RU2803437C1 - Method for cleaning sealing head of capsule filling line, method for operating capsule filling line, capsule filling line and ablation unit for capsule filling line - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: mechanical engineering.

SUBSTANCE: method for cleaning the sealing head of a capsule filling line, to a method for operating a capsule filling line, to a capsule filling line, and to an ablation unit for a capsule filling line. At the same time, the method for cleaning the sealing head of the capsule filling line consists in actuating the ablation unit (10) and performing ablation of residues from the sealing head (23) by irradiating the sealing head.

EFFECT: new design.

25 cl, 14 dwg

Description

The present description relates to improvements to capsule filling lines or related improvements. The present disclosure includes methods for operating and cleaning a capsule filling line and an ablation unit for a capsule filling line.

Prerequisites for creating the invention

Capsule filling lines require periodic cleaning and maintenance of their mechanisms to ensure satisfactory performance. Typically, cleaning and maintenance procedures require the capsule filling line to be stopped while these procedures are performed. This affects the productivity and throughput of the capsule filling line. Therefore, there is a need to minimize the time spent on cleaning and maintenance procedures.

Some capsule filling lines contain sealing heads to seal capsule caps to capsule bodies. The sealing heads may be heat sealing heads. During operation, the sealing heads may become contaminated with residue from filling operations. Such residues may affect the performance of the sealing heads and must therefore be removed periodically. Nowadays, residues are often removed using wire cleaning brushes. This procedure results in downtime of the capsule filling line. In addition, this procedure is labor-intensive and can damage the sealing heads. For these reasons, there is a need for improved methods for cleaning and maintaining capsule filling lines containing sealing heads.

Summary of the invention

In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for cleaning a sealing head of a capsule filling line, comprising operating an ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head to ablate residues from the sealing head.

In a second aspect, the present specification provides a method for operating a capsule filling line, comprising:

i) providing the capsule filling line with a source of capsule bodies and a source of food product;

ii) operating the capsule filling line such that a plurality of filled capsules are obtained by at least partially filling each capsule body with food product and operating the capsule filling line sealing head to seal each capsule body with a capsule lid; And

iii) intermittently cleaning the sealing head of the capsule filling line; wherein cleaning the sealing head involves actuating the block

ablation of the capsule filling line to irradiate the sealing head to ablate residue from the sealing head.

The advantage is that, as the present applicant has discovered, the use of an ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head to ablate residues from the sealing head results in reduced capsule filling line downtime. In addition, damage to sealing heads resulting from cleaning and maintenance procedures can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated.

These benefits are found to be particularly significant when the food product is a powder or granulate. Powders and granulates, such as coffee granules, powdered coffee, sugar and chocolate powder, have been found to be particularly prone to residue accumulation on the sealing heads. This is believed to be at least partly due to the powders and granules being small in particle size and mass, which means they are easily aerosolized and suspended in the air near the sealing heads. Thus, in practice it is usually not possible to prevent a certain proportion of particles from coming into contact with the sealing heads. The problem is compounded when the sealing heads are heat sealing heads. The high temperatures of the heat-sealing heads cause the powders and granules to partially melt and stick to the heat-sealing head upon contact. In addition, on capsule filling lines, the sealing heads may have shaped features, such as ribs and grooves, that are small in size with required tolerances of 0.1 to 0.2 mm.

Accumulation of residues

The methods and apparatus of the present disclosure have been found to be effective in removing powder and granulate residues from sealing heads, including heat sealing heads, while maintaining the condition of the sealing heads, including their shaped features.

Residues from capsules can also accumulate on the sealing heads, also in particular when using heat sealing heads. In the case of powdered and granular food products, it has proven difficult to effectively clean such residues from the sealing heads without damaging the sealing heads.

It has also been found that the methods and apparatus of the present disclosure are effective for removing capsule residue from sealing heads, including heat sealing heads, including their shaped elements.

One or more of the following features may be present in the method of either or both of the first aspect and the second aspect:

• The ablation unit may comprise a laser, and activation of the ablation unit may include activating the laser to laser ablate debris from the sealing head.

• The laser can be controlled to sweep the laser beam across the sealing head one or more times.

• The method may further include:

o pairing the ablation unit with the sealing head before activating the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head; And

o removing the ablation unit from coupling with the sealing head after activation of the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head.

• Mating the ablation unit to the sealing head may include mating the body of the ablation unit to the sealing head above or opposite it.

• Interfacing the ablation unit with the sealing head may include moving the sealing head from a sealing position to a cleaning position.

• Moving the seal head to the cleaning position may include rotating the seal head more than 30 degrees, optionally more than 45 degrees, optionally more than 60 degrees, preferably 90 degrees, optionally up to 120 degrees.

• In the sealing position, the sealing head can be facing downwards. In the cleaning position, the sealing head can be turned to the side.

• The method may further include rotating the sealing head back to the sealing position after removing the ablation unit from mating with the sealing head.

• Interfacing the ablation block with the sealing head may involve moving the ablation block from a retraction location to a mating location.

• At the mating location, the ablation unit laser can be pointed to the side.

• Moving the ablation block to a mating location may involve moving the ablation block along one or more axes.

• The method may further include moving the ablation block back to the retraction location after removing the ablation block from mating with the sealing head.

• The method may further include removing gases from the area adjacent to the sealing head during ablation of the residue.

• The method may further include trapping loose debris that may be separated from the sealing head during the ablation process under the sealing head.

• The method may further include providing a hopper for collecting separated residues.

