JP2018052514A - Aseptic filling machine and aseptic filling method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aseptic filling machine and an aseptic filling method that discharges a bottle having a petaloid shaped bottom easy to overturn from an aseptic zone to a non-aseptic zone without stop.SOLUTION: A barrier chamber supplied air including sterilant gas is provided in a downstream of a seal portion filled with contents and sealed by a cap.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention provides a zone for supplying bactericidal agent-containing air between a sterile zone and a non-sterile zone in order to discharge a product filled and sealed with a beverage or the like into a bottle in a sterile atmosphere from the sterile zone to the non-sterile zone. The present invention relates to an aseptic filling machine and an aseptic filling method.

  Conventionally, while continuously running the preform, the preform is introduced into a heating furnace, heated to a temperature for forming the preform into a container in the heating furnace, and a gas is blown into the heated preform. There has been proposed a sterilization apparatus for containers which is molded into a bottle, sterilized, filled with sterilized contents, and sealed with a sterilized cap (Patent Document 1). In such a device, the sealed bottles are released from the suspended transport that grips the bottle support ring by the gripper in the sterilization zone and are discharged from the sterility zone to the non-sterile zone by the conveyor.

  There has also been proposed a container sterilization apparatus in which a preform is sterilized, a molded bottle is filled with sterilized contents, and sealed with a sterilized cap (Patent Document 2). Again, the sealed bottles are released from the airborne transport of gripping the bottle support ring by the gripper in the sterilization zone and discharged from the sterility zone to the non-sterile zone by the conveyor.

  Bottles sealed in the aseptic filling machine are released from gripping the bottle support ring by the gripper in the aseptic zone and placed on the conveyor. The conveyor on which the sealed bottles are placed is the first conveyor that circulates in the sterilization zone. In addition to this, the second conveyor that circulates in the non-sterile zone, the first conveyor, and the second conveyor. An intermediate conveyor is provided which travels overlapping the end of the conveyor. It has been proposed to discharge sealed bottles to a non-sterile zone by running on these conveyors (Patent Document 3). In this case, the intermediate conveyor is always sterilized by being immersed in the liquid of the disinfectant pool so as not to bring bacteria or the like from the non-sterile zone.

  Moreover, the apparatus which delivers to the conveyor provided in the non-sterile zone by the conveying apparatus which hold | grips the support ring of the bottle provided in the aseptic zone instead of an intermediate conveyor is also proposed (patent document 4). In this case, the shielding plate that separates the sterile zone and the non-sterile zone is provided at an oblique angle from above to below.

JP 2010-189023 A Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-116814 JP-A-11-79385 JP 2003-146427 A

  The bottle aseptic filling machine is supplied with a preform, molded into a bottle, sterilized, then filled and sealed with the contents in a sterile atmosphere, and supplied with the preform and sterilized the preform. There is a form in which a bottle obtained by molding a sterilized preform is filled and sealed in a sterile atmosphere. In any aseptic filling machine, after filling, a sterilized cap is wound around the mouth of the bottle and the bottle obtained by sealing must be discharged from the aseptic zone to the non-sterile zone. An opening is provided in the sterile zone for discharging the bottle. However, if bacteria or the like enters from the opening, the sterility of the sterilization zone cannot be maintained. Therefore, the sterility zone is maintained at a positive pressure with sterilized air, and the sterility of the sterility zone is maintained.

  Invasion of bacteria and the like through the air into the aseptic zone can be prevented by keeping the aseptic zone at a positive pressure. However, invasion of bacteria or the like adhering to the bottle discharging device cannot be prevented by keeping the sterility zone at a positive pressure. Although the method of patent document 4 uses the grip conveyor at the time of discharge | emission, when it speeds up, a bottle may fall over at the time of opening from a grip conveyor. Moreover, since the opening is provided with an inclination, the area of the opening is increased, and it is difficult to maintain sterility by positive pressure.

  Therefore, the method of Patent Document 3 is adopted. However, in order to overlap and combine the end of the intermediate conveyor that overlaps the first conveyor in the sterile zone, the sterile zone, and the non-sterile zone, there is a conveyor chain that transports the bottles in the center of the first conveyor. In addition, the conveyor chain of the intermediate conveyor is narrow. For this reason, there is no problem with a normal bottle shape, but in the case of a bottle containing carbonated beverages, the bottle may fall over in a sterile zone. The bottom of the bottle containing carbonated beverages has a petaloid shape, and the petaloid protrusion does not get on the end of the first conveyor, or the petaloid protrusion exceeds the width of the intermediate conveyor. In addition, the bottle may tilt and tip over. There is also a method of moving the bottles from the first conveyor to the intermediate conveyor by changing the length of the conveyor chain constituting the conveyor without overlapping the ends of the first conveyor and the intermediate conveyor in the aseptic zone. is there. However, even with this method, the petaloid protrusions may be caught in the gaps in the connecting part of the conveyor chain, and the bottle may fall in the aseptic zone. When the bottle falls in the aseptic zone, it is difficult to discharge the bottle by an external operation while the aseptic filling machine is operating. In that case, the operation of the aseptic filling machine must be stopped and the fallen bottle must be removed. When such an operation is performed, the sterility of the sterility zone is impaired. After this, in order to resume the operation of the aseptic filling machine, the sterilization zone must be sterilized again. As a result, the aseptic filling machine has to be stopped for a long time, and the operator suffers a great production hindrance. Even if the bottle has a normal shape, a bottle with a small ground contact area or a bottle with a high center of gravity and which tends to wobble may fall over and cause the same inconvenience.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is a petaloid-shaped bottle or an unstable bottle filled with contents sterilized in a sterile atmosphere and sealed with a sterilized cap. An object of the present invention is to provide an aseptic filling machine and an aseptic filling method capable of discharging from an aseptic zone to a non-aseptic zone without overturning.

