam.
  • the lifting device can also have a hooking element with a U-shaped recess, which engages below the support ring on the head of the bottle 16.
  • a corresponding lifting device 3a is indicated in FIG. 2.
  • control valves 5, 7, 19 and the servomotor 17 are actuated by a control device 9, to which the probe 20 is also connected. Furthermore, a measuring device 10 for the bottle height and possibly other parameters such as tightness are connected to the control device 9.
  • the structure of the measuring device is known for example from German Offenlegungsschrift 37 22 422.
  • the method for treating bottles 16 which can be carried out with the device described above proceeds as follows: The height of the bottle 16 coming from a cleaning machine, not shown, which is cleaned by hot soapy water by soaking and spraying, is next measured by the measuring device 10 and checked for leaks. The measured value for the height is forwarded to the control device 9; the measured value for the tightness is input into a sorting device (not shown) for separating leaky bottles 16.
  • the control valve 5 remains closed and there is no steam supply. Instead, the control valve 5 can also be opened briefly, for about 0.5 seconds, in order to introduce a short burst of steam, which is used only for sterilizing the inside of the bottle, via the feed line 4 and the gas pipe 8 into the bottle.
  • the control valve 5 is opened accordingly via the control device 9, for example in a range of one to three seconds. Due to the saturated steam flowing in via the feed line 4 and the gas pipe 8 into the bottle 16 and flowing out again via the annular chamber 21, the channel 23 and the discharge line 18, the inner surface of the bottle 16 and partly also the wall is heated sufficiently to subsequently have a To allow deformation of the bottle 16. Directly on the surface, the temperature is approx. 100 degrees Celsius, correspondingly less inside the wall. Molecular changes do not take place here and a subsequent stretching of the bottle material is not possible. During steaming, there is a slight increase in pressure in the bottle to approx. 1.2 bar, due to the flow resistance for the steam. However, this internal pressure is not sufficient for permanent deformation of the bottle 16.
  • the still warm bottle wall is permanently deformed outward in the sense of an increase in volume.
  • the heat supply by the steam and the increase in internal pressure by the CO2 are coordinated such that the bottle volume does not exceed the original nominal volume, so the bottle 16 is not overstretched.
  • the beverage to be filled can be introduced into the bottle 16, the CO2 previously used to deform the bottle now serving in the usual manner as a span gas.
  • the filling process is controlled with the aid of the probe 20 by the control device 9, wherein the displaced CO2 can escape into the open by opening the control valve 19.
  • the increase in volume that can be achieved with the method described above is around 3 milliliters for a conventional reusable PET bottle with a nominal content of 1.5 liters. This increase in volume is sufficient to compensate for the shrinkage when cleaning the bottle. If there is no measuring device 10, the control valve 5 for all bottles 16 is of the same length for a mean period of e.g. Open for 1.5 seconds.

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  • Filling Of Jars Or Cans And Processes For Cleaning And Sealing Jars (AREA)
  • Containers Having Bodies Formed In One Piece (AREA)

Description

Die Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren zum Behandeln von leeren Mehrwegflaschen aus Kunststoff gemäß dem Oberbegriff des Anspruchs 1 sowie eine zu dessen Durchführung geeignete Vorrichtung gemäß dem Oberbegriff des Anspruchs 21.The invention relates to a method for treating empty reusable plastic bottles according to the preamble of claim 1 and a device suitable for carrying it out according to the preamble of claim 21.

Mehrwegflaschen aus Kunststoff müssen ähnlich wie Mehrwegflaschen aus Glas vor dem erneuten Befüllen gründlich gereinigt werden. Während bei Glasflaschen Laugentemperaturen von 80 Grad Celsius und mehr völlig problemlos sind, würden derartige Laugentemperaturen bei der Reinigung von Kunststoffflaschen zu einer untragbaren Deformation oder gar zur völligen Zerstörung der Flaschen führen. PET-Flaschen werden daher gegenwärtig mit einer Laugentemperatur von ca. 58 Grad Celsius behandelt. Doch selbst bei dieser relativ geringen Temperatur, die im Hinblick auf die erforderliche Reinigungswirkung gerade noch tragbar ist, findet bereits eine geringe Schrumpfung der Flaschen statt. Die dadurch bewirkte Volumensverringerung hat nach ca. 20 Umläufen einer Mehrwegflasche eine untragbare Größe erreicht, so daß die betreffende Flasche nicht mehr brauchbar ist. Im gleichen Sinne wirken auch Temperaturbelastungen auf dem Weg zum oder vom Verbraucher oder beim Verbraucher auf die Flaschen ein, insbesondere in heißen Ländern und in den Sommermonaten. Die erreichbaren Umlaufzahlen von Mehrwegflaschen aus Kunststoff, insbesondere PET, liegen daher bisher weit unter den üblichen Umlaufzahlen von Glasflaschen.Reusable plastic bottles, like reusable glass bottles, must be cleaned thoroughly before refilling. While lye temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius and more are completely problem-free with glass bottles, such lye temperatures would lead to intolerable deformation or even complete destruction of the bottles when cleaning plastic bottles. PET bottles are therefore currently treated with an alkali temperature of around 58 degrees Celsius. However, even at this relatively low temperature, which is just portable due to the required cleaning effect, the bottles shrink slightly. The resulting reduction in volume has reached an intolerable size after about 20 revolutions of a reusable bottle, so that the bottle in question is no longer usable. In the same sense, temperature loads on the way to or from the consumer or at the consumer also affect the bottles, especially in hot countries and in the summer months. The achievable circulation figures for reusable plastic bottles, especially PET, have so far been far below the usual circulation figures for glass bottles.

