EP2504244B1 - Device for aseptic or sterile treatment of packaging elements - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

"Packaging" in the context of the invention are all suitable for the packaging of products packaging, especially those for packaging of liquid products or food, such as bottles, cans or the same container.

"Treating" means in the context of the invention in the simplest case, the transporting of the packaging, but also the cleaning and / or sterilization of the packaging, the filling of the packaging with the respective contents or product and the closing of the filled packaging.

"Mechanical fasteners" are in the context of the invention u.a. Screws, nuts, bolts and rivets.

Are known filling and sealing machines or units for aseptic or sterile filling or closing of packaging in the form of bottles or similar containers, for example, for filling of packaging with drinks, with dairy or dairy products and subsequent sealing. For the aseptic treatment, the packaging means are accommodated in a sterile interior of a sterile housing or housing at least with a partial area having the packaging means opening and are moved during treatment within this sterile interior.

The interior (sterile space) of the housing is flowed through with a flow of a sterile gaseous and vaporous medium, preferably with a flow of sterile air, namely against the transport direction of the packaging or in the transport direction of the packaging, in each case in the direction of a packaging material inlet and to a packaging spout, so as to prevent the ingress of ambient air into the interior of the Elnhausung. The more trouble-free the gas and / or vaporous sterile medium can flow through the interior of the enclosure, the higher the security against contamination or recontamination of the sterile interior by germs from the environment.

It is required that the interior of the enclosure is as small as possible and free of gaps, corners, edges, protrusions, etc., so that it u.a. Alone due to these requirements in the housings of known devices is usually complex structures. These are usually designed as a large-volume or -formatige, self-supporting welded construction, which make an alignment and / or machining at least at connection and connection areas required after welding. This is the only way to achieve the Maßhaltigkelt for each enclosure or its subsections or elements, which is particularly necessary if the housing from a moving with the conveyor of the device portion or portion and from a not moving with the conveyor stationary section or portion exists and seals are provided between these sections or sub-areas. For this alignment and reworking of the large-sized welded structures corresponding production machines are required in the same order of magnitude. Furthermore, caused by the large-sized welded constructions of well-known housings high costs and tolerance problems even for positiongenae parts, since large-scale constructions and in particular large-sized welded constructions complicate compliance with necessary tolerances in size, position and location considerably.

With regard to the hygienic design, known housings also have considerable disadvantages, since due to the self-supporting design of these enclosures or their subregions, a design in particular also of the housing interior surfaces strictly according to hygienic design criteria, i. From a hygienic point of view is often not possible in this respect but in any case significant compromises must be made. For example, in known enclosures, the flow of the sterile vapor and / or gaseous medium, for example the sterile air in the interior of the enclosure in many areas disturbed, u.a. by in the interior of the housing projecting force and / or moments receiving components of the self-supporting executed housing.

Also known are enclosures in the form of complete, bolted and self-supporting structures. Disadvantages are also unavoidable in these enclosures, in particular with regard to the hygienic design of the interior and the inner surface of the enclosure which delimits this interior space.

An apparatus with the features of the preamble is known ( WO 2009/009681 A1 ). In the known apparatus, the wall structure of the enclosure separating the interior of the enclosure from the environment and provided on the apparatus frame or frame is supported by a supporting structure consisting of a plurality of supports fixed to the apparatus frame or frame. On the girders, the interior of the enclosure are provided detachable from the environment separating wall elements.

Also known are siphon seals ( EP 1 821 010 A1 ) at the transition between the wall structure fixedly connected to the device frame or frame and the wall structure of an enclosure which is moved along with the conveyor or rotor. *

The object of the invention is to provide a device which avoids the aforementioned Nachtelle and which can be optimally designed on the inside of its interior with respect to hygienic requirements, regardless of static and / or dynamic requirements in terms of the absorption of forces and moments. To solve this problem, a device according to the patent claim 1 is formed.

In the invention, at least a portion of the housing is designed so that at this portion of the supporting or force and moments absorbing function of the interior of the enclosure to the environment final function are separated, ie the relevant section of this enclosure from an outer, supporting and / or forces and moments receiving structure and of a load or forces and moments free wall structure which is held on the supporting structure, preferably suspended. In this case, the supporting structure is realized by connecting the individual components or functional elements forming this structure and / or by connecting the supporting structure to a device frame using mechanical connecting elements, for example using bolts and / or screws, while those of metal or steel plates, for example formed wall structure preferably by welding and thereby preferably by butt welding or to form dense, but not loaded Welds, preferably I-welds made of wall elements and inserted into the outer, supporting structure and secured thereto.

