A device for reducing the microbiological contaminants of container products made predominantly of plastics materials feeds a plastics granulate to an extruder assembly (19) that melts the granulate. The granulate is subsequently supplied to a form-fill-seal machine for producing a container product. A guide assembly (35) guides the plasticated plastic material from the extruder assembly (19) to the machine. At least one guide assembly (35) has at least one flow or channel guide (41) for the melted plastics material, so that microbiological contaminants are guided predominantly into the interior of the wall of the polymeric tube that interior is enclosed by regions of the plastic material that are less contaminated.

Apparatus for producing containers, and in particular beverage containers, having a heating device configured to heat plastic parisons, having at least one first transport device, which transports the plastic parisons along a predetermined transport path, a sterilization device configured to sterilize the plastic parisons, and a forming device arranged downstream of the sterilization device, as seen in a transporting direction of the plastic parisons, and configured to form the plastic parisons into plastic containers by the application of a free-flowing medium, wherein said forming device has a transport chamber within which the plastic parisons are transported. The apparatus has an application device configured to apply a free-flowing sterilization medium, at least temporarily, to the transport chamber.

An apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, with a movable carrier on which at least one forming station is arranged for forming the plastic preforms, wherein the forming station is transported along a predefined transport path, and wherein the apparatus has a clean room inside which the plastic preforms are formed, wherein this clean room is isolated from a non-sterile environment by at least one wall, with a sterilisation device for sterilising the plastic preforms and/or plastic containers, which device acts upon the plastic preforms and/or plastic containers to be sterilised with a flowable sterilisation medium for their sterilisation. According to the invention, the apparatus comprises an ejection device for ejecting containers from the clean room, and this ejection device has a lock chamber from which the ejected containers can be removed, wherein this lock chamber can be acted upon with an atmosphere containing a sterilisation medium.

A method for producing a sterilized container comprises: providing a preform having a hanger arranged on a bottom of the preform, heating the preform in a heating device, feeding the heated preform into a stretching and blowing apparatus, stretching and blowing the preform in the stretching and blowing apparatus such that the container for the infusion solution is formed from the preform, cleaning the formed container in a rinsing apparatus, and drying the cleaned container in a drying device, filling the cleaned and dried container at least with an infusion solution, via a filling opening present in the container, in a filling plant, closing the container by attaching a closure cap to the filling opening of the container, sterilizing the closed container in an autoclave, wherein the hanger of the preform is oriented and folded over by a bending apparatus prior to stretching and blowing in the stretching and blowing apparatus.

A method of forming and filling a container with an end product. Accordingly to the method, a preform is located within a mold assembly that defines the shape of the container and a nozzle assembly is moved so as to engage with at least one of the preform and the mold assembly forming a liquid tight seal. The end product is injected into the preform to simultaneously form a container from the preform and fill the container with the end product. After forming and filling the container, the nozzle assembly, which was used to inject the end product, is disengaged from the preform and/or mold assembly. After the nozzle assembly is disengaged, the filled container is removed from the mold assembly and residual end product is purged from the nozzle assembly.

To simply sterilize a blow-molding machine. A mist or gas of hydrogen peroxide or a mixture thereof is introduced through a valve block disposed adjacent to a molding die, thereby sterilizing at least the molding die and an extension rod that extends into the molding die through the valve block.

A device (30) for serial treatment of hollow bodies including: a transport member (32); a treatment rod (38) mounted slidably relative to the transport member (32); controlled elements for moving each treatment rod (38) between a retracted position and an extended position in which the treatment rod (38) is intended for being inserted axially into the transported hollow body; wherein the controlled elements consist of an electric actuator (42) controlled by an electronic control unit (44) for stopping the treatment rod (38) in the extended position thereof. A method for serial treatment of preforms using the treatment device is also described.

To simply sterilize a blow-molding machine. A mist or gas of hydrogen peroxide or a mixture thereof is introduced through a valve block disposed adjacent to a molding die, thereby sterilizing at least the molding die and an extension rod that extends into the molding die through the valve block.

A preform (31) is sterilized by a preform sterilizer (11). The preform (31) is blow-molded by a blow-molding device (13) to manufacture a container (30). Next, the container (30) is filled with a culture medium by a filling device (20) without sterilizing the container (30) by a container sterilizer (15), and the container (30) is plugged by a plugging device (21). Thereafter, it is verified how much microorganism survive or propagate in the culture medium in the container (30). A degree of sterilization in the container sterilizer (15) is adjusted on the basis of a verification result.

A method for producing a sterilized container comprises: providing a preform having a hanger arranged on a bottom of the preform, heating the preform in a heating device, feeding the heated preform into a stretching and blowing apparatus, stretching and blowing the preform in the stretching and blowing apparatus such that the container for the infusion solution is formed from the preform, cleaning the formed container in a rinsing apparatus, and drying the cleaned container in a drying device, filling the cleaned and dried container at least with an infusion solution, via a filling opening present in the container, in a filling plant, closing the container by attaching a closure cap to the filling opening of the container, sterilizing the closed container in an autoclave, wherein the hanger of the preform is oriented and folded over by a bending apparatus prior to stretching and blowing in the stretching and blowing apparatus.