EP2300352A1

EP2300352A1 - Closing machine

Info

Publication number: EP2300352A1
Application number: EP09757206A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Timo Jakob
Original assignee: KHS GmbH
Current assignee: KHS GmbH
Priority date: 2008-06-04
Filing date: 2009-05-27
Publication date: 2011-03-30
Anticipated expiration: 2029-05-27
Also published as: EP2300352B1; PL2300352T3; DE102008026632A1; SI2300352T1; US20110072762A1; US9745183B2; WO2009146823A1

Abstract

Closing machine for closing bottles or similar containers (2) using closures (3, 3a), having a plurality of closing stations (11) which each have a closing tool (12, 14) and a container carrier and are formed on the circumference of a rotor (4), which can be driven in circulation around a vertical machine axis (MA), wherein the rotor (4) has formed on it, in the region of the closing stations (11), a sterile chamber (5) which is bounded in the direction of the surroundings by walls or wall portions (6, 7, 8, 9) and into which the containers (2), which are retained in a hanging state on the container carriers, extend by way of their container mouth (2.1) which is to be closed, and wherein the respective closing tool (12, 14) extends into the sterile chamber (5) merely by way of a part which interacts with the container (2) which is to be closed and/or with the closure (3, 3a), all the rest of its functional elements being arranged outside the sterile chamber (5).

Description

sealing

The invention relates to a capping machine according to the preamble of claim 1.

Installations for the sterile, in particular also for cold aseptic filling of bottles or similar containers with a liquid medium, for example with a perishable filling material, such as. Dairy products, as well as for the subsequent likewise sterile or cold aseptic sealing of the containers are known. The bottles or containers are in this case already moved in the task to the filling machine, during filling, in the forwarding of the filling machine to a subsequent capping machine and during the closing in a sterile room, the current system, i. When filling and closing with a sterile gaseous and / or vaporous medium is applied and / or flowed through and from time to time, i. is treated within a given cleaning and disinfection cycles or intervals with a cleaning and / or disinfecting and / or sterilizing medium.

A disadvantage of known systems, that in particular in the respective capping machine, the entire equipment of this machine and thereby specifically provided on the Verschließpositionen closing tools are arranged in total in the sterile room, resulting in an expensive training of these closing tools at least on their outer surfaces and / or areas, among others from a also against the cleaning and disinfecting agents corrosion resistant material, for example made of stainless steel required. Furthermore, the sealing tools on their outer surface functionally recesses, slots, notches, etc., where germs may preferentially settle, so far this also due to the time and by the amount of the required cleaning and disinfecting consuming cleaning and / or disinfection of the sterile space in the area of the sealing machine is necessary.

The object of the invention is to show a capping machine, which is particularly suitable for use in a system for sterile and especially for the cold aseptic filling of products in bottles or similar containers and for sterile sealing of these containers, while the above Disadvantages avoids, ie with reduced risk of contamination, a significant reduction in the cleaning and / or sterilization and / or disinfecting the sterile space required means or chemicals.

To solve this problem, a capping machine according to the patent claim 1 is formed. Further developments, advantages and applications of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the figures. In this case, all described and / or illustrated features alone or in any combination are fundamentally the subject of the invention, regardless of their summary in the claims or their dependency. Also, the content of the claims is made an integral part of the description.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to Figures 1 and 2, each in a simplified representation and in partial section a sealing machine rotating design in the field of sterile room.

The capping machine generally designated 1 in Figure 1 is used in its embodiment shown in this figure for closing bottles 2, for example of plastic bottles with on these bottles or on the bottle mouth 2.1 by welding or sealing, ie heat fastenable fasteners. 3 for example in the form of films. For this purpose, the closing machine 1 consists of a rotatably driven about a vertical machine axis MA rotor 4, on the circumference of a machine axis MA concentrically enclosing ring-channel-like sterile space 5 is provided, which is limited by several wall sections to the environment, namely in the illustrated embodiment by an upper wall portion 6, a lower wall portion 7, by a radially inner annular wall portion 8 and outer wall portions 9. By an opening provided between the wall sections 6 and 7 intermediate wall 10 of the space 5 in an upper subspace 5.1 and subdivided a lower subspace 5.2. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper wall portion 6, the inner annular wall portion 8, the intermediate wall 10 and the portion 7.1 of the lower wall portion 7 on the rotor 4 and thus provided with this circumferentially. The outer wall sections 9 as well as the partial section 7.2 of the wall section 7 are not circumferentially fixed to the rotor 4 on a machine frame of the closing machine 1. For closing the bottles 2 with the closures 3, several casting stations 11 are further formed on the circumference of the rotor 4, of which only one is shown in the figure 1 and are provided distributed at equal angular intervals about the axis MA. Each closing station 11 consists of a closing tool in the form of an induction welding head 12, of which in FIG. 1 only the inductively heated induction punch 12.1 reaching into the space 5 or into the two subspaces 5.1 and 5.2 is shown. The latter is passed through an opening 6.1 in the upper wall section 6 and, according to the double arrow A, movable in its punch axis or in a vertical axis parallel to the machine axis MA between an upper starting position and a lowered working position, in which the induction punch 12.1 with its lower Stamped surface on the respective closure 3 pressed against the mouth opening 2.1 of the provided on the closing station 11, closing bottles 2 and thereby connects the closure 3 by sealing or welding with the respective bottle 2.

