EP2781272B2 - Method and device for cleaning containers - Google Patents

Description

technical field

The present invention relates to a device and a method for cleaning containers, preferably for cleaning reusable bottles in a beverage bottling plant.

State of the art

Cleaning devices for cleaning containers in bottling plants are known. Depending on the degree of contamination of the containers brought in, cleaning is required with varying levels of complexity. Since reusable bottles can be heavily soiled due to improper storage or the introduction of foreign substances such as cigarette ends, it is necessary to carefully remove the foreign substances that contaminate the reusable bottles in this way. Furthermore, before the reusable bottles can be used again, it is necessary to remove the labels adhering to the outside and to provide bottles that have been completely cleaned inside and outside, which can be subjected to a renewed filling, sealing and labeling process.

Cleaning machines are known for carrying out these cleaning tasks, which can be operated continuously and in which the respective containers to be cleaned usually pass through a number of cleaning zones. There is usually a pre-cleaning area in which the containers to be cleaned are first completely emptied in order to allow product residue to drip out and to remove loose material from the containers. In this pre-cleaning area, the bottles are also usually sprayed out with a water jet or lye jet and are pretreated on the outside and inside with a so-called pre-soak or pre-lye. The bottles are then warmed up for further treatment in order to avoid the occurrence of stress fractures.

In the subsequent main treatment area, the containers to be cleaned are repeatedly treated with the so-called main lye. The containers are immersed in a lye bath, moved in this and then lifted out of the lye bath again, with the interior volume of the respective bottles being completely filled and then draining out again. In combination with this, the containers can also be sprayed down or washed down with the main suds in order to apply additional mechanical cleaning components or to loosen stubborn dirt with the applied impulse.

After passing through the main treatment area, the containers to be cleaned are post-treated in an after-treatment area, in which case they usually first run through a so-called post-caustic solution, which is used for rinsing, and the containers are then rinsed with pure water, whereby they are also cooled down again before they can then be output from the cleaning machine after it has largely run out or dripped off.

With regard to the geometry of the cleaning machines, a distinction is made between double-end cleaning machines and single-end cleaning machines, with a double-end cleaning machine the stream of containers to be cleaned entering the cleaning machine at one end of the cleaning machine, then passing through the pre-treatment area, the main treatment area and the after-treatment area in the cleaning machine, and then on the other side of the cleaning machine for further processing. With single-end cleaning machine, the containers to be cleaned are input into the cleaning machine at one side of the cleaning machine, the containers then pass through the pre-treatment section, the main treatment section as well as the post-treatment section in the cleaning machine, and then the cleaned containers are discharged at the same side as the to cleaning containers were also entered into the cleaning machine.

In the known cleaning machines, the active detachment and removal of the labels take place in the main treatment area. Discharge of the labels is preferably supported here by applying a surge to the containers, which preferably provides a flow of liquid directed out of the respective transport basket or the respective transport cell in which the container is guided. As a result, the labels detached by immersion in the lye baths are flushed out of the respective container basket or the respective container cell and then removed again from the main treatment area via a label discharger arranged in the respective lye bath. The label discharge of the respective caustic bath can be combined with a shard discharge.

The use of different adhesives for the labels, the use of different papers, different printing inks and different glues can mean that the labels are removed very late or not at all when they pass through the main treatment area. This is particularly the case when specialized combinations of glue, labels and printing inks are used, which are designed, for example, for bottles that the end user is supposed to remain in an ice water bath for a longer period of time without the labels falling off. This means that labels are entered into the after-treatment area and there cannot be discharged from the container baskets or container cells.

In the after-treatment area, the detached labels, which are still on the containers or in the container baskets or container cells, can no longer be reliably removed.

