JPH0298524A - Disinfection of beverage container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To completely disinfect a blank and efficiently remove the disinfectant therefrom by delivering a jet of aseptic air to the entire inner peripheral surface and the overlapping part of the blank while it is being engaged with a mandrel after immersion in a disinfecting tank. CONSTITUTION:A jet of aseptic air is delivered, for example, at 3kgf/cm<2> from a concentrate nozzle 30 above a disinfecting tank 14 to a blank 4 raised from the tank 14 with the air stream directed along the overlapping part 5 thereof during the stopping period of a circulating device 15 in the disinfecting tank in order to remove the disinfectant from the overlapping part 5. The blanks 4, during the stopping period of the circulating device 15, are successively carried out into engagement with the radially extending mandrels 20 of a transfer device 16 by a carry-out mechanism having chains and feed pawls. At the time the blank 4 is sent from the circulating device 15 in the disinfecting tank into engagement with the mandrel 20 of the transfer device, a jet of air is directed from the end of the mandrel to the inner peripheral surface of the blank 4 for removal of the disinfectant.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a sterilization method for sterilizing a cylindrical blank for use in paper containers for storing milk or juices, for example, a so-called Goebel top type blank.

[Prior Art] FIGS. 3 to 5 show a paper container 1 of a Goebel top type. When manufacturing this container 1, a cylindrical blank 4 of a certain length with both ends open is sterilized, and then the bottom portion 2 is formed into a flat bottom shape through heating, temporary folding, and sealing steps. Thereafter, the desired beverage is filled, and the upper part 3 is cut into a fruit shape to complete the container 1. When forming the cylindrical blank 4 of this container 1, the side edges of the cardboard board are folded back so that the end faces are not exposed inside, so that the beverage does not penetrate through the end faces of the cardboard board, and then heated Alternatively, the joint portion 5 is formed by welding using ultrasonic waves.

This container sterilization process is generally carried out by spraying a sterilizing liquid onto the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of an open blank and drying it with hot air. Furthermore, after the bottom of the blank is formed into a flat bottom shape, a sterilizing solution is sprayed on the bottom of a conveying chain and the blank is dried with hot air.

[Problem to be solved by the invention] However, when sterilizing by spraying a sterilizing liquid, there is a risk that the sterilizing liquid will be sprayed unevenly or the spray m will be insufficient, and in this case, sterilization failure will occur. . On the other hand, if the entire blank is immersed in a sterilizing liquid, the fear of poor sterilization is eliminated, but it is not easy to remove the sterilizing agent by subsequent hot air drying. In particular, since a step is formed on the inner surface of the blank at the joint along the axial direction, there is an extremely high possibility that the disinfectant may remain.

The present invention has been made in view of the above two points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sterilization method that can completely sterilize a blank and efficiently remove a sterilizing agent from the blank.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The sterilization method according to the present invention involves sequentially placing hollow beverage container blanks, each of which has an axial joint formed on the inner surface of the side wall, into a sterilization tank using a sterilization tank circulation device that rotates intermittently. Soak,
After this, a plurality of mandrels with peripheral nozzles opened on the outer periphery of their tips and blanks being rolled out from the tips are arranged radially, and the transfer is rotated in synchronization with the mandrels within the running surface of the sterilization tank circulation device. This is a sterilization method in which the blank is transferred to a hot air drying device and dried with hot air, and before the blank immersed in the sterilization bath is dried with hot air, the blank is fitted onto a mandrel and the entire circumference of the inner surface is sterilized. The sterilizer is removed from the inner surface of the blank by a peripheral jet that blows sterile air from a peripheral nozzle and a concentrated jet that blows sterile air at the joint.

The focused jet may blow sterile air onto the joints of the blank as it is lifted from the sterilizer bath to remove the sterilant before the peripheral jet removes the sterilizer;
This may be done after removing the disinfectant with a peripheral jet. This concentrated jet is preferably performed multiple times from one end of the blank toward the other end.