Eine Vorrichtung zum Behandeln von Mehrwegflaschen aus Kunststoff mit einem Füllorgan mit einer Dichtung für die Flaschenmündung und eine die Flaschen an diese anpressende Hubeinrichtung der eingangs genannten Art ist aus der prioritätsälteren WO 91/18823 bekannt. Das Füllorgan weist eine Zuleitung für ein heißes Gas mit einem Steuerventil und eine Zuleitung für ein Druckgas mit einem Steuerventil auf.A device for treating reusable plastic bottles with a filling element with a seal for the bottle mouth and a lifting device pressing the bottles against the bottle of the type mentioned at the outset is known from WO 91/18823, which has a higher priority. The filling member has a supply line for a hot gas with a control valve and a supply line for a compressed gas with a control valve.

Der Erfindung liegt die Aufgabe zugrunde, ein Verfahren zum Behandeln von Mehrwegflaschen aus Kunststoff und eine Vorrichtung zu dessen Durchführung zu schaffen, mit denen die erreichbare Umlaufzahl oder Gebrauchsdauer spürbar erhöht wird.The invention has for its object to provide a method for treating reusable plastic bottles and a device for its implementation, with which the achievable number of cycles or service life is increased noticeably.

Diese Aufgabe wird erfindungsgemäß durch ein Verfahren mit den Merkmalen des Anspruchs 1 und durch eine Vorrichtung mit den Merkmalen des Anspruchs 21 gelöst.This object is achieved according to the invention by a method with the features of claim 1 and by a device with the features of claim 21.

Durch die erfindungsgemäß vorgenommene Volumensvergrößerung der Flaschen wird die Schrumpfung beim Reinigen und durch sonstige Einflüsse zumindest annähernd kompensiert. Insbesondere dann, wenn die Volumensvergrößerung vor jedem erneuten Abfüllen durchgeführt wird, läßt sich ohne weiteres eine Verdoppelung der Umlaufzahlen erreichen.The increase in volume of the bottles according to the invention at least approximately compensates for the shrinkage during cleaning and other influences. In particular if the volume increase is carried out before each new filling, the number of cycles can be doubled without any problems.

Die Volumensvergrößerung kann für eine bestimmte Flaschensorte mit konstanten Parametern durchgeführt werden, so daß im statistischem Mittel die gewünschte Konstanthaltung oder zumindest nur geringe Verringerung des Flascheninhalts gewährleistet ist. Statt dessen können auch die Flaschen volumen- und/oder abmessungsmäßig vermessen werden und es kann die Volumensvergrößerung entsprechend den gemessenen Werten für eine Partie von Flaschen oder für jede einzelne Flasche individuell gesteuert werden. Auf diese Weise ist eine Kompensation der Schrumpfung der Flaschen in wesentlich engeren Grenzen möglich. Dabei genügt es im einfachsten Falle, die Höhe und/oder den Durchmesser der Flaschen zu messen.The increase in volume can be carried out for a specific bottle type with constant parameters, so that the desired constant or at least only a slight reduction in the bottle content is ensured on a statistical average. Instead, the bottles can also be measured in terms of volume and / or dimensions, and the increase in volume can be according to the measured values for a batch of bottles or for each individual bottle can be controlled individually. In this way, the shrinkage of the bottles can be compensated for within much narrower limits. In the simplest case, it is sufficient to measure the height and / or the diameter of the bottles.