With conventional bottle cleaning machines, label removal during the main treatment, i.e. in the main treatment area, is not always sufficient. With different combinations of bottles, labels and glues, the respective bottle or part of the bottles to be cleaned can pass through the main treatment area without the labels being removed completely or at all. In the subsequent treatment zones, especially the after-treatment zone, in which the residues of the cleaning suds are removed by spraying, however, no labels can be discharged, so that malfunctions can occur in these areas of the system if the labels have not been completely discharged in the main treatment area beforehand. Labels can also be carried over beyond the water zones to the outlet from the cleaning device.

the FR 2 347 305 A1 describes a device for cleaning bottles. The device has a hot wash bath, a rinsing device and a chain conveyor for transporting the bottles through the device.

From the DE 2 245 667 a machine for washing bottles and similar containers, in particular for removing labels, is known. From the DE 10 2008 021 869 A1 a bottle cleaning machine is known.

Presentation of the invention

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to specify a device and a method for cleaning containers, which enables improved cleaning of the containers.

This object is achieved by a device having the features of claim 1. Preferred developments emerge from the dependent claims.

Accordingly, a device for cleaning containers, preferably for cleaning reusable bottles in a beverage bottling plant, comprising a pre-treatment area in which the containers are sprayed with water or preliminary caustic and the containers are heated or preheated, a main treatment area in which the containers are cleaned by means are treated with a main lye, with repeated immersion in the main lye taking place and with meandering guidance of the containers after the containers have been completely filled with the main lye, so that the main lye completely flows out of the container, and an after-treatment area in which the containers with be treated in a water or post-caustic bath and then rinsed with water. According to the invention, a surge device for removing labels and/or label residue is provided in the after-treatment area, with the surge device being arranged in the water or after-caustic bath in the after-treatment area, and with at least one nozzle of the surge device being aligned in such a way that it creates a directed flow of liquid below the liquid level of the water or post-caustic bath.

Because a surge device is provided in the post-treatment area, the exposure time or treatment time of the suds or cleaning liquids from the respective preceding treatment sections on the containers can be extended to the maximum, so that even labels that are difficult to remove can be reliably removed after the maximum exposure time. Furthermore, to replace conventional labels, the cleaning device can be correspondingly shortened, as a result of which the system can be operated more efficiently overall, since investment costs, operating costs and throughput time can be reduced.

With the conventional design of the cleaning device, problematic labels, for example labels that are intended to withstand the storage of the respective bottles in ice water for several hours, can also be removed using the surge device arranged in the after-treatment area for removing labels and/or label residues. The cleaning device does not have to be lengthened for this purpose, but the extended exposure time of the alkalis and other cleaning liquids is achieved by placing the surge device as late as possible, since the labels can then be removed by surge after a maximum exposure time.

In addition, shards and dirt can also be removed from the post-treatment area in this way.

The surge device is arranged in a post-caustic bath or a water bath in the post-treatment area. Thus, a device for cleaning can be constructed by using already known system components. Furthermore, the impulse can be applied as late as possible by the liquid movement in the surge device, so that the labels can be reliably removed after a maximum exposure time.

The surge device is preferably set up to generate a directed flow of liquid in a post-caustic bath for rinsing the containers and particularly preferably to generate a directed flow of liquid out of a container basket or a container cell each holding a container. By appropriately aligning the liquid flow, labels can be rinsed off the containers and labels can be rinsed out or off of the container basket or container cell. In this way, other foreign substances that are in the container cell or the container basket can be flushed out of them.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the flow applied by the surge device is directed in such a way that the labels are supported in being discharged from a container basket or a container cell. For this purpose, the flow is preferably in the direction of the opening of the respective container basket or directed towards the container cell, preferably from top to bottom, so that detached labels are flushed out of the container cell or the container basket.

In order to be able to discharge the labels detached via the surge device from the post-processing device, the surge device is preferably connected to a label discharge for removing detached labels from the post-treatment area. The label discharge can be arranged, for example, opposite the surge device, preferably in the direction of the liquid flow applied by the surge device, so that the rinsed labels are rinsed into the label discharge.