• The sealing head may be a heat sealing head.

• The sealing head may be configured to seal the capsule lid to the capsule body; and optionally heat sealing the capsule lid to the capsule body.

• Residues may contain powder or granules. The powder or granulate may be obtained from a food product.

• Residues may include ingredient residues left over from filling capsules with one or more powdered or granular ingredients. The food product may be a powdered or granular product; optionally a powdered or granular drinking product.

• Remaining ingredients may include one or more of chocolate powder, coffee granules, coffee powder, tea powder, milk powder, sugar, soup powder, flavorings, and whitener powder.

• Residues may include capsule debris left over from sealing the capsules.

• Capsule debris may include plastic such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester or a laminate of two or more of these materials, or aluminum.

• The method may further include providing an encapsulation head assembly comprising a plurality of encapsulation heads forming an encapsulation head array, and operating an ablation unit to irradiate the encapsulation head array to ablate residues from the plurality of encapsulation heads.

• The capsule filling line may comprise a sealing head assembly comprising a plurality of sealing heads arranged in an array of sealing heads; and the method may include operating an ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head array to ablate residue from the plurality of sealing heads.

In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides an ablation unit for a capsule filling line comprising:

a support frame for installing the ablation unit into the capsule filling line;

an irradiator for irradiating the sealing head of the capsule filling line;

a housing at least partially surrounding the irradiator, the housing comprising an opening that, during operation, allows radiation to pass from the irradiator to the sealing head;

a transmission for moving the housing and the irradiator between a retractable location and a mating location.

The irradiator may be a laser. The irradiator may be movable inside the housing and configured to move along at least one axis of the housing to conduct radiation along a sealing head or a plurality of sealing heads.

The housing opening may be configured to mate with a sealing head or a block of sealing heads above or opposite them to form a substantially closed volume enclosing the sealing head and the irradiator.

At the mating location, the housing opening and the irradiator may be directed to the side.

The transmission may be configured to move the ablation unit to a mating location by moving the ablation unit along one or more axes relative to the support frame.

The ablation unit may further comprise an exhaust system for removing gases from the area adjacent to the sealing head. The exhaust system may include a plurality of outlets in the housing, which communicate with the exhaust gases through an exhaust manifold. A plurality of outlets may be located on an upper surface of the housing.

The ablation unit may further comprise a hopper under the sealing head to trap separated residues.

A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a capsule filling line comprising:

source of capsule bodies; And

food source;

a conveyor for moving components from the filling station to the sealing station;

a filling station configured to at least partially fill a capsule body obtained from a source of capsule bodies with a food product obtained from a food source;

a sealing station comprising a sealing head assembly comprising at least one sealing head, and configured to receive a capsule body that is at least partially filled with a food product, and sealing said capsule body with a capsule lid;

wherein the capsule filling line further comprises an ablation unit according to the third aspect for intermittently cleaning the sealing head of the cap station.

The capsule filling line may further include a cap station between the filling station and the sealing station for positioning the capsule cap on the capsule body.

The at least one sealing head may be a heat sealing head. The at least one heat-sealing head may be at least one combined lid cutter and heat-sealing head assembly.

The sealing head assembly may include an array of sealing heads for simultaneously sealing each of a plurality of capsule bodies with a capsule lid.

The sealing head assembly may be movable between a sealing position and a cleaning position. In the sealing position, the sealing head block may face downwards. In the cleaning position, the sealing head block can be facing to the side.

The food product may contain one or more of chocolate powder, coffee granules, coffee powder, tea powder, milk powder, sugar, soup powder, flavorings and whitener powder.

The capsule body may comprise plastic, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester, or a laminate of two or more of these materials, or aluminum.

Capsule caps may contain a heat-sealable layer; optionally a heat-sealable layer containing thermoplastic; optionally, the caps of the capsules contain a layered material; Optionally, the caps of the capsules are flexible die-cut caps made of laminated material. Alternatively, the capsule lid may be cut from a sheet of lid material, for example as part of a sealing step.

Brief description of graphic materials

One or more embodiments of the description will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

in Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a capsule filling line in accordance with the present description;

in Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the capsule body;

in Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the capsule lid;

in Fig. 4 is a view of the sealing head assembly of the present description in a cleaning position;

in Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of part of a capsule filling line in accordance with the present description;

in Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of a portion of an ablation unit in accordance with the present disclosure;

in Fig. 7 is a schematic side view of a portion of the ablation unit shown in FIG. 6;

in Fig. 8-10 are schematic diagrams illustrating movement of the ablation unit from a lead location to a mating location;

in Fig. 11 is a flow diagram of the method according to the present description;

in Fig. 12 is a schematic illustration of a portion of the sealing head undergoing laser ablation;

in Fig. 13 is a set of three images showing the sealing head after 3000 cleaning cycles using the prior art cleaning method; And

in Fig. 14 is a set of two images showing the seal head after 17,000 cleaning cycles as described herein.

Detailed description

Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meanings as commonly understood by the reader skilled in the art to which the claimed subject matter pertains. It should be understood that the above summary of the invention and the following examples are illustrative and explanatory only and do not limit any claimed subject matter of the invention.

The following description relates to embodiments of this description. The description of the embodiments is not intended to include all possible embodiments of the present disclosure that are claimed in the accompanying claims. Many modifications, improvements and equivalents that are not expressly indicated in the following embodiments may be included within the scope of the appended claims. Features described as part of one embodiment may be combined with features of one or more other embodiments unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

The capsule filling line may comprise one or more of a filling station 1, a cap station 2 and a sealing station 3. In FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a typical capsule filling line in accordance with the present description, which includes a filling station 1, a cap station 2 adjacent to the filling station 1, and a sealing station 3 adjacent to the cap station 2. The conveyor 8 is configured to move components from the station 1 filling into the sealing station 3 by means of the cap station 2 in this example.

