Method for sterilizing a blow molding machine, and blow molding machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11014283-B2
Application number	US-201816609455-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 11, 2018
Priority date	May 11, 2017
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

Provided is a method for operating a device for shaping plastic preforms to form plastic containers, wherein the device has a movable support on which a plurality of shaping stations for shaping plastic preforms to form plastic containers are arranged, and these shaping stations each have blow molds that are suitable for and intended for molding the plastic preforms and are arranged at least indirectly on blow mold supports. The blow molds are kept at least temporarily in a magazine device, wherein this magazine device is suitable for and intended for receiving several sets of blow molds.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for operating a machine for reshaping plastic parisons into plastic containers, wherein the machine has a movable support, on which a plurality of reshaping stations are arranged for reshaping plastic parisons into plastic containers, and these reshaping stations each have blow molds which are suitable and intended for shaping the plastic parisons and which are arranged at least indirectly on blow mold supports, wherein the blow molds are at least temporarily stored in a magazine device, wherein this magazine device is suitable and intended for accommodating a plurality of sets of blow molds, wherein the magazine device is a dynamic store which is constructed as a vertical or horizontal carousel rack and the arrangement of the dynamic store takes place directly in a region of the mold change, wherein a changing device is arranged in a first clean room, the changing device can be separated by a first air lock device or bulkhead from the machine for reshaping the plastic parisons, and the magazine device is arranged in a second clean room, which can be segregated by means of a second airlock or bulkhead relative to the first clean room in which the changing device is arranged.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the blow molds are removed from the blow mold supports by the changing device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a respective blow mold set is configured to be selected by at least one of the changing device, an operator via a control device, and a controller of the blow molding machine.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at a predetermined time the magazine device provides a respectively required mold set.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the blow molds removed from the blow mold supports are stored at least temporarily in the magazine device.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the removed blow molds are sterilized at least one of before and during the storage in the magazine device.

7. An arrangement for reshaping plastic parisons into plastic containers with a movable support on which a plurality of reshaping stations are arranged for reshaping plastic parisons into plastic containers, and these reshaping stations each have blow molds which are suitable and intended for shaping the plastic parisons and which are arranged at least indirectly on blow mold supports, wherein, furthermore, the arrangement has a changing device which is suitable and intended for demounting and/or mounting the blow molds, as well as a magazine device which is suitable and intended for at least temporary storage of the blow molds, wherein the magazine device is suitable and intended for accommodating a plurality of sets of blow molds, wherein the magazine device is a dynamic store which is constructed as a vertical or horizontal carousel rack and the arrangement of the dynamic store takes place directly in a region of the mold change, wherein the changing device is arranged in a clean room, the changing device can be separated by an air lock device or a bulkhead from the machine for reshaping the plastic parisons, and the magazine device is arranged in a further clean room, which is segregated by means of an airlock or a bulkhead relative to the clean room in which the changing device is arranged.

8. The arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the magazine device is suitable and intended for accommodating the blow molds in an assembled state of these blow molds.

9. The arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the magazine device has movable receiving means suitable and intended for accommodating the blow molds.

10. The arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the magazine device is coupled to a control device of the blow molding machine in such a way that an automatic selection of a blow mold set is made possible.

11. The arrangement according to claim 9 , wherein the arrangement has at least one sterilising device in order to apply a flowable sterilising medium to components of the arrangement and/or the blow molds.

12. The arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the magazine device is movable in its entirety relative to the arrangement.

13. The arrangement according to claim 7 , wherein the magazine device is designed to be aseptic.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the changing device is enabled to prepare a change of blow mold in the magazine during production of the plastic containers by the machine.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the magazine device is coupled for control purposes by a control device to a type selection of the machine, and automatically provides blow molds appropriate for a change of type.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the changing device is suitable and intended for checking correct seating of the blow molds.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the changing device is suitable and intended for checking or for insuring which blow mold is arranged in which position inside the magazine device by reading RFID elements.

18. The method of claim 1 , further wherein the machine for reshaping the plastic parisons is arranged in a third clean room, such that the changing device can be separated by the first air lock device or bulkhead from the third clean room.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Hack Andreas
• Geltinger Florian
• Hirdina Jochen

Classifications

• A61L2103/23

  Containers other than laboratory or medical, e.g. bottles or mail · CPC title

• B29C49/78

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B29C2049/4863

  Mould identification, e.g. chip on mould with ID and process data · CPC title

• B29C49/42093

  Transporting apparatus, e.g. slides, wheels or conveyors · CPC title

• B29C49/46

  characterised by using particular environment or blow fluids other than air · CPC title