JP6881106B2 - Preform sterilization method and equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to preform sterilization methods and devices.

Sterilize the preform, heat the sterilized preform, mold the heated preform into a bottle, fill the molded bottle with the sterilized contents, and sterilize the bottle filled with the contents. A method for filling a sterile container sealed with a cap has been proposed (Patent Document 1). Here, the sterilization of the preform is performed by spraying the sterilizing liquid on the preform, immersing the preform in the sterilizing liquid, or the like. In addition, a method of spraying a jet of a disinfectant onto the aligned preforms, forming a uniform film of the disinfectant on the surface of the preforms, and heating the preforms sprayed with the disinfectant to a molding temperature to sterilize the preforms ( Patent Document 2), a method of spraying a sterilizing agent gas or mist or a mixture thereof on an aligned preform, sterilizing the preform sprayed with the sterilizing agent by blowing hot air, and heating the sterilized preform. (Patent Document 3) has also been proposed.

In addition, a method in which preforms are aligned, a disinfectant is dropped into the preform, the preform to which the disinfectant is dropped is sealed in a container, and the disinfectant vaporized in the container sterilizes the entire surface of the preform. Has also been proposed (Patent Document 4)

Patent Documents 1, 2, 3 and 4 align the preforms and then contact the disinfectant, but a method of contacting the disinfectant and the preform without aligning the preforms has also been proposed. This is a method in which the preform is put into a conveyor to make it lie unevenly, the preform is passed through the chamber where hydrogen peroxide is sprayed together with the conveyor, and the hydrogen peroxide solution is attached to the preform to sterilize it (patented). Document 5).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-44902 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-183899 JP-A-2015-116814 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-326935 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-189235

Sterilize the preform, heat the sterilized preform, mold the heated preform into a bottle, fill the molded bottle with the sterilized contents, and sterilize the filled bottle. In a sterile filling machine that is sealed with a cap, a method of spraying a disinfectant on an aligned preform before heating is the mainstream. However, when spraying the disinfectant on the aligned preform, not all of the sprayed disinfectant adheres to the surface of the preform, and some of the sprayed disinfectant adheres to the preform and adheres. Only the disinfectant that has been used contributes to the disinfection of the preform. The disinfectant that does not adhere to the preform is exhausted and wasted. In addition, the exhausted disinfectant must be detoxified, and this process is also costly.

In the invention described in Patent Document 4, since the disinfectant is not sprayed on the preform and is dropped, there is no waste of the disinfectant and there is no need for exhaust. However, this is a process before supplying to the aseptic filling machine, and aligning the preforms and dropping them requires equipment other than the aseptic filling machine, which is disadvantageous in terms of cost.

In the invention described in Patent Document 5, it is not necessary to align the preforms, and since the disinfectant is brought into contact with a large amount of preforms, there is little waste of the disinfectant. However, after sterilization, there is a risk of being contaminated by bacteria or the like before being supplied to the aseptic filling machine, and equipment is required separately from the aseptic filling machine.

Therefore, there is a demand for a sterilization method and a sterilizer capable of efficiently sterilizing a preform by bringing a small amount of a sterilizing agent into contact with the preform without requiring new equipment and arranging the preform.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and by bringing the preform into contact with the disinfectant in the preform receiving tank of the aseptic filling machine, the disinfectant is wasted with a small amount of the disinfectant. It is an object of the present invention to provide a preform sterilization method and equipment which does not require new equipment.

In the method for sterilizing a preform according to the present invention, the preform is put into a receiving tank, the preform is conveyed from the bottom of the receiving tank by a conveyor, the preforms are aligned, and the preform is put into a bottle molding machine. In the preform supply device to be conveyed, a gas or mist of a disinfectant or a mixture thereof is sprayed onto the preform in the receiving tank.

Further, in the method for sterilizing a preform according to the present invention, it is preferable that the sterilizing agent is a hydrogen peroxide solution and contains 5% by mass to 65% by mass of hydrogen peroxide.

Further, the method for sterilizing a preform according to the present invention is preferably produced by spraying the gas or mist of the bactericidal agent or a mixture thereof into a vaporized portion and gasifying the bactericidal agent.

Further, a method of sterilizing preforms according to the present ^{invention, 0.001μL / cm 2 ~0.5μL / cm} 2 of hydrogen peroxide in terms of hydrogen peroxide solution containing 35 wt% hydrogen peroxide to the preform It is preferable to attach water.