The filling station 1, cap station 2 and sealing station 3 may be spatially separated and may be provided at different physical locations within, for example, a plant. In an alternative embodiment, the filling station 1, cap station 2 and sealing station 3 may be located together at the same location or directly adjacent to each other. The filling station 1, the cap station 2 and the sealing station 3 can be provided in one installation.

In particular, the cap station 2 can be provided by using pre-cut capsule caps. Alternatively, in the capsule filling line, it is possible to cut capsule caps from a sheet of cap material as part of the sealing step carried out in the sealing station 3. Therefore, in these cases, a separate cap station can be dispensed with. In such examples, sealing station 3 may function as a combined cap cutting and sealing station.

Conveyor 8 may be a means for moving components between different physical locations within, for example, a plant, or may be a means for moving, orienting, or otherwise handling components within one location.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the filling station 1 contains a capsule body source 4, a food product source 5 and a filling mechanism 6. Cap station 2 contains a source 7 of capsule caps, such as one or more stacks of pre-cut caps. The sealing station 3 contains a block 9 of sealing heads and a block 10 of ablation.

The capsule filling line can be configured to fill and cap various types of capsules. The capsule filling line provides a special advantage for capsule filling when the food product is a powder or granular product. For example, the food product may contain one or more of chocolate powder, coffee granules, coffee powder, tea powder, milk powder, sugar, soup powder, flavorings, and whitener powder.

The capsule filling line is particularly advantageous for filling capsules formed at least partly from plastic, in particular thermoplastic. For example, a capsule filling line is particularly suitable for filling capsules in which the capsule bodies are made of plastic, in particular thermoplastic. Suitable plastics include, but are not limited to, polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester, or a laminate of two or more of these materials. Capsule bodies containing other materials, such as those containing aluminum, can also be used in the capsule filling line.

Additionally or alternatively, the capsule filling line is particularly suitable for filling capsules in which the lids contain a heat-sealable layer. The heat sealable layer may contain thermoplastic. The caps of the capsules may contain a layered material.

The capsule caps may be flexible die-cut laminate caps that may be pre-cut and placed into the capsule cap source 7. In one example, the lid may comprise an aluminum layer and a polypropylene heat seal layer. Such a cover may be applied to a plastic capsule body or a capsule body formed from other materials, for example containing aluminum.

Alternatively, capsule lids may be cut, stamped, or otherwise formed from a sheet of lid material during the sealing step. For example, a sheet of foil laminate may be applied to the capsule bodies during the sealing step. The sealing station can then cut and seal the capsule cover onto the capsule body in one operation. The foil laminate for the lid material may comprise, for example, an aluminum layer and a polypropylene heat-sealable layer.

In the following description, by way of example only, a capsule filling line will be illustrated for filling capsules, each capsule being formed by a capsule body 11, as shown in FIG. 2, and a capsule cap 12 as shown in FIG. 3. The capsule body 11 and capsule cap 12 are of the type sold under the trade name Tassimo® and are described in more detail in GB 2397506 A, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The capsule body 11 may include a cup-shaped body defining an internal space for receiving food product, and a flange 13. The capsule body 11 may be formed of polypropylene. The capsule cap 12 may be a die-cut cap that is shaped to cover the cup-shaped body of the capsule body 11 with a peripheral edge 14 of the capsule cap 12 being sealed when the cap is closed on the flange 13. The capsule cap 12 may be formed from a laminate material having a layer of aluminum and a layer of polypropylene. The polypropylene layer can function as a heat sealable layer that forms a polypropylene-polypropylene (PP-PP) bond with the flange 13.

The filling station 1 is configured to at least partially fill the capsule body 11 obtained from the capsule body source 4 with the food product obtained from the food product source 5.

In the filling mechanism 6 of the filling station 1, means may be provided for moving the capsule bodies 11 from the capsule body source 4 to a filling location on the capsule filling line. The filling mechanism 6 may further be provided with means for moving the food product from the food product source 5 to the filling location. For example, such means may be one or more hoses connecting the product hopper to a filling location. Dispensing means for controlling the amount of food product filling the capsule body 11 may also be provided.

Each of the capsule bodies 11 can be oriented at the filling station 1 with the mouth of the cup-shaped body facing upward, and then the food product can be placed into the interior of the capsule body 11.

Typically, the filling station 1 will fill a plurality of 11 capsule bodies simultaneously. For example, 2, 4, 20, 24, 32, 40 or more 11 capsule bodies can be filled simultaneously.

The capsule bodies 11 containing the food product may then be transported by the conveyor 8 to the cap station 2. The cap station 2 may be provided with means for selecting capsule caps 12 from the capsule cap source 7 and placing them on the capsule bodies 11. Alternatively, such means may be provided, as indicated above, as part of the sealing station 3 or in another station of the capsule filling line.

Then, the capsule bodies 11 containing the food product and the capsule caps 12 can be transferred by the conveyor 8 to the sealing station 3.

As shown in FIG. 4, the sealing station 3 may include a sealing head assembly 9 comprising at least one sealing head 23 configured to seal capsule caps 12 onto capsule bodies 11.