Die Volumensvergrößerung kann zu verschiedenen Zeitpunkten und an verschiedenen Orten, z.B. an einer Sammelstelle für Mehrwegflaschen, durchgeführt werden. Besonders zweckmäßig ist es, wenn sie nach dem Reinigen der Flaschen mit heißer Lauge und unmittelbar vor dem Befüllen der Flaschen mit einem Getränk oder dgl. innerhalb einer Abfüllanlage für Mehrwegflaschen erfolgt. Die Schrumpfung der Flaschen bei der Reinigung wird dann sofort wieder ausgeglichen und es ist eine Einbindung der Volumensvergrößerung der Flaschen in die Funktion der Abfüllanlage möglich.The volume increase can take place at different times and in different locations, e.g. at a collection point for reusable bottles. It is particularly expedient if it takes place after cleaning the bottles with hot lye and immediately before filling the bottles with a drink or the like within a filling system for reusable bottles. The shrinkage of the bottles during cleaning is then immediately compensated for and the increase in volume of the bottles can be integrated into the function of the filling system.

Die Volumensvergrößerung kann auf dem Weg der Flaschen von einer Reinigungsmaschine zu einer Füllmaschine erfolgen, wozu eine eigene Station erforderlich ist. Auch kann die Volumensvergrößerung innerhalb einer Füllmaschine erfolgen, so daß auf eine eigene Station verzichtet werden kann und der zusätzliche Aufwand gegenüber einer herkömmlichen Abfüllanlage gering bleibt.The volume can be increased on the way of the bottles from a cleaning machine to a filling machine, for which a separate station is required. The volume can also be increased within a filling machine, so that there is no need for a separate station and the additional effort compared to a conventional filling system remains low.

Unabhängig vom Ort und Zeitpunkt der Durchführung erbringt die erfindungsgemäße Volumensvergrößerung neben einer Erhöhung der Umlaufzahlen auch eine Vergrößerung der Füllgenauigkeit bei der üblichen "Höhenfüllung" oder eine Verbesserung des Erscheinungsbildes der Flaschen hinsichtlich der Füllhöhe im Falle einer "Maßfüllung". Darüber hinaus kann auch die Laugentemperatur und damit die Reinigungswirkung ohne nachteilige Auswirkungen erhöht werden.Irrespective of the place and time of the implementation, the increase in volume according to the invention brings about an increase in the number of rotations as well as an increase in the filling accuracy with the usual "height filling" or a Improvement of the appearance of the bottles with regard to the filling height in the case of a "custom filling". In addition, the alkali temperature and thus the cleaning effect can be increased without any adverse effects.

Die Durchführung der Volumensvergrößerung selbst erfolgt in vorteilhafter Weise durch die in den Ansprüchen 8 bis 18 angegebenen Maßnahmen. Diese lassen sich bei geringem Kostenaufwand hinsichtlich der entscheidenden Parameter gut beherrschen und einfach an das Flaschenmaterial anpassen. Insbesondere bei der Verwendung von Dampf ergibt sich noch der zusätzliche Effekt einer Sterilisation des Flascheninnenraums. Hierdurch kann die Haltbarkeit der abgefüllten Flüssigkeit wesentlich erhöht werden.The increase in volume itself is advantageously carried out by the measures specified in claims 8 to 18. These can be mastered at a low cost with regard to the decisive parameters and easily adapted to the bottle material. In particular when using steam, there is the additional effect of sterilizing the interior of the bottle. In this way, the shelf life of the filled liquid can be increased significantly.

Zweckmäßigerweise wird zwecks Schonung der Flaschen die Volumensvergrößerung nur bei denjenigen Flaschen vorgenommen, die durch Schrumpfen eine Inhaltseinbuße erlitten haben und es wird die Volumensvergrößerung derart beschränkt, daß das erzielte Volumen nicht über den Nenninhalt einer Flasche im Ursprungszustand hinausgeht.For the sake of protecting the bottles, the volume is expediently only increased for those bottles which have suffered a loss of content as a result of shrinkage, and the volume increase is restricted in such a way that the volume achieved does not exceed the nominal content of a bottle in its original state.

Die Erzeugung des Überdrucks im Flascheninneren kann mit dem Vorgang des Vorspannens der Flaschen unmittelbar vor dem Einleiten der Flüssigkeit zusammengelegt werden. Dadurch wird der Vorgang der Volumensvergrößerung sozusagen nahtlos mit dem eigentlichen Füllvorgang verbunden. Der zusätzliche Aufwand ist somit äußerst gering. Eine entsprechende Vorrichtung ist in den Ansprüchen 21 bis 24 angegeben.The generation of the excess pressure inside the bottle can be combined with the process of prestressing the bottles immediately before the liquid is introduced. As a result, the process of increasing the volume is seamlessly connected with the actual filling process, so to speak. The additional effort is therefore extremely low. A corresponding device is specified in claims 21 to 24.