With an existing of a suitable material, such as Teflon bellows-type seal 13, the passage of the induction punch 12 is sealed by the wall portion 6. The induction punch 12, which extends through an opening 10.1 in the intermediate wall 10 with its lower end in the subspace 5.2, is made with the smoothest possible outer surface of a suitable, heat-conductive but corrosion-resistant material, for example made of stainless steel, for example as a passive, Heat conducting component. All other functional elements of the induction welding head 12, such as the lifting and lowering elements, for heating the induction punch 12.1, etc., are located above the wall section 6 outside the sterile room 5.

Below the induction punch 12, each closing station 11 is provided with a container carrier, which is formed by an opening in the section 7.1 and on which the respective bottle 2 is suspended from a mouth flange 2.2 formed below the mouth of the bottle 2.1 such that it only extends into the space 5 and in particular into the subspace 5.2 with its mouth region above the mouth flange 2.2.

During operation of the capping machine, ie for aseptic sealing of the bottles 2, the space 5 is acted upon or rinsed with a suitable gas and / or vapor, the sterility of this space sure-adjusting medium, for example with sterile air. This medium is eg the lower subspace 5.2 and leaves the sterile room 5 at least partially to the upper subspace 5.1.

For closing, the bottles 2 are each transferred individually to the capping stations 11 at a loading position, so that they are suspended from their mouth flange 2.2 in the manner described with the bottle mouth 2.1 in the compartment 5.2 for closing with the closures 3 are arranged. The sealed bottles are removed from the closing stations 11 each at a container outlet.

The special advantage of the closing machine 1 or the closing stations 11 is that in the sterile room 5 only the induction stamps 12.1, which are made smooth on their surfaces and do not have any recesses, undercuts or the like which favor germination, are arranged that the entire space 5 can be kept germ-free with a considerably reduced effort, in particular also by increasing the time interval between cleaning and / or sterilization cycles, with a shorter cycle time and with reduced use of cleaning and / or sterilizing agents.

2 shows the capping machine 1 for closing the bottles 2 with cap-like rotary or screw caps 13. For this purpose, the individual closing stations 11 are each equipped with a screw capper 14, which has the construction known in the art and u.a. consists of a drive 14.1, an elongated and closed capping head 14.2 receiving a spindle or shaft and a closing cone or closing element 14.3 provided at the lower end of the closing head 14.2 and connected to the spindle. In this embodiment shown in Figure 2, each Schrauverschließer 14 extends only with a partial length of its smooth on the outer surface and circular cylindrical closure head 14.2 through the wall section 6 in the sterile room 5 and thereby also through the partition wall 10 into the lower portion 5.2 into it, so the closure element 14.3 cooperating with the turning or screw caps 3a is arranged in this subregion 5.2.

The passage of the capping head 14.2 through the wall portion 6 is in turn sealed by the bellows seal 13. For closing the bottles 2 with the twist or screw caps 3a are the screw capper 14 in the vertical direction movable up and down (arrow A) and rotatably provided on the closing head 14.2 provided Verschließelemente 14.3.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 also has the advantage that only such functional elements of the screw capper 14 are arranged inside the sterile chamber 5 and, in particular, within the compartment 5.2, that at least a largely smooth and easy to clean and have to be sterilized outer surface, while other, difficult to clean and sterilized functional elements, such as the drive 14.1 as well as the functional elements for raising and lowering the screw capper 14 are provided completely outside the space 5.

The capping machine 1 is for example part of a system for sterile, for example cold aseptic filling of a liquid filling material in the bottles 2 or in other containers and for closing the bottles 2 with the closures 3 and 3a, the bottles 2 before filling, during filling and closing as well as on the entire transport path between the filling machine and the closing machine constantly at least with their mouth opening 2.1 having mouth area are moved in a sterile room.

