STERILE BLOW-MOULDING MACHINE WITH EJECTION FOR CONTAINERS

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. 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, wherein the apparatus comprises an ejection device for ejecting containers from the clean room, and this ejection device has a lock chamber from which ejected containers can be removed, wherein this lock chamber can be acted upon with an atmosphere containing a sterilisation medium.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a fluid line is provided which at least at times connects the lock chamber to the sterilisation device.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fluid line is configured such that sterilisation medium originating from the sterilisation device can be supplied to the lock chamber.

4. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fluid line supplies exhaust air from the sterilisation device to the lock chamber.

5. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus has a receiver device which is movable relative to the clean room for receiving containers to be ejected.

6. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus has a heating device for heating plastic preforms, and the sterilisation device is arranged between the heating device and the at least one forming station.

7. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus has a pressure control device for maintaining a pressure of the sterilisation medium in the sterilisation device.

8. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the apparatus has a closing mechanism for isolating the lock chamber from the clean room.

9. Method for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein the plastic preforms are supplied to a plurality of forming stations arranged on a movable carrier and formed by means of these forming stations into plastic containers, and the formed plastic containers are discharged, wherein during their formation, the plastic preforms are transported within a clean room and before their formation, the plastic preforms are sterilised by acting upon with a sterilisation medium by means of a sterilisation device, wherein a part of the plastic preforms or plastic containers is ejected, wherein the plastic preforms or plastic containers are ejected from the clean room into a lock chamber, wherein this clean room is at least at times acted upon with a sterilisation medium.

10. Method according to claim 9, wherein the sterilisation medium is a sterilisation medium originating from the sterilisation device.

Description

[0039] IN THE DRAWINGS

[0040] FIG. 1 a rough, diagrammatic depiction of an apparatus according to the invention for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers;

[0041] FIG. 2 a further diagrammatic depiction of an apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, including a sterilisation device assigned thereto; and

[0042] FIG. 3 a further side view of an apparatus according to the invention for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers.

[0043] FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically an apparatus 1 for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers 10a. A heating device 50 is arranged upstream of this apparatus 1 and serves to heat the plastic preforms. This heating device 50 for heating plastic preforms is followed by a sterilisation device 4, indicated merely diagrammatically, which sterilises the plastic preforms here with a flowable sterilisation medium, such as for example peracetic acid or hydrogen peroxide. It is possible that further transport means such as transport stars are arranged between the heating device 50 and the sterilisation device.

[0044] The actual forming device 1 adjoins the sterilisation device 4 and forms the plastic preforms into the plastic containers. Such transport stars for transporting the plastic preforms may also be present between the sterilisation device 4 and the forming device 1. The reference sign 20 designates a clean room inside which the plastic preforms are formed into plastic containers, and in particular plastic bottles 10a. These plastic bottles 10a are discharged via a discharge device 34, which again preferably is a transport star. This discharge device 34 may be followed by a further unit such as a filling device which fills the sterilised containers in sterile conditions.

[0045] The clean room 20 may also extend further than shown in FIG. 1, namely over the entire transport path of the containers up to a closing machine (not shown) which provides the aseptically produced and aseptically filled containers 10a with a closure. The forming device 1 has a rotatable carrier 12 on which a plurality of forming stations 2 is arranged. These forming stations here have pressurisation devices 62, indicated merely diagrammatically, (such as blowing nozzles) which act upon the plastic preforms with the gaseous medium and in particular with blowing air. In addition, the individual forming stations each comprise blow-moulding devices 64, 66 which serve to expand the plastic preforms, wherein these blow-moulding devices 64, 66 in each case have blow moulds which can be closed and opened, and in the interior of which the plastic preforms are expanded.

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a further diagrammatic depiction of an apparatus according to the invention. The plastic preforms 10 are here supplied firstly to the sterilisation device 4 and there sterilised by means of a sterilisation medium. To this end, a sterilisation medium (arrow P), for example H.sub.2O.sub.2, is supplied for sterilising the plastic preforms. From this sterilisation device 4, the plastic preforms are transported onward into the actual forming device 1. A clean room 20 is already formed in this forming device. As indicated with reference to FIG. 1, this clean room 20 is preferably configured as a channel and in particular surrounds a transport path of the plastic preforms. The aim is to make the clean room as small as possible since then only a relatively small volume need be kept sterile. In FIG. 2, the plastic preforms 10 are supplied from the right from a heating device 50 (see FIG. 1).

