GB1474034A - Cleaning machine - Google Patents

Abstract

1474034 Cleaning machine for outer surfaces of kegs AVW EQUIPMENT Ltd 2 Aug 1974 [15 June 1973] 28558/73 Heading B8T A keg washing machine for cleaning the outer surface of a keg comprises a cleaning station where at least one brush, e.g. 11a and 11b, rotating about a vertical axis cleans the keg surface in the presence of cleaning fluid, this action causing the keg to turn about its longitudinal axis. The machine comprises a frame 1 incorporating a conveyer 5 which supplies inverted kegs one-by-one to the cleaning station where two cylindrical side brushes 11a and 11b, mounted with axes vertical, one on each side of the conveyer, are arranged to be rotated about their axes in the same sense by motors 19a and 19b and can be brought closer together to contact the keg surfaces by means of the piston-incylinder assemblies 20a and 20b. A further rotatable brush 13, whose rotating axis is parallel to but not colinear with the longitudinal axis of the keg, can be moved in the direction of its rotating axis to either contact the end surface of the keg and augment the action of the side brushes in turning the keg or lie below the conveying surface. The two pairs of opposed rollers 7a and 7b and 12a and 12b are mounted on brackets and are connected by tie rods 10, 16a and 16b in such a way that the piston-incylinder assembly 17 alters the separation between the rollers in each pair and thus the rollers 7a and 7b act as indexing means by releasing kegs one-by-one to move along the conveyer 5 to the cleaning station while rollers 12a and 12b hold the kegs in the cleaning station before releasing them to move along the conveyer 6. Cleaning fluid from a reservoir tank below the conveyer is sprayed through nozzles 23 on to the kegs while they are held by the rollers 7a and 7b, the pre-wash station, and by rollers 12a and 12b, the cleaning station. A roller support frame, which may be provided in the cleaning station, is mounted to be moved up and down relative to the conveyer so that the rollers 26a, 26b and 27 can lift the keg off the conveyer as the brushes act to turn the keg. A further rotatable brush may be provided to clean the end surface of the keg not cleaned by brush 13. Brush 13 may also be rotated in the opposite direction to that described, its resistance to the turning motion of the keg improving the severity of the scrubbing action.