JP6741109B1 - Lid sterilizer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lid sterilizer capable of effectively sterilizing a lid even when connected to another device such as an aseptic filling system. A sterilizing device for a molding lid having a recess, which includes a guide rail 14 that defines a conveyance path of a molding lid that is conveyed by air, and an electron beam that defines a predetermined position of the guide rail 14 as an irradiation range 12. The guide rail 14 includes a plurality of guide bars 14c and 14d for protecting the molding lid 50 in the irradiation range 12 so as not to deviate from the transport path, and each of the guide bars 14c. , 14d, the clearances 14g, 14h between the adjacent guide bars 14c, 14d are larger than the widths of the guide bars 14c, 14d. [Selection diagram]

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a technique for aseptic filling when a molded lid made of various laminated films is used for sealing a plastic resin bottle-shaped container.

Conventionally, various beverages have been aseptically filled into bottle-shaped containers. In aseptic filling, first, in the container sterilization chamber, the inner and outer surfaces are sterilized with a sterilizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide, the sterilizing agent is dried and removed, and then the contents are sterilized in the liquid processing line in the content filling chamber. Items are being filled (for example, see Patent Document 1).

When aseptically filling a container with a lid, the lid also needs to be sterilized. As a specification when the molding lid is used as a means for sealing the container, there are a molding lid formed by press molding using an aluminum specification film or the like, and a molding lid formed by sheet molding various sheets.

In an aseptic filling system using a molding container, when the opening is hermetically sealed with the molding lid after filling the contents, both the molding lid molded offline and the molding lid molded in-line can be used. .. The molding lid that can be sealed by heat sealing or ultrasonic sealing in a resin molding container is, for example, one formed by punching a PET/AL/PE laminated film, or a sheet having specifications according to the material of the container (for example, PP /EVOH/PP, PP simple substance, PE simple substance etc.) is formed into a sheet, and the molding lid is raised. These molded lids need to be sterilized before hermetically sealing the container. For example, the following means are available.

When using a molding lid molded off-line, there are cases where it is used that is sterilized by radiation sterilization before being supplied to the aseptic filling system, or cases where the supplied molding lid is sterilized in the aseptic filling system. is there. When using a product that has been sterilized by radiation sterilization before being supplied to the aseptic filling system, use a gamma ray, electron beam (EB), or batch-type hydrogen peroxide gas sterilizer to suit the sterilization method. Or sterilize in the packaging form. In each sterilization method, a predetermined number of molded lids are sealed with an inner bag or a sterilization bag, which is packaged and distributed in a cardboard box or the like. When they are used in the aseptic filling system, the outer surface of the inner bag that seals the molding lid is sterilized with hydrogen peroxide or the like in the sterilization chamber in front of the chamber of the aseptic filling system. After that, it is transported into the chamber of the aseptic filling system, and the operator opens the inner bag or the sterilization bag through the globe port to the feeder of the molding lid and supplies the molding lid. In this case, in addition to the cost disadvantage due to the sterilization cost and the transportation cost at the outsourcer, there are disadvantages such as an increase in the cost of the filling system due to the addition of the sterilization process of the inner bag and an additional sterilization time of the inner bag.

On the other hand, when sterilizing the supplied molding lid in the aseptic filling system, the molding lid is supplied to the parts feeder installed outside the chamber of the aseptic filling system, and the sterilization process of the molding lid is performed through the aligning machine. Currently, the molded lid is sterilized using hydrogen peroxide gas. In this case, since the cost is increased by the parts feeder and the aligning machine, and it is difficult to uniformly attach the hydrogen peroxide to the molding lid in a short time in the sterilization, it is difficult in terms of shape, so that the hydrogen peroxide is used in a large amount. Also, it is very difficult to dry the lightweight aluminum molded lid while it is being transported. Further, hydrogen peroxide may adhere to the lid, which may cause slippage and other instability in the flow of the lid material conveyed by dry air, which may cause clogging of the lid on the line.

