JPH0815903B2 - Pre-sterilization method for aseptic filling and packaging machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Industrial field of application> The present invention relates to an improvement of a pre-sterilization method performed before disclosure of production of an aseptic filling and packaging machine.

<Prior art> In recent years, laminated paper made by laminating a thermoplastic film such as polyethylene on paper is sterilized with a chemical solution, the chemical solution is removed, a part of the seal is filled, and an object to be filled is filled, and then hermetically sealed. Aseptic filling and packaging systems have been developed to complete wrapping paper containers.

In such an aseptic filling and packaging system, it is necessary to sterilize chambers, pipes, etc. in advance before operating the apparatus.

As a conventional apparatus sterilization method, aseptic air piping is generally sterilized by simply spraying a sterilizing agent.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> However, in the case of spraying only the germicide by the nozzle, a lot of germicide may be accumulated only near the nozzle, and the germicidal effect is small for the flow rate, and conversely, when sprayed excessively. There is a serious problem that it is not easy to remove the sterilizing agent and the sterilizing agent may remain in the pipe, and if the sterilizing agent remains in this way, it may be mixed into the product.

The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a preliminary sterilization method for sterilizing the inner surface of a pipe and the inside of a chamber with a relatively small amount of sterilizing agent, while being a relatively simple method. It is what

<Means for Solving Problems> In order to solve the above problems, the present invention sterilizes by spraying a sterilizing agent on the inner surface of the aseptic air piping and the aseptic chamber before the production of the aseptic filling and packaging machine is started. In the pre-sterilization method to be performed, the inner surface of the pipe and the interior of the aseptic chamber are moistened with steam before the disinfectant is sprayed on the inner surface of the pipe and the aseptic chamber. Next, the sterilizing agent is sprayed on the inner surface of the pipe and the chamber which are wet with steam. At this time, it is effective if air at room temperature is flowed in the pipe and particles of the bactericidal agent float on the air flow and float from the spray nozzle to a distance, and evenly adhere to the pipe about 1 m to 2 m immediately before the spray nozzle. Is. The spraying time of the germicide is 2 to 3 seconds. Immediately after the spraying, the sterilization time is left for 10 to 60 minutes with the aseptic air blown off and the inner surface of the pipe and the chamber wet with steam and the germicide. After maintaining and sufficiently maintaining the sterilization time, heated sterile air is flown into the pipe and the chamber to dry the steam and the bactericide inside the pipe and the chamber. A time of 10-15 minutes is sufficient for the steam and the germicide to dry.

<Operation> Compared with the sterilizing effect of the pre-sterilization that is usually performed by spraying the sterilizing agent by the above-mentioned pre-sterilizing method, the inner surface of the pipe and the chamber are moistened with steam before spraying the sterilizing agent, and the state is moistened. By spraying the sterilizing agent with, the sterilizing agent can be surely and uniformly adhered to the pipe and the inner surface of the chamber, and the adhesion time can be lengthened.

Then, removal of the bactericide and drying can be performed in a short time.

<Example> Hereinafter, one example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outline of the configuration of an aseptic filling and packaging machine according to one embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing the aseptic air line and the spray line of bactericide and steam. This aseptic filling and packaging machine is composed of a sterilization process section for sterilizing the packaging material 3 and a filling / packing section for filling / packaging the sterilized packaging material 3. The packaging material 3 is, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a paper 3a on one side of which a decorative print is applied and thermoplastic resin films 3b, 3c such as polyethylene film on both sides.
Alternatively, it is made of laminated paper in which a plurality of layers of aluminum foil or the like are laminated. The sterilization process section sterilizes the packaging material 3 by passing it through the sterilization bath 5. The filling and packaging department
A vertical seal part for performing a partial seal (vertical seal) on the sterilized packaging material 3 while maintaining the sterility, and a packaging material 3 that is cylindrically sealed by the vertical sealing part is filled with an object to be sealed and hermetically sealed. However, it has a part for separating each container.