The sealing head assembly 9 may include a housing 20 and a plurality of sealing heads 23 to provide simultaneous sealing of a plurality of capsule bodies 11. For example, 2, 4, 20, 24, 32, 40 or more sealing heads 23 may be provided. The sealing head block 9 may comprise two sealing head arrays 23—an upper array 21 and a lower array 22.

Each sealing head 23 may be a heat sealing head.

Each sealing head 23 may be shaped to seal the capsule lid 12 to the capsule body 11. In the illustrated example, each sealing head 23 includes a shaped sealing portion that corresponds at least to the shape of a flange 13 of the capsule body 11.

The sealing head unit 9 may be movable between a sealing position and a cleaning position. In the sealing position, the sealing head block 9 may be facing downward so that the sealing heads 23 are directed downward. In the cleaning position (as shown in FIG. 4), the sealing head block 9 can be turned to the side so that the sealing heads 23 are directed to the side. The sealing head assembly 9 may be rotatable between these two configurations.

The capsule filling line further includes an ablation unit 10 for intermittently cleaning each sealing head 23 of the sealing head unit 9 of the sealing station 3.

An example of such an ablation unit 10 is shown in FIG. 5-7. The ablation unit 10 includes a support frame 30 for mounting the ablation unit 10 on the capsule filling line and a housing 40 that at least partially surrounds the irradiator 60. The irradiator 60 is configured to be irradiated during operation of a specific or each sealing head 23 of the capsule filling line. The irradiator 60 may be operably connected to a radiation source that is located outside the ablation unit 10.

Housing 40 may include a rear portion 41 and a front portion 42. A front portion 42 may protrude from the rear portion 41. The housing 40, and in particular its front portion 42, may include an aperture 47 that, in operation, allows radiation to pass from the feed 60 to a specific or each sealing seal. head 23.

The rear portion 41 may include a bottom surface 48, a top surface 49, side surfaces 50, and a rear surface 51. A front surface 52, opposite the rear surface 51, may be mated to the front portion 42. The opening in the front surface 52 may be shaped and shaped accordingly. dimensions of the rear surface of the front portion 42 so as to permit communication between the rear portion 41 and the front portion 42. A curtain mechanism 56 may be provided between the front portion 42 and the rear portion 41. The feed 60 may protrude through the curtain mechanism 56. The curtain mechanism 56 may include a pair of bellows, curtains, baffles, or the like that allow the feed 60 to extend along the front portion 42 while maintaining the baffle between the front portion 42 and the rear portion 41 in a closed or substantially closed state.

The front portion 42 may be shallower than the rear portion 41, causing the front portion 42 to protrude from the upper region of the rear portion 41. The surfaces of the rear portion 41 may define an interior space in which components of the ablation unit 10 may be located. They may include at least a portion of the illuminator 60. The access panel 53 may be configured to access the interior of the rear portion 41 for maintenance and cleaning.

The front portion 42 may include a top surface 45, side surfaces 46, and a bottom surface 44. The opening 47 may define a front surface of the front portion 42. As noted above, the rear surface may be adjacent to and separated from the front surface 52 of the rear portion 41 by a curtain mechanism 56.

The irradiator 60 is preferably a laser emitter. The irradiator 60 may be operably connected to a laser radiation source that is located outside the ablation unit 10. For example, the laser light source may be coupled to the illuminator 60 via an optical cable. An example of a suitable laser may have a continuous wave power of 100 W or more, preferably 150 W or more. The laser may have a maximum pulse power of 200 kW or more, preferably 250 kW or more. The laser pulse frequency can be 12-40 kHz. The wavelength of the laser radiation can be 1064 nm.

The illuminator 60 may be movable within the housing 40. For example, the illuminator 60 may be configured to move along at least one axis of the housing 40 to conduct radiation across a particular or each sealing head 23. In the illustrated example, the illuminator 60 may include a laser head assembly 61 and window 62 for laser radiation. The laser head unit 61 may be mounted inside the rear portion 41 of the housing 40 on a linear drive mechanism. The laser head assembly 61 may protrude into the front portion 42 of the housing 40 through the curtain mechanism 56, and the laser window 62 may be oriented to face the opening 47.

The laser head unit 61 can be moved along the front portion 42 by a linear drive mechanism so as to extend the length of the front portion 42 to allow laser light emitted through the laser light window 62 to be conducted across the sealing heads 23 of the sealing head assembly 9.

The laser head assembly 61 may be configured to be guided at a fixed speed along the front portion 42. In an alternative embodiment, the linear drive mechanism may be configured to sequentially position the laser head assembly 61 at a plurality of discrete locations. For example, a ready location and two, three, four, five or more ablation locations may be configured. At each ablation location, the laser head assembly 61 may be configured to irradiate one or more sealing heads 23 of the sealing head assembly 9. The laser head assembly 61 may include 2D optics to allow a narrow beam of radiation (eg, laser light) to be passed over one or more sealing heads 23 from each ablation location. In the illustrated example, a standby position and five ablation locations are configured, and at each ablation location, the 2D optics enable irradiation of two encapsulation heads 23 of the upper array 21 and two encapsulation heads of the lower array 22.

The ablation unit 10 may further include an exhaust system 70, as shown in FIG. 6, for removing gases from the area adjacent to the sealing head 23. The exhaust system 70 may include a plurality of outlet openings 74 in the housing 40 that are connected to the exhaust line 71 by an exhaust manifold 72. The plurality of exhaust openings 74 may be located in the upper surface 45 of the front portion 42 of the housing 40. The exhaust openings 74 may be connected to the exhaust manifold 72 using hoses 73 or similar pipelines. Each hose may include a control valve 75 allowing the flow through each hose 73 to be individually controlled.