In order to cover each container to be cleaned with the device, the surge device has at least one nozzle for each container position across the width of the machine, preferably for each container cell position or container basket position. In this way, a correspondingly directed flow of liquid can be maintained at each container position, container cell position or container basket position, which enables the labels and container baskets or container cells to be rinsed off as it passes through the respective container, container basket or container cell. Even more preferably, the device comprises a larger number of nozzles per container position, for example two, three or five nozzles, which are each designed to form the flow directed out of the container basket or the container cell, so that this flow is maintained over a certain transport path of the containers can be preserved.

Such a nozzle, or such a plurality of nozzles, emits the respective liquid flow for applying the flow of the surge device below the respective liquid level in the caustic bath or water bath, so that foaming can be reduced. The nozzles preferably discharge the liquid flow generated in each case downwards in order to enable the container baskets or container cells to be directly impinged with the liquid flow downwards and correspondingly to allow the labels to be rinsed out of the respective container basket or container cell downwards in order to ensure safe and to enable efficient rinsing of the labels.

In a particularly preferred development, a bottle grid is provided, which is arranged below the surge device, preferably in such a way that a directed flow of liquid from the surge device is directed towards the bottle grid. In this way, detached labels and other foreign matter can be flushed out, with the labels and foreign matter being able to be removed from the after-treatment area via the bottle grid.

In a further preferred development, the surge device is combined with a shard discharge, so that detached labels are discharged in the area of the shard discharge. In this way, existing components can be used to improve cleaning.

A tripping step is preferably provided, which enables the containers arranged in a container cell or a container basket to tip over, the tripping step preferably being arranged in the region of the surge device. Due to the tripping step, which can also be designed as a movement threshold, the containers accommodated in the individual container baskets or container cells are tilted or moved within the container cell or within the container basket in such a way that labels or other labels may be clamped firmly between the container and the container cell or the container basket Foreign substances are dissolved and can then be flushed out through the surge device.

The device can be used in both a double-ended machine and a single-ended machine. Particularly preferably, after the flooding device, only rinsing of the then completely cleaned containers with pure water is provided, so that the labels are removed with the flooding device at the latest possible point in time in the treatment process.

In this way, the quality of the cleaning of the cleaned container can be further improved, so that as little entrainment as possible of further impurities or pollutants is achieved in the further course of processing.

The object set above is also achieved by a method having the features of claim 9 . Advantageous developments result from the dependent claims.

Accordingly, a method for cleaning containers, preferably for cleaning reusable bottles in a beverage bottling plant, is proposed, comprising a pretreatment in which the containers are sprayed with water or a preliminary lye and the containers are heated or preheated, a main treatment which in is carried out in a main treatment area, in which the containers are cleaned using a main lye, with repeated immersion in the main lye taking place and with the containers being guided in a meandering pattern after the containers have been completely filled with the main lye, the main lye being completely drained from the container , as well as an after-treatment in an after-treatment area in which the containers are treated with an after-caustic or water provided in a water or after-caustic bath and are rinsed with water. According to the invention, labels and/or label residues are rinsed off the containers and/or container cells and/or container baskets transporting the containers in the aftertreatment area using a gushing device, with the gushing device being arranged in the water or post-caustic bath in the aftertreatment area, and with at least one nozzle of the gushing device being so is oriented to emit a directed flow of liquid below the liquid level of the water or post-caustic bath.

Brief description of the figures

Figur 1

schematisch eine Vorrichtung zur Reinigung von Behältern,

Figur 2

schematisch in einer perspektivischen Darstellung einen Nachbehandlungsbereich,

Figur 3

schematisch eine Detaildarstellung des Nachbehandlungsbereichs aus der Figur 2,

Figur 4

schematisch eine perspektivische Darstellung des Nachbehandlungsbereiches aus den Figuren 2 und 3 in einer weiteren Perspektive, und

Figur 5

schematisch ein Detail des Nachbehandlungsbereiches, umfassend eine Stolperschwelle zum Bewegen von in einem Behälterkorb oder einer Behälterzelle aufgenommenen Behältern.

