JP3897446B2 - Aseptic container blow molding, filling method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a blow molding and filling method and apparatus for aseptic containers such as so-called PET bottles.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, with the diversification of tastes, the market for teas in PET bottles such as barley tea and blended tea is expanding. These teas generally have a low content of catechins having a bacteriostatic effect, and there is a microbial risk associated with conventional hot filling. For this reason, a blow molding and filling apparatus for aseptic containers as shown in FIG. 3 is conventionally known. This equipment is installed in the clean room 51, and the injection molding machine 52 and the blow molding machine 54 that inject and blow mold bottles from the raw material resin under aseptic environment. A filling machine 55 and a cap tightening machine 56, and a bottle aseptic conveyance device 57 that is installed so as to connect the blow molding machine 54 and the filling machine 55 and aseptically conveys the bottle blow-molded by the blow molding machine 54 to the filling machine 55; It is made up of.
[0003]
As shown in part of FIG. 4, the aseptic transfer device 57 is a plate-like neck guide that slidably engages and guides the neck of the bottle B to be transferred to the upper inner surface of the sealed hollow casing 60 from both sides. And a hollow duct 62 is provided on the opposite edge of the neck guide, and air is blown onto the opposite side walls of the duct toward the mouth of the bottle B to place the bottle on the neck guide 61. A large number of slits 63 are formed to be conveyed along. The slit 63 is supplied with air from a blower (not shown) via a duct or the like, and is configured as a sterile air conditioner bear by these series of configurations.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the conventional apparatus as described above has an advantage that aseptic filling can be realized without sterilization of the bottle, but on the other hand, the blown bottle B is aseptically conveyed to the filling machine 55 by the aseptic conveying device 57. Inevitably, the aseptic transfer device 57 becomes large, in other words, the longitudinal cross-sectional area of the sealed hollow casing 60 constituting the device for aseptic transfer of the bottle B becomes large, the equipment of the device becomes large, and a large space is required. There is a problem. In addition, when trouble occurs in the line such as filling by the filling machine 55, there is a problem that a sufficient amount of accumulation cannot be obtained and a loss of raw material resin may occur.
[0005]
Accordingly, the present invention solves the conventional problems as described above, makes the equipment for aseptic conveyance compact, and reduces the loss of raw resin even in the case of troubles. The purpose is to provide.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that a preform is injection-molded in an aseptic environment by an injection molding machine in a first clean room , and the preform is sterilized with ozone or hydrogen peroxide gas. Aseptic transfer from the first clean room to the second clean room by the aseptic transfer device in the hollow casing , blow molding in a sterile environment by the blow molding machine in the second clean room, and inside the blow molded bottle by the filling machine characterized by filling the filling liquid.
[0007]
The invention described in claim 2 is installed in a first clean room, installed in an injection molding machine for injection-molding a preform in an aseptic environment, and a sealed hollow casing sterilized with ozone or hydrogen peroxide gas, aseptic transfer device for aseptic conveying the preforms injection molded in said injection molding machine, provided on the second clean room, and blow molding machine for blow-molding the preform in a sterile environment, provided in the second clean room And a filling machine for filling a filling liquid in a sterile environment in a bottle blow-molded by the blow-molding machine.
[0008]
The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that, in claim 2, the aseptic conveying apparatus aseptically conveys the preform by the air conditioner bearer. The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in claim 2, the aseptic conveying apparatus aseptically conveys the preform by natural dropping.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic front view showing an aseptic container blow molding and filling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. This apparatus is installed in a clean room 1 and is an injection molding machine 2 for injecting a preform from a raw resin in an aseptic environment, and a blow molding machine 4 that is also installed in a clean room 3 and blows a bottle from the preform in an aseptic environment. Blowing the preform injection-molded by the injection-molding machine 2 installed so as to tie the injection machine 2 and the blow-molding machine 4 with the filling machine 5 and the cap winding machine 6 for filling the filling liquid into the molded bottle. It consists of a preform aseptic conveying device 7 that aseptically conveys to the molding machine 4.
[0010]
As shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B), the aseptic transfer device 7 engages the neck portion of the preform P to be transferred to the upper inner surface of the sealed hollow casing 10 so as to be slidable from both sides. The neck guide 11 having the same structure as that of the conventional guide is provided, the hollow duct 12 is provided on the opposite edge of the neck guide, and a number of slits 13 are formed on the opposite side walls of the duct. It is configured as a sterilized air conditioner by configuration. FIGS. 2A and 2B are examples when the preform is horizontally conveyed from the injection molding machine 2 to the blow molding machine 4. For example, the injection molding machine 2 is positioned higher than other blow molding machines 4 (for example, 2 (C), the preform is inclined and conveyed by natural fall from the injection molding machine 2 on the second floor to the blow molding machine 4 on the first floor as shown in part of FIG. 2 (C). You may do it. Alternatively, an inclined conveyance unit as shown in FIG. 2 (C) is provided so as to connect the horizontal conveyance unit on the first floor and the horizontal conveyance unit on the second floor as shown in FIGS. 2 (A) and 2 (B). Of course, the preform sent from the transfer unit may be inclined and conveyed by natural fall in the inclined transfer unit and sent to the horizontal transfer unit on the first floor. If the inclined conveyance by natural fall is used, the aseptic conveyance device becomes a more compact facility.