  The aseptic filling machine according to the present invention is a bottle aseptic filling machine having at least a sterilizing part, a filling part and a sealing part, and is provided with a barrier chamber provided with a supply device of air containing a sterilizing agent downstream of the sealing part. It is characterized by.

  In the aseptic filling machine according to the present invention, it is preferable to provide an outlet chamber provided with an exhaust device downstream of the barrier chamber.

  The aseptic filling machine according to the present invention is preferably provided with a transport device that grips or supports the mouth of the bottle and transports the bottle from the sealed portion to the barrier chamber and the outlet chamber. is there.

  In the aseptic filling machine according to the present invention, it is preferable that a conveyor for conveying the bottle to the outside of the aseptic filling machine is provided in the outlet chamber.

  The aseptic filling machine according to the present invention is preferably provided with a label mounting device for mounting a label on the bottle in the outlet chamber.

  In the aseptic filling machine according to the present invention, it is preferable that the disinfectant contains hydrogen peroxide.

  In the aseptic filling machine according to the present invention, it is preferable that an exhaust air mixing device for mixing the air exhausted from the sterilizing unit with the air containing the sterilizing agent is provided.

The aseptic filling method according to the present invention includes at least a sterilization step for sterilizing a preform or a bottle, a filling step for filling the bottle with sterilized contents in an aseptic atmosphere, and the contents filled with a sterilized cap. In the aseptic filling method comprising a sealing step of sealing the bottle in an aseptic atmosphere,
After the sealing step, the sealed bottle is conveyed to a barrier chamber to which air containing a sterilizing agent is supplied.

  In the aseptic filling method according to the present invention, the bottle transported to the barrier chamber is preferably transported to an outlet chamber equipped with an exhaust device.

  In the aseptic filling method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bottle is held or supported and conveyed to the barrier chamber and the outlet chamber.

  In the aseptic filling method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the bottle is discharged outside the aseptic filling machine by a conveyor provided in the outlet chamber.

  In the aseptic filling method according to the present invention, it is preferable that a label is attached to the bottle after the bottle is transported to the outlet chamber.

  In the aseptic filling method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the disinfectant contains hydrogen peroxide.

  In the aseptic filling method according to the present invention, it is preferable that the air exhausted in the sterilization step is mixed with the air containing the sterilizing agent.

  According to the aseptic filling machine and the aseptic filling method of the present invention, even when the bottom of a bottle filled with sterilized contents in a sterile atmosphere and sealed with a sterilized cap has a petaloid shape, it also has an unstable shape. Even if it is a bottle, a bottle is discharged | emitted without falling from a sterile atmosphere to a non-sterile atmosphere.

It is a top view which shows the outline of an example of the aseptic filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows an example of the bottle shape of the product produced with the aseptic filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the modification of the bottle shape of the product produced with the aseptic filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The process of the shaping | molding part of the aseptic filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown, (A) is a preform supply process, (B) is a preform heating process, (C) is a blow molding process, (D ) Shows a bottle removing step. The process of the sterilization part and filling part of the aseptic filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown, (E) is a disinfectant gas spraying process, (F) is an air rinse process, (G) is a filling process, ( H) shows a sealing process. 1 shows a bactericide gas generator incorporated in an aseptic filling machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 shows a bactericide-containing air supply device incorporated in an aseptic filling machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 shows an exhaust air mixing device incorporated in an aseptic filling machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the outline of a part of aseptic filling machine provided with the label mounting apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The process of the sterilization part of the preform of the aseptic filling machine which concerns on embodiment of this invention is shown, (I) shows the sterilant gas spraying process to a preform, (J) shows the air spraying process to a preform. .

  EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated with reference to drawings.