When the molding lid is molded in-line with an aseptic filling system, there are a case where materials for punching press molding or sheet molding are sterilized before molding and a case where the molding lid is sterilized after molding. When sterilizing the roll stock used in each molding process before molding, sterilize it by immersing it in a hydrogen peroxide solution or sterilize it by spraying hydrogen peroxide gas onto it and irradiating it with an electron beam. There is a method of sterilization. In this case, the sterilized roll is supplied with the molding lid by various molding machines installed in the aseptic chamber. Although the material used can be easily sterilized, the molding machine must be made aseptic in order to mold the molding lid in the sterile chamber using this material. In this case, the cost of the system is increased, and dust is generated during punching, which may adhere to the lid and mix into the product.

On the other hand, the molding lid molded outside the chamber of the aseptic filling system is transferred to the sterilization process of the molding lid connected to the aseptic chamber. As in the case of off-line sterilization, this method currently uses a sterilization method that uses hydrogen peroxide gas.Since hydrogen peroxide adheres to the lid and transport guide, slipperiness deteriorates and the lid material becomes clogged. May occur, or the dry air may disturb the transport even in the drying process, leading to clogging of the lid.

JP, 2006-111337, A

From this, it is not easy to use the molding lid for the aseptic filling system, it is difficult to sterilize uniformly, and there is a possibility that problems such as clogging on the transfer line may occur, so it is not suitable for the aseptic filling system. There is a problem that is.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a lid sterilizer that can sterilize a lid efficiently even when connected to another device such as an aseptic filling system.

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention,
A device for sterilizing a molded lid having a recess,
A guide rail that determines the transportation path of the molding lid that is transported by air,
An electron beam irradiation unit that irradiates an electron beam with a predetermined position of the guide rail as an irradiation range,
Have
The guide rail has a plurality of guide bars that protect the molding lid in the irradiation range so as not to fall off the conveyance path, and each of the guide bars has a clearance with an adjacent guide bar equal to or larger than the width of the guide bar. A lid sterilizer having a size is provided.

In addition, the lid sterilizer of the present invention,
It is formed inside the chamber that has the property of shielding electron beams.
Inside the chamber, a plurality of partition plates are installed in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the guide rail,
The irradiation range is set to a position through a plurality of partition plates from the carry-in port and the carry-out port of the chamber, respectively.

In addition, the lid sterilizer of the present invention,
The guide rail is characterized in that it has a portion inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to a direction intersecting with the partition plate.

In addition, the lid sterilizer of the present invention,
The guide rail includes two rail portions extending in the transport direction, and the guide bar is formed so as to extend from each rail portion toward the opposing rail portions.

In addition, the lid sterilizer of the present invention,
The guide rail includes two rail portions extending in the transport direction, and the guide bar is formed from one rail portion to the other rail portion.

In addition, the lid sterilizer of the present invention,
As the guide bar, the guide rails are an upstream guide bar that fixes the upstream side in the transport direction and extends toward the downstream side, and a downstream guide bar that fixes the downstream side in the transport direction and extends toward the upstream side. And are included.

In addition, the lid sterilizer of the present invention,
In a location where both the upstream guide bar and the downstream guide bar in the transport direction are present, the upstream guide bar and the downstream guide bar are displaced from each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction. It is characterized by being formed.

According to the present invention, the molding lid can be efficiently sterilized even when connected to another device such as an aseptic filling system.

It is a side view which shows the aseptic filling system to which the lid sterilization apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a top view which shows an aseptic filling system. It is a side sectional view of a lid sterilizer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view in the vicinity of an irradiation range 12 shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the guide rail 14 as seen from the arrow direction in FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows an example of the molding lid used as a sterilization target. It is a figure which shows the evaluation result of a sterilization process. It is a figure which shows the modification of the guide rail 14.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, an aseptic filling system to which a lid sterilizing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied will be described.