Further, in the method for sterilizing a preform according to the present invention, it is preferable to irradiate the preform in the receiving tank with light containing ultraviolet rays.

Further, in the method for sterilizing a preform according to the present invention, it is preferable to transport the preform from the lower part of the receiving tank to the bottle molding machine while blowing sterile air on the preform.

The preform sterilizer according to the present invention includes a receiving tank into which the preform is charged, a conveyor for transporting the preform from the lower part of the receiving tank, and an aligning device for aligning the preforms conveyed by the conveyor. In a preform supply device including an alignment transfer device for transporting the preform from the alignment device to a bottle forming machine, a gas or mist of a bactericide or a mixture thereof is added to the preform in the receiving tank. The disinfectant spraying device is provided, and the disinfectant spraying device produces a disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof by spraying the disinfectant into the vaporized part, and the generated sterilization. It is characterized by comprising a disinfectant spraying nozzle for spraying a gas or mist of an agent or a mixture thereof onto the preform in the receiving tank.

Further, in the preform sterilizing device according to the present invention, the sterilizing agent spraying device mixes heated aseptic air with the sterilizing agent gas or mist generated by the sterilizing agent gas generator or a mixture thereof. It is preferable to have a device.

The preform sterilizer according to the present invention includes a receiving tank into which the preform is charged, a conveyor for transporting the preform from the lower part of the receiving tank, and an aligning device for aligning the preforms conveyed by the conveyor. In a preform supply device including an alignment transfer device for transporting the preform from the alignment device to a bottle forming machine, a gas or mist of a bactericide or a mixture thereof is added to the preform in the receiving tank. comprising a disinfectant spraying device for spraying, light irradiation device for irradiating light including ultraviolet rays to the preform, characterized in that provided in the receiving tank.

Further, it is preferable that the preform sterilizer according to the present invention is provided with an aseptic air supply device in which the conveyor, the alignment device and the alignment transfer device are shielded and sterile air is supplied into the shielded chamber. ..

According to the present invention, by spraying the preform with a disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof in the receiving tank into which the preform is charged, the preform does not require a new large equipment and requires a small amount of disinfectant. Can be sterilized efficiently. Further, the preform can be supplied to the bottle molding machine while maintaining the sterility of the preform by transporting the preform to which the sterilizing agent has been sprayed with sterile air while blowing the sterile air to the bottle molding apparatus.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the preform supply apparatus which incorporated the preform sterilization apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The preform which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown. It is a side view which shows the outline of the preform supply apparatus which incorporated the preform sterilization apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the outline of the preform transfer apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The step of transporting the preform by the conveyor in the lower part of the receiving tank according to the embodiment of the present invention is shown. It is a side view which shows the outline of the receiving tank of the preform which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The disinfectant gas generator which generates the disinfectant gas which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Outline of preform sterilization method and equipment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the preform supply device incorporating the preform sterilizer according to the present embodiment includes a receiving tank 2 for storing the preform 1 and an aligning device 5 for preform 1 stored in the receiving tank 2. A conveyor 3 having a crosspiece 4 to be transported to the container 3, an aligning device 5 for aligning the preforms 1 transported by the conveyor 3, and an aligning and transporting device 6 for transporting the aligned preforms 1 to the bottle forming machine 7 are provided. The preform 1 is sprayed with a fungicide gas or mist or a mixture thereof in the receiving tank 2.

(Details of preform sterilization method and equipment)
The preform 1 in the present embodiment is a test tubular bottomed tubular body, which is shown in FIG. A mouth portion 1a similar to a bottle obtained by molding the preform 1 is provided at the beginning of the molding. A male screw is formed in the mouth portion 1a at the same time as the molding of the preform 1. Further, a support ring 1b necessary for transporting the preform 1 and the molded bottle is formed in the lower part of the mouth portion 1a. Preform 1 is molded by injection molding, compression molding, or the like. The material of the preform 1 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polypropylene, and polyethylene, and these resins may be used alone or as a mixture, or may contain a recycled thermoplastic resin. Further, in order to impart barrier properties, a thermoplastic resin such as an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer or a polyamide having an aromatic amine as a monomer such as m-xylylenediamine may be contained as a layer or as a mixture.