By connecting the individual components of the supporting structure with each other as well as with the device frame via mechanical connecting elements, it is possible to measure these individual components accurately as relatively small-sized components, i. inexpensive to prefabricate with low tolerances and rework on the connecting sections or surfaces, for example by machining, so that the realization of the supporting structure or structure with high dimensional accuracy and reduced assembly and manufacturing costs is possible. In the fully assembled, the dimensional stability of the Elnhausung or the relevant subsection of the Elnhausung determining load-bearing structure, the individual components or wall sections forming the wall structure are used and connected via the dense welds with each other and with the supporting structure and / or with the machine frame.

Preferably, edges or webs are prepared on the supporting structure and / or on the device frame, on which the wall elements or sheets forming the wall structure are then welded over the dense welds, preferably over the I-welds.

Since the welds between the individual components of the wall structure, but also between the wall structure and the supporting structure and / or the device frame have only sealing function, but not serve to transmit forces and moments, this weld or its seam geometry can despite a complex and massive Training the supporting structure considerably simplified and executed so that the heat input during welding in the enclosure is significantly reduced overall. This also contributes significantly to the fact that the welds are preferably designed as I-welds, along components that preferably each have the same material thickness and of the wall structure forming wall elements or sheets as well as on the supporting structure and / or on the Device frame prepared welding edges or webs are formed.

A machining of large-sized welded structures is omitted, although the supporting structure and / or their individual components have connecting surfaces, which is in a positionally accurate attachment.

The wall structure or its wall elements or individual elements can be simplified as sheet metal elements or segments and / or produced separately in an easily handled format, for example by laser cutting and bending. The individual components of the wall structure are then tightly connected to each other only by the tightness of the guaranteeing welds. The surface quality, in particular also required from a hygienic point of view, in particular also on the inner surface of the enclosure, is thereby considerably improved or is possible with considerably reduced expenditure.

Since the load-bearing structure is located on the outside of the housing, and preferably at a distance from the wall structure, in particular, the bottom of the housing is completely free of projections, edges, etc., not only for the flow of sterile gas and / or form disturbing vaporous medium, but also form areas that are difficult to access from a liquid and / or gas and / or vapor cleaning and / or Sterilisationsmedlum with which the housing, for example, periodically cleaned and / or sterilized.

Furthermore, due to the absence of projections, edges, etc. on the floor area of the enclosure, free flow of liquids of any kind is ensured, and the floor area of the enclosure can also be viewed at any time and can therefore be checked visually for cleanliness.

With circular formation of the transport path for the packaging, i. in particular when the transporter is designed as a rotor revolving around a vertical machine axis, the housing is designed like an annular channel which has a constant or at least largely constant cross section and thus enables low-noise guidance of the sterile gas and / or vapor medium, for example sterile air ,

The supporting structure or construction as well as the wall structure or construction are realized using corrosion-resistant steel or stainless steel.

Further developments, advantages and possible applications of the invention are also apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the figures.

Fig. 1

einen Teilschnitt durch einen Rotor sowie durch angrenzende Teile des Maschinenrahmens einer Maschine oder Vorrichtung zum Behandeln von Behältern in einem von einer Einhausung gebildeten sterilen Innenraum, und zwar in Form einer Füllmaschine zum aseptischen Füllen der Behälter;

Fig. 2

in Teildarstellung eine Draufsicht auf die Maschine der Figur 1;

Fig. 3 und 4

jeweils in vergrößerter Teildarstellung Schweißverbindungen zwischen der Kräfte und Momente aufnehmenden tragenden Struktur und der von Belastungen bzw. Kräften und Momenten freien, zumindest aber im Wesentlichen freien Wandstruktur der Einhausung.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures of an embodiment. Show it:

Fig. 1

a partial section through a rotor and through adjacent parts of the machine frame of a machine or apparatus for treating containers in a housing formed by a housing sterile interior, in the form of a filling machine for aseptically filling the container;

Fig. 2

in partial view a plan view of the machine FIG. 1 ;

3 and 4

each in an enlarged partial representation of welded joints between the forces and moments receiving supporting structure and free of loads or forces and moments, but at least substantially free wall structure of the enclosure.