[0047] The reference sign 30 designates the lock chamber inside which, as mentioned above, a receiver device 8 is arranged for receiving defective plastic containers. This lock chamber 30 may be isolated from the clean room 20 via a flap mechanism 6. In a normal operating state of production, this flap element 6 is open. This flap element is thus the above-mentioned closing mechanism which serves to isolate the lock chamber 30 from the clean room 20. Preferably, this flap element may also serve as a transport means such as a chute for transporting the plastic preforms to be ejected.

[0048] Thus containers can be ejected into the receiver device 8. Exhaust air may be taken from the sterilisation device 4 via two valve devices such as valves 26, 28. In production mode, an exhaust air flap 25 in the main exhaust air flow or the fluid line 22 is opened, so that the exhaust air is discharged by means of a pump device 40 not via the lock chamber 30 but directly.

[0049] As soon as the receiver device 8 is filled with containers, the flap element 6 may be closed and hence the lock chamber 30 is separated from the clean room 20. Production may preferably be continued in this state. It would here be possible to maintain working mode during removal of the receiver device. Preferably, the clean room 20 is therefore configured such that it has a certain reception capacity for further containers to be ejected, even during removal of the containers to be ejected (i.e. while the lock chamber is isolated from the clean room).

[0050] The receiver device 8 may be removed from the lock chamber 30 and emptied, and returned to the lock chamber 30 in an empty state. In a further method step (with the flap 6 closed), the receiver device 8 is resterilised. To this end, the valve 25 in the fluid line 22 may be closed, and hence the exhaust air flow is guided via the bypass 22a, 22b to the lock chamber 30, in order in this way to sterilise the receiver device 8 standing in the closed lock chamber 30 using H.sub.2O.sub.2. After a sterilisation time, the flap device 6 opens again and production can be continued. In this case, it is not necessary to sterilise the clean room 20 again. In this way, in the most favourable case, production can be continued directly but in any case the loss of production time is kept low.

[0051] FIG. 3 shows a further depiction of the apparatus according to the invention. In this embodiment, the lock chamber 30 is arranged below the clean room 20. It would however also be possible for the lock chamber 30 to be arranged laterally next to the clean room 20. Preferably, the lock chamber 30 is arranged in a region of the forming device in which the containers have already been fully inflated. In this way, defective containers can be ejected even at a relatively late time.

[0052] The reference sign 18 in FIG. 2 designates an outlet opening of the forming device, via which the finished containers 10a can be discharged. In other words, here in principle containers can be removed from the apparatus in two ways, namely firstly via the regular outlet 18 and secondly (in the case of defective containers) via an opening of the flap device 6.

[0053] With the method described here, it is possible for the first time to use a receiver device such as a sherd trolley to receive defective containers in a sterile forming device and in particular a sterile blow-moulding machine. In particular, no additional preparation of sterilisation medium is required. The sterilisation medium present in the exhaust air (in particular (preferably gaseous) H.sub.2O.sub.2) may be used for sterilising the receiver device. In this way, high mechanical and control engineering efforts are no longer necessary. By the process-given dilution of the H.sub.2O.sub.2 atmosphere in the exhaust air, a chemical material load on the receiver device is low, while however sterilisation remains guaranteed. With the method described here, a large number of ejected containers does not lead to a premature termination of production or a long production shutdown with subsequent sterilisation of the entire blowing module. In this way, the process reliability of the plant is increased.

[0054] The applicant reserves the right to claim as essential to the invention all features disclosed in the application documents insofar as they are novel individually or in combination in relation to the prior art. It is furthermore pointed out that in the individual figures, features have been described which may be advantageous taken in themselves. The person skilled in the art will directly recognise that a certain feature described in one figure may also be advantageous without the use of further features from this figure. Furthermore, the skilled person will recognise that advantages may be achieved by a combination of several features indicated in individual or in different figures.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0055] 1 Apparatus

[0056] 4 Sterilisation device

[0057] 6 Closing device, flap element

[0058] 8 Receiver device

[0059] 10 Plastic preforms

[0060] 10a Plastic containers

[0061] 12 Carrier

[0062] 18 Outlet

[0063] 20 Clean room

[0064] 22 Main line

[0065] 22a, 22b Bypass

[0066] 26, 28 Valve device

[0067] 25 Exhaust air flap

[0068] 30 Lock chamber

[0069] 34 Discharge device

[0070] 50 Heating device

[0071] 62 Pressurisation device