  First, an outline of an aseptic filling machine comprising a preform supply, a molding part, a sterilization part, a filling part, a barrier chamber, and an outlet chamber will be described with reference to FIG. 1, and details of each part will be described with reference to FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7. 8 and FIG. According to this embodiment, even if the bottom of the bottle has a petaloid shape or an unstable shape, the bottle is discharged from the sterile zone to the non-sterile zone at high speed without falling down. Further, the aseptic zone is not contaminated by the invasion of bacteria or the like.

(Outline of aseptic filling machine and aseptic filling method)
As shown in FIG. 1, the aseptic filling machine according to this embodiment includes a preform supply device 5 that supplies a preform 1, a molding unit 16 that molds the preform 1 into a bottle 2, and a sterilization of the molded bottle 2. A sterilizing unit 30, an air rinsing unit 34 for rinsing the sterilized bottle 2, and a filling unit 39 for filling the sterilized contents into the air-rinsed bottle 2 and sealing with the sterilized cap 4 are provided. Furthermore, a barrier chamber 49 through which the sealed bottle 2 passes and supplied with air containing a sterilizing agent, and an outlet chamber 61 on which the bottle 2 is placed on the discharge conveyor 62 and discharged into the non-sterile zone are provided.

  The molding part 16 is shielded by the molding part chamber 17, the sterilization part 30 is shielded by the sterilization part chamber 33, the air rinse part 34 is shielded by the air rinse part chamber 36, the filling part 39 and the sealing part 44 by the filling part chamber 41. An atmosphere blocking chamber 27 is provided between the molding unit 16 and the sterilization unit 30 so that the bactericidal gas or mist generated in the sterilization unit 30 does not flow into the molding unit 16. The bactericide gas or mist generated in the sterilization unit 30 does not flow into the molding unit 16 when the atmosphere blocking chamber is exhausted.

  The sterilization part chamber 33, the air rinse part chamber 36, and the filling part chamber 41 are supplied with aseptic air sterilized by a sterilization filter, and the inside thereof is maintained at a positive pressure. The pressure held at the positive pressure is the highest in the filling part chamber 41 and is set lower as the upstream of the air rinsing part chamber 36 and the sterilization part chamber 33. The atmosphere blocking chamber 27 is evacuated so that the inside thereof is maintained at substantially the same pressure as the atmospheric pressure.

  The barrier chamber 49 is supplied with air containing a sterilizing agent, but the pressure in the barrier chamber 49 is lower than the filling unit chamber 41 so that the air containing the sterilizing agent does not flow into the filling unit chamber 41. . The outlet chamber 61 is evacuated so that the sterilizing agent contained in the air supplied to the barrier chamber does not leak to the outside, and the pressure in the outlet chamber 61 is kept substantially the same as or below the atmospheric pressure.

(Details of aseptic filling machine and aseptic filling method)
First, the preform 1 shown in FIG. 4A is continuously conveyed from the preform supply device 5 shown in FIG. 1 to the molding unit 16 at a desired speed by the preform conveying conveyor 6.

  The preform 1 in this embodiment is a bottomed tubular body having a test tube shape, and a mouth 1a similar to the bottle 2 shown in FIG. A male screw is formed at the mouth 1a simultaneously with the molding of the preform 1. In addition, a support ring 1b for conveyance is formed in the preform 1 below the mouth portion 1a. The preform 1 or the bottle 2 is gripped by the gripper 22 through the support ring 1b and travels through the aseptic filling machine. The preform 1 is molded by injection molding, compression molding or the like. The preform 1 is made of a thermoplastic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polypropylene, or polyethylene, and may be a single resin or a mixture of these resins, or may include a recycled thermoplastic resin. Further, in order to impart barrier properties, a thermoplastic resin such as polyamide having an aromatic amine such as an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer or metaxylylenediamine as a monomer may be included as a layer or a mixture.

  The preform 1 supplied to the molding unit 16 is transported by wheels 7 and 8 provided with a number of grippers 22 at a constant pitch, and reaches the heating furnace transport wheel 9. Here, as shown in FIG. 4B, the gripper 22 is released, the spindle 19 is inserted into the mouth 1 a of the preform 1, and is conveyed to the heating furnace 12.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the preform 1 that has entered the heating furnace 12 is heated to a temperature suitable for subsequent blow molding by an infrared heater 14 or other heating means. This temperature is preferably 90 ° C to 130 ° C.

  Note that the temperature of the mouth portion 1a of the preform 1 is suppressed to a temperature of 70 ° C. or lower in order to prevent deformation and the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the preform 1 is conveyed in the heating furnace 12 while the spindle 19 is inserted into the mouth 1a and rotates. The spindle 19 is provided on the endless chain 13 at regular intervals. Endless chain 13 is rotated by pulleys 10 and 11. By inserting a mandrel in the preform 1 instead of the spindle 19, the preform 1 can be conveyed while being rotated in an inverted state.