In the figures, 1 is a container treatment machine or device in the form of a filling machine of rotary type for the aseptic filling of bottles 2 or other containers in a sterile interior 3 with a liquid product or beverage, for example in the form of a dairy or dairy product. The treatment machine 1 includes i.a. a rotatably mounted on a machine position 4 about a vertical machine axis MA rotor 5, which is circumferentially driven around this machine axis MA and on the disk-like peripheral region 5.1 a plurality of treatment or filling positions 6 is formed, each consisting of a fixed to the peripheral region 5.1 Filling element 7 and from a container carrier 8. At this the respective bottle 2 is held suspended with a muzzle flange formed below the bottle mouth 2.1, in such a way that it is with its bottle mouth 2.1 below a discharge opening of the filling element 7. The filling of the respective bottle 2 takes place in the manner known to those skilled by controlled opening and closing of a provided in the filling element 7 liquid valve, so that the liquid product flows with the liquid valve open the respective bottle 2 through the bottle mouth 2.1.

During the entire duration of the treatment, ie at least during the entire filling process, the bottles 2 are constantly accommodated in the sterile interior 3 of an enclosure 9 formed by an enclosure 9 and exposed, for example, to a sterilizing gas and / or vapor medium, for example sterile air separating the interior 3 from the surrounding space 10. The latter is formed in the illustrated embodiment of the interior 10 of an outer housing 11, in which the treatment machine 1 and preferably also a subsequent, not shown, designed as a closing machine treatment machine are arranged.

The housing 9 is adapted to the size of the processing machine 1 to be processed with the bottle 2 so that its interior 3 has the smallest possible volume, the bottles 2 but completely in the interior space 3 place and also within the enclosure 9 one of the bottles 2 not taken sufficiently large subspace exists that ensures trouble-free flow through the interior 3 with the vapor and / or gaseous sterile medium.

The housing 9 consists in the illustrated embodiment substantially of a relative to the machine axis MA inside formed on the rotor 5 and circulating with this rotor 5 housing portion 9.1 and from a relation to the machine axis MA radially outboard machine frame side, i. with the rotor 5 not encircling housing section 9.2. The housing section 9.1 is formed in the illustrated embodiment of the disc-like rotor section 5.1 and by an annular wall 12 which is tightly connected to the rotor section 5.1, from this rotor section 5.1 downwardly protruding and the machine axis MA concentrically encloses. Between the two Einhausungsabschnitten 9.1 and 9.2 two seals 13, 14 are provided, which are each designed as siphon seals, consisting of one with the machine frame 4, the machine axis MA concentrically enclosing ring 13.1 and 14.1, made of a on the Open top U-profile, in each of which on the rotor portion 5.1 and at the bottom of the wall 12 provided, the machine axis MA concentrically enclosing ring 13.2 and 14.2 extends. During operation, the U-profile of the rings 13.1 and 14.1 to form the siphon seals 13 and 14 are each filled with a sterile liquid medium.

The peculiarity of the treatment machine or its enclosure 9 is that the outer housing section 9.2 is subdivided into an outer supporting structure accommodating forces and moments and a wall structure kept free of forces and moments or largely kept free, that the connections within the supporting structure as well the joints of this structure are made with the machine frame 4 using mechanical fasteners, and that the elements of the supporting structure are machined at their joining surfaces or areas to achieve the required accuracy and dimensional accuracy, while joints between the elements or individual components of the wall structure completely or almost completely relieved of forces and, for example, at least partially designed as simple, but tight welded joints, preferably produced by butt welding welded joints or I-welds are executed.

In the illustrated embodiment, the supporting structure of the outer housing section 9.2 consists of a plurality of equally spaced around the machine axis MA distributed supports 15, which are each secured to the machine frame 4 with a lower end or with a support portion there 15.1. At the upper end of the carrier 15 formed by a support section 15.2, the ring 13.1 of the siphon seal 13 is fastened so that the supports 15 held on the machine frame 4 together with the common ring 13.1 form a lattice or cage-like supporting structure of high strength. How the particular FIG. 1 shows, have the carrier 15 such a shape that they surround the housing portion 9.2 in the region of the underside of the housing 9 and also with respect to the machine axis MA radially outboard on a machine axis MA concentrically enclosing area with distance. This is achieved in the illustrated embodiment in that the support section 15.1 is oriented radially or substantially radially to the machine axis MA, the support section 15.2 parallel or substantially parallel to the machine axis MA and an intermediate support section 15.3 obliquely to the support sections 15.1 and 15.2.

