Apparatus and method for the external sterilization of plastics material pre-forms

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9339573-B2
Application number	US-201414221088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2014
Priority date	Apr 24, 2013
Publication date	May 17, 2016
Grant date	May 17, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus ( 1 ) for the sterilization of plastics material containers ( 10 ), and in particular of plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ), with a conveying device ( 2 ) which conveys the plastics material containers ( 10 ) along a pre-set conveying path, with at least one stressing device ( 4 ) which acts upon an external surface of the plastics material containers to be sterilized with a flowable medium. According to the invention the stressing device is arranged in such a way that it acts upon a pre-set area of the plastics material containers ( 10 )—situated below an aperture of the plastics material pre-forms—with the sterilization medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus ( 1 ) for the sterilization of plastics material containers ( 10 ), and in particular of plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ), with a conveying device ( 2 ) which conveys the plastics material containers ( 10 ) along a pre-set conveying path, with at least one stressing device ( 4 ) which acts upon an external surface of the plastics material containers to be sterilized with a flowable medium, wherein the stressing device is arranged in such a way that it acts upon a pre-set area of the plastics material containers ( 10 )—situated below an aperture of the plastics material pre-forms—with the sterilization medium;
wherein the stressing device is arranged below the aperture of the containers in such a way, that sterilizing medium originating from the stressing device is impinging from below onto the outer surface of the container.

2. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the stressing device ( 4 ) is arranged below the conveying path (T) of the plastics material pre-forms.

3. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the stressing devices ( 4 ) move jointly with the plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ) in the conveying direction of the latter.

4. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 3 , wherein the apparatus has a second wall ( 14 ), wherein the conveying path (T) of the plastics material pre-forms is arranged between the first wall ( 12 ) and the second wall ( 14 ).

5. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the sterilization medium is turbulent in the region of the plastics material pre-forms.

6. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a first wall ( 12 ) which extends in a direction of the conveying path and which is preferably situated at the side of the conveying path (T).

7. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus ( 1 ) has a plurality of stressing devices which are arranged one behind the other along the conveying path (T) of the plastics material containers ( 10 ).

8. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus ( 1 ) has a flow generation device ( 6 ) which generates a flow of the flowable medium in the region of the conveying path.

9. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a deflecting device which deflects a flow of the flowable sterilization medium.

10. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 9 , wherein the deflecting device is arranged obliquely with respect to the longitudinal direction (L) of the plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ) and is acted upon by the stressing device ( 4 ) and, in this way, acts in turn upon the plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ) indirectly.

11. An apparatus ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a further sterilization device which sterilizes an internal surface of the plastics material pre-forms.

12. A method of sterilization of plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ), wherein the plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ) are conveyed along a pre-set conveying path (T) and at least one region of an external surface ( 10 a ) of the plastics material pre-form ( 10 ) is acted upon with a flowable sterilization medium during this conveying, wherein at least one region of the external surface of the plastics material pre-forms, which is situated below an aperture region of the plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ), is acted upon by at least one stressing device ( 4 ).

13. A method according to claim 12 , wherein a flow of the sterilization medium is actively generated in a surrounding region of the plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ).

14. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the flow of the sterilization medium is turbulent.

15. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the plastics material pre-forms are conveyed during the sterilization thereof through a conveying channel which surrounds the conveying path (T) of the plastics material pre-forms at least locally.

16. A method according to claim 12 , wherein an internal surface of the plastics material pre-forms is also sterilized, wherein the external sterilization of the plastics material pre-forms and the internal sterilization of the plastics material pre-forms is preferably carried out at the same time at least in part.

17. A method according to claim 12 , wherein the stressing device acts both upon the plastics material pre-forms directly as well as a deflecting device, in which case the sterilization medium bounces off or is reflected and thus arrives at the external surface ( 10 a ) of the plastics material pre-forms indirectly.

18. An apparatus ( 1 ) for the sterilization of plastics material containers ( 10 ), and in particular of plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ), with a conveying device ( 2 ) which conveys the plastics material containers ( 10 ) along a pre-set conveying path, with at least one stressing device ( 4 ) which acts upon an external surface of the plastics material containers to be sterilized with a flowable medium, wherein the stressing device is arranged in such a way that it acts upon a pre-set area of the plastics material containers ( 10 )—situated below an aperture of the plastics material pre-forms—with the sterilization medium;
wherein the stressing device ( 4 ) is arranged below the conveying path (T) of the plastics material pre-forms;
wherein the stressing devices ( 4 ) move jointly with the plastics material pre-forms ( 10 ) in the conveying direction of the latter; and
wherein a plurality of stressing devices are arranged on a common ring.

Assignees

• Krones Ag

Inventors

• Seidenberg Katharina
• Kohl Bettina
• Loy Michael
• Soellner Juergen
• Goldbach Marina
• Schmitt Robert
• Bedoe Ute

Classifications

• B29C49/4252 Primary

  Auxiliary operations prior to the blow-moulding operation not otherwise provided for · CPC title

• B29C49/42095

  Rotating wheels or stars · CPC title

• B29C49/42073

  Grippers · CPC title

• B29C49/06

  Injection blow-moulding · CPC title

• A61L2/16 Primary

  using chemical substances · CPC title