  The heated preform 1 is released from the spindle 19, is gripped by the gripper 22, passes through the wheel 15, and is conveyed to the molding wheel 18 of the blow molding machine. As shown in FIG. 4C, the bottle 2 is blow-molded by the mold 20 provided in the molding wheel 18. A plurality of molds 20 and blow nozzles 21 are arranged around the molding wheel 18 and turn around the molding wheel 18 at a constant speed as the molding wheel 18 rotates. When the heated preform 1 arrives, the mold 20 sandwiches the preform 1. Subsequently, the blow nozzle 21 is joined to the preform 1, and an unillustrated stretching rod is guided to a hole provided in the blow nozzle 21, inserted into the preform 1, and air or the like from the blow nozzle 21 into the preform 1. The bottle 2 is molded in the mold 20 by blowing the gas. As shown in FIG. 4D, the molded bottle 2 is taken out from the mold 20, the support ring 1 b is gripped by the gripper 22 provided on the inspection wheel 23, and delivered to the inspection wheel 23.

  The bottle 2 formed by the aseptic filling machine according to the embodiment of the present invention has a petaloid bottom as shown in FIG. When a carbonated beverage is filled in a bottle such as the bottle 3 having a substantially flat bottom as shown in FIG. 3, the bottom may bulge in a convex shape due to an increase in internal pressure immediately after filling. Therefore, when filling a carbonated beverage, a petaloid-shaped bottle 2 having a petaloid leg 2a at the bottom as shown in FIG. 2 is used. Usually, the number of petaloid legs 2a is arbitrarily set in the range of 5-9. Moreover, the depth of the valley part of the petaloid leg 2a is arbitrarily set. The bottle formed by the aseptic filling machine according to the embodiment of the present invention may have a shape like the generally used bottle 3 shown in FIG. Particularly, it is suitable for an unstable bottle even if the bottom is flat.

  When the molded bottle 2 is inspected by the inspection equipment 24 provided around the inspection wheel 23, the bottle temperature, the bottle body, the support ring, the top of the bottle mouth, the bottom of the bottle, etc. Is discharged out of the aseptic filling machine by a discharge device (not shown).

  In the bottle temperature inspection, the surface temperature of the bottle 2 is inspected to determine whether the bottle 2 is good or bad. The temperature sensor is, for example, an infrared radiation thermometer, but other thermometers can also be used. It is necessary for the bottle 2 to properly sterilize that the residual heat from the bottle formation remains in the bottle 2, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is desirably 50 ° C. or higher.

  Further, the bottle body, the support ring, the top of the bottle mouth, and the bottom of the bottle are imaged by a camera, and the state of each part is inspected. The captured image is processed by the image processing apparatus, and it is determined whether there is an abnormality such as a scratch, a foreign object, deformation, or discoloration. The bottle 2 exceeding the allowable range is determined to be abnormal.

  The bottle 2 that has not been determined to be abnormal by the inspection by the inspection equipment 24 is directed between the molding unit 16 and the sterilization unit 30 so that the bactericide gas or mist generated in the sterilization unit 30 does not flow into the molding unit 16. It is conveyed to the sterilization unit 30 through the wheels 25 and 26 of the atmosphere blocking chamber 27.

  The bottle 2 conveyed to the sterilization unit 30 is sterilized at the wheel 28. The disinfectant gas spraying process is shown in FIG. In order to spray the sterilizing gas on the bottle 2, a sterilizing gas spray nozzle 31 is provided. The disinfectant gas spray nozzle 31 is fixed so that the nozzle hole at the tip thereof can directly face the opening of the mouth portion 1a of the bottle 2 that travels directly below. Further, if necessary, a disinfectant gas blowing tunnel 32 is provided below the disinfectant gas blowing nozzle 31 along the traveling path of the bottle 2 as shown in FIG. The number of the sterilizing gas spray nozzles 31 may be one or plural. The disinfectant gas sprayed on the bottle 2 flows into the bottle 2 and sterilizes the inner surface of the bottle 2. At this time, the bottle 2 travels in the sterilizing agent gas blowing tunnel 32, so that the sterilizing agent gas or mist also flows to the outer surface of the bottle 2 and sterilizes the outer surface of the bottle 2.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the bactericide mist or gas is a mist in which the bactericide or gasified bactericide gasified by the bactericide gas generator 51 is condensed. The disinfectant gas generator 51 is a two-fluid spray nozzle that supplies disinfectant in the form of droplets, and heats the disinfectant supplied from the disinfectant supply unit 52 below the decomposition temperature. A vaporization unit 53 for vaporization. The sterilizing agent supply unit 52 introduces a sterilizing agent and compressed air from the sterilizing agent supply path 52 a and the compressed air supply path 52 b, respectively, and sprays the sterilizing agent into the vaporizing unit 53. The vaporizing unit 53 is a pipe having a heater 53a sandwiched between inner and outer walls, and heats and vaporizes the bactericide blown into the pipe. The vaporized bactericidal gas is ejected from the bactericidal gas spray nozzle 31 to the outside of the vaporizing section 53. The vaporizing unit 53 may be heated by dielectric heating instead of the heater 53a.