The wall structure of Einhausungsabschnittes 9.2 u.a. in the illustrated embodiment. of two wall sections 16 and 17, each made of stainless steel sheet, of which the wall section 16 concentrically surrounds the machine axis MA in the manner of a hollow cylinder and forms the radially outer boundary of the inner space 3. The other wall portion 17 is conical-ring-like, the machine axis MA also concentrically enclosing executed and forms the bottom of the inner space 3, which (bottom) with respect to the machine axis MA is executed radially inwardly sloping. The two wall elements 16 and 17 are connected to each other at 18 by a relieved of forces and moments or largely relieved connection, for example by a weld, preferably by an I-weld.

Of course, it is also possible to provide the wall sections 16 and / or 17 as a component, which were produced by bending process. Of the Ring channel, in which the container 2 are guided or transported, arises from the fact that segments are welded together. In one embodiment, it is thus possible that the annular channel represents a polygonal channel.

It is understood that the wall elements 16 and 17 in turn consist of several individual elements, which are then also connected to each other via force and torque-free tight connections, in particular welded joints and preferably I-welds to the respective wall section 16 and 17 respectively.

In the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of each with a disc 19 made of a transparent material, such as glass or a transparent plastic sealed inspection window are provided in the wall portion 16. How continue the FIG. 2 shows, the wall portion 16 is polygonal, with each rectilinear sections extending between two supports 15 and where the closed by the discs 19 windows are provided.

For connecting the wall sections 16 and 17 with the supporting structure, ie with the ring 13.1 and the machine frame 4 are on the ring 13.1 wegstehender on the bottom of this ring wegstehender and the machine axis MA concentrically enclosing annular welding bar 13.3 and on the machine frame 4 based on the machine axis MA radially outwardly wegstehender, MA concentrically enclosing annular weld bar 4.1 provided or prepared. The welding webs 13.3 and 4.1 each have a material thickness which is equal to or approximately equal to the material thickness of the wall elements 16 and 17. At the welding web 13.3, the wall element 16 is also in the FIG. 3 illustrated form by butt welding, ie connected via a 1-weld 20 with the ring 13.1 and thus with the supporting structure of the housing section 9.2. In the same way, the wall element 17 is connected with its inner edge via the welding web 4.1 by butt welding or by an I-weld 21 with the supporting structure or with the machine frame 4.

By arranged outside of the housing 9, ie this housing outside and lying radially outwardly encircling supporting structure are not only the connections of the wall sections 16 and 17 or their elements with each other and with the supporting structure and the machine frame of Forces and loads kept free, but by the arrangement of the supporting structure outside the enclosure 9 smooth surfaces are achieved within this enclosure, in particular, among other things, also bent and / or in the interior 3 above and / or difficult to reach areas within the interior 3 are avoided (Regions) interfere with the flow within the interior 3, are difficult to clean and / or sterilize and could easily lead to contamination.

In particular, the bottom of the interior 3 is made completely smooth, and although free from the interior 3 protruding elements, such as edges, bearing frame parts, etc. Furthermore, no processes for liquids or liquid cleaning or sterilization media are provided on the ground, incurred during the treatment of the bottles 2 or used in the cleaning and / or sterilization of the processing machine 1. Inlets and outlets are also located on the supporting structure or on the machine frame 4, as shown in the FIG. 1 for the process 22 is shown.

Another significant advantage of the described construction of the housing 9 is that these and in particular the housing section 9.2 can be manufactured with high dimensional accuracy and high accuracy in terms of arrangement and orientation, namely, that the outer supporting structure consisting essentially of the ring 13.1 and the holders 15 can be produced using mechanical fasteners while maintaining the required dimensional accuracy for the individual components as well as for the connecting and connecting surfaces themselves with high precision, and that this dimensional stability caused by the supporting structure of the housing 9 when attaching the wall sections 16 and 17 is no longer changed by welding.