<1. Aseptic filling system>
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an aseptic filling system to which the lid sterilizing apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an aseptic filling system to which the lid sterilizing apparatus according to the present embodiment is applied. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the aseptic filling system is a container sterilizer capable of sterilizing an outer surface of an unsealed bottle-shaped container by discharging a sterilizing agent into the bottle-shaped container being transported. Part 60, a drying part 70 for drying the attached bactericide, a filling part 80 for filling the contents such as a beverage sterilized in advance into a bottle-shaped container sterilized by discharging the bactericide, and a bottle-shaped container The seal portion 90 is provided to seal the mouth portion of the. Each part is provided with a shaft center 61, and a gripper 62 is provided around the shaft center 61 to provide a transporting unit for transporting a bottle-shaped container between the respective parts. In FIG. 2, details are omitted in the drying unit 70, the filling unit 80, and the sealing unit 90 in order to avoid complication of the drawing.

The container sterilization unit 60, the drying unit 70, the filling unit 80, and the sealing unit 90 are installed in a sterile chamber 92. Although not shown, a germicide spray nozzle for spraying a germicide such as hydrogen peroxide, a drying nozzle for discharging aseptic hot air, and the like are arranged in the aseptic chamber 92. Prior to aseptic filling in the aseptic chamber 92, hydrogen peroxide or the like is sprayed from the sterilizing agent discharge spray to sterilize the inside of the aseptic chamber, and after the sterilizing process, aseptic air is supplied from the aseptic air supply piping port. As a result, the inside of the aseptic chamber is maintained at a positive pressure, and invasion of microorganisms and the like from the outside into the aseptic chamber is prevented.

The conveying means for the container sterilizing unit 60, the drying unit 70, the filling unit 80, and the sealing unit 90 is composed of, for example, four wheels arranged in the horizontal direction. The wheels are combined so that adjacent ones rotate in opposite directions, and grippers 62 connected to the axis 61 of each wheel are arranged at regular intervals.

The gripper 62 can hold the neck ring portion in the bottle-shaped container. The gripper 62 of each part synchronously swivels, and a large number of bottle-shaped containers are transported from the sealing part 90 to the conveyor 95 via each part according to this swiveling motion. A conveyor 94 is installed at a location where the unsealed bottle-shaped container is supplied to the gripper 62 of the container sterilization unit 60.

The container sterilization unit 60 is provided with a gripper 62 that is connected to an axis 61 that rotates the entire container sterilization unit 60 and holds a bottle-shaped container. Although the number of grippers 62 can be changed as necessary, FIG. 2 shows a state in which eight grippers 62 are provided for convenience of explanation. Further, the container sterilization unit 60 is provided with a nozzle 40 for discharging and spraying the sterilizing agent toward the outer surface of the bottle-shaped container held by the gripper 62 (omitted in FIG. 1). The number of the nozzles 40 can be determined according to need such as the ability, but in the present embodiment, two nozzles are provided. Therefore, each bottle-shaped container is sprayed with the bactericide at two positions of the container sterilization unit 60.

The lid sterilizer 10, the lid molding unit 20, and the sheet supply unit 30 are installed outside the sterile chamber 92. The lid molding unit 20 molds the lid using the sheet supplied from the sheet supply unit 30, and the lid sterilizer 10 according to the present embodiment performs sterilization processing on the molded lid.

<2. Lid Sterilizer>
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the lid sterilizing apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 11 is an electron beam irradiation chamber, 12 is an irradiation range, 13 is a partition plate, and 14 is a guide rail. The lid sterilizer 10 is configured inside an electron beam irradiation chamber 11 having a characteristic of blocking passage of an electron beam, that is, a shield characteristic for an electron beam. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide rail 14 is arranged so as to pass through the electron beam irradiation chamber 11 from the carry-in port 11a to the carry-out port 11b. The molding lid 50 molded by the lid molding unit 20 is carried by air conveyance along the guide rails 14 in the directions indicated by arrows A and B, and passes through the electron beam irradiation chamber 11. A plurality of partition plates 13 are formed in the electron beam irradiation chamber 11 in the installation direction of the guide rails 14, that is, in the direction intersecting the transport direction of the molding lid 50. In the example shown in FIG. 3, as indicated by the two arrows A and B, the direction from left to right is the conveyance direction of the molding lid 50, and the partition plate 13 is a plate extending in the vertical direction and the depth direction of the drawing.