  As operating conditions of the sterilizing agent supply unit 52, for example, the pressure of the compressed air is adjusted in a range of 0.05 MPa to 0.6 MPa. Further, the bactericide may be a gravity drop or a pressure may be applied, and the supply amount can be freely set, for example, 1 g / min. ~ 100 g / min. Supply in the range. Moreover, the sprayed disinfectant vaporizes by heating the inner surface of the vaporization part 53 from 140 degreeC to 450 degreeC.

  As shown in FIG. 5E, the germicide gas to be ejected is sprayed from the germicide gas spray nozzle 31 to the bottle 2. The amount of spray of the sterilant gas or mist is arbitrary, but the spray amount is determined by the amount of sterilant supplied to the sterilant gas generator 51 and the spray time. A plurality of bactericidal gas generators 51 may be provided. The amount of spraying also varies depending on the size of the bottle 2.

  The disinfectant preferably contains at least hydrogen peroxide. The content is suitably in the range of 0.5% to 65% by mass. If it is less than 0.5% by mass, the sterilizing power may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 65% by mass, it becomes difficult to handle for safety. Further, it is more preferably 0.5% by mass to 40% by mass. When the content is 40% by mass or less, the handling is easier, and since the concentration becomes low, the residual amount of the sterilizing agent after sterilization can be reduced.

  When the sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide, the amount of hydrogen peroxide water sprayed is as follows. The amount of hydrogen peroxide adhering to the inner surface of the bottle 2 by the gas of hydrogen peroxide water sprayed from the disinfectant gas spray nozzle 31 to the inner surface of the bottle 2 is preferably hydrogen peroxide solution containing 35% by mass of hydrogen peroxide. The amount is 30 μL / bottle to 150 μL / bottle, more preferably 50 μL / bottle to 100 μL / bottle. The hydrogen peroxide concentration of the hydrogen peroxide gas sprayed on the bottle 2 is desirably 2 mg / L to 20 mg / L, and more desirably 5 mg / L to 10 mg / L.

  The bactericide contains water, but alcohols such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, normal propyl alcohol, and butyl alcohol, ketones such as acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and acetylacetone, and one or two of glycol ether It may contain more than seeds.

  Furthermore, the bactericidal agent may contain additives such as peracetic acid, acetic acid, chlorine compounds, compounds having a bactericidal effect such as ozone, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and phosphoric acid compounds.

  The bottle 2 sterilized by the sterilization unit 30 is conveyed to the air rinse unit 34 through the wheel 29 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 (F), the bottle 2 is sprayed with aseptic air by the air rinse nozzle 38 in the air rinse wheel 35 shown in FIG. Aseptic air may be at normal temperature, but is preferably heated. Aseptic air discharges the sterilizing agent remaining inside the bottle 2, decomposes the remaining sterilizing agent, further enhances the sterilizing effect, and has an effect of eliminating foreign matter in the bottle 2.

  The air rinse nozzle 38 can be moved up and down, and aseptic air may be blown into the bottle 2. Alternatively, aseptic air may be introduced into the bottle 2 instead of aseptic air to rinse the inside of the bottle 2. Furthermore, the bottle 2 may be rinsed using a combination of sterile air and sterile water.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the bottle 2 air-rinsed by the air rinse section 34 is conveyed to the filling section 39 via the wheel 37. In the filling unit 39, the contents of the bottle 2 are filled by the filling nozzle 42 by the wheel 40 shown in FIG. 1 as in the filling step shown in FIG. The contents are sterilized in advance, and the bottle 2 is filled with a certain amount of contents such as a beverage by the filling nozzle 42 that runs synchronously with the bottle 2.

  The bottle 2 filled with the contents is conveyed to the sealing part 44 through the wheel 43 shown in FIG. In the sealing wheel 45 provided in the sealing part 44, the cap 4 sterilized in advance is closed by a capper (not shown) provided in the sealing wheel 45, as in the sealing step shown in FIG. The bottle 2 is sealed by being wound around 1a.

  The sealed bottle 2 is released from gripping of the sealing wheel 45 by the gripper 22 and is conveyed on the periphery of the wheel 46 by a trunk pot guide (not shown) provided on the outer periphery of the wheel 46. The wheel 46 shown in FIG. 1 is a transport device in which a body pot guide is provided at regular intervals around the periphery. The sealed bottle 2 passes through the wheel 46 and is transferred to the wheel 47 which is a transfer device provided with the trunk pot guide, and is transferred to the barrier chamber 49. The barrier chamber 49 includes a sterilizing agent-containing air supply device 50 shown in FIG. 7, and air containing a sterilizing agent is supplied into the barrier chamber 49.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the sterilizing agent-containing air supply device 50 includes a blower 54, a sterilization filter 55 for sterilizing the air generated by the blower 54, and a heating device 56 for heating the sterilized air as necessary. And a sterilant gas generator 51 for supplying a sterilant to aseptic air.

