JPS6458257A - Sterilizing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To certainly sterilize a container while removing a contaminant or dust from said container and to prevent the contamination of a peripheral atmosphere, by inserting a nozzle in the container within a sterilizing chamber from the opening part thereof to inject a sterilizing medium to sterilize the interior of the container and discharging the medium after sterilization to the outside of the sterilizing chamber. CONSTITUTION:A can 5 is fed to the upstream adjacent position of a chamber 2 by a feed conveyor 6 and an inlet door 3 is opened to charge the can 5 in the chamber 2. The chamber 2 is held under a high temp. atmosphere by overheated steam, and the outer periphery of the can and the interior of the can communicating with the chamber 2 through the opening part 5a are exposed to the overhead steam to be sterilized. In a station, C overheated steam is injected in the can 5 from a nozzle 26 under a nozzle set state and the contaminant or dust adhered to the inner wall of the can 5 is released and floated to purify and sterilize the interior of the can and the overheated steam containing the contaminant or dust flows in a discharge pipe 31 to be discharged out of the chamber 2. In a station D, a nozzle 34 is inserted in the can 5 from the opening part 5a thereof to inject high temp. air in the can to dry the interior of the can. The can 5 after drying is fed to a filling machine 14 to inject and pack the liquid in a tank 16 in the can and transferred to a cap set station F.