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. An apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, the apparatus comprising: a movable carrier on which at least one forming station is arranged for forming the plastic preforms into the plastic containers, wherein the at least one forming station is transported along a predefined transport path; a clean room inside which the plastic preforms are formed into the plastic containers, wherein the clean room is isolated from a non-sterile environment by at least one wall; a sterilisation device for sterilising the plastic preforms and/or the plastic containers, the sterilisation device acting upon the plastic preforms and/or the plastic containers with a flowable sterilisation medium; a lock chamber arranged below the clean room; an ejection device for ejecting at least one of the plastic containers from the clean room into the lock chamber during on-going production, wherein the ejected plastic containers can be removed from the lock chamber into an outer atmosphere with respect to the lock chamber during on-going production; a receiver device for receiving the at least one of the plastic containers ejected from the clean room, wherein the receiver device is arranged within the lock chamber during a normal operating state of production; a closing mechanism between the clean room and the lock chamber; wherein the lock chamber is configured such that as soon as the receiver device is filled with the at least one of the plastic containers ejected from the clean room, the lock chamber is isolated from the clean room via the closing mechanism while production is continued, wherein the lock chamber is capable of being acted upon with a gas containing a sterilisation medium, and wherein the apparatus is configured such that, after the lock chamber is acted upon with the gas containing the sterilisation medium, the closing mechanism opens, and wherein the at least one of the plastic containers ejected from the clean room enters the lock chamber from the clean room under the effect of gravity during on-going production.

2. The 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. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fluid line is configured such that the flowable sterilisation medium can be supplied to the lock chamber.

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

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiver device is movable relative to the clean room for receiving the at least one of the plastic containers ejected from the clean room.

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

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

8. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein an exhaust air line is provided which extracts exhaust air from the sterilisation device, wherein the exhaust air line is a line which constitutes or is connected to the fluid line.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sterilisation medium is present in exhaust air and is used for sterilising the receiver device.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clean room has a capacity for storing plastic containers when the lock chamber is isolated from the clean room via the closing mechanism and while production is continued.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the closing mechanism comprises a flap element.

12. An apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, the apparatus comprising: a movable carrier on which at least one forming station is arranged for forming the plastic preforms into the plastic containers, wherein the at least one forming station is transported along a predefined transport path, a clean room inside which the plastic preforms are formed into the plastic containers, wherein the clean room is isolated from a non-sterile environment by at least one wall; a sterilisation device for sterilising the plastic preforms and/or the plastic containers, the sterilisation device acting upon the plastic preforms and/or the plastic containers with a flowable sterilisation medium; an ejection device for ejecting at least one of the plastic preforms or at least one of the plastic containers from the clean room; a lock chamber for receiving the at least one plastic preforms or the at least one plastic containers ejected from the clean room, wherein the lock chamber can be acted upon with a gas containing a sterilisation medium, a receiver device arranged in the lock chamber, the receiver device is capable of receiving the at least one plastic preforms or the at least one plastic containers ejected from the clean room and the receiving device is movable relative to the clean room during on-going production; wherein the lock chamber is arranged below the clean room, and wherein the lock chamber is arranged and designed in such a way that the at least one plastic preforms or the at least one plastic containers ejected from the clean room enter the lock chamber from the clean room under the effect of gravity during on-going production.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the receiver device is a shred trolley.

14. A method for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, the method comprising: supplying the plastic preforms to a plurality of forming stations arranged on a movable carrier; forming the plastic preforms into the plastic containers by means of the plurality of forming stations; and discharging the formed plastic containers; wherein during formation of the plastic containers, the plastic preforms are transported within a clean room; wherein before formation of the plastic containers, the plastic preforms are sterilised by a sterilisation device that acts upon the plastic preforms with a sterilisation medium; ejecting at least one of the plastic preforms or at least one of the plastic containers from the clean room into a receiver device arranged in a lock chamber during on-going production, wherein the lock chamber is arranged below the clean room, and wherein the at least one of the plastic preforms or the at least one of the plastic containers enter the lock chamber from the clean room under the effect of gravity, wherein the clean room is at least at times acted upon with the sterilisation medium; isolating, while production is continued, the lock chamber from the clean room as soon as the receiver device is filled with the at least one of the plastic preforms or the at least one of the plastic containers; and removing the at least one of the plastic preforms or the at least one of the plastic containers from the lock chamber during on-going production via removing the receiver device from the lock chamber; emptying and returning the receiver device to the lock chamber; sterilising the emptied and returned receiver device while the lock chamber is closed; and after sterilising the emptied and returned receiver device, opening the lock chamber with respect to the clean room.

15. The method according to claim 14, sterilizing the lock chamber by the acting upon the locking chamber with the sterilizing medium.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the receiver device is movable relative to the clean room, and maintaining on-going production during removal of the receiver device from the lock chamber.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the receiver device is movable relative to the clean room, and the emptying of the receiver device is during the on-going production.

Description

IN THE DRAWINGS

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

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

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

(4) 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.

(5) 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.

(6) 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.

(7) 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).

(8) 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.

(9) 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.

(10) 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).

(11) 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.

(12) 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.

(13) 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.

(14) With the method described here, it is possible for the first time to use a receiver device such as a shred 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) H202) may be used for sterilising the receiver device. In this way, high 30 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.

(15) 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

(16) 1 Apparatus

(17) 4 Sterilisation device

(18) 6 Closing device, flap element

(19) 8 Receiver device

(20) 10 Plastic preforms

(21) 10a Plastic containers

(22) 12 Carrier

(23) 18 Outlet

(24) 20 Clean room

(25) 22 Main line

(26) 22a, 22b Bypass

(27) 26, 28 Valve device

(28) 25 Exhaust air flap

(29) 30 Lock chamber

(30) 34 Discharge device

(31) 50 Heating device

(32) 62 Pressurisation device