The partition plate 13 is for the purpose of attenuating the energy at the time of collision and reflection of the electron beam. It is generally said that the energy is attenuated to a safe level by reflecting the light three times or more. It is made of the same material as the wall of the electron beam irradiation chamber 11. The wall of the electron beam irradiation chamber 11 and the partition plate 13 may be made of lead, for example. In the example of FIG. 3, the six partition plates 13 divide the electron beam irradiation chamber 11 into a chamber near the carry-in port 11a, a chamber near the carry-out port 11b, and another five chambers. An electron beam irradiation unit is installed in the central chamber of the five chambers other than the chamber near the entrance and the chamber near the exit, and the electron beam irradiation is performed in the irradiation range 12 shown in FIG. That is, the irradiation range 12 is set at a position through the plurality of partition plates 13 from the carry-in entrance and the carry-out exit of the electron beam irradiation chamber 11, respectively. Each partition plate 13 has an opening 15 formed only in a portion through which the guide rail 14 passes. The electron beam also passes through the opening 15 of the partition plate 13 to the adjacent chamber. The reason why the plurality of partition plates 13 are arranged and the inside of the electron beam irradiation chamber 11 is divided into a plurality of chambers is to prevent the electron beam from going out of the electron beam irradiation chamber 11 as much as possible. In FIG. 3, the irradiation range is shown as a rectangular shape, but the irradiation range can have various shapes, and in many cases is actually a circular shape.

In the example of FIG. 3, the guide rail 14 intersects the partition plate 13 at an angle at which the transport direction (longitudinal direction) intersects the partition plate 13 at a substantially right angle. Then, in order that the electron beam does not leak from the opening 15 of the partition plate 13, the openings 15 of the adjacent partition plates 13 are orthogonal to the direction connecting the carry-in port 11a and the carry-out port 11b (the left-right direction in FIG. 3). They are formed so as to be displaced from each other in the (vertical direction in FIG. 3). As a result, the electron beam that travels straight collides with the wall (partition plate 13) installed for each curve, and it is difficult for the electron beam to reach the carry-in port 11a and the carry-out port 11b. doing.

Since the openings 15 of the adjacent partition plates 13 are formed at positions displaced from each other, in each chamber other than the chamber in contact with the carry-in port 11a and the carry-out port 11b and the chamber including the irradiation range 12, the guide rails 14 serve as the partition plates 13. It has a portion inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to the direction intersecting with (left-right direction in FIG. 3). For this reason, the guide rail 14 is formed with a gentle curve in the vertical direction. In the example shown in FIG. 3, four curves are formed on the upstream side (left side in FIG. 3) of the irradiation range 12 and four points on the downstream side (right side in FIG. 3) from the irradiation range 12.

Air is blown along the guide rails 14, and the molding lid 50 is transported by the air along the guide rails 14. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view near the irradiation range 12 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the guide rail 14 viewed from the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5A is a sectional view corresponding to the line C-C, FIG. 5B is a sectional view corresponding to the line D-D, and FIG. 5C is a sectional view taken along the line E-E. It is a corresponding sectional view. In FIG. 4, the circle indicated by the broken line indicates the outer edge of the irradiation range 12. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide rail 14 includes a first rail portion 14a and a second rail portion 14b. The first rail portion 14a is formed on the upper side and the second rail portion 14b is formed on the lower side, and the molding lid 50 is conveyed at a position sandwiched by the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b from above and below.