Im Nachstehenden wird ein Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung anhand der Zeichnungen beschrieben. Es zeigen:

Fig. 1
die schematische Ansicht einer Vorrichtung zum Behandeln von Mehrwegflaschen während der Einleitung von Dampf
Fig. 2
die teilweise Ansicht der Vorrichtung nach Fig. 1 während der Einleitung von Druckgas.
In the following an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Show it:
Fig. 1
the schematic view of a device for treating reusable bottles during the introduction of steam
Fig. 2
the partial view of the device of FIG. 1 during the introduction of compressed gas.

Die Vorrichtung nach Fig. 1 weist ein Füllorgan 1 mit einem Gehäuse 14 auf, das seitlich am Kessel 15 einer nicht weiter gezeigten Rotations-Gegendruckfüllmaschine befestigt ist. Diese ist zum Füllen von PET-Mehrweg-Flaschen 16 - im Nachstehenden kurz Flaschen genannt -, mit einem Getränk eingerichtet. Im Gehäuse 14 sind von oben nach unten eine Zuleitung 4 für Sattdampf (angedeutet durch Punkte) mit einem Steuerventil 5, eine Zuleitung 6 für CO₂ unter einem Druck von 4 bar (angedeutet durch Kreuze) mit einem Steuerventil 7, eine Zuleitung 12 für das Getränk mit einem Ventil 13 und einem Stellmotor 17 sowie eine Ableitung 18 für das aus der Flasche 16 austretende Gas mit einem Steuerventil 19 ausgebildet bzw. angeordnet.The device according to FIG. 1 has a filling element 1 with a housing 14, which is attached laterally to the boiler 15 of a rotary counter-pressure filling machine, not shown any further. This is set up for filling PET reusable bottles 16 - hereinafter referred to as bottles - with a drink. In the housing 14 are a supply line 4 for saturated steam (indicated by dots) with a control valve 5, a supply line 6 for CO₂ under a pressure of 4 bar (indicated by crosses) with a control valve 7, a supply line 12 for the drink from top to bottom formed or arranged with a valve 13 and a servomotor 17 and a discharge line 18 for the gas emerging from the bottle 16 with a control valve 19.

Die Zuleitungen 4 und 6 sowie die Ableitung 18 sind unter Zwischenschaltung ihrer Steuerventile an das obere Ende eines Gasrohres 8 angeschlossen, das höhenbeweglich im Gehäuse 14 angeordnet und mit dem Stellmotor 17 verbunden ist. Das Gasrohr 8 ragt nach unten aus dem Gehäuse 14 heraus und trägt das Ventil 13 für das Getränk, das mit einem im Gehäuse 14 ausgebildeten Ventilsitz 22 zusammenwirkt. An diesen schließt sich eine Auslauföffnung 11 für das Getränk, die konzentrisch zum Gasrohr 8 liegt, an. Innerhalb des Gasrohres 8 sitzt eine Sonde 20, die auf die Füllhöhe in der Flasche 16 anspricht und zur Steuerung des Abfüllvorgangs dient. Unterhalb der Auslauföffnung 11 ist im Gehäuse 14 eine ringförmige Kammer 21 ausgebildet, in der ein Dichtring 2 höhenbeweglich angeordnet ist. Die Kammer 21 ist über einen Kanal 23 mit der Ableitung 18 verbunden.The feed lines 4 and 6 and the discharge line 18 are connected with the interposition of their control valves to the upper end of a gas pipe 8, which is arranged in a height-adjustable manner in the housing 14 and is connected to the servomotor 17. The gas pipe 8 protrudes downward from the housing 14 and carries the valve 13 for the beverage, which cooperates with a valve seat 22 formed in the housing 14. At this is followed by an outlet opening 11 for the beverage, which is concentric with the gas pipe 8. Inside the gas pipe 8 there is a probe 20 which responds to the fill level in the bottle 16 and serves to control the filling process. Underneath the outlet opening 11, an annular chamber 21 is formed in the housing 14, in which a sealing ring 2 is arranged so as to be vertically movable. The chamber 21 is connected to the discharge line 18 via a channel 23.

Befindet sich der Dichtring 2 in seiner unteren Endstellung, so ist die Verbindung zwischen der Kammer 21 und der Ableitung 18 über den Kanal 23 offen (siehe Fig. 1); nimmt der Dichtring 2 seine obere Endstellung ein, so ist die Verbindung unterbrochen (siehe Fig. 2).If the sealing ring 2 is in its lower end position, the connection between the chamber 21 and the discharge line 18 via the channel 23 is open (see FIG. 1); If the sealing ring 2 assumes its upper end position, the connection is interrupted (see FIG. 2).