After molding, the preform 1 is placed in a container 8 at a molding factory, sealed, and transported to, for example, a beverage factory. The preform 1 transported to the beverage factory is supplied to the aseptic filling machine installed in the beverage factory. The supplied preform 1 is sterilized, the sterilized preform 1 is heated to a temperature at which it can be molded into a bottle, and the heated preform 1 is blow-molded into a bottle and filled with a sterilized beverage in a sterile atmosphere. Beverage-filled bottles are wrapped with sterilized caps to produce sterile beverage products. The bottle molding machine 7 is an apparatus for heating the preform 1 to a moldable temperature and molding it into a bottle. The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for sterilizing the preform 1 in the process of supplying the preform 1 to the bottle forming machine 7 constituting the aseptic filling machine.

The preform 1 molded in the molding factory is put into a polyethylene bag, and the polyethylene bag is put in a metal, cardboard or plastic container and sealed. Care is taken not to contaminate the preform 1 with dust, dirt, etc. when it is transported from the molding factory to the beverage factory. As shown in FIG. 3, the container 8 transported to the beverage factory is opened and tilted above the receiving tank 2, so that the preform 1 in the container 8 is put into the receiving tank 2. When the receiving tank 2 is opened upward, the preform 1 is charged from the container 8.

After the preform 1 is charged, the receiving tank 2 is sealed. The preform 1 put into the receiving tank 2 is randomly stored. The receiving tank 2 has a hopper shape formed so that the effective storage area decreases downward. The upper part of the receiving tank 2 is square in FIG. 1, but it may be circular. The receiving tank 2 is made of a material that is not corroded by a disinfectant, such as stainless steel.

The receiving tank 2 is provided with a disinfectant spraying device. As shown in FIG. 6, the receiving tank 2 is provided with a disinfectant spraying nozzle 9 constituting a disinfectant spraying device. From the disinfectant spray nozzle 9, the disinfectant gas or mist generated by the disinfectant gas generator 10 constituting the disinfectant spraying device shown in FIG. 7 or a mixture thereof is randomly stored in the receiving tank 2. It is sprayed on reform 1. The disinfectant spraying device includes a disinfectant spray nozzle 9, a disinfectant gas generator 10, and ancillary equipment. It is preferable that the disinfectant spray nozzle 9 is provided on the wall surface of the receiving tank 2 and the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof is sprayed onto the preform 1 from the wall surface of the receiving tank 2. This is because if the disinfectant spray nozzle 9 projecting from the wall surface of the receiving tank 2, the preform 1 may be damaged by the disinfectant spray nozzle 9. Further, the number of the disinfectant spray nozzles 9 is arbitrary, and a plurality of the disinfectant spray nozzles 9 may be provided as needed.

As shown in FIG. 7, the disinfectant gas generator 10 supplies the disinfectant supply unit 11 which is a two-fluid spray nozzle that supplies the disinfectant in the form of droplets, and the disinfectant supplied from the disinfectant supply unit 11. It is provided with a vaporizing unit 12 that is heated to a temperature equal to or lower than the decomposition temperature to be vaporized. The disinfectant supply unit 11 takes in the disinfectant and the compressed air from the disinfectant supply path 11a and the compressed air supply path 11b, respectively, and sprays the disinfectant into the vaporization unit 12. The vaporization unit 12 is a pipe in which a heater 12a is sandwiched between the inner and outer walls, and the disinfectant sprayed in the pipe is heated and vaporized. The vaporized disinfectant gas is ejected from the lower end of the vaporizing section 12 to the outside of the vaporizing section 12. The vaporization unit 12 may be heated by dielectric heating instead of the heater 12a.

By connecting the lower end of the vaporization unit 12 to the disinfectant spray nozzle 9, the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof is sprayed from the disinfectant spray nozzle 9 onto the preform 1 in the receiving tank 2. The disinfectant gasified in the vaporization unit 12 may condense and become a mist before being sprayed from the disinfectant spray nozzle 9 onto the preform 1, and the disinfectant sprayed on the preform 1 may be gas or mist or. It is a mixture of these.

Heat-sterile air can be supplied between the lower end of the vaporization unit 12 and the disinfectant spray nozzle 9, and the heat-sterile air can be mixed with the disinfectant gas or mist generated by the disinfectant gas generator 10 or a mixture thereof. preferable. For this purpose, a heated aseptic air mixing device is provided between the lower end of the vaporizing unit 12 and the disinfectant spraying nozzle 9. By mixing heated sterile air with the gas or mist of the disinfectant or a mixture thereof, mist formation is suppressed, and the disinfectant also adheres to the surface of the preform 1 existing in the central portion of the receiving tank 2. Further, the speed at which the gas or mist of the disinfectant or a mixture thereof is sprayed onto the preform 1 increases, and the disinfectant adheres to the surface of the preform 1 existing in the central portion of the receiving tank 2.