Preferred further embodiments and aspects of the present invention are explained in more detail by the following description of the figures. show:

figure 1

schematically a device for cleaning containers,

figure 2

a schematic perspective view of an aftertreatment area,

figure 3

schematically shows a detailed representation of the aftertreatment area from FIG figure 2 ,

figure 4

schematically a perspective view of the post-treatment area from the figures 2 and 3 in a wider perspective, and

figure 5

schematically shows a detail of the after-treatment area, comprising a tripping barrier for moving containers accommodated in a container basket or a container cell.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

Preferred exemplary embodiments are described below with reference to the figures. Elements that are the same, similar or have the same effect are denoted by identical reference symbols in the different figures, and a repeated description of these elements is sometimes dispensed with in the following description in order to avoid redundancies.

In figure 1 shows the schematic structure of a device 1 for cleaning containers, here in the form of a double-end bottle cleaning system. The containers to be cleaned are entered into the device 1 in a pretreatment area 10 in the direction of the arrow, the containers being inverted in the pretreatment area 10, for example, so that remaining product residue can escape and loose impurities can fall out. In the pretreatment area 10, the containers are also sprayed with water or pre-lye and the containers are warmed up or preheated, for example by using gradually warmer pre-lye or gradually warmer water.

After passing through the pre-treatment area 10, the containers enter a main treatment area 12, in which the containers are immersed in a main lye bath, in which the dirt, foreign matter and product residues on the outside and inside of the containers to be cleaned are removed. Repeated immersion in the main lye takes place and by the meandering movement of the containers, once the containers have been completely filled with the main lye, the main lye also completely drains out of the containers again. By alternately immersing and draining the main lye, the contaminants are removed accordingly. A surge device can also be provided in the main treatment area 12, where the relative movement between the liquor and the container to be cleaned is increased by applying an increased flow, so that the mechanical impulse components introduced enable efficient cleaning of the container.

In the post-treatment area 14, which the containers reach after they have completely passed through the main treatment area 12, the containers are post-cleaned by means of a post-caustic bath and the containers are slowly cooled back down to the ambient temperature. In the post-treatment area 14, the cleaned containers are also sprayed out with pure water, so that completely cleaned containers are available at the outlet, which containers can be supplied for further processing.

In the Figures 2 to 5 Different aspects of a device 1 are shown, with details of the after-treatment area 14 being shown in each of the figures.

According to the invention, the containers pass through a schematically indicated water or post-caustic bath 20, in which a label removal device 3 is provided. The label discharge 3 is provided in such a way that the containers guided in container baskets are guided over a corresponding bottle grid 30 with the container baskets or container cells open at the bottom. The bottle grate 30 is used on the one hand to pull off labels, which are discharged from the respective container baskets in the area of the label discharge 3, downwards, and also allows any broken pieces or dirt to be discharged downwards. Accordingly, the label discharge 3 is integrated with a shard discharge 4, which is indicated only schematically.

A surge device 5 is provided in the area of the label discharge 3 in such a way that a flow directed from top to bottom is provided in the area of the bottle grate 30 . This flow is generated in the water or post-caustic bath 20 by means of a pressure pipe 50 which has pressure nozzles 52 directed downwards. For this purpose, the individual nozzles 52 of the surge device 5 are aligned in such a way that they discharge the liquid downwards, that is to say are directed towards the bottle grid 30 . In this way, a flow can be generated in the water or post-caustic bath 20 which is directed from top to bottom in the direction of the bottle rack 30 and which flows accordingly through the container baskets or container cells which are open towards the bottom. In this way, labels or other foreign substances that are still in or on the containers, container baskets or container cells can be flushed out downwards.

The nozzles 52 are preferably arranged in such a way that they discharge the liquid below the liquid level of the post-caustic bath 20 . In this way, excessive foaming can be counteracted.