Die Vorrichtung weist weiter eine Hubeinrichtung 3 für die zu behandelnden Flaschen 16 auf, bestehend aus einem Teller zur Abstützung des Flaschenbodens und einem nicht weiter gezeigten pneumatischen Hubzylinder und einer Steuerkurve. Statt eines Tellers zur Aufnahme des Flaschenbodens kann die Hubeinrichtung auch ein Einhakelement mit einer U-förmigen Ausnehmung aufweisen, welche unterhalb des Tragrings am Kopf der Flasche 16 angreift. Eine entsprechende Hubvorrichtung 3a ist in Fig. 2 angedeutet.The device also has a lifting device 3 for the bottles 16 to be treated, consisting of a plate for supporting the bottle base and a pneumatic lifting cylinder (not shown further) and a control cam. Instead of a plate for receiving the bottle bottom, the lifting device can also have a hooking element with a U-shaped recess, which engages below the support ring on the head of the bottle 16. A corresponding lifting device 3a is indicated in FIG. 2.

Die Betätigung der Steuerventile 5, 7, 19 und des Stellmotors 17 erfolgt durch eine Steuervorrichtung 9, an die auch die Sonde 20 angeschlossen ist. Ferner ist an die Steuervorrichtung 9 eine Meßvorrichtung 10 für die Flaschenhöhe und ggf. weitere Parameter, wie z.B. Dichtigkeit angeschlossen. Der Aufbau der Meßvorrichtung ist z.B. aus der deutschen Offenlegungsschrift 37 22 422 bekannt.The control valves 5, 7, 19 and the servomotor 17 are actuated by a control device 9, to which the probe 20 is also connected. Furthermore, a measuring device 10 for the bottle height and possibly other parameters such as tightness are connected to the control device 9. The structure of the measuring device is known for example from German Offenlegungsschrift 37 22 422.

Das mit der im Vorstehenden beschriebenen Vorrichtung durchführbare Verfahren zum Behandeln von Flaschen 16 läuft folgendermaßen ab:
Die von einer nicht gezeigten Reinigungsmaschine kommende, mittels heißer Lauge durch Weichen und Spritzen gesäuberte Flasche 16 wird als nächstes durch die Meßvorrichtung 10 höhenmäßig vermessen und auf Dichtigkeit geprüft. Der Meßwert für die Höhe wird an die Steuereinrichtung 9 weitergeleitet; der Meßwert für die Dichtigkeit wird in eine nicht gezeigte Sortiervorrichtung zum Ausscheiden undichter Flaschen 16 eingegeben.The method for treating bottles 16 which can be carried out with the device described above proceeds as follows:
The height of the bottle 16 coming from a cleaning machine, not shown, which is cleaned by hot soapy water by soaking and spraying, is next measured by the measuring device 10 and checked for leaks. The measured value for the height is forwarded to the control device 9; the measured value for the tightness is input into a sorting device (not shown) for separating leaky bottles 16.

Ist die Flasche 16 dicht, so wird sie an die Rotations-Gegendruckfüllmaschine weitergeleitet und dort durch eine Hubvorrichtung 3 an den in seiner unteren Endstellung befindlichen Dichtring 2 des zugehörigen Füllorgans 1 angedrückt. Wurde vorher durch die Meßvorrichtung 10 festgestellt, daß die betreffende Flasche 16 die standardmäßige Höhe und damit wohl auch das standardmäßige Volumen aufweist, also nicht geschrumpft ist, so bleibt das Steuerventil 5 geschlossen und es findet keine Dampfzufuhr statt. Statt dessen kann auch das Steuerventil 5 kurzzeitig, etwa 0,5 Sekunden, geöffnet werden, um einen allein der Sterilisierung des Flascheninneren dienenden kurzen Dampfstoß über die Zuleitung 4 und das Gasrohr 8 in die Flasche einzuleiten.If the bottle 16 is tight, it is passed on to the rotary counterpressure filling machine and there pressed by a lifting device 3 onto the sealing ring 2 of the associated filling element 1 located in its lower end position. If it has previously been determined by the measuring device 10 that the bottle 16 in question has the standard height and therefore probably also the standard volume, that is to say has not shrunk, the control valve 5 remains closed and there is no steam supply. Instead, the control valve 5 can also be opened briefly, for about 0.5 seconds, in order to introduce a short burst of steam, which is used only for sterilizing the inside of the bottle, via the feed line 4 and the gas pipe 8 into the bottle.