As the operating conditions of the disinfectant supply unit 11 of the disinfectant gas generator 10, for example, the pressure of the compressed air is adjusted in the range of 0.05 MPa to 0.6 MPa. Further, the disinfectant may be dropped by gravity or pressure may be applied, and the supply amount can be freely set. For example, 1 g / min. ~ 100 g / min. Supply within the range of. Further, the inner surface of the vaporizing portion 12 is heated from 140 ° C. to 450 ° C. to vaporize the sprayed bactericide.

The spraying amount of the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof is arbitrary, but the spraying amount is determined by the amount of the disinfectant supplied to the disinfectant gas generator 10 and the spraying time. A plurality of disinfectant gas generators 10 may be provided. When the disinfectant is hydrogen peroxide solution, the concentration of hydrogen peroxide in the range of 1 mg / L to 20 mg / L is appropriate. If it is less than 1 mg / L, sterilization will be insufficient, and if it exceeds 20 mg / L, the residual amount of hydrogen peroxide in the bottle after molding may increase.

The preform 1 may be preheated by blowing hot air into the receiving tank 2 immediately before spraying the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof onto the preform 1. This preheating can further enhance the bactericidal effect of Preform 1.

In order to preheat the preform 1 in the receiving tank 2, it is preferable to provide the receiving tank 2 with an aseptic hot air blowing device. As shown in FIG. 6, the aseptic hot air blowing device heats the air from the blower 13 with the heating device 14, receives the hot air sterilized by the sterilization filter 15, and blows it from the upper part of the tank 2. The temperature of sterile hot air is preferably 40 ° C to 70 ° C. If the temperature is lower than 40 ° C, the heating effect is poor, and if the temperature exceeds 70 ° C, the preform may be deformed.

The disinfectant sprayed on Preform 1 preferably contains at least hydrogen peroxide. The content is appropriately in the range of 0.5% by mass to 65% by mass. If it is less than 0.5% by mass, the bactericidal activity may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 65% by mass, it becomes difficult to handle for safety. Further, more preferably, it is 0.5% by mass to 40% by mass, and when it is 40% by mass or less, it is easier to handle, and since the concentration is low, the residual amount of hydrogen peroxide after sterilization can be reduced.

When the disinfectant sprayed on the preform 1 contains hydrogen peroxide, the amount of the disinfectant adhered to the inner and outer surfaces of the preform 1 is 0.001 μL / cm as a hydrogen peroxide solution containing 35% by mass of hydrogen peroxide. A range of ^{2 to} 0.5 μL / cm ^{2 is preferred.} If the amount of adhesion ^{is less than 0.001 μL / cm 2} , a sufficient bactericidal effect cannot be obtained. Further, if the amount of adhesion exceeds 0.5 μL / cm ² , when the preform 1 is blow-molded into a bottle, molding defects such as whitening, spots, wrinkles, and deformation are likely to occur in the bottle. More preferably, the amount of the preform 1 adhered to the hydrogen peroxide solution containing 35% by mass of hydrogen peroxide is 0.002 μL / cm ^{2 to} 0.4 μL / cm ² .

Aseptic hot air may be sprayed on the preform 1 sprayed with the gas or mist of the disinfectant or a mixture thereof. This can be done by activating the aseptic hot air blowing device provided in the receiving tank 2. As with preheating, the temperature of aseptic hot air is preferably 40 ° C to 70 ° C. By blowing sterile hot air on the preform 1, the bactericidal agent adhering to or adsorbing on the surface of the preform 1 is activated, and the bactericidal effect is improved.

When sterile air is sprayed onto the preform 1 when the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof is sprayed onto the preform 1 and after the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof is sprayed onto the preform 1. , Air containing a disinfectant is discharged from the lower part of the receiving tank 2. The discharged air containing the disinfectant is collected by the collector 18 as shown in FIG. 6, and is exhausted by the blower 16 through the filter 17 that adsorbs or decomposes the disinfectant. This is to prevent the working environment from being deteriorated by the air containing a bactericide and the nearby equipment from being corroded.