As shown in FIG. 4, at the position corresponding to the irradiation range 12, the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b have guide bars 14c and 14d extending in the vertical direction, respectively. Therefore, the guide rail 14 has a plurality of guide bars that protect the molding lid 50 in the irradiation range 12 so as not to fall off the transport path. At positions apart from the irradiation range 12, the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b have guide walls 14e and 14f, respectively. The cross section is U-shaped at the positions where the guide bars 14c and 14d are present and the positions where the guide walls 14e and 14f are present. In particular, since the guide walls 14e and 14f are formed so as to extend in the direction along the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b, the molding lid 50 can be conveyed without coming off the guide rail 14. become. The guide bars 14c and 14d are formed at equal intervals in the extending direction of the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b. The clearance 14g between the adjacent guide bars 14c and the clearance 14h which is a gap between the adjacent guide bars 14d are L (mm). The guide bars 14c and 14d may be cylindrical or prismatic in shape. In this embodiment, it has a cylindrical shape. The length (vertical direction in FIG. 4), width (horizontal direction in FIG. 4), and clearances 14g, 14h of the guide bars 14c and 14d, and the value L of the clearances 14g and 14h are designed according to the size of the molding lid 50.

In the irradiation range 12, as shown by the two arrows in FIG. 5, the electron beam is irradiated from both sides between the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b. In the example of FIG. 5, the left side is the concave side (recessed side) of the molding lid 50 and the right side is the convex side (protruding side) of the molding lid 50, but both sides thereof are irradiated with the electron beam. As a result, the portion visually recognized in FIG. 4 is irradiated with the electron beam. Although not shown in the drawing by air, the molding lid 50 having the opening tab (flange) is regulated in direction without rotating when moving from the punching machine (lid molding portion 20) to the guide rail 14. Because of the movement, electron beams are also emitted to the portions of the guide bars 14c and 14d that are temporarily hidden.

Next, the molded lid to be sterilized by the lid sterilizing apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a molding lid to be sterilized. 6A is a perspective view of the cap-type molding lid, FIG. 6B is a perspective view of the recess-type molding lid, and FIGS. 6C and 6D are cross-sectional views of the cap-type molding lid. (E) (f) is sectional drawing of a recess type molding lid. In the sectional views of FIGS. 6C, 6D, 6E and 6F, the lower side corresponds to the container side. As shown in FIGS. 6A, 6</b>C, and 6</b>D, the cap mold has a recess, and a collar is formed on a part of the periphery of the recess. Since the concave portion faces downward, sealing is performed by covering the mouth of the container. As shown in FIGS. 6B, 6E, and 6F, the recess type has a recess, and a collar is formed on the entire periphery of the recess. Since the recess faces upward, the container is sealed so that it fits into the mouth of the container.

The shape of the molding lid to be sterilized by the lid sterilizing apparatus according to the present embodiment is not particularly limited, but it is suitable for the one having a concave portion such as the cap type or the recess type illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, in the case where the boundary between the bottom and the side of the recess and the boundary between the collar and the side are continuous at a predetermined angle, it is difficult to apply the germicide to the boundary. In the case of an electron beam, it becomes easy to irradiate even at such a boundary. The angle between the bottom and the side of the molding lid is not particularly limited, but is preferably 85 degrees or more and 100 degrees or less, and more preferably 92 degrees or more and 95 degrees or less. The maximum diameter of the molding lid including the brim is not particularly limited, but is preferably 40 mm or more and 60 mm or less, and more preferably 45 mm or more and 55 mm or less. The depth (height) of the recess is also not particularly limited, but is preferably 3 mm or more and 7 mm or less, and more preferably 4 mm or more and 6 mm or less.

The lengths L and widths of the guide bars 14c and 14d and the values L of the clearances 14g and 14h are designed according to the size of the molding lid 50 as described above. For example, when the maximum diameter of the molding lid is 50 mm. It is preferable that the guide bars 14c and 14d have a length of about 15 mm and the guide bars 14c and 14d have a width of about 2 mm. In this case, the clearances 14g and 14h are preferably 5 mm or more. That is, the clearances 14g and 14h are preferably 2.5 times or more the width of the guide bars 14c and 14d. Since the clearances 14g and 14h are 2.5 times or more the width of the guide bars 14c and 14d, the range of the molding lid to which the electron beam is irradiated becomes large, and the clearances are conveyed at a relatively high speed. Also, the electron beam can be irradiated over a wide range. However, at a minimum, the guide bars 14c and 14d may have clearances 14g and 14h with the adjacent guide bars 14c and 14d that are larger than the widths of the guide bars 14c and 14d. For example, if the clearances 14g and 14h are larger than the widths of the guide bars 14c and 14d, it is possible to irradiate the electron beam in a wide range by conveying the clearances at a relatively low speed.