Wurde vorher durch die Meßvorrichtung 10 festgestellt, daß die Flasche 16 niedriger ist als vorgeschrieben, so wird in Abhängigkeit von der gemessenen Höhendifferenz über die Steuervorrichtung 9 das Steuerventil 5 entsprechend geöffnet, beispielsweise in einem Bereich von einer bis zu drei Sekunden. Durch den hierbei über die Zuleitung 4 und das Gasrohr 8 in die Flasche 16 einströmenden und über die Ringkammer 21, den Kanal 23 und die Ableitung 18 wieder ausströmenden Sattdampf wird die innere Oberfläche der Flasche 16 und teilweise auch die Wandung ausreichend erwärmt, um anschließend eine Verformung der Flasche 16 zu ermöglichen. Direkt an der Oberfläche beträgt die Temperatur ca. 100 Grad Celsius, im Inneren der Wandung entsprechend weniger. Molekulare Veränderungen finden hierbei nicht statt und eine nachfolgende Überdehnung des Flaschenmaterials ist nicht möglich. Während des Dämpfens tritt in der Flasche eine leichte Druckerhöhung auf ca. 1,2 Bar auf, bedingt durch den Strömungswiderstand für den Dampf. Dieser Innendruck reicht jedoch nicht für eine bleibende Verformung der Flasche 16 aus.If it has previously been determined by the measuring device 10 that the bottle 16 is lower than prescribed, then depending on the measured height difference, the control valve 5 is opened accordingly via the control device 9, for example in a range of one to three seconds. Due to the saturated steam flowing in via the feed line 4 and the gas pipe 8 into the bottle 16 and flowing out again via the annular chamber 21, the channel 23 and the discharge line 18, the inner surface of the bottle 16 and partly also the wall is heated sufficiently to subsequently have a To allow deformation of the bottle 16. Directly on the surface, the temperature is approx. 100 degrees Celsius, correspondingly less inside the wall. Molecular changes do not take place here and a subsequent stretching of the bottle material is not possible. During steaming, there is a slight increase in pressure in the bottle to approx. 1.2 bar, due to the flow resistance for the steam. However, this internal pressure is not sufficient for permanent deformation of the bottle 16.

Nach dem Schließen des Steuerventils 5 für den Dampf wird das bisher geschlossene Steuerventil 7 für CO₂ geöffnet. Daraufhin strömt über die Zuleitung 6 und das Gasrohr 8 Kohlensäure mit einem Druck von 4 Bar ins Innere der Flasche 16 und spült den Dampf über die Ringkammer 21, den Kanal 23 und die Ableitung 18 ins Freie, zusammen mit evtl. in der Flasche angesammeltem Kondensat. Daraufhin wird bei weiter geöffnetem Steuerventil 7 die Flasche 16 durch die Hubvorrichtung 3 weiter angehoben, bis der Dichtring 2 seine in Fig. 2 gezeigte obere Endstellung einnimmt. Nun baut sich in der Flasche 16 entsprechend dem Druck des CO₂ ein Innendruck von 4 Bar auf. Durch diesen Druck, der in Fig. 2 durch Pfeile angedeutet ist, wird die noch warme Flaschenwandung etwa im Sinne einer Volumensvergrößerung nach außen bleibend verformt. Die Wärmezufuhr durch den Dampf und die Innendruckerhöhung durch das CO₂ sind derart abgestimmt, daß das Flaschenvolumen nicht über das ursprüngliche Nennvolumen hinausgeht, die Flasche 16 also nicht überdehnt wird.After closing the control valve 5 for the steam, the previously closed control valve 7 for CO₂ is opened. Thereupon, carbon dioxide flows with a pressure of 4 bar into the inside of the bottle 16 via the feed line 6 and the gas pipe 8 and flushes the steam through the annular chamber 21, the channel 23 and the discharge line 18 into the open, together with any condensate that may have accumulated in the bottle . Then, when the control valve 7 is opened further, the bottle 16 is raised further by the lifting device 3 until the sealing ring 2 assumes its upper end position shown in FIG. 2. Now builds up in the bottle 16 according to the pressure of the CO₂ an internal pressure of 4 bar. As a result of this pressure, which is indicated by arrows in FIG. 2, the still warm bottle wall is permanently deformed outward in the sense of an increase in volume. The heat supply by the steam and the increase in internal pressure by the CO₂ are coordinated such that the bottle volume does not exceed the original nominal volume, so the bottle 16 is not overstretched.

Schließlich kann durch Öffnen des Flüssigkeitsventils 13 über den Stellmotor 17 das abzufüllende Getränk in die Flasche 16 eingeleitet werden, wobei das vorher zur Verformung der Flasche dienende CO₂ nunmehr in der üblichen Weise als Spanngas dient. Der Füllvorgang wird mit Hilfe der Sonde 20 durch die Steuervorrichtung 9 gesteuert, wobei durch Öffnen des Steuerventils 19 das verdrängte CO₂ ins Freie entweichen kann.Finally, by opening the liquid valve 13 via the servomotor 17, the beverage to be filled can be introduced into the bottle 16, the CO₂ previously used to deform the bottle now serving in the usual manner as a span gas. The filling process is controlled with the aid of the probe 20 by the control device 9, wherein the displaced CO₂ can escape into the open by opening the control valve 19.