Furthermore, the concentrated jet described in item 1 may be carried out simultaneously with the peripheral jet from the peripheral nozzle of this tip when the blank is loaded onto the mandrel of the transfer device.

[Function] According to the sterilization method of the present invention, the hollow blank is completely sterilized by being immersed in the sterilization tank by the sterilization tank circulation device, and then transferred to the hot air drying device by the transfer device, where it is dried with hot air. be done. Before the blank immersed in the sterilizing tank is transferred by this transfer device to the hot air drying device, the sterilizing agent adhering to its inner surface is removed by blowing sterile air.

This sterile air removal is performed using a peripheral jet that sprays sterile air in a layer over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the blank, and a concentrated jet that sprays sterile air onto the joints. Part of the disinfectant is removed by a focused jet, either before or after the peripheral jet. When this concentrated jet is sequentially performed multiple times from one end of the blank toward the other end, the disinfectant can be efficiently removed from the entire joint along the axial direction.

Furthermore, by simultaneously performing the peripheral jet and the concentrated jet, the disinfectant adhering to the inner surface of the blank can be efficiently removed in a shorter time.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[Example 1] Fig. 1 shows a state in which a blank 4 is sterilized by the sterilization method of the present invention, and Fig. 2 shows a part thereof in an enlarged manner.

According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the blank 4, which has a joint 5 along the axial direction formed on the inner surface of the side wall, is pulled out from a flat folded state into a hollow prismatic shape using a suction cup or the like, and is moved by an appropriate feeding mechanism. A supply station 12 supplies the sterilizer 10 . This sterilizer R10 is used, for example, in an acetic packaging machine that fills and packages L-type Gehbert tube-shaped containers 1.

In this sterilizing device 10, the blanks 4 are sequentially immersed in a sterilizing tank 14 containing hydrogen peroxide as a sterilizing agent, for example, by a sterilizing tank circulation device 1r5 that rotates intermittently, and then,
After removing the disinfectant and drying with hot air using a hot air drying device,
It is sent out from the discharge station 13 to the next process and filled with beverage. It is desirable that the process from the supply station 12 to the discharge station 13 be carried out in a sterile atmosphere. The blanks 4 are held horizontally at predetermined intervals by externally attached holding members. By intermittently rotating a suitable sprocket provided on the upper side of the sterilizing tank 14, the blanks 4 are sequentially immersed in the sterilizing tank 14, and then pulled out from the sterilizing tank 1-
I can do something. Since the blank 4 is immersed in the sterilizing tank 14 with both ends opened in the water direction, the inner surface of the blank 4 can be completely sterilized. When the blank 4 is circulated at a slight inclination with respect to the water direction, air pockets are not formed on the inner surface of the blank 4, and when the blank 4 is pulled out from the sterilization tank, the sterilizer is removed. does not accumulate inside.

The blank 4 pulled up from the sterilization tank 14 is blown with a concentrated jet of sterile air of, for example, 3 Jl'/cm from a concentrated nozzle 30 at the top of the sterilization tank along its joint 5 while the sterilization tank circulation device 15 is stopped. The disinfectant is then removed from this joint 5. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a jet of jet at a predetermined angle is ejected toward the joint 5 from a fixed concentrated nozzle 30. The ejection angle of one concentrated nozzle 30 may be formed to be changeable, and concentrated jets having different angles may be sequentially ejected from one end of the blank toward the other end.

The blank 4 which has been pulled up from the sterilizing tank 14 and from which the sterilizing agent in the joint part 5 has been removed by the concentrated jet is passed through a chain 26 and a feed pawl, for example, as shown by chain lines in FIG. 27 are sent out by a certain delivery mechanism, and are sequentially manufactured on mandrels 20 arranged radially around the periphery of the transfer device 16. In this case, the blank 4 consists of four guide rails 2 arranged around the circumference of each mandrel 20.
1, the mandrel is attached from the tip 20a.