As shown in FIG. 5 and 8-10, the ablation unit 10 may further include a transmission 31, 32 for moving the housing 40, including the irradiator 60, between the lead location and the mating location. The transmission 31, 32 may be configured to move the ablation unit 10 to a mating location by moving the ablation unit 10 along one or more axes relative to the support frame 30. The transmission 31, 32 may move the ablation unit 10 relative to the support frame 30. The transmission 31, 32 may comprise a first portion 31 for moving the ablation unit 10 along an x-axis, wherein the x-axis may be parallel to the direction of movement of the conveyor 8. The x-axis movement may be translational. The second part 32 of the transmission 31, 32 may provide movement of the ablation unit 10 along the z-axis, and the z-axis may be perpendicular to the direction of movement of the conveyor 8. The movement along the z-axis may be vertical.

The movement of the ablation block 10 is illustrated in FIG. 8-10. In FIG. 8 shows the location for the lead, FIG. 9 shows the intermediate position after vertical movement of the ablation block 10 down the z-axis. In FIG. Figure 10 shows the location for pairing.

As shown in FIG. 10, the opening 47 of the housing 40 may be configured to mate with the sealing head assembly 9 above or opposite it when the housing 40 is in the mating position to form a substantially enclosed volume enclosing the sealing heads 23 and the feed 60. The advantage is that that this helps to localize the radiation and prevent laser radiation from scattering outside the ablation unit 10. It should be noted that to ensure this, the sealing head block 9 is rotated to its cleaning position. At the mating location, the opening 47 of the housing 40 and the feed 60 may be facing away.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the retraction position, the ablation unit 10 may be retracted from and elevated above the conveyor 8 so as not to interfere with the operation of the capsule filling line during filling, capping and sealing operations. In FIG. 8, the sealing head block 9 is still shown in its cleaning position, but can be freely rotated back to its sealing position (shown in dotted lines).

In FIG. 11 illustrates a method of operating a capsule filling line, which includes, at step 80, providing the capsule filling line with a source of capsule bodies 11 and a source of food product. At step 81, the capsule filling line operates such that a plurality of filled capsules are obtained by at least partially filling each capsule body 11 with food product and operating one or more capsule filling line sealing heads 23 to seal each capsule body 11 with a capsule lid 12. At step 82, the method includes intermittently cleaning one or more sealing heads 23 of the capsule filling line by operating an ablation unit 10 to irradiate each sealing head 23 to ablate residues from each sealing head 23.

In operation, the ablation unit 10 may be coupled to the sealing head 23 or the sealing head unit 9 before operating the ablation unit 10 to irradiate the sealing heads 23, and the ablation unit 10 may be decoupled after operating the ablation unit 10 to irradiate the sealing heads. 23.

The mating of the ablation unit 10 with the sealing heads 23 or the sealing heads block 9 preferably involves mating the body 40 of the ablation unit 10 with the sealing heads 23 above or opposite them.

When carrying out the method, the sealing head block 9 can be moved from its sealing position to a cleaning position. This movement may include rotating the sealing head assembly 9 more than 30 degrees, optionally more than 45 degrees, optionally more than 60 degrees, preferably 90 degrees, optionally up to 120 degrees.

In the sealing position, the sealing head block 9 and the sealing heads 23 may face downwards. In the cleaning position, the sealing heads 23 can be turned to the side. After removing the ablation unit 10 from mating with the sealing head unit 9, the method may further include rotating the sealing head unit 9 to a sealing position.

The cleaning operation may include irradiating the sealing heads 23 using radiation emitted from the laser head unit 61 of the ablation unit 10.

In FIG. 12 is a schematic illustration of a portion of the sealing head 23 that is irradiated by laser radiation. A narrow laser beam 90 is generated by the 2D optics of the laser head unit 61. In this example, a narrow laser beam 90 is directed from right to left, as schematically indicated by an arrow, to sweep across the entire sealing head 23. Residue 91 from the food product and/or capsule body and/or capsule lid is located on the left side of the sealing head 23. on the right side of the sealing head 23 were removed due to the ablative action of a narrow laser beam 90.

During the ablation process, gases may be generated as a result of ablation of residues. Therefore, during the ablation process, it is preferable to remove gases from the area adjacent to the sealing head 23 using the exhaust system 70. Negative pressure is applied to the exhaust line 71 by, for example, a vacuum pump or a fan. This causes ablative gases and residue particles that may be separated from the sealing heads 23 to be sucked through the outlets 74, hoses 73 and outlet manifold 72 into the outlet line 71. The control valves 75 can be operated selectively so that at any time allow the flow of exhaust gases to be released through one or more hoses 73. Preferably, outlets 74 are located above each of the ablation locations of the irradiator 60. Control valves 75 can be controlled to create a flow of exhaust gases only through the outlet 74 and hose 73 associated with the ablation location. ablation, which is occupied by the irradiator 60 at the current time. This may have the advantage of reducing the size of the vacuum pump or fan required for the exhaust system 70.

Larger debris particles that may be separated during the ablation process (which may be too large to be discharged by the exhaust system 70) may fall into the front portion 42 of the housing 40. They may enter a hopper 53 that may be provided at the base of the front portion 42. The hopper 53 may be a tray, bowl, or recess in the bottom surface 44 of the front portion 42, or may simply be the bottom surface 44 itself. A raised projection may be provided at the front portion of the bottom side adjacent the front aperture 47. The separated particles may be periodically removed from the housing 40 through the front opening 47.