Die mit dem im vorstehenden beschriebenen Verfahren erzielbare Volumensvergrößerung beträgt bei einer üblichen Mehrweg-PET-Flasche mit einem Nenninhalt von 1,5 Litern um die 3 Milliliter. Diese Volumensvergrößerung reicht aus, um die Schrumpfung beim Reinigen der Flasche zu kompensieren. Ist keine Meßvorrichtung 10 vorhanden, so wird das Steuerventil 5 für alle Flaschen 16 gleich lang für eine mittlere Zeitdauer von z.B. 1,5 Sek. geöffnet.The increase in volume that can be achieved with the method described above is around 3 milliliters for a conventional reusable PET bottle with a nominal content of 1.5 liters. This increase in volume is sufficient to compensate for the shrinkage when cleaning the bottle. If there is no measuring device 10, the control valve 5 for all bottles 16 is of the same length for a mean period of e.g. Open for 1.5 seconds.

Claims (24)

  1. Process for the treatment of reusable bottles made of plastic, characterised in that the bottles are subjected to a plastic increase in volume before filling them with a beverage or similar and that the increase in volume occurs by means of a combined heat-pressure treatment.
  2. Process according to claim 1, characterised in that the bottles are measured in terms of their volume and/or dimensions and then the volume increase is controlled according to the measured values for a batch of bottles or individually for every bottle.
  3. Process according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the volume increase takes place immediately before the bottles are filled with a beverage or similar.
  4. Process according to any of the claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the volume increase occurs after the bottles are cleaned with hot lye solution.
  5. Process according to claim 3 and 4, characterised in that the volume increase occurs inside a filling plant for reusable bottles.
  6. Process according to claim 5 , characterised in that the volume increase takes place when the bottles are on the way from a cleaning machine to a filling machine.
  7. Process according to claim 5, characterised in that the volume increase occurs within a filling machine.
  8. Process according to any of the claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the volume increase occurs by action of heat on the bottle material and by the generation of an excess pressure in the bottle interior.
  9. Process according to claim 8, characterised in that the action of heat and the generation of an excess pressure occur simultaneously.
  10. Process according to claim 9, characterised in that the bottles are acted upon in their interior by a hot gas under pressure.
  11. Process according to claim 10, characterised in that steam is introduced into the bottles.
  12. Process according to claim 8, characterised in that the action of heat and the generation of an excess pressure occur one after the other.
  13. Process according to claim 12, characterised in that the bottles are first acted upon in their interior by a hot gas and after that by another gas under pressure.
  14. Process according to claim 13, characterised in that the hot gas is removed from the interior of the bottles before the introduction of the pressurised gas.
  15. Process according to any of the claims 10 to 14, characterised in that the bottles are sealed with respect to the atmosphere in the region of their mouth at the latest when they are acted on by pressurised gas.
  16. Process according to any of the claims 13 to 15, characterised in that steam is used as the hot gas and air or an inert gas or a mixture of air and an inert gas is used as the pressurised gas.
  17. Process according to claim 16, characterised in that carbon dioxide is used as the inert gas.
  18. Process according to any of the claims 13 to 17, characterised in that the pressurised gas is supplied with a pressure corresponding to the tensioning pressure during filling and that after the generation of the excess pressure in the bottle interiors, the liquid to be filled is introduced into the bottle with displacement of the pressurised gas.
  19. Process according to any of the claims 1 to 18, characterised in that the volume increase is carried out only with bottles which have suffered a capacity reduction as a result of shrinkage.
  20. Process according to any of the claims 1 to 19, characterised in that the volume increase is limited in such a way that the bottle capacity does not exceed the nominal capacity.
  21. Device for the treatment of reusable bottles made of plastic with a filling apparatus (1) with a seal (2) for the mouth of the bottle and a lifting device (3, 3a) pressing the bottles on to the latter, the filling apparatus (1) comprising a supply line (4) for a hot gas with a control valve (5) and a supply line (6) for a pressurised gas with a control valve (7), for carrying out the process according to claim 1, characterised in that the control valves (5, 7) are connected to a control device (9) with which the intensity of the action of the hot gas and/or the pressurised gas for increasing the volume of the bottles is controlled.
  22. Device according to claim 21, characterised in that the filling apparatus (1) comprises a gas tube (8) which can be introduced into the bottle and to which the supply line (4) for the hot gas and the supply line (6) for the pressurised gas are connected.
  23. Device according to claim 21 or 22, characterised in that the control device (9) for the control valve (5) for the hot gas is connected to a measuring device (10) for the volume and/or at least one dimension of a bottle and the action time of the hot gas is controlled as a function of the measured values.
  24. Device according to any of the claims 21 to 23, characterised in that the filling apparatus (1) comprises an outlet opening (11) for the liquid to be filled to which a supply line (12) for the liquid to be filled with a control valve (13) is connected.
EP92112875A 1991-08-16 1992-07-28 Method and device for treating refundable plastic bottles Expired - Lifetime EP0528217B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE4126951A DE4126951A1 (en) 1991-08-16 1991-08-16 METHOD AND DEVICE FOR TREATING MULTIPLE-WAY BOTTLES OF PLASTIC
DE4126951 1991-08-16

