JPH10220700A - Seamer washing method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely perform sterilization, disinfection, washing of a seamer body including a part through which can bodies and an lids pass and seaming with a seamer maintained highly clean even during seaming. SOLUTION: Hot water of 80 to 95 deg.C is sprayed mainly against the parts through which a seamer pass through mainly of cans and lids, and the part, where the dirt of a seamer body is accumulated, from a first system passage 10 for 20 to 40 minutes before the start of seaming work to wash the seamer and to sterlize, and a second system passage 15 is made to pass through steam of 121 to 124 deg.C for sterilizing by steam, and the part from which the liquid in the can splashes during seaming is continuously washed with germ-free water by the second system passage 15.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for cleaning a seamer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Cima can rotate at a high speed during its operation, so that a part of the content liquid from the can is scattered by centrifugal force or impact, thereby contaminating the Cima. Also, due to the high speed rotation of the seaming roll, the grease filling the inside may liquefy and scatter around, and these phenomena have become more and more noticeable with the recent increase in the speed of the seamer. I have. For this reason, conventionally, a portion where the dirt of the seamer main body such as the main body cover and the lifter table easily accumulates is washed with warm water of 50 ° C. to 60 ° C. before and after the end of the winding operation so that the can can be tightened in a clean state. Cleaning in place.

[0003]

However, the liquid splattered during the winding operation, especially in hot pack filling,
There is a problem that it sticks immediately and is not easily removed by washing after the winding work. In addition, the inner solution may be scattered even in a portion where the can body and the can lid pass, but this location has not been effectively cleaned by conventional stationary cleaning of the seamer body. Furthermore, even if cleaning is performed reliably before the start of the winding operation, dirt is generated by the liquid or grease scattered during the winding operation. However, there are problems such as directly affecting the cleanliness of the wound cans. For this reason, it is difficult to maintain a clean state at all times with the conventional stationary cleaning method even during the winding operation, and in the case of foods that easily perish or perish, retort sterilization after filling or aseptic filling method is used. It needs to be adopted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and ensures sterilization and elimination of parts including can bodies and can lids which cannot be achieved by conventional cleaning with a fixed seamer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel seama cleaning method and apparatus capable of performing germs and cleaning, and maintaining a high degree of cleanliness of the seamer at all times during the winding operation.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A method for cleaning a seamer according to the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, comprises a step of spraying hot water on the seamer through a first system pipe line before starting a tightening operation to sterilize and sterilize the seamer. A hot water washing step for washing, a sterile water washing step of spraying aseptic water during the winding operation with the second system pipe to perform continuous washing, and steam sterilization of the second system pipe before starting the winding work. It is characterized by comprising a steam sterilization step.

In the hot water washing step, hot water at 80 to 95 ° C. is heated for 20 minutes.
Hot water at 90 ° C. is sprayed for 30 minutes, and steam sterilization is preferably performed by passing steam at 121 to 124 ° C. for about 30 minutes. And
In the hot water washing step, mainly the passing portion of the can and the passing portion of the lid and the portion where dirt of the seamer body accumulates, for example, a seaming roll, a lifter plate, a gas turret, a seamer cover, a cover guide rail, a cover stack, a lifter table. , A half-mode turret, a discharge turret, and a stationery guide, respectively, and in the aseptic water washing step, a part where the content liquid scatters further during can-tightening, for example, the seaming roll, the lifter plate, the gas turret, and the seamer It is desirable to wash the cover continuously.

[0007] Further, by having a gas turret steam sterilization step of steam sterilizing the inside of the gas turret by a third system pipe line before starting the winding operation, an inert gas blown into the can immediately before the winding is passed. It is desirable because the inside of the gas turret can be reliably sterilized.

Further, in the seamer cleaning apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of the seamers are connected on the upstream side to a hot water supply source, and the downstream side is piped to the outer periphery of the seamer apparatus, and injects hot water toward the hot water cleaning portion of the seamer. The first system pipe line in which the injection nozzle is arranged, and the upstream side can be switched and connected to a steam supply source and a sterile water supply source, and the steam or hot water is supplied downstream to the Cima sterile water continuous washing point. And a second system pipeline in which a plurality of injection nozzles for injection are arranged. Further, it is desirable to provide a third system pipeline in which the upstream side is connected to a steam supply source and the downstream side supplies steam into the gas turret, and discharges the steam out of the gas turret.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of a seamer cleaning apparatus and a seamer cleaning method according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 shows a plan view of the seamer cleaning apparatus, FIG. 2 is a schematic front view, FIG. 3 is a schematic right side view, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a cover guide rail. In the figure, 1 is a cover stack, 2 is a gas turret,
Reference numeral 3 denotes a half mode turret, 4 denotes a day charge turret, 5 denotes a seaming roll, 6 denotes a lifter table, 7 denotes a lifter plate, 8 denotes a seamer cover, and 9 denotes a cover guide rail, which are the same as the conventional seamer. is there.