[0011]
In the above apparatus, first, the preform P is injection-molded from the raw material resin in an aseptic environment by the injection molding machine 2 in the clean room 1. Next, the preform P is aseptically conveyed to the clean room 3 by the aseptic conveying device 7 and blow-molded by the blow molding machine 4 in the clean room. Next, the filling liquid is filled into the blow-molded container by the filling machine 5 in the same manner as in the prior art, and then the cap attached to the container mouth after filling is tightened by the winding machine 6. The container with the cap wrapped around the mouth is then sent to the packaging process.
[0012]
As described above, the aseptic conveying device 7 does not convey the bottle as in the prior art, but conveys it in a state of a preform P smaller than that, so that the longitudinal cross-sectional area of the sealed hollow casing 10 is about It can be reduced to about 1/8. Therefore, it can be easily sterilized with ozone, hydrogen peroxide gas, or the like, as in the case of piping, and the equipment of the aseptic conveyance device 7 can be made compact, and space can be saved. In addition, for example, only 95 bottles can be accumulated at 10 m with a bottle, but 250 bottles can be accumulated at 10 m with a preform, so that the amount of accumulation can be increased. Therefore, if the amount of accumulation is large, the injection molding machine 2 does not stop even when other equipment stops due to a trouble, and the loss of the raw resin can be reduced.
[0013]
The horizontal conveyance by the air conditioner bear described as the aseptic conveyance device 7 and the inclined conveyance by natural fall are just preferable examples, and it is needless to say that the other effects can be obtained.
[0014]
【The invention's effect】
The invention of claim 1 is as described above, wherein the preform is injection-molded in an aseptic environment by an injection molding machine in the first clean room , and the preform is sterilized with ozone or hydrogen peroxide gas, and is a sealed hollow Aseptic transfer from the first clean room to the second clean room by the aseptic transfer device in the housing , blow molding in a sterile environment by the blow molding machine in the second clean room, and into the blow-molded bottle by the filling machine Since the filling liquid is filled, the equipment of the aseptic transfer apparatus can be made compact, and the loss of the raw material resin can be reduced even in the case of trouble. The inventions of claims 2 to 4 have an excellent effect that the above-described effects can be realized by a compact facility.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic front view showing an aseptic container blow molding and filling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a part of the same aseptic transfer apparatus, (A) is a schematic vertical front view thereof, (B) is a schematic vertical side view taken along line BB of (A), and (C) is a natural fall It is a general | schematic longitudinal cross-sectional front view corresponding to (A) which shows the example of the inclination conveyance by.
FIG. 3 is an overall schematic front view showing a conventional aseptic container blow molding and filling apparatus.
4A and 4B show a part of the same aseptic conveying apparatus, wherein FIG. 4A is a schematic longitudinal sectional front view thereof, and FIG. 4B is a schematic longitudinal sectional side view taken along line BB of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 3 Clean room 2 Injection molding machine 4 Blow molding machine 5 Filling machine 6 Tightening machine 7 Aseptic transfer device
10 Sealed hollow enclosure
11 Neck guide
12 Hollow duct
13 Slit P Preform

Claims (4)

A preform is injection-molded in an aseptic environment by an injection molding machine in the first clean room , and the preform is removed from the first clean room by an aseptic transfer device in a sealed hollow housing sterilized with ozone or hydrogen peroxide gas. The aseptic container is characterized in that it is aseptically transported to a clean room of No. 2 , blow-molded in a sterile environment by a blow molding machine in a second clean room, and filled with filling liquid into the blow-molded bottle by a filling machine . Blow molding and filling method. An injection molding machine provided in the first clean room, in which a preform is injection-molded in an aseptic environment, and installed in a sealed hollow casing sterilized with ozone or hydrogen peroxide gas, and injection molded by the injection molding machine An aseptic conveying apparatus for aseptically conveying a preform, a blow molding machine provided in a second clean room and blow-molding the preform in an aseptic environment, and a blow molding machine provided in a second clean room and blow-molded by the blow molding machine An aseptic container blow molding and filling apparatus comprising: a filling machine for filling a filling liquid in a sterile environment in a sealed bottle .   The aseptic container blow molding and filling device according to claim 2, wherein the aseptic conveying device aseptically conveys the preform by an air conditioner bear.   The aseptic container blow molding and filling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the aseptic conveying apparatus aseptically conveys the preform by natural dropping.

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