This transfer device 16 transfers the mandrel 20 to the sterilization tank circulation device 1.
The mandrel 20 on the sterilization tank circulation device side is tilted slightly downward from the horizontal axis when the mandrel 20 on the sterilization tank circulation device side is rotated intermittently in synchronization with the sterilization tank circulation device 15, and when stopped, the mandrel 20 on the sterilization tank circulation device side is aligned in the axial direction with the blank of the sterilization tank circulation device 15. It is preferable. In this case, the disinfectant applied to the blank 4 falls by gravity and does not accumulate inside.

This transfer device 16 transfers the blank 4 to a hot air drying device located on the left side of FIG. In this hot air drying device, a drying tank circulation device 18 similar to the sterilization tank circulation device 15 is used.
The hot air is circulated through the drying tank 17, and the hot air blowing nozzle 19
Dry with hot air blown out. In the embodiment of FIG.
Only one set of the hot air drying device is shown, which includes a drying tank 17, a drying tank circulation device 18, and one hot air nozzle, but in history, a set similar to this was placed on the outlet side of the blank 4 in the flow direction, and one end of the blank 4 was installed. After blowing hot air from one side with the hot air nozzle 19, hot air may be blown from the other end side (=j) to dry the blank. In this case, the hot air blown from both ends of the blank 4 can dry the blank 4 more completely. After drying, the blank 4 is carried out from the blank discharge station 13 to the next step.

-1- When attaching the blank 4 from the sterilization tank circulation device 15 to the mandrel 20 of the transfer device, a peripheral jet is sprayed onto the inner peripheral surface of the blank 4 from the tip 20a of the mandrel to remove the sterilizer. In addition, an external nozzle 24 is also provided on the outer peripheral surface.
．． Sterile air may be blown from 25 to remove the disinfectant.

Figure 2 shows the blank 4 transferred from the sterilizer circulation device to the transfer device 16.
Diagrammatically shows the state of sending.

The blank 4 is pulled out from the sterilizing tank circulation device in the water direction 1' by a carry-out mechanism in which locking claws 31 are attached at regular intervals to a chain 3U, for example, and mounted on the mandrel 15.

The tip 20a of this mandrel is formed to have a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the blank 4 in order to remove the disinfectant more efficiently, and the tip 15a is further provided with four peripheral nozzles 22 that open on the outer circumferential surface. . The peripheral nozzle 22 is tilted toward the tip and sprays a uniform peripheral jet in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the blank 4, thereby blowing off the disinfectant.

For example, 3 kg is supplied to this peripheral nozzle 22 via a supply pipe 23 when the peripheral nozzle 22 is stopped on the sterilization tank side by an appropriate distribution mechanism.
Supply sterile air at f/d.

Moreover, external nozzles 24 and 25 may be provided between the sterilizing tank circulation device and the transfer device 20, that is, adjacent to the tip of the mandrel 20, for removing the sterilizing agent adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the blank 4. This external nozzle is formed of a rod-shaped nozzle 24 and a U-shaped nozzle 25 so as not to interfere with the carrying-out mechanism, and a sterile nozzle is provided on the side facing the blank of these nozzles in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the blank 4. Nozzle ports 24a and 25a are provided to blow out air and remove the disinfectant.

These external nozzles 24, 25 may be provided between the transfer device 16 and the drying tank circulation device 18 instead of being arranged between the transfer device +16 and the sterilization tank circulation device 15, and furthermore, they can be provided between the transfer device 16 and the drying tank circulation device 18. In order to remove more completely, it may be arranged both between the transfer device 16 and the sterilizing tank circulation device 15 and between the transfer device 16 and the drying tank circulation device 18.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a concentrated nozzle 30 is arranged above the sterilization tank 14, and a concentrated jet of sterile air is blown onto the joint 5 of the blank immediately after it is pulled out of the sterilization tank.
1, but this concentrated nozzle 30 is transferred to the transfer device 1.
6 and the drying tank circulation device 18, and after the peripheral jet by the mandrel 20 of the transfer device is sprayed onto the inner surface of the blank, the joint portion 5 may be sprayed with a concentrated jet.