The configurations of the sterilization process unit and the filling / packing unit will be described below with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 1 represents a winding of the packaging material 3. The wrapping material 3 that has been manipulated from the winding 1 is provided with a forming vertical ruled line in the flow direction by the crease applying section 2 and then guided to the sterilizing bath 5 by the drive roll 4. The sterilizing bath 5 is filled with a predetermined sterilizing agent. Web-shaped packaging material 3 sterilized in the sterilization bath 5
Are sequentially supplied to the vertical seal portion 11 through the large roll 6, the dancer roller 7, the triangular guide 8, the curling roll 9, and the scoring plate 10. Large roll 6
The surface temperature of the packaging material 3 can be adjusted by heating from the inside, and the packaging material 3 can be sent to the vertical seal portion 11 by being rotationally driven. Above the large roll 6, an outer surface air nozzle for removing the bactericide attached to the outer surface of the packaging material 3 and for maintaining a positive pressure in the chamber.
20 are provided. The triangular guide 8 is the dancer roller 7
The packaging material 3 supplied from the center is folded from the center along the flow direction. The curling roll 9 curls the bent portion of the folded packaging material 3. The ruled plate 10 is adapted to give the packaging material 3 ruled lines other than the vertical ruled lines. In the vertical seal portion 11, the packaging material 3 is formed into a tubular shape by high frequency sealing. In the vicinity of the vertical seal portion 11, a filling nozzle 12 for filling the filling material into the tubular packaging material 3 is provided. Filling nozzle 12
A liquid feed pipe 18 for feeding the filling object is connected to the. A sterile air nozzle 23 for maintaining a positive pressure above the liquid level of the filling object filled in the packaging material 3 is attached to the tip of the liquid supply pipe 18. Vertical seal part 11
A horizontal seal portion 14 for hermetically sealing the packaging material 3 containing the filling object in a size corresponding to a predetermined one is provided below the. Below the horizontal seal portion 14, a cutting portion 15 is provided which cuts the packaging material 3 at the central portion of the hermetic seal portion to divide it into individual containers. Below the cutting unit 15, a container forming unit 16 that performs ear-molding on each container is provided.

The sterilization device for packaging material is provided with a sterile air transfer system as shown in FIG. This sterile air transfer system is equipped with a sterile air generating means 26
And a heating means 27 for heating the sterile air discharged from the sterile air generating means 26, and filling the sterile air with the sterilization process section.
It is composed of a blower line 19 for supplying to the packaging unit, and an exhaust device 32 for sucking aseptic air and a chemical solution mist.
The large roll 6 and the dancer roller 7 are housed in a first positive pressure chamber 33 connected to the blower line 19, and the triangular guide 8 is provided with a second positive pressure chamber 34.

The sterile air generating means 26 accommodates a sterilizing filter, and a predetermined amount of air is supplied from a blower 25 equipped with a prefilter 24 for removing foreign matters.

The first positive pressure chamber 33 is used for the packaging material 3 from the sterilization bath 5.
The sterilizing agent adhering to is removed and dried, and the part for folding into the state of the tubular packaging material is covered to maintain sterility. The second positive pressure chamber 34 has a function of preventing aseptic air and germicide mist in the first and second positive pressure chambers 33 and 34 from leaking to the outside. An air space 35 for correcting the flow of aseptic air is led out to the lower part of the second positive pressure chamber 34. An exhaust treatment line 30 for sucking aseptic air and sterilizing agent mist is connected to the upper portion of the first positive pressure chamber 33. Similarly, an exhaust processing line 31 for sucking aseptic air and sterilizing agent mist is connected to the upper part of the second positive pressure chamber 34. These exhaust treatment lines 30 and 31 are connected to an exhaust treatment device 32 that treats aseptic air and germicide mist. An air nozzle 20 for removing the sterilizing agent on the outer surface of the packaging material 3 and keeping the inside of the first positive pressure chamber 33 at a predetermined positive pressure is connected to the upper portion of the first positive pressure chamber 33. Two air nozzles 21 and 22 are connected to the air space 35 formed by the space of the folded packaging material 3 for removing the sterilizing agent on the inner surface of the packaging material 3 and maintaining a positive pressure state against the outside air. .

