Z MODULE

Abstract

An apparatus for treating plastic containers includes a transport device which transports the plastic containers along a predetermined transport path, a blow module which has a blow molding machine for shaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, and a filler module which has a filling device for filling plastic containers with an, in particular, liquid product. The blow module and the filler module are arranged directly adjacent to one another, wherein the blow module has a transport starwheel on the outlet side, which transport starwheel is designed as a pitch varying starwheel and the plastic containers can be transferred directly from the pitch varying starwheel of the blow module to the filler module.

Claims

1. An apparatus for treating plastic containers having a transport device which transports the plastic containers along a predetermined transport path, a blow module which has a blow molding machine for shaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, and a filler module which has a filling device for filling plastic containers with a product, wherein the blow module and the filler module have an interface which enables a side-by-side arrangement of the blow module and the filler module, and wherein the plastic containers can be transferred from the blow module to the filler module, wherein the apparatus is arranged within a clean room, wherein the blow module and the filler module are arranged directly adjacent to one another, wherein the blow module has a transport starwheel on the outlet side, which transport starwheel is designed as a pitch varying starwheel and the plastic containers can be transferred directly from the pitch varying starwheel of the blow module to the filler module.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the filler module has at least three transport starwheels, wherein a first transport starwheel of the filler module is a pitch varying starwheel and/or a second transport starwheel of the filler module is a pitch changing starwheel.

3. An apparatus for treating plastic containers having a transport device which transports the plastic containers along a predetermined transport path, a blow module which has a blow molding machine for shaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, and a filler module which has a filling device for filling plastic containers with a product, and wherein the plastic containers can be transferred from the blow module to the filler module, wherein the apparatus is arranged within a clean room, wherein a transfer device for transferring the plastic containers is arranged between the blow module and the filler module, wherein the blow module has a transport starwheel on the outlet side, which transport starwheel is designed as a pitch varying starwheel.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the filler module has at least three transport starwheels, wherein at least one first transport starwheel of the filler module is a pitch varying starwheel.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transfer device has at least two transport starwheels.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a second transport starwheel of the filler module is a pitch changing starwheel and/or a first transport starwheel of the transfer device is an orientation starwheel.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a first transport starwheel of the transfer device is a pitch varying starwheel.

8. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a second transport starwheel of the transfer device is an orientation starwheel.

9. A method for operating an apparatus for treating plastic containers having a transport device which transports the plastic containers along a predetermined transport path, a blow module which has a blow molding machine for shaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein the blow module has a transport starwheel on the outlet side, which transport starwheel is designed as a pitch varying starwheel, and a filler module which has a filling device for filling plastic containers with a product, wherein the blow module and the filler module have an interface which enables a side-by-side arrangement of the blow module and the filler module, and wherein the plastic containers are transferred from the blow module to the filler module, wherein the apparatus is arranged within a clean room, wherein the blow module and the filler module are arranged directly adjacent to one another, and the plastic containers are transferred directly from the blow module to the filler module.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the filler module has a pitch changing starwheel, and the plastic containers are transferred from a pitch of the blow module to a pitch of the filler module.

11. A method for operating an apparatus for treating plastic containers having a transport device which transports the plastic containers along a predetermined transport path, a blow module which has a blow molding machine for shaping plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein the blow module has a transport starwheel on the outlet side, which transport starwheel is designed as a pitch varying starwheel, and a filler module which has a filling device for filling plastic containers with a product, wherein the plastic containers are transferred from the blow module to the filler module, wherein the apparatus is arranged within a clean room, wherein a transfer device for transferring the plastic containers is arranged between the blow module and the filler module, and the plastic containers are transferred by the transfer device from the blow module to the filler module.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the transfer device has at least two transport starwheels.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plastic containers are transferred from a pitch of the blow module to a pitch of the filler module by a pitch changing starwheel of the filler module.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the plastic containers are aligned by an orientation starwheel of the transfer device.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the plastic containers are transferred from a pitch of the blow module to a pitch of the filler module by a pitch changing starwheel of the transfer device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Further advantages and embodiments can be seen in the accompanying drawings.