The nozzles 52 are arranged across the width of the machine in the positions in which the containers are conveyed through in container baskets or container cells. In other words, at least one nozzle 52 is provided for each container position, so that all containers and container baskets or container cells can be subjected to a substantially homogeneous flow of liquid. In a preferred variant, several nozzles 52 are also arranged one after the other in the direction of movement of the containers, so that the surge in the surge device 5 can act on the containers over a certain period of time.

In the exemplary embodiment shown, the pressure line 50 is designed as a box-shaped channel, on the underside of which the nozzles 52 are arranged accordingly. The box-shaped configuration avoids the formation of dead areas in the after-treatment area 14, so that all areas in the after-treatment area 14 can be cleaned by the after-caustic or by a stream cleaning the cleaning device. Furthermore, the nozzles, such as in figure 6 shown, are attached to the lower plate 500 of the pressure tube 50 by flanging, so that a simple attachment of the nozzle 52 is made possible.

Below the bottle grid 30 is preferred, such as from figure 4 As can be seen, a suction device 54 is provided in the form of a pump, which draws off the flow of liquid applied via the nozzles 52 and pressurizes it, and then feeds it back to the pressure line 50 . Correspondingly, in the area of the bottle grate 30 it is possible to form a liquid flow directed downwards, which is directed and aligned exactly parallel to the container baskets or container cells which are open towards the bottom. Efficient flow through the container baskets or the container cells can thus be achieved.

To supply the nozzles 52 in the pressure line 5, as can be seen, for example, from the figure 4 results in an additional suction device 54 in the form of a pump. This suction device 54 is flanged to the side in the area of label discharge 56 . The proposed surge in the post-treatment area 14 and in particular the surge with the post-lye removes the labels and other impurities still present after the main treatment from or from the respective containers, container baskets or container cells. As a result, disturbances in the subsequent water zones, in which the containers are treated with clear water and pure water, are essentially avoided.

Furthermore, an extension of the main treatment, which would be conceivable as an alternative procedure, is avoided, so that the treatment times remain short and the overall device can be kept compact. This results in fewer disturbances in the operation of the device, with only a small additional outlay for providing the post-caustic surge in the post-treatment area.

In order to prevent a vortex from developing in the suction area of the pump 54, a baffle plate 540 is provided, which prevents the formation of a corresponding hollow vortex.

Also shown to the side of the bottle grid 30 is the actual label separator 56, via which the labels are discharged from the cleaning device.

Out of figure 5 The bottle grate 30 is shown again in a schematic representation, the pressure channel 50 with the nozzles 52 being shown above the bottle grate 30 . The bottle grate 30 has a tripping point 32 which is formed in that the respective end of the grating is lowered in the direction of movement of the container, so that a corresponding step is created which constitutes the tripping step 32 . In order to prevent the ends of the bottle rack 30 from sagging, stiffening plates 34 are provided underneath, which contribute to the stiffening.

Due to the design shown, in which the pump 54 is arranged below the bottle grate 30, there is also an automatic volume flow of the lye or water in the water or lye bath 20 in the direction of the label separator 56, so that the labels that have passed through the Bottle grid 30 are deducted into the underlying channel, are transported to the label separator 56 at the same time.

In conventional systems, in which only shards are discharged in the shards channel and there is a corresponding transverse flow, i.e. a flow that is guided transversely to the transport direction of the container to be cleaned, a transverse volume flow is also applied above the discharge grid by dividing the volume flow . However, this transversely directed volume flow according to the conventional design cannot cause any rinsing out of the labels still carried along in the container baskets or container cells.

The proposed flooding through of the container baskets or the container cells in a direction in which the corresponding liquid flow is directed towards the open end of the respective container baskets or container cells makes it possible to completely discharge all impurities and in particular also the labels. This is due to the arrangement of the surge device 5 in the post-treatment area 14 according to the at the latest possible point in the processing cycle, so that even stubborn combinations of labels, glue and containers can finally be softened to such an extent that the label can be completely ejected. In order to also be able to easily remove labels that are jammed between the respective container cell or the container basket and the container, a tripping step 32 is provided, on which the container is moved within the container cell or the container basket, for example by tilting using the tripping step 32, so that the jammed labels can then be rinsed out. The corresponding tripping step 32 is arranged in an area in which the proposed surge, and in particular the volume flow directed from top to bottom, is provided.