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0528217A1 EP0528217A1 (en) 1993-02-24
EP0528217B1 true EP0528217B1 (en) 1995-11-02

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP92112875A Expired - Lifetime EP0528217B1 (en) 1991-08-16 1992-07-28 Method and device for treating refundable plastic bottles

Country Status (6)

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US (1) US5320144A (en)
EP (1) EP0528217B1 (en)
JP (1) JPH05193696A (en)
BR (1) BR9203159A (en)
CA (1) CA2076172A1 (en)
DE (2) DE4126951A1 (en)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE9311427U1 (en) * 1993-07-31 1994-09-08 Kronseder Maschf Krones Device for filling vessels with a liquid
FR2766473B1 (en) * 1997-07-22 1999-09-17 Sidel Sa PROCESS FOR FILLING CONTAINERS, AND INSTALLATION FOR IMPLEMENTING
DE10242509B4 (en) * 2002-09-12 2008-03-27 Krones Ag Method and device for regenerating returned returnable plastic bottles
FR2848203B1 (en) * 2002-12-04 2005-07-29 Sidel Sa METHOD AND INSTALLATION FOR REGULATING THE FILLING OF A CONTAINER WITH A LIQUID
US7963302B2 (en) * 2006-09-26 2011-06-21 Emhart Glass S.A. Machine for testing container capacity
ATE544724T1 (en) * 2006-11-29 2012-02-15 Sidel Internat Ag FILLING VALVE ASSEMBLY
DE102011120164A1 (en) * 2011-12-06 2013-06-06 Khs Gmbh Filling element and filling system
BR112014026783B1 (en) 2012-04-30 2020-12-15 Ge Healthcare As PROCESS TO PREPARE A CONTAINER FILLED WITH A COMPOSITION
FR3014352B1 (en) 2013-12-09 2016-01-22 Sidel Participations HOLLOW BODY SERIES PROCESSING DEVICE HAVING A SLIDING PROCESSING ROD CONTROLLED BY AN ELECTRIC ACTUATOR AND PROCESSING METHOD
DE102014104872A1 (en) * 2014-04-04 2015-10-08 Krones Ag Method and device for filling a container to be filled with a filling product
AT515905B1 (en) * 2014-11-13 2016-01-15 Grünewald Fruchtsaft Gmbh Sterile filling or rinsing device
CA2982596A1 (en) * 2015-03-23 2016-09-29 Francis X. Tansey, Jr. Fluid filling station

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WO1991018823A1 (en) * 1990-06-06 1991-12-12 Krones Ag, Hermann Kronseder Maschinenfabrik Process and device for sterile bottling of beverages

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US3578038A (en) * 1967-09-15 1971-05-11 Federal Mfg Co Receptacle filling method
US3674060A (en) * 1970-12-14 1972-07-04 Continental Can Co Apparatus for filling and adjusting the contents level in flexible containers
US3973603A (en) * 1974-06-18 1976-08-10 Franz Henry H Control for filling flexible bottles or containers
DE3809852A1 (en) * 1988-03-24 1989-10-05 Seitz Enzinger Noll Masch METHOD FOR ASEPTIC OR STERILE FILLING OF LIQUID FILLING MATERIAL IN CONTAINERS AND DEVICE FOR CARRYING OUT THIS PROCESS
US4956033A (en) * 1989-05-22 1990-09-11 Norman R. Martin Process for reclaiming plastic containers
DE3927489A1 (en) * 1989-08-21 1991-02-28 Alfill Getraenketechnik DEVICE FOR FILLING CONTAINERS

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WO1991018823A1 (en) * 1990-06-06 1991-12-12 Krones Ag, Hermann Kronseder Maschinenfabrik Process and device for sterile bottling of beverages

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0528217A1 (en) 1993-02-24
JPH05193696A (en) 1993-08-03
DE59204183D1 (en) 1995-12-07
DE4126951A1 (en) 1993-02-18
BR9203159A (en) 1993-03-30
US5320144A (en) 1994-06-14
CA2076172A1 (en) 1993-02-17

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