  The sterilizing agent gas generator 51 is the same as the sterilizing agent gas generator 51 used for sterilizing the bottle 2. The same fungicides are used, and the fungicides preferably contain at least hydrogen peroxide, and the content is suitably in the range of 0.5% to 65% by mass. If it is less than 0.5% by mass, the sterilizing power may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 65% by mass, it becomes difficult to handle for safety. Furthermore, 0.5 mass% to 40 mass% is more preferable, and handling is easier at 40 mass% or less.

  The air containing the sterilizing agent is preferably heated by the heating device 56. When the concentration of the sterilizing agent is high or when the liquid temperature of the content to be filled is low, the components of the sterilizing agent may condense on the surface of the bottle 2, and this can be prevented. The temperature of the air containing the bactericide is desirably 40 ° C to 70 ° C. If it is less than 40 degreeC, it cannot prevent that the component of a disinfectant | dew condensation forms on the surface of the bottle 2, and if it exceeds 70 degreeC, the bottle 2 may deform | transform.

  The sterilizing agent gas introduced from the sterilizing agent gas spray nozzle 31 to the sterilizing agent-containing air supply device 50 is diluted with aseptic air and then supplied to the barrier chamber 49. When the sterilizing agent contained in the air supplied to the barrier chamber 49 is hydrogen peroxide, the hydrogen gas concentration is suitably in the range of 0.1 mg / L to 10 mg / L. If it is less than 0.1 mg / L, it is insufficient to keep the inside of the barrier chamber 49 sterile, and if it exceeds 10 mg / L, it is excessive to maintain the sterility of the barrier chamber.

  The barrier chamber 49 is maintained at a positive pressure, but is set to a pressure lower than that of the filling portion chamber 41 that maintains the positive pressure with aseptic air. For example, when the internal pressure of the filling unit chamber 41 is in the range of 20 Pa to 40 Pa, the internal pressure of the barrier chamber 49 is lower than the inside of the filling unit chamber, and is set to, for example, −30 Pa to 30 Pa. Preferably it is 0-30 Pa.

  The bactericidal gas supplied to the barrier chamber 49 is not generated by the bactericidal gas generator 51, and a bactericidal gas contained in the air exhausted from the sterilizing unit chamber 33 may be used. . As shown in FIG. 8, the sterilizing agent-containing air supply device 50 of FIG. 7 may be provided with an exhaust gas mixing device 57 that mixes the exhaust gas from the sterilization unit chamber 33 by the exhaust gas blower 58 and aseptic air. Although the exhaust of the sterilization unit chamber 33 is used here, the exhaust of the sterilization unit of the cap 4 (not shown) may be used. Further, when the preform 1 is sterilized, the exhaust from the preform sterilization unit may be used. Further, a combination of the exhaust gas and the bactericide gas generated by the bactericide gas generator 51 may be used as air containing a bactericide supplied to the barrier chamber 49.

  The sealed bottle 2 is conveyed to the outlet chamber 61 by a wheel 48 provided with a trunk pot guide. The outlet chamber 61 includes an exhaust device, and discharges the bactericide gas or mist flowing from the barrier chamber 49 to the outside of the aseptic filling machine. Although not shown, the exhaust device includes a blower for exhausting and a device for detoxifying or collecting the sterilizing agent before discharging to the outside of the aseptic filling machine. Since the outlet chamber 61 is evacuated, the pressure is approximately 0 Pa or less.

  The bottle 2 conveyed to the outlet chamber 61 is placed on the discharge conveyor 62 from the barrel pot guide of the wheel 48 and discharged to the outside of the aseptic filling machine. The outlet chamber 61 is a non-sterile zone, and even if the bottle 2 falls on the discharge conveyor 62 inside the outlet chamber 61, an operator can wake it up. Therefore, overturning at the discharge conveyor 62 does not hinder production.

  As shown in FIG. 9, a label mounting device 64 can be provided downstream of the outlet chamber 61. The bottle 2 is delivered to the label mounting device 64 by a wheel 65 provided in the outlet chamber 61. A label is attached to the bottle 2 by the label attaching device 64. The label may have any form or shape such as a wound label, a cylindrical shrink label, a shrink wound label, or the like. The bottle 2 to which the label is attached is discharged to the outside of the aseptic filling machine by the discharge conveyor 62, and if necessary, the bottle 2 is heated from the outside to shrink the label.

  By connecting the label mounting device 64 to the outlet chamber 61, it is not necessary to align the bottles 2 when delivering the bottle 2 to the label mounting device 64, and the simplification and productivity of the device can be improved. That is, the bottle 2 transport device from the outlet chamber 61 to the label mounting device 64 and the alignment device for delivery to the label mounting device 64 become unnecessary. As a result, the time required for conveyance and alignment becomes unnecessary.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to FIG. In the described embodiment, the aseptic filling machine sterilizes the bottle 2 obtained by molding the preform 1. However, it may be an aseptic filling machine for sterilizing the preform 1. The aseptic filling machine provided with the sterilization part which sterilizes preform as another embodiment below is demonstrated.