The preform 1 sprayed with the gas or mist of the disinfectant or a mixture thereof is conveyed from the lower part of the receiving tank 2 by the conveyor 3. In order to maintain the sterility in the receiving tank 2 when the preform 1 is conveyed, it is preferable to pass the air from the blower 13 through the sterilization filter 15 and supply the sterilized sterile air into the receiving tank 2. .. At this time, the heating device 14 may be operated to heat the sterile air.

As the preform 1 is conveyed by the conveyor 3, the preform in the receiving tank 2 is reduced, and when the level reaches a certain level, the receiving tank 2 is opened and the preform 1 is transferred from the container 8 to the receiving tank 2. It is thrown in. A preform level sensor 19 is provided in the receiving tank 2, and when the preform does not come into contact with the sensor, a decrease in the preform 1 is detected and an alarm is issued. During this period, the transfer of the preform 1 by the conveyor 3 may be continued.

Immediately after the preform 1 is charged from the container 8 into the receiving tank 2 and the receiving tank 2 is sealed, the preform 1 is sprayed with a disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof. Therefore, the preform 1 existing in the lower part of the receiving tank 2 is sprayed with the gas or mist of the disinfectant or a mixture thereof twice. Since the time until the receiving tank 2 is opened and the gas or mist of the disinfectant or a mixture thereof is sprayed is short, the preform 1 existing in the lower part of the receiving tank 2 is considered to have a low possibility of being contaminated by bacteria or the like. You may continue the transportation.

If there is concern about contamination by bacteria or the like, the receiving tank 2 may be opened and the transport of the preform 1 may be stopped until the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof is sprayed on the preform 1. Absent. At this time, it is preferable that the preform 1 is retained in the alignment transfer device 6 so that the alignment transfer device 6 functions as an accumulator so that the operation of the aseptic filling machine downstream is not stopped.

While the preform 1 sprayed with the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof is conveyed from the lower part of the receiving tank 2 by the conveyor 3, the preform 1 is sprayed with the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof. While or while sterile air is being blown onto the preform 1, a light irradiation device is provided in the receiving tank 2 as shown in FIG. 6, and the light containing ultraviolet rays is received from the lamp 20 constituting the light irradiation device. It is preferable to irradiate the inside of 2.

Ultraviolet rays contained in the irradiated light are a kind of electromagnetic waves having a wavelength of 100 nm to 380 nm. Light contains any of these wavelengths, but a wavelength of 100 nm to 280 nm, called UV-C, is particularly effective for sterilization. Further, the wavelength having the most bactericidal effect is 253.7 nm, and it is optimal to include this.

The lamp 20 that emits ultraviolet rays of 100 nm to 380 nm is a low-pressure mercury lamp, a high-pressure mercury lamp, a xenon flash lamp, or the like. In particular, since the bactericidal effect of light (wavelength: 100 to 950 nm) emitted from a xenon flash lamp in which xenon gas is sealed is high, the lamp is optimal.

A plurality of lamps 20 may be provided. Further, the shape of the lamp 20 may be any shape such as a round shape, a rod shape, and a U shape.

This is because a reflector 21 is provided behind the lamp 20 to efficiently irradiate the preform 1 with the light emitted from the lamp 20. The reflector 21 may be a flat surface, a curved surface, or a combination of a plurality of surfaces having any shape. The reflector 21 may be any one as long as it can reflect light. For example, it is made of synthetic resin, metal, and glass, and its surface is smoothed. In order to make the surface smoother, coating, plating of metal, and vapor deposition of metal and metal oxide are performed. It may be a combination of. In particular, a mirror made of glass with a curved surface is preferable.

The light containing ultraviolet rays emitted from the lamp 20 may improve the bactericidal effect of the bactericidal agent of the preform 1, and the surface of the preform 1 directly irradiated with light is sterilized by the light containing ultraviolet rays. Further, when the receiving tank 2 is opened, the outside air flows in, but there is also an effect of sterilizing the inflowing outside air.

As shown in FIG. 5, the preform 1 stored in the lower part of the receiving tank 2 is conveyed by the conveyor 3. The rails 4 are provided on the conveyor 3 at regular intervals, and the preform 1 hung on the rails 4 is conveyed by the conveyor 3. A curtain plate 22 having a length not to be in sliding contact with the crosspiece 4 is provided on the wall surface of the receiving tank 2 in the transport direction, and the curtain plate 22 eliminates the preform 1 existing above the crosspiece 4. Due to the effect of eliminating the curtain plate 22, only the preform 1 lying on the conveyor 3 is conveyed by the conveyor 3. It is appropriate that the curtain plate 22 is made of a material that has flexibility so as not to damage the preform 1 and is not deteriorated by the gas of a bactericide or the like. For example, silicone rubber, fluororubber, perfluoroelastomer, fluorosilicone rubber and the like are suitable.