It is an advantage that this specification provides improved apparatus and methods for maintaining the sealing heads 23. As an example, FIG. 13 shows images of a sealing head cleaned using the prior art method. In this prior art method, the sealing head 23 was cleaned by using a rotating wire brush to remove residues. After 3000 cleaning cycles, pitting and damage to the sealing head 92 are clearly visible. On the contrary, in FIG. 14 shows the same type of sealing head 23 after 17,000 ablation cleaning cycles as described herein. The condition of the sealing head 23 is clearly noticeably better than that shown in FIG. 13.

Other aspects of the present description are set forth in the following paragraphs.

Items:

Claim 1. A method for cleaning a sealing head of a capsule filling line, comprising operating an ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head to ablate residues from the sealing head.

Claim 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ablation unit comprises a laser and activation of the ablation unit includes activating the laser to laser ablate residue from the sealing head.

Claim 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the laser is controlled to sweep the laser beam across the sealing head one or more times.

Clause 4. The method according to any preceding clause, further including:

coupling the ablation unit to the sealing head before activating the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head; And

removing the ablation unit from mating with the sealing head after actuating the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head.

Clause 5. The method of claim 4, wherein coupling the ablation unit with the sealing head includes mating the body of the ablation unit with the sealing head above or opposite it.

Clause 6. The method of claim 4 or claim 5, wherein coupling the ablation unit to the sealing head includes moving the sealing head from a sealing position to a cleaning position.

Claim 7. The method of claim 6, wherein moving the seal head to the cleaning position comprises rotating the seal head more than 30 degrees, optionally more than 45 degrees, optionally more than 60 degrees, preferably 90 degrees, optionally up to up to 120 degrees.

Item 8. The method according to item 6 or item 7, in which in the sealing position the sealing head faces downwards.

Clause 9. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 6-8, in which in the cleaning position the sealing head faces to the side.

Clause 10. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 4-9, wherein the method further includes rotating the sealing head back to the sealing position after removing the ablation unit from mating with the sealing head.

Clause 11. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 4-10, wherein mating the ablation block to the sealing head involves moving the ablation block from a retraction location to a mating location.

Clause 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the laser of the ablation unit is facing away at the mating location.

Clause 13. The method of claim 11 or claim 12, wherein moving the ablation block to a mating location includes moving the ablation block along one or more axes.

Clause 14. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 11-13, wherein the method further includes moving the ablation block back to the retraction location after removing the ablation block from mating with the sealing head.

Clause 15. The method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising removing gases from the area adjacent to the sealing head during ablation of the residue.

Clause 16. The method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising trapping separated debris that is separated from the sealing head during the ablation process under the sealing head.

Clause 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing a hopper for collecting separated residues.

Claim 18. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the sealing head is a heat sealing head.

Claim 19. The method according to any preceding clause, wherein the sealing head is configured to seal the capsule lid onto the capsule body; and optionally heat sealing the capsule lid onto the capsule body; and optionally cutting the capsule lid from a sheet of cap material and heat sealing the capsule lid to the capsule body.

Clause 20. Method according to any preceding clause, wherein the residues comprise powder or granules.

Claim 21. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the residues comprise leftover ingredients left over from filling capsules with one or more powdered ingredients.

Claim 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the remaining ingredients comprise one or more of chocolate powder, coffee granules, coffee powder, tea powder, milk powder, sugar, soup powder, flavorings and whitener powder.

Clause 23. The method of any of the preceding claims, wherein the residues comprise capsule residues remaining from sealing the capsules.

Item 24. The method of item 23, wherein the capsule residue comprises plastic, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester, or aluminum.

Clause 25. The method of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising providing a sealing head array comprising a plurality of sealing heads forming a sealing head array, and operating an ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head array to ablate residues from the plurality of sealing heads.

Clause 26. A method of operating a capsule filling line, including:

i) providing the capsule filling line with a source of capsule bodies and a source of food product;

ii) operating the capsule filling line such that a plurality of filled capsules are obtained by at least partially filling each capsule body with food product and operating the capsule filling line sealing head to seal each capsule body with a capsule lid; And

iii) intermittently cleaning the sealing head of the capsule filling line; wherein cleaning the sealing head includes operating the capsule filling line ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head to ablate residues from the sealing head.

Clause 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the ablation unit comprises a laser and activation of the ablation unit includes activating the laser to laser ablate residue from the sealing head.

Item 28. The method according to item 26 or item 27, additionally including:

coupling the ablation unit to the sealing head before activating the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head; And

removing the ablation unit from mating with the sealing head after actuating the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head.

Clause 29. The method of claim 28, wherein coupling the ablation unit to the sealing head includes mating the body of the ablation unit to the sealing head above or opposite it.

Clause 30. The method of claim 28 or claim 29, wherein coupling the ablation unit to the sealing head includes moving the sealing head from a sealing position to a cleaning position.

Clause 31. The method of claim 30, wherein moving the seal head to the cleaning position comprises rotating the seal head more than 30 degrees, optionally more than 45 degrees, optionally more than 60 degrees, preferably 90 degrees, optionally up to up to 120 degrees.

Item 32. The method according to item 30 or item 31, wherein in the sealing position the sealing head faces downwards.

Clause 33. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 30-32, in which in the cleaning position the sealing head faces to the side.

