An apparatus (1) for producing sterile receptacles (2), comprising: a molding unit (13) for molding parisons (4) starting from granules of thermoplastic material; a stretch-blowing forming unit (3) which receives the parisons (4) from the molding unit (13), the forming unit (3) having a plurality of forming stations (5) in each of which there is a mold (6) and a sterilization device (12) so as to form and sterilize the corresponding parison (4).

A drink filling system including: a bottle molding section; a sterilizing section that sterilizes a molded bottle; a rinsing section that rinses the bottle; a filling section that fills and seals the bottle; and a conveying unit that conveys the bottle from the molding section through to the filling section. A chamber covers a portion extending from the sterilizing section to the filling section, and an atmosphere shut-off chamber is provided between a sterilizing section chamber and a rinsing section chamber. An exhaust unit is provided for the atmosphere shut-off chamber and/or the sterilizing section chamber, a clean air supply unit is provided for a filling section chamber so that a clean air flows from the filling section chamber into the atmosphere shut-off chamber through the rinsing section chamber or further flows into the sterilizing section chamber, and the air-flow flowing therein is exhausted by an exhaust unit.

A sterilization line comprising upstream-side and downstream-side tanks for storing liquid which are connected by a conduit for transferring the liquid, holding tubes for sterilizing the liquid which are disposed in an intermediate section of the conduit, heating units for heating the liquid in stages which are disposed in a section of the conduit from the upstream-side tank to the holding tubes, and cooling units for cooling the product liquid in stages which are disposed in a section of the conduit from the holding tubes to the downstream-side tank. A swing bend is used to perform switching between a section of a liquid flow path located on the upstream side of multiple intermediate piping systems and a cleaning solution path for a cleaning-in-place operation and switching between a section of the liquid flow path located on the downstream side and the cleaning solution path for the cleaning-in-place operation.

A preform is sterilized by a preform sterilizer. The preform is blow-molded by a blow-molding device to manufacture a container. Next, the container is filled with a culture medium by a filling device without sterilizing the container by a container sterilizer, and the container is plugged by a plugging device. Thereafter, it is verified how much microorganism survive or propagate in the culture medium in the container. A degree of sterilization in the container sterilizer is adjusted on the basis of a verification result.

A method for filling a container (2) with a filling product, comprising the steps of: positioning the container (2) in a filling station (1) so that its mouth (2b) is below the filling valve (9); separating a treatment volume (40) of the neck (2a) comprised between the filling valve (9) and at least one part of the neck (2a) of the container (2) from an external environment (6) containing the body (2d) of the container (2); dispensing plasma into the treatment volume (40) so that it flows over the neck (2a) of the container (2); enabling the filling valve (9) to dispense the filling product into the container (2).

An apparatus for filling a drink including a drink supply pipe line for supplying a drink to a filling machine, the drink supply pipe line including at least two supply pipe lines of a first supply pipe line for supplying a non-sterilized carbonated drink, a second supply pipe line for supplying a high acidic carbonated drink or a low acidic carbonated drink and a third supply pipe line for supplying a high acid beverage or a low acid beverage, and an aseptic chamber surrounding at least the apparatus for filling the drink.

An apparatus for filling a drink including a drink supply pipe line for supplying a drink to a filling machine, the drink supply pipe line and the filling machine including a CIP and SIP treatments apparatus, and an aseptic chamber surrounding at least the apparatus for filling the drink, the aseptic chamber of the filling machine comprising a COP and SOP treatment apparatus. The CIP and SIP treatments apparatus and the COP and SOP treatment apparatus are driven in parallel with each other.

A storage system for storing objects of plastic material processed in a bottling line (45) comprises: a plurality of drawers (4) configured to contain groups of objects (5); a frame (2) which defines a plurality of compartments (3) configured to house the drawers (4); a conveyor (8) movable in the storage system (1) itself and configured to access the compartments (3) in such a way as to withdraw and place drawers (4) from and into the compartments (4); a loading bay (11) having one or more loading compartments for receiving corresponding drawers (4) and having a loading manipulator (28) configured to place in the drawers (4) the loose objects (5) received from an infeed conveyor (29); an unloading bay (12) having at least one unloading compartment for receiving a corresponding drawer (4) and having an unloading manipulator (41) configured to place onto an outfeed conveyor (43, 44) the loose objects (5) stored in the drawer (4).

A sterilization line comprising upstream-side and downstream-side tanks for storing liquid which are connected by a conduit for transferring the liquid, holding tubes for sterilizing the liquid which are disposed in an intermediate section of the conduit, heating units for heating the liquid in stages which are disposed in a section of the conduit from the upstream-side tank to the holding tubes, and cooling units for cooling the product liquid in stages which are disposed in a section of the conduit from the holding tubes to the downstream-side tank. A swing bend is used to perform switching between a section of a liquid flow path located on the upstream side of multiple intermediate piping systems and a cleaning solution path for a cleaning-in-place operation and switching between a section of the liquid flow path located on the downstream side and the cleaning solution path for the cleaning-in-place operation.

Even when the filling speed increases, the surface temperature of a molded bottle falls within a constant range, and a sterilizer adequately sterilizes the bottle. A preform is heated, the heated preform is sealed in a mold, the preform sealed in the mold is blow-molded into a bottle, the surface temperatures of a neck portion, a body portion, and a bottom portion of the molded bottle are measured, and the mold temperatures of a neck portion, a body portion, and a bottom portion of the mold is so adjusted that the measured surface temperature of the bottle falls within a specified temperature range.