The width of the lower opening of the receiving tank 2 is set to be narrower than the width of the conveyor 3 and the crosspiece 4. This is to prevent the preform 1 from falling off from the conveyor 3 and the crosspiece 4. The height of the crosspiece 4 is preferably 0.8 to 1.7 times the maximum diameter of the preform 1. The height at which the preform 1 can lie down on the conveyor 3 is such that if it is less than 0.8 times, it may be removed by the curtain plate 22, and if it exceeds 1.7 times, two preforms 1 overlap and hang on the crosspiece 4. There is a risk. The conveyor 3 needs to be flexible, and a material similar to that of the curtain plate 22 is preferable. Also. The crosspiece 4 is preferably a plastic so as not to damage the preform 1, and more preferably a fluorine-based plastic having resistance to a bactericide.

The conveyor 3 conveys the preform 1 upward as shown in FIG. When it reaches the upper side, the preform 1 falls on the aligning device 5. The preform 1 falls to the lower central portion of the hopper-shaped aligning device 5 while being guided by the guide plate 23. The dropped preform 1 is placed in a vertical position with the mouth portion 1a facing up by the two alignment rolls 24 provided at the lower part of the alignment device 5. What is the distance between the two rolls of the alignment roll 24? It is adjusted to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the body of the preform 1 and narrower than the outer diameter of the support ring 1b. Since the size of the preform 1 changes depending on the size of the target bottle, the roll interval of the alignment roll 24 can be adjusted. The two rolls of the alignment roll 24 rotate so as to sandwich the preform 1, and the alignment roll that suspends the preform 1 by the support ring 1b of the preform 1 is inclined in the transport direction. It moves downward due to gravity.

As shown in FIG. 4, the preform 1 moves from the alignment roll 24 to the alignment transfer device 6, is conveyed along the alignment transfer device 6 inclined downward in the transfer direction, and is supplied to the bottle forming machine 7.

As shown in FIG. 3, the receiving tank 2 shields the conveyor 3, the aligning device 5, and the aligning transport device 6 that convey the preform 1 from the receiving tank 2 and supplies sterile air into the shielded chamber. The sterilized preform 1 can be supplied to the bottle forming machine 7 while maintaining the sterility. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the air from the blower 25 is sterilized by passing it through a sterilization filter 27, and the aseptic air is supplied to the shielded conveyor 3, the alignment device 5, and the alignment transfer device 6. The supplied sterile air is exhausted to the outside of the chamber shielded from the joint between the receiving tank 2 and the conveyor 3, the joint between the conveyor 3 and the aligning device 5, and the joint between the aligning and transporting device 6 and the bottle forming machine 7. .. A plurality of such sterile air supply devices may be provided. The location to be provided is also arbitrary. Further, sterile air may be heated by providing a heating device 26. By heating, the disinfectant adhering to the preform 1 is dried and activated, so that the preform 1 is expected to be further sterilized during transportation. When heating sterile air, the temperature of the sterile air is 40 ° C to 70 ° C.

A transparent plastic such as an acrylic plate is preferable for shielding the conveyor 3, the alignment device 5, and the alignment transfer device 6. It is preferable that the transport state can be confirmed from the outside, and the structure to be shielded can be finely separated and opened so that a trouble can be dealt with promptly.

The preform 1 conveyed to the bottle molding machine 7 is conveyed to a heating furnace and heated to a temperature suitable for later blow molding by an infrared heater or other heating means. By inserting the spindle into the mouth portion 1a of the preform 1, the preform 1 enters the heating furnace by an endless chain while rotating with the spindle in an upright (or inverted) state. Spindles are attached to the endless chain at regular intervals, the spindle is rotatable, and the endless chain is rotated by a pulley. By this heating, the bactericidal agent attached or adsorbed on the preform 1 may be decomposed, and sterilization may be further promoted.