  In the wheel 7 shown in FIG. 1, the preform 1 shown in FIG. 10 can be sterilized. As shown in FIG. 10 (I), the germicide gas is sprayed from the germicide gas spray nozzle 31 onto the preform 1. For the generation of the germicide gas, the same one as the germicide gas generator 51 used for sterilization of the bottle 2 is used. Further, the same fungicide is used, and the fungicide preferably contains at least hydrogen peroxide, and its content is suitably in the range of 0.5 mass% to 65 mass%. If it is less than 0.5% by mass, the sterilizing power may be insufficient, and if it exceeds 65% by mass, it becomes difficult to handle for safety. Furthermore, 0.5 mass% to 40 mass% is more preferable, and handling is easier at 40 mass% or less.

The amount of sterilizing gas sprayed is arbitrary, but when the sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide, the amount of hydrogen peroxide attached to the preform 1 is 35% by mass of hydrogen peroxide containing hydrogen peroxide. The amount is preferably 0.001 μL / cm ^{2 to} 0.5 μL / cm ² . When the adhesion amount is less than 0.001 μL / cm ² , a sufficient sterilizing effect cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if the adhesion amount exceeds 0.5 μL / cm ² , when the preform 1 is blow-molded into the bottle 2, whitening, spots, wrinkles or deformation defects in the bottle may occur, Hydrogen oxide residue increases.

  The sterilizing gas is sprayed from the sterilizing agent gas spray nozzle 31 toward the preform 1, but the sterilizing agent gas is divided into two in the sterilizing agent gas spray nozzle 31 as shown in FIG. One of them may be sprayed from the nozzle 31 a toward the inside of the preform 1, and the other may be sprayed from the outlet provided in the nozzle 31 b toward the outer surface of the preform 1. The germicide gas exits the germicide gas spray nozzle 31 and then flows into the preform 1 in the gas state or as a condensed mist or mixture thereof. The outer surface of the reform 1 is sprayed.

  The sterilizing agent gas spray nozzle 31 and the nozzles 31a and 31b may be supplied with hot air that is aseptic air from the middle thereof to prevent condensation of the sterilizing agent at the nozzles 31a and 31b. .

  Further, the periphery of the bactericide gas sprayed toward the inside of the preform 1 is covered with an umbrella-shaped member 59. The disinfectant gas or mist or the mixture thereof that has flowed into the preform 1 overflows from the mouth portion 1a of the preform 1, and the flow of the overflowed gas or the like collides with the umbrella-shaped member 59, and the umbrella-shaped member It may be guided by an annular groove 59 a provided on the inner surface of 59, the flow may be changed toward the outer surface of the preform 1, and sprayed onto the outer surface of the preform 1.

  As described above, the germ or the like attached to the surface of the preform 1 is sterilized by spraying the gas or mist of the sterilizing agent or a mixture thereof on the inner and outer surfaces of the preform 1.

  Note that the preform may be preheated by blowing hot air onto the preform 1 immediately before spraying the germicide gas onto the preform 1 shown in FIG. This preheating can further enhance the sterilizing effect of the preform 1.

  Further, not only one sterilizing agent gas blowing nozzle 31 but also a plurality of sterilizing agent gas blowing nozzles 31 are arranged along the traveling path of the preform 1, and the sterilizing agent gas blowing nozzle 31 blows the sterilizing agent gas toward the preform 1. It may be.

  As shown in FIG. 10 (J), the preform 1 on which the bactericidal gas is sprayed may be gripped by the gripper 22 and sprayed with aseptic air by the air spray nozzle 60 while being conveyed. Depending on the type and amount of the bactericidal agent, aseptic air may not be sprayed.

  By spraying aseptic air, the bactericidal agent adhering to the surface of the preform 1 is activated, and bacteria on the inner and outer surfaces of the preform 1 are sterilized. Further, the bactericidal agent attached to the preform 1 by spraying aseptic air is quickly removed from the surface of the preform 1. The disinfectant adhering to the preform 1 is removed from the preform 1 by spraying aseptic air before entering the heating furnace 12.

  The sterilized air may be normal temperature, but when heated to sterilized hot air, the sterilizing effect is enhanced, and when the sterilizing agent contains hydrogen peroxide, the residual hydrogen peroxide in the preform 1 is also reduced. . As for the heating of aseptic air, it is desirable that the temperature of the aseptic hot air blown onto the preform 1 is 40 ° C to 140 ° C. If the temperature is lower than 40 ° C, the effect of heating is small, and if the temperature of the preform 1 exceeds 70 ° C, problems such as deformation of the mouth portion 1a of the preform 1 occur. Therefore, the temperature of sterile hot air should not exceed 140 ° C. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 10 (J), air is blown out from a slit-like outlet 60 a formed in a box-like manifold 60 b that forms the main body of the air blowing nozzle 60.