Clause 34. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-33, wherein the method further includes rotating the sealing head back to the sealing position after removing the ablation unit from mating with the sealing head.

Clause 35. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 28-34, wherein mating the ablation block to the sealing head includes moving the ablation block from a retraction location to a mating location.

Clause 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the laser of the ablation unit is facing away at the mating location.

Clause 37. The method of claim 35 or claim 36, wherein moving the ablation block to a mating location comprises moving the ablation block along one or more axes.

Clause 38. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 35-37, wherein the method further includes moving the ablation block back to the retraction location after removing the ablation block from mating with the sealing head.

Clause 39. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 26-38, further including the removal of gases from the area adjacent to the sealing head during the ablation of residues using the exhaust system of the capsule filling line.

Clause 40. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 26-39, further including trapping separated debris that is separated from the sealing head during the ablation process under the sealing head.

Clause 41. The method of claim 40, further comprising providing a hopper for collecting separated residues.

Clause 42. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 26-41, wherein the sealing head is a heat sealing head; and optionally the sealing head is a combination cap cutter and heat sealing head assembly.

Clause 43. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 26-42, wherein the residue comprises powder or granules derived from a food product.

Clause 44. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 26-43, in which the food product is a powdered or granular product; optionally a powdered or granular drinking product.

Clause 45. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 26-44, wherein the residue comprises one or more of chocolate powder, coffee granules, coffee powder, tea powder, milk powder, sugar, soup powder, flavorings and whitener powder.

Clause 46. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 26-45, wherein the residues comprise capsule residues remaining from sealing the capsules.

Item 47. The method of item 46, wherein the capsule residue comprises a plastic material, such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester, or aluminum.

Clause 48. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 26-47, wherein the capsule filling line comprises a sealing head assembly comprising a plurality of sealing heads arranged in an array of sealing heads; and the method includes operating the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head array to ablate residue from the plurality of sealing heads.

Item 49. An ablation unit for a capsule filling line, comprising:

a support frame for installing the ablation unit into the capsule filling line;

an irradiator for irradiating the sealing head of the capsule filling line;

a housing at least partially surrounding the irradiator, the housing comprising an opening that, during operation, allows radiation to pass from the irradiator to the sealing head;

a transmission for moving the housing and the irradiator between a retractable location and a mating location.

Item 50. The ablation unit according to item 49, in which the irradiator is a laser.

Clause 51. The ablation unit according to clause 49 or clause 50, in which the irradiator is movable inside the housing and is configured to move along at least one axis of the housing to conduct radiation along a sealing head or a plurality of sealing heads.

Clause 52. Ablation block according to any one of paragraphs. 49-51, in which the housing opening is configured to mate with a sealing head or a block of sealing heads above or opposite them to form a substantially closed volume enclosing the sealing head and the irradiator.

Clause 53. Ablation block according to any one of paragraphs. 49-52, in which in the mating location the housing opening and the irradiator are facing to the side.

Clause 54. Ablation block according to any one of paragraphs. 49-53, wherein the transmission is configured to move the ablation unit to a mating location by moving the ablation unit along one or more axes relative to the support frame.

Clause 55. Ablation block according to any one of paragraphs. 49-54, further comprising an exhaust system for removing gases from the area adjacent to the sealing head.

Item 56. The ablation unit of item 55, wherein the exhaust system includes a plurality of outlet openings in the housing that communicate with the exhaust gases through an exhaust manifold.

Clause 57. The ablation unit of claim 56, wherein a plurality of outlets are located on an upper surface of the housing.

Clause 58. Ablation block according to any one of paragraphs. 49-57, further comprising a hopper under the sealing head for collecting separated residues.

Item 59. A capsule filling line comprising:

source of capsule bodies;

food source; And

a conveyor for moving components from the filling station to the sealing station;

a filling station configured to at least partially fill a capsule body obtained from a source of capsule bodies with a food product obtained from a food source;

a sealing station comprising a sealing head assembly comprising at least one sealing head, and configured to receive a capsule body that is at least partially filled with a food product, and sealing said capsule body with a capsule lid;

wherein the capsule filling line additionally contains an ablation unit according to any one of claims. 49-58 for intermittent cleaning of the sealing head of the sealing station.

Clause 60. The capsule filling line of claim 59, wherein at least one sealing head is a heat sealing head; and optionally, the at least one sealing head is at least one combined lid cutter and heat sealing head assembly.

Clause 61. The capsule filling line of claim 59 or claim 60, wherein the sealing head assembly comprises an array of sealing heads for simultaneously sealing each of the plurality of capsule bodies with a capsule lid.

Item 62. Capsule filling line according to any one of paragraphs. 59-61, wherein the sealing head assembly is movable between a sealing position and a cleaning position.

Item 63. The capsule filling line of item 62, wherein the sealing head assembly faces downward in the sealing position.

Item 64. The capsule filling line of item 62 or item 63, in which the sealing head assembly faces to the side in the cleaning position.

Item 65. Capsule filling line according to any one of paragraphs. 59-64, wherein the food product contains one or more of chocolate powder, coffee granules, coffee powder, tea powder, milk powder, sugar, soup powder, flavorings and whitener powder.

Item 66. Capsule filling line according to any one of paragraphs. 59-65, in which the capsule bodies contain plastic, for example polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester or a laminate of two or more of these materials, or aluminum.

Clause 67. Capsule filling line according to any one of paragraphs. 59-66, in which the capsule lid contains a heat-sealable layer; optionally a heat-sealable layer containing thermoplastic; optionally, the capsule lid contains a layered material; Optionally, the capsule lid is a flexible die-cut lid made of a laminated material.