[0039] In the drawings:

[0040] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus according to the invention in a first embodiment; and

[0041] FIG. 2 shows an apparatus according to the invention in a second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0042] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus 1 according to the invention in accordance with a first embodiment. An arrangement of a blow module 10 and a filler module 20, which are arranged directly adjacent to one another, is shown. Reference sign 4 schematically designates the clean room boundary. The continuous line extending between the blow module 10 and the filler module 20 does not represent a continuous clean room boundary. Rather, the clean rooms of the two modules are connected to one another in the region where the plastic containers are transferred between the pitch varying starwheel 16 of the blow module 10 to the transport starwheel 26 of the filler module 20. The blow module 10 has an infeed starwheel 14, via which previously heated and sterilized plastic preforms are fed to the blow molding machine 12. Subsequently, the finished blown plastic containers are taken over by a pitch varying starwheel 16. In the embodiment shown here, the filler module 20 directly adjoins the blow module 10. The filler module has a filling device 22 and several transport starwheels. In the embodiment shown in the form of an infeed starwheel 24 and three transport starwheels 26, 28, 30, wherein a transport starwheel is designed as a pitch varying starwheel. The transport starwheel 24 (infeed starwheel) is designed as a pitch varying starwheel and transfers the plastic containers to be filled to the filling device 22. Thus, the plastic containers produced by the blow molding machine 12 are transferred by the pitch varying starwheel 16 (outfeed starwheel) to the filling device 22 via the transport starwheels 24, 26, 28, 30 for filling with an, in particular, liquid product, wherein the filling device 22 is followed by an outfeed starwheel 32. In the further course (not shown), the filled plastic containers can be transferred further to a device for closing, labeling, packaging and the like.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of an apparatus 2 according to the invention. Unlike in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a transfer device 40 is located between the blow module 10 and the filler module 20. In turn, reference sign 4 designates the clean room boundary. The transfer device 40 has two transport starwheels which, in a preferred embodiment, are designed as an orientation starwheel 42 and as a pitch varying starwheel 44. In this case, the plastic containers produced by the blow molding machine 12 are transferred by the pitch varying starwheel 16 (blow module outlet) to the orientation starwheel 42 of the transfer device 40. The orientation starwheel 42 serves to correctly align the plastic containers taken over from the blow module 10. This is followed by a pitch changing starwheel 44. After the pitch changing starwheel 44, the plastic containers are transferred to the infeed starwheel of the filling device (pitch varying starwheel 24) via the transport starwheels 26, 28, 30. In an alternative embodiment (not shown), it is conceivable for the pitch changing starwheel 44 to not be arranged in the transfer device, but instead for one of the transport starwheels 26, 28, 30 to be designed as a pitch changing starwheel.

[0044] The applicant reserves the right to claim all features disclosed in the application documents as essential to the invention, provided that they are novel over the prior art individually or in combination. It is also pointed out that features which can be advantageous in themselves are also described in the individual figures. The person skilled in the art will immediately recognize that a particular feature described in a figure can be advantageous even without the adoption of further features from this figure. Furthermore, the person skilled in the art will recognize that advantages can also result from a combination of several features shown in individual or in different figures.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0045] 1 apparatus [0046] 2 apparatus [0047] 4 clean room boundary [0048] 10 blow module [0049] 12 blow molding machine [0050] 14 infeed starwheel of blow module [0051] 16 outfeed starwheel of blow module, pitch varying starwheel [0052] 20 filler module [0053] 22 filling device [0054] 24 infeed starwheel of filling device, pitch varying starwheel [0055] 26, 28, 30 transport starwheels [0056] 32 outfeed starwheel of filling device [0057] 40 transfer device [0058] 42 orientation starwheel [0059] 44 pitch changing starwheel