Cooling the blowing molding machine without external cooler

Abstract

An apparatus for producing plastic containers filled with a liquid, having a forming device which forms plastic preforms into containers, and a filling device which fills the containers with the liquid, wherein the filling device has a transport device which transports the containers during their filling and a plurality of filling devices which fill the containers. The apparatus has a supply line in order to supply the liquid to be filled to the filling devices, wherein the apparatus has at least one heat exchanger device which is configured to also use the liquid to be supplied to the filling devices for cooling components of the forming device and/or a further treatment unit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for producing plastic containers filled with a liquid, having a forming device configured to form plastic preforms into plastic containers, and having a filling device configured to fill the plastic containers with the liquid, wherein the filling device has a transport device configured to transport the containers during their filling and has a plurality of filling devices configured to fill the containers, wherein the apparatus has a supply line configured to supply the liquid to be filled to the filling devices, wherein the apparatus has at least one heat exchanger device which is configured to also use the liquid to be supplied to the filling devices for cooling components of the forming device and/or a further treatment unit.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger device is configured to use product flow of the liquid for cooling components of the forming device.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the forming device has a transport device configured for transporting the plastic preforms, and the transport device has a rotatable carrier on which a plurality of forming stations is arranged, wherein the forming stations each have blow molding devices within which the plastic preforms are formed into the plastic containers.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus has a storage device configured for storing a cooling medium.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus has a cooling device is configured for cooling the cooling liquid in the storage device before or during a start-up mode.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus has a cooling device configured for cooling components of the forming device.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus has a control device configured to enable a start-up mode and a working mode of the apparatus, wherein the components of the forming device are cooled less by the product flow during start-up mode.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus has a control device configured to control a speed of the apparatus, the containers, depending on an available cooling power.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the forming device and the filling device are blocked and/or synchronized with one another.

10. A method for producing plastic containers filled with a liquid, wherein a forming device forms plastic preforms into plastic containers, a transport device transports the plastic containers to a filling device, and the filling device fills the plastic containers with the liquid, wherein the filling device has a transport device which transports the containers during their filling and has a plurality of filling devices which fill the containers, and wherein a supply line of the filling device supplies the liquid to be filled, wherein a product flow of the liquid to be supplied to the filling device is used to cool components of the forming device and/or a further treatment unit.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein a heat exchanger device is provided to cool the components of the forming device using the product flow.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein a further cooling device cools components of the forming device.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein cooling energy is stored.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] Further advantages and embodiments emerge from the accompanying drawing. In the drawings:

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a block diagrammatic representation of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an apparatus 1 according to the invention for producing containers filled with liquid. In so doing, plastic preforms 10 are supplied to a forming device 2 and are formed there into plastic containers 15. The forming device has a transport device 20 such as a blowing wheel for transporting the plastic preforms to be expanded.

[0050] The plastic containers 15 are transported to a filling device 6 and filled there. For this purpose, the filling device 6 preferably also has a rotatable transport device 62 on which a plurality of filling devices 64 is arranged. The filled containers are preferably closed and transported away.

[0051] The reference sign 32 designates a supply line which supplies the liquid to be filled and in particular a beverage to be filled to the filling device.

[0052] The reference sign 8 designates a heat exchanger device which serves to use the product flow which flows through the supply line for cooling other parts of the apparatus, here the forming device 2. However, it is noted that also other components of a system for producing containers can also be cooled in this way.

[0053] The arrow P1 indicates cooling energy which is ultimately intended for cooling the device 2, and the arrow P2 indicates heat which flows to the heat exchanger device 8 or its lower part.

[0054] The reference sign 12 designates an optional buffer tank in which the liquid to be filled can be stored. This buffer tank is preferably arranged in the flow direction of the product downstream from the heat exchanger 8.

[0055] The reference sign 16 designates an optional buffer tank which can be cooled by the heat exchanger 8, wherein here as well, the two arrows indicate the flow of the cooling energy (lower arrow) and the flow of the thermal energy.

[0056] This optional buffer tank can also itself act as a heat exchanger. In this embodiment, the forming device is accordingly cooled via the intermediate buffer tank.

[0057] The reference sign 22 designates a bypass for circumventing the buffer tank 16. If this bypass is activated, the forming device is cooled directly by the heat exchanger.

[0058] 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.