As far as applicable, all individual features that are presented in the individual exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another and/or exchanged without departing from the scope of the invention.

Reference List

1

Device for cleaning containers

10

pretreatment area

12

main treatment area

14

post-treatment area

20

water or post-caustic bath

3

label discharge

30

bottle rack

32

stumbling block

34

stiffening plate

4

cullet discharge

5

surge device

50

pressure pipe

52

pressure nozzle

54

suction device

56

label separator

500

lower sheet metal of the pressure pipe

540

baffle

Claims (10)

1. Device (1) for cleaning containers, preferably for cleaning returnable bottles in a bottling plant, comprising a pre-treatment area (10), in which the containers are sprayed out with water or pre-lye, and the containers are heated or preheated, a main treatment area (12) in which the containers are treated with a main lye, wherein a repeat immersion into the main lye takes place and wherein by means of a meandering guiding of the containers after completely filling the containers with the main lye a complete draining of the main lye out of the containers is achieved, and an after-treatment area (14) in which the containers are treated using a water bath or post-lye bath and rinsed with water,

   characterized in that in the after-treatment area (14) a surge device (5) is provided for removing labels and/or label residues, wherein

   the surge device (5) is located in the water bath or post-lye bath (20) in the after-treatment area (14), and

   at least one nozzle (52) of the surge device (5) is oriented so as to produce a directed liquid flow below the liquid level of the water bath or post-lye bath (20).
2. Device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the surge device (5) is configured to create a directed liquid flow in a water bath or post-lye bath (20) for flushing the containers, preferably to create a liquid flow directed away from a container basket or container cell holding a container.
3. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surge device (5) is connected to a label remover (3) for removing detached labels from the after-treatment area (14).
4. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that across the width of the machine, the surge device (5) has at least one nozzle (52) per container position, preferably per container cell position or per container basket position.
5. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one nozzle (52) of the surge device (5) is oriented such that it produces a downward directed liquid flow.
6. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a discharge grille (30) is provided, which is located below the surge device (5), preferably such that a directed liquid flow of the surge device (5) is directed onto the bottle grating (30).
7. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the surge device (5) is combined with a broken fragments discharge (4), so that detached labels or label parts are removed in the area of the broken fragments discharge (4).
8. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that a tripping stage (32) is provided, which enables tilting of the containers arranged in a container cell or a container basket, wherein the tripping stage (32) is preferably arranged in the area of the surge device (5).
9. Method for cleaning containers, preferably for cleaning returnable bottles in a bottling plant, comprising a pre-treatment in which the containers are sprayed out with water or a pre-lye, and the containers are heated or preheated, a main treatment which is carried out in a main treatment area (12), in which the containers are cleaned by means of a main lye, wherein a repeat immersion into the main lye takes place and wherein by means of a meandering guiding of the containers after completely filling the containers with the main lye a complete draining of the main lye out of the containers is achieved, and an after-treatment in an after-treatment area (14), in which the containers are treated with a post-lye or water, provided in a water bath or post-lye bath (20), and are rinsed with water, characterized in that
   in the after after-treatment area (14) labels and/or label residues are rinsed away using a surge device (5) from the containers and/or the container cells and/or container baskets transporting the containers, wherein
   the surge device (5) is located in the water bath or post-lye bath (20) in the after-treatment area (14), and at least one nozzle (52) of the surge device (5) is oriented so as it produces a directed liquid flow below the liquid level of the water bath or post-lye bath (20).
10. Method according to claim 9, characterized in that a liquid flow is introduced in the after-treatment area (14) by the surge device (5) such that the liquid flow flows towards the open side of a container cell or a container basket, in order to enable a removal of labels from the container basket or the container cell.

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