System and method for operating a system for producing filled plastic containers from sterile plastic preforms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12269727-B2
Application number	US-202318222904-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 17, 2023
Priority date	Jul 15, 2022
Publication date	Apr 8, 2025
Grant date	Apr 8, 2025

Abstract

A system for producing filled plastic containers from sterilized plastic preforms, includes a transport device for transporting the plastic preforms and plastic containers produced from the plastic preforms by forming, along a predetermined transport path through the system, a forming apparatus for forming the sterilized plastic preforms into plastic containers, and a filling apparatus for filling the plastic containers during their at least sectional transport substantially along a circular line about a central axis of the filling apparatus. The forming apparatus and the filling apparatus have a maximum distance from one another in relation to their respective central axes
of 5.5 m, preferably of 5.3 m, and the forming apparatus has a maximum number of 24 forming stations or of 6.0 m, preferably of 5.6 m, and the forming apparatus has more than 24 forming stations.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for producing filled plastic containers from sterilized plastic preforms, comprising a transport device for transporting the plastic preforms and plastic containers produced from the plastic preforms by forming, along a predetermined transport path through the system, comprising a forming apparatus for forming the sterilized plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein the transport device is suitable and intended for supplying the sterilized plastic preforms to the forming apparatus, wherein the forming apparatus has a transport carrier which can be moved about a central axis and on which a plurality of forming stations each for forming a plastic preform into a plastic container by applying a flowable medium is arranged, comprising a filling apparatus for filling the plastic containers during their at least sectional transport substantially along a circular line about a central axis of the filling apparatus,
wherein
the forming apparatus and the filling apparatus have a maximum distance from one another in relation to their respective central axes
of 5.5 m and the forming apparatus has a maximum number of 24 forming stations or
of 6.0 m and the forming apparatus has more than 24 forming stations.

2. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the system has a sterilization apparatus for sterilizing at least one inner wall and/or outer wall of a plastic preform to be formed, wherein the sterilization apparatus is configured for inactivating microorganisms and/or spores on the inner wall and/or outer wall of the plastic preform to be formed.

3. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the forming apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers has at least one sterilization maintenance apparatus which is configured for maintaining a predetermined degree of sterilization and/or degree of purity of the inner wall of the plastic preforms to be formed and/or of the at least partially formed plastic preforms.

4. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the system can be operated in a sterilization operation and in a production operation different therefrom, wherein the sterilization operation differs from the production operation in that in the sterilization operation, a sterilizing medium is supplied to a supply line of flowable medium provided for forming.

5. The system according to claim 4 ,
wherein
in the production operation, filtered air is supplied via the supply line for forming the plastic preforms.

6. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
an opening and/or closing movement of a first mold carrier takes place by a first angle and an opening and/or closing movement of a second mold carrier takes place by a second angle, wherein the first angle and the second angle are substantially identical.

7. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the system has a clean room which is delimited by several walls and within which the plastic preforms are expanded to form the plastic containers, and in that the forming apparatus has a sealing apparatus in order to seal the clean room from a non-sterile environment.

8. The system according to claim 7 ,
wherein
the sealing device has a single water lock, which has exactly one blade, which dips into a circumferential channel filled with a liquid and thus separates a non-sterile region from the sterile region.

9. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
a corner arrangement of the system is present in which a main container-transport direction encloses an angle greater than 10° with a connection direction which extends substantially from the central axis of the forming apparatus to the central axis of the filling apparatus.

10. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the forming station has a station capacity of between 2500 and 2800 plastic containers per hour.

11. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the system has a system capacity of between 10,000 and 85,000 plastic containers per hour.

12. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
in a section of the transport path between the forming apparatus and the filling apparatus, the transport device has at least three transport units with a transport carrier, such as transport starwheels and/or pitch delay starwheels, which can be moved about respective central axes.

13. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the forming apparatus and/or the filling apparatus is/are designed as a carousel-type machine.

14. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the system has a ventilation apparatus for regulating at least one predetermined property variable of an atmosphere prevailing in the region of the forming of the plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein the property variable is characteristic of a physical variable, such as an air pressure and/or an air temperature and/or an air humidity and/or an air density, a flow rate, and/or a physicochemical variable, such as a variable characteristic of an air composition, and/or of an air purity variable, such as a degree of purity and/or a degree of sterilization, and wherein, in a plan view of the system, the ventilation apparatus is arranged between the forming apparatus and the filling apparatus.

15. A method for operating a system for producing filled plastic containers from sterilized plastic preforms, comprising a transport device, which transports the plastic preforms and plastic containers produced from the plastic preforms by forming, along a predetermined transport path through the system, comprising a forming apparatus, which forms the sterilized plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein the transport device supplies the sterilized plastic preforms to the forming apparatus, wherein the forming apparatus has a transport carrier which can be moved about a central axis and on which a plurality of forming stations each for forming a plastic preform into a plastic container by applying a flowable medium is arranged, comprising a filling apparatus for filling the plastic containers during their at least sectional transport substantially along a circular line about a central axis of the filling apparatus,
wherein
the forming apparatus and the filling apparatus have a maximum distance from one another in relation to their respective central axes
of 5.5 m and the forming apparatus has a maximum number of 24 forming stations or
of 6.0 m and the forming apparatus has more than 24 forming stations.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Wittmann Christian
• Peter Michael

Classifications

• B29C49/42069

  Means explicitly adapted for transporting blown article · CPC title

• B67C2007/006

  Devices particularly adapted for container filling · CPC title

• B67C2003/227

  Additional apparatus related to blow-moulding of the containers, e.g. a complete production line forming filled containers from preforms · CPC title

• B67C3/2642

  specially adapted for sterilising prior to filling · CPC title

• B29L2031/7158

  Bottles · CPC title