[0010] The present invention is intended to ensure that the above-mentioned seamer can be reliably cleaned at places where it is difficult with conventional stationary cleaning, such as places where cans pass, places where lids pass and places where gas is put into the can. As shown in the figure, the first system pipe 10 and the second system pipe 15 are connected to the outer periphery of the seamer so that continuous cleaning can be performed even during the tightening operation in order to keep these portions always clean. The pipe is appropriately piped so as not to disturb the seam tightening work.

In this embodiment, the first system pipeline 10 connected to the hot water supply source includes a seaming roll 5, a lifter plate 7, a gas turret 2, a can feed chain (not shown), and a seamer cover. 8, cover guide rail 9, cover stack 1, lifter table 6, half mode turret 3, discharge turret 4,
A number of nozzles 11 for blowing hot water onto a stationary guide (not shown) are arranged, and before the start of the winding operation, hot water of 90 ° C. is sprayed for 30 minutes to clean the seamer device.

At least one nozzle 11 for blowing hot water is provided for each of the above-mentioned parts. In this embodiment, five nozzles 11 are provided for the seamer cover and nine nozzles are provided for the cover guide rail. The arrangement of the cover guide rail is devised so that hot water is directly sprayed toward the guide portion on which the curled portion of the can lid is placed. Also, of the nozzles, detachable pipes are used at two places at the entrance and the exit of the cover guide rail, a cover stack, and a stationary guide at a total of four places. The nozzle sprayed on the cover stack 1 was a wide-angle full-surface spray nozzle, and the other nozzles were flat spray nozzles.

A nozzle for spraying sterilized water during the tightening operation is applied to the seaming roll 5, the lifter plate 7, the gas turret 2, the can feed chain (not shown), and the seamer cover 8, respectively. 16 are arranged. The upstream side of the second system line 15 is connected to a steam supply source (not shown) and a sterile water supply source via a switching valve, and the second system line 15 is connected to the steam supply source before starting the winding operation. Steam at 121 to 124 ° C. is supplied for 30 minutes to sterilize the inside of the pipe and the nozzle to prevent the sterile water from being contaminated. After the start of the winding operation, the apparatus is connected to a sterile water supply source to supply sterile water. Thereby, the part where the inner solution scatters during the winding operation is always washed away with sterile water, thereby preventing sticking of the inner solution and adhesion of bacteria. In particular, as described above, the seam portion directly in contact with the can lid portion and the can body portion that may come into contact with the solution in the can is mainly continuously washed, so that the winding process is performed in a highly clean state. Can be done at

Although not shown, a third system pipeline for supplying steam to the inside of a gas turret for supplying an inert gas into the can and performing gas replacement immediately before the winding is arranged, Before starting the operation, steam at 121 to 124 ° C. is supplied for 30 minutes to sterilize the gas turret.
1 to 3 show hot water from nozzle 11 and nozzle 1
6 schematically shows a state in which sterile water is being injected. In FIG. 4, the circled reference 11 indicates the arrangement position of the nozzle 11, and the arrow indicates the direction of hot water injection.

As described above, according to the present invention, a portion where the can and lid of the seamer device pass and a portion of the seamer body where dirt easily accumulates are mainly washed with hot water and sterilized before starting the tightening. Since the bacteria and bacteria are removed and the scattered inner solution and grease are always washed away, a high degree of cleanness can be maintained during the winding operation with simple equipment.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design changes are possible. For example, the location for hot water washing in the first system pipeline and the location for continuous washing in the second system pipeline are not necessarily limited to the above locations, and can be appropriately selected according to the contents and the like. The hot water cleaning and hot water temperature and cleaning time are 90
C. for 30 minutes or more is desirable, but can be appropriately selected within the range of 85 to 95 ° C. for 20 to 40 minutes depending on the contents and other conditions. Also, the steam sterilization is preferably performed at 121 to 124 ° C. for 30 minutes, but is not limited thereto, and an optimum temperature time may be selected according to the conditions such as the contents. Further, the water used for the hot water washing may also contain a chemical agent, for example, sodium hypochlorite, for the purpose of improving the bactericidal effect. In this case, depending on the type of drug,
Washing with sterile water is performed as necessary to remove the drug.

[0017]

[Experimental Example] Experiment 1 The following experiments were sequentially performed in order to confirm the degree of contamination and the cleaning effect of the seamer when the seamer was cleaned by the method of the present invention. Prior to washing, each member shown in Table 1 was disassembled and wiped off to check the number of detected bacteria. In the inspection by the wiping method, the inspection location was wiped with a cotton swab soaked in sterile water, the cotton swab was wetted in 15 ml of physiological saline, and the bacteria were transferred.
The mixture was heated to 5 ° C., and 1 ml was pour-cultured in an SMA medium at 37 ° C. in an aerobic atmosphere. same as below. Using 12 washing nozzles, 90 ° C. hot water was sprayed for 30 minutes to wash the seamer, and then a wiping test was performed. A can filled with perishable milk coffee in a fully-poured state in which the inner solution is most likely to be scattered was wound with 1,050 cans while continuously washing it by spraying sterile water during the winding operation. afterwards,
A disassembly and wiping inspection was performed in the same manner as in the above. The Cima was disassembled, washed and disassembled and wiped off. After attaching to the seamer, the same inspection as above was performed. The same test as described above was performed without continuous washing with sterile water during winding.

