Unit for sterilizing a web of packaging material for a machine for packaging pourable food products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9408932-B2
Application number	US-201214238399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2012
Priority date	Sep 30, 2011
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

There is described a unit for sterilizing a web of packaging material advanced along a given path, having, along a longitudinal portion thereof, a succession of pre-applied opening devices and adapted to be transformed in a plurality of sealed packages containing a pourable food product; the unit comprises a bath, containing a sterilizing agent in which the web with the opening devices is advanced, and an aseptic chamber connected to an outlet of the bath and housing drying mechanism for removing residual sterilizing agent from the web; the drying mechanism comprise an ejector located at a distance from the outlet of the bath and configured so as to direct a stream of air transversally to the web and onto the longitudinal portion of the web provided with the opening devices.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A unit for sterilizing a web of packaging material advanced along a given path, having, along a longitudinal portion thereof, a succession of pre-applied opening devices and adapted to be transformed in a plurality of sealed packages containing a pourable food product, said unit comprising
a bath containing a sterilizing agent in which said web with said opening devices is advanced, said bath possessing an outlet;
an aseptic chamber connected to said outlet of said bath and housing drying means for removing residual sterilizing agent from said web;
wherein said drying means comprise:
ejecting means located at a distance from said outlet of said bath and configured so as to direct a stream of air transversally to said web and onto the longitudinal portion of said web provided with said opening devices; and
two air knives located on opposite sides of said web when said web is advanced along the given path, wherein each of said two air knives comprises a nozzle for directing a stream of air on one of two faces of said web, and a guide wall for guiding said stream of air, in use, in a direction opposite to a travelling direction of said web; and wherein said ejecting means are arranged on one of said guide walls.

2. The unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said one of said guide walls is located facing surfaces of said opening devices designed to be oriented towards the inside of the sealed packages.

3. The unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said drying means comprise two squeeze rollers cooperating with opposite faces of said web and having respective recesses at said longitudinal portion of said web to permit passage of said opening devices, and wherein said ejecting means are arranged downstream from said squeeze rollers along said given path of said web.

4. The unit as claimed in claim 3 , wherein said drying means comprise further ejecting means for directing air onto said longitudinal portion of said web and arranged close to said outlet of said bath and immediately upstream from said squeeze rollers.

5. The unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said ejecting means comprise at least a first outlet area, which is elongated along a first direction parallel to said web, the first outlet area configured to outlet the stream of air in a direction transverse to the travelling direction of the web at a zone of said ejecting means.

6. The unit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said first direction forms an acute angle, different from zero, with a second direction, wherein the second direction is parallel to the web and orthogonal to the travelling direction of the web at the zone of said ejecting means.

7. The unit as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said ejecting means comprise a second outlet area of a same type as the first outlet area, the second outlet area being elongated along a fourth direction parallel to said web and transversal to the first direction and to the travelling direction of the web at the zone of said ejecting means.

8. The unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said first and second outlet areas have opposite inclinations with respect to the travelling direction of the web.

9. The unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the stream of air issued from said second outlet area does not interfere with the stream of air issued from said first outlet area.

10. The unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said fourth direction forms an angle of 90° with said first direction.

11. The unit as claimed in claim 7 , wherein said ejecting means comprise a third outlet area of the same type as said first and second outlet areas, said third outlet area being elongated along a fifth direction parallel to said web and to said first direction; said third outlet area being arranged downstream from said second outlet area along said given path of said web.

12. The unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said ejecting means are configured to direct said stream of air in an inclined direction towards said bath.

13. The unit as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said ejecting means comprise at least a first outlet port inclined towards said bath.

14. The unit as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said first outlet port forms an acute angle, different from zero, with a third direction orthogonal to the web.

15. The unit as claimed in claim 13 , wherein said first outlet port is a slot defining a first outlet area.

16. The unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the guide wall of each of the two air knives is movable.

17. A unit for sterilizing a web of packaging material advanced along a given path, the web of packaging material configured to be transformed into a plurality of sealed packages containing a pourable food product and the web of packaging material possessing a succession of pre-applied opening devices along a longitudinal portion of the web, the unit comprising:
a bath configured to contain a sterilizing agent, the web with the opening devices passing through the bath as the web advances along the given path, the bath possessing an outlet;
an aseptic chamber connected to the outlet of the bath;
drying means for removing residual sterilizing agent from the web, the drying means being housed in the aseptic chamber, the drying means comprising ejecting means located at a distance from the outlet of the bath and configured to direct first and second streams of air transversally to the web onto the longitudinal portion of the web provided with the opening devices;
the ejecting means comprising a first outlet area elongated along a first direction parallel to the web and configured to direct the first stream of air in a direction transverse to a travelling direction of the web; and
the ejecting means comprising a second outlet area elongated along a second direction parallel to the web and transverse to the first direction, the second outlet area configured to direct the second stream of air in a direction transverse to the travelling direction of the web.

18. A unit for sterilizing a web of packaging material advanced along a given path, the web of packaging material possessing a first face and a second face opposite of the first face, the web configured to be transformed into a plurality of sealed packages containing a pourable food product and the web of packaging material possessing a succession of pre-applied opening devices along a longitudinal portion of the web, the unit comprising:
a bath configured to contain a sterilizing agent, the web with the opening devices passing through the bath when the web advances along the given path, the bath possessing an outlet;
an aseptic chamber connected to the outlet of the bath;
a squeeze roller configured to remove residual sterilizing agent from the web moving in a travelling direction, the squeeze roller being housed in the aseptic chamber;
an air nozzle configured to remove residual sterilizing agent from the web, the air nozzle being located at a distance from the outlet of the bath and configured to direct a stream of air transversally to the web onto the longitudinal portion of the web;
a first air knife housed in the aseptic chamber, the first air knife comprising a first nozzle that directs a stream of air on the first face of the web, and a first guide wall that guides the stream of air, in use, in a direction opposite to the travelling direction of said web;
a second air knife housed in the aseptic chamber and positioned on an opposite side of the web from the first air knife when the web is advanced along the given path, the second air knife comprising a second nozzle that directs a second stream

Assignees

• Ghirardello Roberto
• Veroni Danilo
• Veronesi Alessandro
• Bartolini Robert
• Apparuti Daniele
• Bellei Renzo
• Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance

Inventors

• Ghirardello Roberto
• Veroni Danilo
• Veronesi Alessandro
• Bartolini Robert
• Apparuti Daniele
• Bellei Renzo

Classifications

• A61L2/18 Primary

  Liquid substances · CPC title

• B65B55/103 Primary

  Sterilising flat or tubular webs · CPC title