In the irradiation area 12, an electron beam irradiation unit (not shown) irradiates the electron beam in a direction intersecting with the guide rail 14 (a horizontal direction in FIG. 5, a depth direction in FIG. 4). The irradiation range 12, the acceleration voltage, and the irradiation distance by the electron beam irradiation unit can be set as appropriate, but in the present embodiment, the irradiation range 12 is within a circle with a diameter of 90 mm, the acceleration voltage is 90 kV, and the irradiation distance is 100 mm.

As the electron beam irradiation unit, a known electron beam irradiation device that can emit an electron beam can be used. Specifically, a filament for generating thermoelectrons, a terminal for extracting thermoelectrons generated in the filament, and a terminal grid are provided, and the thermoelectrons generated in the filament are extracted by the terminal and the terminal grid and further accelerated. It emits electrons.

Here, a modified example of the guide rail 14 will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of the guide rail 14. 8A and 8B both correspond to FIG. 4 and are partially enlarged views in the vicinity of the irradiation range 12. FIG. 8C is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the molding lid 50, the upstream guide bar 14j, and the downstream guide bar 14k when viewed in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 8B. FIG. 8D is a sectional view corresponding to line GG in FIG.

In the modification shown in FIG. 8A, the guide bar 14i is formed so as to connect the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b. In other words, in the irradiation range 12, the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b are connected by the guide bar 14i. That is, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the guide bars 14c and 14d extend from the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b toward the opposing second rail portion 14b and first rail portion 14a, respectively. On the other hand, in the modification shown in FIG. 8A, the guide bar 14i is formed from one first rail portion 14a to the other second rail portion 14b.

8B, 8C, and 8D, the upstream guide bar 14j and the downstream guide bar 14k are formed so as to extend along the transport direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 8). There is. As shown in FIG. 8B, on the upstream side of the irradiation range 12 (on the left side in FIG. 8B), the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b are connected by the guide bar support portion 14m. .. The upstream guide bar 14j is formed so that the upstream side of the guide bar support portion 14m is fixed and extends toward the downstream side (right side in FIG. 8B). Further, the downstream side guide bar 14k is formed so that the downstream side is fixed in the guide walls 14e and 14f and extends toward the upstream side.

As shown in FIG. 8C, in this modified example, the upstream end of the downstream guide bar 14k on the non-fixed side is formed to warp outward (vertical direction in FIG. 8C). Has been done. On the other hand, the upstream guide bar 14j is formed so as to extend substantially parallel to the carrying direction and to be hardly bent outward or inward. For this reason, in the transport direction, at the location where the upstream guide bar 14j and the downstream guide bar 14k are present, as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, the upstream guide bar 14j is the downstream guide bar 14k. It will be located inward. That is, in a location where both the upstream guide bar 14j and the downstream guide bar 14k in the transport direction are present, the upstream guide bar 14j and the downstream guide bar 14k intersect with the transport direction (in the direction shown in FIG. 8C). They are formed at positions displaced from each other in the vertical direction). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8C, in the molding lid 50 conveyed in the direction of the arrow H (from left to right), the edge side and the flange of the recessed portion indicated by the broken line are guided by the upstream guide bar 14j, It is carried so as not to be caught by the tip of the downstream guide bar 14k.

<3. Processing operation of lid sterilizer>
Next, the processing operation of the lid sterilizer will be described. Activating the aseptic filling system also activates the lid sterilizer and other components that are part of the aseptic filling system. The sheet supply unit 30 starts supplying a sheet that is a material of the molding lid 50 to the lid molding unit 20. The lid forming unit 20 forms the lid using the sheet supplied from the sheet supply unit 30 as a material. Thereby, the molding lid 50 is obtained. The molding lid 50 is conveyed by air along the guide rail 14 to the lid sterilizing apparatus 10. Further, the molding lid 50 is conveyed along the guide rail 14 into the electron beam irradiation chamber 11 by air.