The bacteria obtained from each part of the Cima at each stage of the above experiment were cultured for 48 hours by the above method, and the number of each bacteria was detected. Table 1 shows the results.

[Table 1] From the above experimental results, bacteria are detected in many parts from the seamer before washing, as shown in the figure, but the test is performed as shown by washing with hot water by the method of the present invention before starting the winding work. Bacteria could not be found in all the places where it was done. In addition, since the part shown by-in a table | surface cannot be wiped with a cotton swab unless it disassembles, a wiping test is not performed. After that, the contents liquid which is easy to generate bacteria is
Even if the can was filled and filled so as to be scattered on purpose, it was continuously washed by the method of the present invention during the tightening. As a result, no bacteria were found.

On the other hand, no bacteria were found at all before the start of the tightening, but when the wrapping was performed without performing continuous washing during the wrapping, the germs were detected at the cover guide rail portion.
This indicates that the seamer was partially contaminated due to the scattering of the liquid during winding and bacteria were generated, and that continuous operation with sterile water during the winding always maintains cleanliness. The effect is shown.

Experiment 2 A test pack was performed, and the following experiments were performed to confirm the degree of contamination and the cleaning effect of the test pack when the seamer was cleaned by the cleaning method of the present invention. The test pack was prepared by filling a sterilized empty can with a meat extract medium in a clean booth, and using a sterile lid to perform tightening under the following conditions. Using a Cima that was washed with normal warm water the day before,
The winding was performed immediately before and during the cleaning without any cleaning. Using a seamer washed with hot water of 90 ° C. for 30 minutes before the start of the winding operation, the winding was performed without performing continuous cleaning during the winding. Washing is performed with hot water at 90 ° C. for 30 minutes before the start of the winding operation, and steam at 121 to 124 ° C. is passed through the second line for about 30 minutes. Winding was performed while performing continuous washing.

The cans wound under the above conditions were stored in a 37 ° C. atmosphere for 3 weeks, and then stored at 55 ° C. for 3 weeks, and then opened to determine the number of spoiled cans. Table 2 shows the results.

[Table 2] As is clear from the above experimental results, under any of the storage conditions, the ratio of the number of spoiled cans decreases in the order of The number of decaying cans was remarkably small as compared with that of the above, confirming the effect of the present invention. From the above experimental results, it can be seen that according to the present invention, cans of extremely high purity can be obtained without performing aseptic filling or retort sterilization.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, canning can be performed with a simple facility while always maintaining high cleanliness even during the tightening which cannot be achieved by the conventional cleaning of fixed seamers. can do. In particular, prior to the start of tightening, the part where the can and lid of the seamer device pass and the part where dirt on the seamer body easily accumulates are mainly washed with hot water to sterilize and disinfect, and even during the winding work. The parts that may affect the cleanliness of the inner solution of the can before and after sealing are continuously washed with sterile water to constantly wash away the scattered inner solution and grease. Adhesion can be prevented and a high degree of cleanness can be maintained during the winding operation.
Therefore, it is possible to obtain canned products of extremely high purity without aseptic filling or retort sterilization depending on the type of the contents.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a seamer cleaning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a schematic right side view thereof.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the cover guide rail.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cover stacker 2 Gas turret 3 Half mode turret 4 Discharge turret 5 Seaming roll 6 Lifter table 7 Lifter plate 8 Seamer cover 9 Cover guide rail 10 1st system line 11 nozzle 15 2nd system line 16 nozzle

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A hot water washing step of spraying hot water onto a seamer through a first system pipe line to clean and disinfect the seamer before starting the tightening operation, and a sterile water spraying during the tightening operation by a second system pipe line. A method for cleaning a seamer, comprising: a sterile water cleaning step of performing continuous cleaning by steam; and a steam sterilization step of performing steam sterilization before starting the tightening operation of the second system pipeline. 2. The hot water washing step is to spray hot water at 80 to 95 ° C. for 20 to 40 minutes, and the steam sterilization step is 121
The method for cleaning a seamer according to claim 1, which is performed by passing steam at -124 ° C for about 30 minutes. 3. The hot water washing step mainly cleans a passage portion of the can, a passage portion of the lid, and a portion of the seamer body where dirt is accumulated. 3. The scattered portion is washed with sterile water during the winding operation.
The method for cleaning the described Cima. 4. The method for cleaning a seamer according to claim 1, further comprising a gas turret steam sterilization step of steam sterilizing the inside of the gas turret by a third line before starting the tightening operation. 5. A first system in which an upstream side is connected to a hot water supply source, a downstream side is piped to an outer peripheral portion of a seamer device, and a plurality of spray nozzles for spraying hot water toward a hot water washing portion of the seamer are arranged. The pipeline and the upstream side can be switched and connected to a steam supply source and a sterile water supply source, and a plurality of injection nozzles for injecting steam or hot water toward a continuous washing part of the Cima sterile water are arranged on the downstream side. And a second system pipeline. 6. The seamer cleaning apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a third system pipe connected on the upstream side to the steam supply source, for supplying steam into the gas turret on the downstream side, and discharging the steam out of the gas turret.