The heated preform 1 is released from the spindle, delivered to the gripper, and conveyed to the mold which is a blow molding die. Preform 1 is blow molded into a bottle in a mold. The preform 1 is mounted on the mold, and at the same time the drawing rod is inserted into the preform 1 from the center hole of the blow nozzle, blow air is blown into the inside of the preform 1. The preform 1 expands into a mold shape by the stretching rod and blow air to form a bottle.

The molded bottle is inspected, and if it fails, it is removed from the transport path by the exclusion device, and only the accepted product is transported to the filling part. Bottles that pass the inspection are filled with sterilized beverages. The beverage-filled bottle is sealed with a sterilized cap to become a sterile beverage product.

In order for the bottle molded from the preform 1 to become a sterile beverage product while maintaining the sterility of the preform 1 sprayed with the disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof in the receiving tank 2, the bottle is molded. Machine 7, device for inspecting bottles, filling part for filling beverages, sealing part for sealing bottles are shielded, and the inside of the shielded chamber is sterilized before the operation of the aseptic filling machine, and asepticity is maintained even during operation. There must be.

Although the present invention is configured as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the gist of the present invention.

1 ... Preform 2 ... Receiving tank 3 ... Conveyor 4 ... Rail 5 ... Alignment device 6 ... Alignment transfer device 7 ... Bottle molding machine 9 ... Disinfectant spray nozzle 20 ... Lamp 24 ... Alignment roll

Claims (10)

In a preform supply device that puts a preform into a receiving tank, conveys the preform from the bottom of the receiving tank by a conveyor, aligns the preforms, and conveys the preforms to a bottle molding machine.
A method for disinfecting a preform, which comprises spraying a gas or mist of a disinfectant or a mixture thereof in the receiving tank onto the preform. In the method for sterilizing a preform according to claim 1,
A method for sterilizing a preform, wherein the sterilizing agent is a hydrogen peroxide solution and contains 5% by mass to 65% by mass of hydrogen peroxide. In the method for sterilizing a preform according to claim 1 or 2.
A method for sterilizing a preform, which comprises spraying the bactericide gas or mist or a mixture thereof into a vaporized portion to gasify the bactericide. In the method for sterilizing a preform according to claim 2 or 3.
Sterilization of the preform, characterized in that the deposition of 0.001μL / cm ² ~0.5μL / cm ² of hydrogen peroxide in terms of hydrogen peroxide solution containing 35 wt% hydrogen peroxide to the preform Method. In the method for sterilizing a preform according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A method for sterilizing a preform, which comprises irradiating the preform in the receiving tank with light containing ultraviolet rays. In the method for sterilizing a preform according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
A method for sterilizing a preform, which comprises transporting the preform from the lower part of the receiving tank to a bottle molding machine while blowing sterile air on the preform. A receiving tank into which the preform is charged, a conveyor for transporting the preform from the lower part of the receiving tank, an aligning device for aligning the preforms conveyed by the conveyor, and a bottle of the preform from the aligning device In a preform supply device provided with an alignment transfer device for transporting the preform to a molding machine,
The preform in the receiving tank is provided with a disinfectant spraying device for spraying a disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof, and the disinfectant spraying device sprays the disinfectant into the vaporized part to obtain the disinfectant gas or. It is characterized by comprising a disinfectant gas generator that produces a mist or a mixture thereof, and a disinfectant spray nozzle that sprays the produced disinfectant gas or mist or a mixture thereof onto the preform in the receiving tank. Preform sterilizer. In the preform sterilizer according to claim 7,
The sterilizer spraying device is provided with a heat-sterile air mixer for mixing heat-sterile air with a gas or mist of a fungicide generated by the fungicide gas generator or a mixture thereof for sterilization of preforms. apparatus. It is provided with a receiving tank into which the preform is charged, a conveyor for transporting the preform from the lower part of the receiving tank, an aligning device for aligning the preforms conveyed by the conveyor, and a bottle of the preform from the aligning device. In a preform supply device provided with an alignment transfer device for transporting the preform to a molding machine,
A disinfectant spraying device for spraying the preform in the receiving tank with a gas or mist of a disinfectant or a mixture thereof is provided, and a light irradiation device for irradiating the preform with light including ultraviolet rays is provided in the receiving tank. A preform sterilizer characterized by being able to be used. In the preform sterilizer according to any one of claims 7 to 9.
A preform sterilizer, wherein the conveyor, the alignment device, and the alignment transfer device are shielded, and a sterile air supply device for supplying sterile air is provided in the shielded chamber.

Images