Of course, the closing machine 1 is not only suitable for closing the bottles 2, but also for closing other containers.

The invention has been described above by embodiments. It is understood that changes and modifications are possible without thereby departing from the inventive concept underlying the invention.

Thus, it is for example possible to use other types of Verschließwerkzeugen in the same or similar manner on the capping machine 1 and to the local Verschließerstationen 11, for example, closing tools for attaching cap-like closures to bottles by placing and permanent mechanical deformation of the When using such closing tools only functional elements in the interior of the room 5 and the subspaces are arranged 5.1 and 5.2, which interact directly with the closures, while other functional elements, such as difficult to clean and / or sterilized functional elements such as drives and / or lifting devices for raising and lowering the respective closing tool etc. are provided outside the space 5. Furthermore, it is possible to use instead of an induction welding head 12 for welding or sealing the closures 3 with the opening edge 2.1 of the bottles 2 and a closing tool, with the fixing or welding of the respective closure 3 with the bottles 2 in another way takes place, for example, by ultrasonic energy and / or with appropriate design of the closures 3 by microwave energy.

It was mentioned above that instead of the induction welding heads 12 and screwdriver closer 14, other closing tools can be used. However, the inventive design of the closing machine is particularly advantageous when using such Verschließwerkzeuge in which the reaching into the space 5 part of Verschließwerkzeuges is a purely passive component, which as a molded part with a corrosion-resistant, smooth surface, free of undercuts, notches, joints , Recesses, etc., can be easily cleaned and sterilized. A passive component in this sense is the induction punch 12.1, such as, for example, in a working with ultrasound closing tool a ultrasonic energy on the closure 3 and the bottle opening or mouth 2.1 transmitted stamp-like tool.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 closing machine

2 bottle

2.1 bottle mouth

2.2 Mouth flange 3, 3a closure

4 rotor

5 sterile room 5.1, 5.2 subspace

6, 7, 8, 9 wall section

7.1, 7.2 subsection of the wall section 7

10 partition 10.1 opening

11 capping station

12 induction welding head 12.1 induction punch

13 bellows seal

14 screw cappers

14.1 drive

14.2 cylindrical capper head

14.3 Closing cone or closing element A Lifting movement of the closing tool MA vertical machine axis

Claims

claims

1. Closing machine for closing bottles or similar containers (2) with closures (3, 3a), with a plurality of closing stations (11) formed on the circumference of a rotor (4) which can be driven circumferentially about a vertical machine axis (MA), each having a closing tool (12 , 14) and a container carrier, characterized in that on the rotor (4) in the region of Verschließstationen (11) by walls or wall sections (6, 7, 8, 9) to the environment limited sterile space (5) is formed in in which the containers (2) held suspended on the container carriers extend with their container mouth (2.1) to be closed, and that the respective closing tool (12, 14) is provided only with a container (2) to be closed and / or with the closure (3 , 3a) extends co-operative part in the sterile room (5) and is arranged with all other functional elements outside the sterile room (5).

2. Closing machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the closing tools each have a lifting device for raising and lowering the Verschließwerkzeugs (12, 14), and that this lifting device outside the sterile room (5) is arranged.

3. Closing machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the

Closing tools (14) are screw capper (14) with at least one rotary drive and that this rotary drive outside the sterile room (5) is arranged.

4. Closing machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the screw capper (14) extends with a portion (14.2) in the sterile space (5), on which a with the closures (3a) cooperating Verschließkonus (14.3) is provided.

5. Sealing machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closing tools (12) for applying the closures (3) to the container (2) are formed by welding or sealing and only with a punch-like portion (12.1) in the sterile Extend the space (5).

6. Closing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the stamp-like portion (12.1) is a passive component or molded part, for example from a heat well conductive material, for example, from a metallic material.

Closing machine according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that a means generating the welding or sealing energy, e.g. a heater, such as an induction heater of the Verschließwerkuges outside the sterile room (5) is arranged.

8. Closing machine according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an upper, the sterile room (5) limiting wall portion (6) at each capping station (11) has an opening (6.1) for performing the with the closures (3, 3a) together acting part of the respective closing tool (12, 14).

9. Closing machine according to claim 8, characterized by seals (13), preferably by bellows seals (13) for sealing the opening (6.1) in the region of the closing tool (12, 14).

10. Closing machine according to claim 9, characterized in that the seal (13) within the sterile space (5) is arranged.