Clause 68. Capsule filling line according to any one of paragraphs. 59-66, wherein the capsule cap is cut from a sheet of cap material.

It should be understood that at least some of the figures and descriptions of the present specification have been simplified to concentrate on elements that are important to a clear understanding of the present specification, while other elements, omitted for the sake of clarity and understandable to those skilled in the art, may also be relevant. Because such elements are well known to those skilled in the art and because they do not necessarily contribute to a better understanding of the description, description of such elements is not provided herein.

Claims (43)

1. A method for cleaning a sealing head of a capsule filling line, in which an ablation unit is activated and residues are ablated from the sealing head by irradiating the sealing head. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the ablation unit comprises a laser, and actuation of the ablation unit comprises activating the laser to laser ablate residue from the sealing head. 3. The method according to any of the preceding paragraphs, in which additionally mating the ablation unit with the sealing head before activating the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head; And the ablation unit is removed from the interface with the sealing head after the ablation unit is activated to irradiate the sealing head. 4. The method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sealing head is configured to heat seal the capsule lid onto the capsule body. 5. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the residues comprise residues of ingredients left over from filling capsules with one or more powdered ingredients. 6. The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the residues comprise capsule residues remaining from sealing the capsules. 7. The method of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising providing a sealing head assembly comprising a plurality of sealing heads that form a sealing head array, and operating an ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head array to ablate residues from the plurality of sealing heads. 8. A method of operating a capsule filling line, in which: i) provide a capsule filling line with a source of capsule bodies and a source of food product; ii) operating the capsule filling line such that a plurality of filled capsules are obtained by at least partially filling each capsule body with food product and operating the capsule filling line sealing head to seal each capsule body with a capsule lid; And iii) intermittently clean the sealing head of the capsule filling line; wherein cleaning the sealing head includes operating the capsule filling line ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head to ablate residues from the sealing head. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the ablation unit comprises a laser and activation of the ablation unit includes activating the laser to laser ablate residue from the sealing head. 10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, in which additionally mating the ablation unit with the sealing head before activating the ablation unit to irradiate the sealing head; And the ablation unit is removed from the interface with the sealing head after the ablation unit is activated to irradiate the sealing head. 11. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 8-10, wherein the residue comprises powder or granules, optionally one or more of chocolate powder, coffee granules, coffee powder, tea powder, milk powder, sugar, soup powder, flavorings and whitener powder. 12. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 8-11, wherein the residues comprise capsule residues remaining from sealing the capsules. 13. Method according to any one of paragraphs. 8-12, wherein the capsule filling line comprises a sealing head assembly comprising a plurality of sealing heads arranged in an array of sealing heads; and the method actuates the ablation unit to irradiate the encapsulation head array to ablate residue from the plurality of encapsulation heads. 14. Ablation unit for capsule filling line, containing: a support frame for installing the ablation unit into the capsule filling line; an irradiator for irradiating the sealing head of the capsule filling line; a housing at least partially surrounding the irradiator, the housing comprising an opening that, during operation, allows radiation to pass from the irradiator to the sealing head; a transmission for moving the housing and the irradiator between a retractable location and a mating location. 15. Ablation unit according to claim 14, in which the irradiator is a laser. 16. Ablation unit according to claim 14 or 15, in which the irradiator is movable inside the housing and is configured to move along at least one axis of the housing to conduct radiation along the sealing head or multiple sealing heads. 17. Ablation block according to any one of paragraphs. 14-16, in which the housing opening is configured to mate with a sealing head or a block of sealing heads above or opposite them to form a closed volume enclosing the sealing head and the irradiator. 18. Ablation block according to any one of paragraphs. 14-17, further comprising an exhaust system for removing gases from the area adjacent to the sealing head. 19. Ablation block according to any one of paragraphs. 14-18, further comprising a hopper under the sealing head for collecting separated residues. 20. A capsule filling line comprising: source of capsule bodies; And food source; a conveyor for moving components from the filling station to the sealing station; a filling station configured to at least partially fill a capsule body obtained from a source of capsule bodies with a food product obtained from a food source; a sealing station comprising a sealing head assembly comprising at least one sealing head, and configured to receive a capsule body that is at least partially filled with a food product, and sealing said capsule body with a capsule lid; wherein the capsule filling line additionally contains an ablation unit according to any one of claims. 14-19 for intermittent cleaning of the sealing head of the cap station. 21. The capsule filling line of claim 20, wherein the sealing head assembly comprises an array of sealing heads for simultaneously sealing each of the plurality of capsule bodies with a capsule lid. 22. The capsule filling line according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the sealing head assembly is movable between a sealing position and a cleaning position. 23. Capsule filling line according to any one of paragraphs. 20-22, wherein the food product contains powder or granules, optionally one or more of chocolate powder, coffee granules, coffee powder, tea powder, milk powder, sugar, soup powder, flavorings and whitener powder. 24. Capsule filling line according to any one of paragraphs. 20-23, in which the capsule bodies contain plastic, for example polypropylene, polyethylene, polystyrene, polyester or a laminate of two or more of these materials, or aluminum. 25. Capsule filling line according to any one of paragraphs. 20-24, in which the capsule lids contain a heat-sealable layer; optionally a heat-sealable layer containing thermoplastic; optionally, the caps of the capsules contain a layered material; Optionally, the caps of the capsules are flexible die-cut caps made of laminated material.