In the electron beam irradiation chamber 11, as shown in FIG. 3, each molding lid 50 is conveyed by air along the guide rail 14 and passes through the plurality of partition plates 13. On the other hand, in the irradiation range 12, the electron beam is constantly irradiated from the electron beam irradiation unit toward the guide rail 14. When the molding lid 50 reaches the irradiation range 12, electron beams are radiated to both surfaces of the molding lid 50 from the electron beam irradiation portions arranged on both sides of the guide rail 14. As shown in FIG. 5, the electron beam is emitted from both sides of the molding lid 50. Since the electron beam is irradiated from both sides, the electron beam hits both the concave side as shown in FIG. 5 and the other side of the concave. In particular, when the electron beam is irradiated from the recess side, the electron beam also hits the boundary portion between the bottom portion, the side portion and the inside of the recess portion, and sterilization is performed. As shown in FIG. 5, since irradiation is performed from both sides, it is possible to sterilize the concave portion of the molding lid 50 regardless of which side the concave portion faces.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, since the guide rail 14 is divided into the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b, there is always a gap between the first rail portion 14a and the second rail portion 14b in the irradiation range 12. The molding lid 50 is irradiated with an electron beam. Therefore, the electron beam continues to hit the inner peripheral portion of the molding lid 50.

<4. Example>
The cap-shaped molded lid having a substantially circular planar shape was sterilized by the lid sterilizing apparatus of this embodiment. A molding lid having a maximum diameter of 50 mm and a recess depth (height) of 5 mm was used. As shown in FIG. 4, the guide rail 14 in the irradiation range 12 has a first rail portion 14a and a second rail portion 14b, each having a plurality of guide bars 14c and 14d with the same clearance along the transport direction. I made it. The guide bars 14c and 14d are both cylindrical and have a diameter of 2 mm and a length of 15 mm. In the electron beam irradiation unit, the irradiation range 12 was circular with a diameter of 90 mm, the acceleration voltage was 90 kV, and the irradiation distance was 100 mm. With the conditions of the molding lid and the electron beam irradiation section fixed as described above, the clearance between the guide bars was changed in four steps, and the transport speed was changed in three steps.

As a specific evaluation method, the clearance between the guide bars is set to four levels of 2 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, and 20 mm, and the transfer speed by air transfer is 10 m/min (min), 15 m/min, and 30 m/min for each of them. The irradiation dose at the boundary between the side and bottom of the molding lid, which is the cold spot, was measured in three steps. Regarding the measurement of irradiation dose, first, a radiochromic film dosimeter was attached to the boundary portion between the side and bottom of the molding lid, and then electron beam irradiation was performed. Then, the radiochromic film dosimeter was collected, the absorbance at 600 nm was measured with an absorbance reader, and the irradiation dose was determined from the amount of change in color development of the radiochromic film dosimeter.

FIG. 7: is a figure which shows the evaluation result of a sterilization process. The horizontal axis represents the clearance between the guide bars, which has four levels of 2 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, and 20 mm. The vertical axis represents the transportation speed by air transportation, and has three stages of 10 m/min, 15 m/min, and 30 m/min. Regarding the irradiation dose, 11.5 kGy or more is indicated by ◯ when the irradiation dose is sufficient, and less than 11.5 kGy is indicated by x when the irradiation dose is insufficient. From this result, when the clearance was 5 mm or more, a sufficient irradiation dose was obtained even when the transport speed was 15 m/min or more. That is, the sterilization treatment could be sufficiently performed even when the transfer was performed at a relatively high speed. On the other hand, when the clearance was 2 mm and the transport speed was 15 m/min or more, a sufficient irradiation dose could not be obtained. Therefore, if the transfer is performed at a relatively high speed, there is a possibility that the sterilization process cannot be performed sufficiently.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the first rail portion and the second rail portion that form the guide rail are arranged above and below, respectively, and are conveyed with the molding lid set up, but the guide rail is formed. The first rail portion and the second rail portion may be arranged so as to face each other in the horizontal direction, and the molding lid may be laid down and conveyed. Further, the first rail portion and the second rail portion forming the guide rail may be arranged to face each other in an oblique direction, and the molding lid may be conveyed in a state of being inclined at a predetermined angle. In any case, the electron beam irradiation unit is set so that the electron beam is irradiated at a corresponding angle according to the inclination of the guide rail.