The aseptic air sent from the aseptic air generating means 26 is heated by the aseptic air heating means 27 and is used as an air source for maintaining the positive pressure in the first and second positive pressure chambers 33 and 34 through the blower line 19. Or air nozzles 20 and 2 for drying the germicide attached to the packaging material 3 coming out of the germicidal bath 5
A spray nozzle for sterilizing the inner surface of the blower line 19 and the positive pressure chamber before it is operated
Twenty-nine are provided everywhere. The spray nozzles 29 are arranged at various places so as to uniformly spray and disinfect the sterilizing agent and the steam in the blower line 19 and the positive pressure chamber. The germicide and vapor line 37 is provided with a three-way valve 38, which makes it possible to switch the spray of vapor and germicide. The disinfectant is delivered by pressure, and a pressure tank 28 is provided. The pressure tank 28 contains the disinfectant.

From the blower line 19 and the spray nozzles 29 provided in the first and second positive pressure chambers 33 and 34, steam is sprayed by the same spray nozzle 29 before spraying the bactericide, and the inner surface of the blower line 19 and The inner surfaces of the first and second positive pressure chambers 33, 34 are kept moist, and then the three-way valve 38 is switched to spray the germicide by the spray nozzle 29 for 2 to 3 seconds. The blower 25 is operated and aseptic air at room temperature is kept flowing during spraying. The blower 25 is stopped at the same time as the spraying of the bactericide is stopped, and is left for 10 to 60 minutes in this state to maintain the sterilization time. After that, warm aseptic air generated by the blower 25 heating means 27 is caused to flow to dry the germicide and vapor adhering to the blower line 19 and the inner surfaces of the first and second positive pressure chambers 33 and 34. By using the apparatus sterilization method described above, the blower line 19 and the inner surfaces of the first and second positive pressure chambers 33 and 34 can be more effectively sterilized.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, according to the apparatus sterilization method in the aseptic filling and packaging machine according to the present invention, the inner surface of the pipe and the chamber can be effectively treated with a relatively small amount of the sterilizing agent while having a relatively simple structure. It can be sterilized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the outline of the configuration of an aseptic filling and packaging machine to which the method of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a sterile air line and a germicide and vapor spray line of the aseptic filling and packaging machine, FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the packaging material. 3 ... Packaging material, 4 ... Drive roll, 5 ... Sterilization processing part, 6 ... Large roll, 7 ... Dancer roller, 8 ... Triangular guide, 9 ... Ruffled roll, 10 ... Ruled plate, 11
...... Vertical seal part, 12 …… Filling nozzle, 14 …… Horizontal seal part, 15 …… Cutting part, 16 …… Container forming part, 18 …… Liquid supply pipe, 19 …… Blower line, 20, 21, 22 , 23 …… Air nozzle, 24 …… Pre-filter, 25 …… Blower, 26 …… Aseptic air generating means, 27 …… Heating means, 28 …… Pressurized chemical liquid tank, 29 …… Spray nozzle, 30, 31 ...... Exhaust treatment line, 33
...... First positive pressure chamber, 34 ...... Second positive pressure chamber, 35 ...
… Air spaces, 37… Bactericide and steam lines, 38
...... Three-way valve

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Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. Before starting the production of an aseptic filling and packaging machine, steam is sprayed into the sterile air pipe and the sterile chamber to wet the inner surface of the sterile air pipe and the inner surface of the sterile chamber, and then sprayed with a bactericidal agent. A pre-sterilization method for an aseptic filling and packaging machine in which hot air heated to 100 ° C or higher is sprayed after being kept for 10 to 60 minutes to dry and remove the germicide. 2. The pre-sterilization method for an aseptic filling and packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the spray of the sterilizing agent is sprayed while aseptic air is blown.