  The spray of the disinfectant gas shown in FIG. 10 (I) onto the preform 1 and the sterile air onto the preform 1 shown in FIG. 10 (J) are performed by the wheel 7 of FIG. The reforming sterilization chamber 63 is evacuated to prevent the sterilizing agent from flowing into the molding part 16. This exhaust gas may be introduced into an exhaust gas mixing device 57 that supplies air containing a sterilizing agent to the barrier chamber 49.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, sterilization may be performed on the preform 1, the bottle 2, or both the preform 1 and the bottle 2. When sterilizing only the preform 1, the atmosphere blocking chamber 27 and the sterilizing unit 30 for performing bottle sterilization are unnecessary. The air rinse part 34 may not be provided.

  Moreover, you may provide the discharge conveyor 62 in the wheel 46 shown in FIG. 1 of embodiment of this invention. The bottles that do not fall on the discharge conveyor are transported by the discharge conveyor 62 connected to the wheel 46 and discharged outside the aseptic filling machine without operating the barrier chamber 49 and the outlet chamber 61. It doesn't matter. When the discharge conveyor 62 is not used, the sterility of the filling portion chamber 41 is not impaired by closing the shutter provided at the discharge end.

  Although the present invention is configured as described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Preform 2 ... Bottle 12 ... Heating furnace 16 ... Molding part 20 ... Mold 22 ... Gripper 24 ... Inspection machine 30 ... Sterilization part 31 ... Bactericidal gas spray nozzle 34 ... Rinse part 39 ... Filling part 44 ... Sealing part 49 ... Barrier chamber 50 ... Air supply device containing sterilizing agent 51 ... Sterilant gas generator 57 ... Exhaust gas mixing device 62 ... Discharge conveyor 64 ... Label mounting device

The aseptic filling machine according to the present invention is a bottle aseptic filling machine having at least a sterilizing part, a filling part and a sealing part, and is provided with a barrier chamber for transporting the sealed bottle downstream of the sealing part and sealed. In addition, a sterilizing agent-containing air supply device that supplies air containing a sterilizing agent into the barrier chamber when the bottle is transported is provided .

Claims (14)

In a bottle aseptic filling machine having at least a sterilizing part, a filling part and a sealing part,
An aseptic filling machine comprising a barrier chamber provided with a supply device of air containing a sterilizing agent downstream of the sealing portion. In the aseptic filling machine according to claim 1,
An aseptic filling machine characterized in that an outlet chamber having an exhaust device is provided downstream of the barrier chamber. In the aseptic filling machine according to claim 2,
An aseptic filling machine characterized in that a transporting device is provided for transporting the bottle from the sealing portion to the barrier chamber and the outlet chamber and gripping or supporting the mouth of the bottle. In the aseptic filling machine according to claim 2 or claim 3,
The aseptic filling machine, wherein a conveyor for conveying the bottles to the outside of the aseptic filling machine is provided in the outlet chamber. In the aseptic filling machine according to claim 2 or claim 3,
The aseptic filling machine is provided with a label attaching device for attaching a label to the bottle in the outlet chamber. In the aseptic filling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An aseptic filling machine characterized in that the disinfectant contains hydrogen peroxide. In the aseptic filling machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
An aseptic filling machine, characterized in that an exhaust air mixing device is provided for mixing the air exhausted from the sterilizing section with the air containing the sterilizing agent. At least a sterilization process for sterilizing the preform or the bottle, a filling process for filling the bottle with the sterilized contents in an aseptic atmosphere, and sealing the bottle filled with the contents with a sterilized cap in an aseptic atmosphere In an aseptic filling method comprising steps,
After the sealing step, the sealed bottle is transported to a barrier chamber to which air containing a sterilizing agent is supplied. In the aseptic filling method according to claim 8,
The aseptic filling method characterized in that the bottle conveyed to the barrier chamber is conveyed to an outlet chamber equipped with an exhaust device. In the aseptic filling method according to claim 9,
An aseptic filling method characterized by gripping or supporting the mouth of the bottle and transporting the bottle to the barrier chamber and the outlet chamber. In the aseptic filling method according to claim 9 or 10,
The aseptic filling method characterized in that the bottle is discharged out of the aseptic filling machine by a conveyor provided in the outlet chamber. In the aseptic filling method according to claim 9 or 10,
Aseptic filling method, wherein a label is attached to the bottle after the bottle is conveyed to the outlet chamber. The aseptic filling method according to any one of claims 8 to 12,
The aseptic filling method, wherein the disinfectant contains hydrogen peroxide. The aseptic filling method according to any one of claims 8 to 13,
An aseptic filling method comprising mixing the air exhausted in the sterilization step with air containing the sterilizing agent.

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