10... Lid sterilizer 11... Electron beam irradiation chamber 12... Irradiation range 13... Partition plate 14... Guide rail 14a... First rail part 14b... Second rail part 14c , 14d, 14i... Guide bars 14e, 14f... Guide walls 14g, 14h... Clearance (value L)
14j... Upstream guide bar 14k... Downstream guide bar 14m... Guide bar support portion 15... Opening hole 20... Lid forming portion 30... Sheet supply portion 40... Nozzle 50 ... Molding lid 60 ... Container sterilization unit 70 ... Drying unit 80 ... Filling unit 90 ... Sealing unit

Claims (7)

A device for sterilizing a molded lid having a recess,
A guide rail that determines the transportation path of the molding lid that is transported by air,
An electron beam irradiation unit that irradiates an electron beam with a predetermined position of the guide rail as an irradiation range,
Have
The guide rail has a plurality of guide bars that protect the molding lid in the irradiation range so as not to fall off the conveyance path, and each of the guide bars has a clearance with an adjacent guide bar equal to or larger than the width of the guide bar. size der is,
The guide rail comprises two rail portions extending in the conveying direction, the guide bar cap sterilizing apparatus characterized that you have been formed so as to extend toward the respective opposite rail from the rail unit. A device for sterilizing a molded lid having a recess,
A guide rail that determines the transportation path of the molding lid that is transported by air,
An electron beam irradiation unit that irradiates an electron beam with a predetermined position of the guide rail as an irradiation range,
Have
The guide rail has a plurality of guide bars that protect the molding lid in the irradiation range so as not to fall off the conveyance path, and each of the guide bars has a clearance with an adjacent guide bar equal to or larger than the width of the guide bar. size der is,
The guide rail comprises two rail portions extending in the conveying direction, the guide bar cap sterilizing apparatus characterized that you have been formed from the one rail portion to the other rail part. The lid sterilizer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the clearance is 2.5 times or more the width of the guide bar. A device for sterilizing a molded lid having a recess,
A guide rail that determines the transportation path of the molding lid that is transported by air,
An electron beam irradiation unit that irradiates an electron beam with a predetermined position of the guide rail as an irradiation range,
Have
The guide rail has a plurality of guide bars that protect the molding lid in the irradiation range so as not to fall off the conveyance path, and each of the guide bars has a clearance with an adjacent guide bar equal to or larger than the width of the guide bar. size der is,
As the guide bar, the guide rails are an upstream guide bar that fixes the upstream side in the transport direction and extends toward the downstream side, and a downstream guide bar that fixes the downstream side in the transport direction and extends toward the upstream side. Has and
In a location where both the upstream guide bar and the downstream guide bar in the transport direction are present, the upstream guide bar and the downstream guide bar are displaced from each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction. lid sterilizer characterized that you have been formed. The lid sterilizer according to claim 4, wherein an upstream end of the downstream guide bar is formed so as to be curved outward. The lid sterilizer is formed inside a chamber having a shielding property against an electron beam,
Inside the chamber, a plurality of partition plates are installed in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the guide rail,
The lid according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the irradiation range is set at a position through a plurality of partition plates from an inlet and an outlet of the chamber, respectively. Sterilizer. The lid sterilizer according to claim 6 , wherein the guide rail has a portion inclined at a predetermined angle or more with respect to a direction intersecting with the partition plate.