The invention has been described above by means of an embodiment. It is understood that numerous changes and modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

Thus, it has been assumed above that the processing machine 1 is a filling machine. Other embodiments of the treatment machine, for example as a machine for closing filled containers or for Cleaning and / or sterilizing of containers, etc. may be carried out with respect to the enclosure 9 delimiting the sterile interior 3 in the same or similar manner as described above.

Furthermore, there is the possibility between two in the transport direction of the container or bottles 2 machines or units provide a sterile space forming housing, which is then also designed so that at least a portion of this enclosure of an outer supporting structure for receiving forces and moments and out a wall structure, which closes the sterile interior of the enclosure to the environment, held on the supporting structure and is kept free of loads or forces and moments.

Above, it was assumed that in the housing 9, the containers or bottles 2 are completely absorbed. However, embodiments are also possible in which, inter alia, in order to reduce the volume of the sterile interior, the containers are accommodated only with their container mouth or container neck having the container mouth.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

Container handling machine

2

Container or bottle

2.1

bottle mouth

3

sterile interior

4

machine frame

4.1

Welding ring or annular welding edge on the machine frame

5

rotor

5.1

disc-like rotor section

6

treatment station

7

filler

8th

container carrier

9

housing

9.1,9.2

housing section

10

room

11

outer enclosure

12

wall

13.14

Siphon seal

13.1, 14.1

ring

13.2, 14.2

ring

13.3

Welding ring or welding edge

15

carrier

15.1-15.3

support section

16, 17

wall element

18

Weld or weld

19

disc

20, 21

Weld or weld

22

procedure

MA

machine axis

Claims (6)

1. Device for treating packaging elements or packaging means, in particular in the form of bottles or like containers (2), including a circular or semi-circular transport segment formed with a transporter (5), on which the packaging means (2) are moved, at least with a part region comprising in each case a packaging means opening (2.1), inside a sterile interior space (3) bounded from the surroundings by a housing component (9), wherein a part section (9.1) of the housing (9) is provided at the transporter (5) and is moved with the transporter, and a further part section (9.2) of the housing (9) is provided at the device framework (4) of the device and is not moved with the transporter (5); wherein the housing (9), at least in the further part section (9.2), consists of a wall structure, formed from wall elements (16, 17), which bounds the interior of the housing (9) from the surroundings, as well as consisting of a load-bearing structure, which is provided outside the wall structure and in which the wall structure is arranged, kept free of loadings, in particular of forces and torque moments; wherein elements (15, 13.1) of the load-bearing structure are connected to one another by mechanical connections; wherein the elements of the load-bearing structure comprise a plurality of carriers (15) oriented transverse or perpendicular to a transport direction of the transporter (5), these being secured by one end to the device framework (4) by mechanical connections, in order to connect the load-bearing structure to the device framework (4); and wherein a longitudinal belt (13.1) is provided, oriented in the transport direction, in the form of at least one ring, with which the carriers (15) are connected by means of the mechanical connections to a grid or cage structure
   characterised in that
   the longitudinal belt (13.1) is a load-bearing structure, and
   that at the transition between the part sections (9.1, 9.2) labyrinth seals and/or siphon seals (13, 14) are provided, wherein one of these seals (14) is provided at the device framework (4), and wherein the longitudinal belt (13.1) is a constituent part of the other seal (13).
2. Device according to claim 1, characterised in that the wall elements (16, 17) are connected to one another by welding, preferably by butt welding or by I-weld seams (18, 20, 24), and that the elements (15, 13.1) of the load-bearing structure are connected by screw connections and/or bolt connections and/or rivet connections to one another and to the device framework or frame (4) of the device.
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the load-bearing structure (15, 13.1) is provided on the outside of the wall structure and spaced at a distance from the said wall structure.
4. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the wall structure (16, 17) forms an inner surface of the interior (3) of the housing which is flat or essentially flat and/or free of projections and/or steps.
5. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the longitudinal belt (13.1) is formed by a U-profile, extending along the movement path of the transporter (5) and open at the upper side, which is preferably secured to the upper side of the carriers (15).
6. Device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that it is a filling machine for the aseptic filling of the packaging means (2) with a filling product or a treatment machine for the cleaning and/or sterilising of the packaging means (2) and/or a closure machine for the closing of the filled packaging means (2) and/or a transport segment between two machines or apparatus units following one another in a transport direction of the packaging means (2).

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