Furthermore, instead of a separate central nozzle as shown in FIG. 1, the mandrel tip 2 of the transfer device is used as shown in FIG.
A concentrated nozzle 31 that opens on the negative side may be formed at 0a. This concentrated nozzle 31 is connected to a concentrated nozzle supply pipe 32 that extends into the mandrel separately from the supply pipe 23 of the peripheral nozzle 22 .

When the concentrated nozzle 31 is formed at the tip 20H of the mandrel, when it is attached to the mandrel 20 from the sterilizing tank circulation device 15 by the carry-out mechanism, the peripheral jet from the peripheral nozzle 22 is attached while being attached from the tip 20a. The concentrated jet from the concentrated nozzle 31 allows the disinfectant to be removed from the blank inner surface and the joint 5 at the same time. In addition, when the concentrated nozzle 31 is formed at the tip 20a of the mandrel, a peripheral jet is sprayed onto the inner surface of the blank 4 when feeding it from the drying tank circulation device 15 to the mandrel 20, and then from the mandrel 20. A concentrated jet may be sprayed from the concentrated nozzle 31 toward the joint portion 5 when the material is transferred to the hot air drying tank circulation device 18, or the flow may be performed in the reverse order.

When the applicant sterilized the blank using the above method,
Compared to the case where the disinfectant is removed by the peripheral jet alone and then dried with hot air, when the disinfectant is removed by the combination of the peripheral jet and the concentrated jet and then dried with hot air, the residual amount of the disinfectant on the inner surface of the blank is approximately 1/1. It dropped to around 10. In addition, there was no significant difference in the order in which peripheral jets and concentrated jets were performed in either case.

[Effects] As is clear from the above, according to the present invention, the entire blank can be completely sterilized by immersing it in a sterilization bath, and before drying with hot air, the inner surface of the blank is blown with a peripheral jet (- By spraying with a concentrated jet, it is possible to completely sterilize the blank and to efficiently remove the disinfectant from this blank.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a blank is sterilized according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a blank is fitted into a mandrel of a transfer device. Figures 3 to 5 show a beverage container to be sterilized by the sterilizer 13 of this embodiment, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the upper part of the blank, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the lower part in a folded state. , FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the completed state. 1...Beverage container, 4...Blank, 5...Joint part,
10... Sterilizer, 14... Sterilizer tank, 15... Sterilizer tank circulation device, 16... Transfer device, 17... Drying tank, 18 Drying tank circulation device, 1... Hot air nozzle , 20・
... Mandrel, 22 ... Peripheral nozzle, 30.31.
・Concentrated nozzle. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takeha Suzue

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) A hollow beverage container blank with an axial joint formed on the inner surface of the side wall is sequentially immersed in a sterilizing tank by an intermittently rotating sterilizing tank circulation device, and then a peripheral nozzle is attached to the outer periphery of the tip. A plurality of mandrels are opened and covered with blanks from their tips, and are arranged radially.The mandrels are transferred to a hot air drying device by a transfer device that rotates in synchronization with the mandrels within the running surface of the sterilization tank circulation device, and the hot air is transferred to the hot air drying device. A method of drying sterilization, in which a peripheral jet blows sterile air from the peripheral nozzle over the entire circumference of the inner surface of the blank while it is fitted onto a mandrel, before drying the blank immersed in a sterilization tank with hot air. and a concentrated jet that blows sterile air onto the joint to remove the sterilizing agent from the inner surface of the blank. (2) The concentrated jet blows sterile air onto the joint of the blank lifted from the sterilization tank to remove the sterilizer before the peripheral jet removes the sterilizer. sterilization method. (3) After removing the disinfectant with the peripheral jet, the concentrated jet blows sterile air onto the joint to remove the disinfectant while extracting the blank from the mandrel when sending the blank from the mandrel to the drying device. The sterilization method according to claim 1, characterized in that: (4) The sterilization method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the concentrated jet sequentially blows sterile air multiple times from one end of the blank toward the other end. (5) The sterilization method according to claim 1, wherein the concentrated jet blows sterile air onto the joint at the same time as the peripheral jet to remove the sterilizing agent.