JP4862993B2 - Filling and sealing thin bottles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention, filling and sealing method to thin bottle relates in particular filling and sealing method to thin the bottle to allow aseptic filling of the thin-walled bottles.

  In recent years, in order to achieve resource saving and cost reduction for synthetic resin bottles, ultra-thin PET bottles having a thickness of about 10 to 200 μm have been proposed. Such thin-walled bottles are easily deformed, and since it is difficult to transport and handle the container alone at each stage of distribution after washing, filling and sealing, it is difficult to put the thin-walled bottle into practical use. There has been proposed a bottle-in carton that fills, seals, and circulates bottles (hereinafter simply referred to as bottles unless otherwise specified) one by one in a carton. However, in that case, it becomes a specially shaped container, so the production line from washing to filling and sealing applied to conventional bottles has to be changed, and there is a problem that requires a lot of capital investment, and it is generally adopted It has not been. In order to solve the problem, the bottle is inserted into a holder having a rigid shape of the bottle that can expose only the periphery of the mouth of the bottle and cover other parts, and after the bottle is washed and sealed in that state. It has been proposed to transport it to the cooling step, insert it into an outer carton for distribution, and collect and recycle the holder (see Patent Document 1). In that case, the holder functions in the same way as a conventional bottle in terms of transport and handling, and it can be handled in the same way as a rigid bottle, but the other part must be covered with the holder, leaving only the periphery of the mouth. Therefore, there is a problem that the holder must have a shape substantially similar to that of the bottle, and the shape is complicated, and the mechanism for collecting and transporting the bottle and inserting the thin bottle into the holder is also complicated.

On the other hand, in recent years, aseptic filling has been adopted as a filling and sealing method for maintaining high quality by maintaining flavor and the like of contents. In the case of the aseptic filling method, the container must be sterilized and washed and filled and sealed in an aseptic environment, and a high degree of sterility is required. In such aseptic filling, for example, when the container is sterilized and washed in a state where the container is held in the holder as described in the publication, the container cannot be sufficiently contacted with the sterilizing agent on the inner and outer surfaces of the container. Cannot be sterilized and washed sufficiently, and cannot be applied to aseptic filling. Further, since the shape of the holder is complicated, it is difficult to sterilize and clean the holder itself. In aseptic filling, in order to sufficiently sterilize and clean the container and maintain the filling environment in aseptic condition, it is desirable to transport the container with as little as possible. Therefore, application to aseptic filling is difficult, and application to aseptic filling of such thin-walled bottles has not been proposed.
JP 11-11589 A

Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the conventional problems as described above, and to make the thin bottle applicable to aseptic filling, without destroying the aseptic environment of the aseptic filling line and the container. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for filling and sealing thin bottles that can be maintained in a sterile state and can be transported and handled without deforming the container.

Filling and sealing method to thin the bottle of the present invention filling and sealing method to thin bottle to solve the above problems of the present invention, sterile environment thin bottle body portion average wall thickness 50~200μm to solve the above problems A method for filling and sealing thin bottles that are filled and sealed with a transfer cup sterilization process for sterilizing the inner and outer surfaces of a transport cup for transporting thin bottles, after sterilizing and cleaning the sterilized transport cup A bottle insertion process for inserting the thin-wall bottle, a filling / sealing process for filling and sealing the contents by transporting the thin-wall bottle in a state where the lower portion is inserted and supported in the transport cup, and the sealed thin-bottle bottle in an aseptic environment An actual bottle transporting process for transporting outside, a transporting cup returning process for removing the transporting cup from the actual bottle and recovering the transporting cup and transporting the transporting cup to the transporting cup sterilization process Is characterized in that said conveying cup sterilization process, bottle insertion process, content filling-sealing process is performed in a sterile environment.

The invention according to claim 2 is the method for filling and sealing thin bottles according to claim 1 , wherein the transport cup sterilization step is performed in a transport cup sterilization chamber, the bottle insertion step is performed in a bottle insertion chamber, The transport cup sterilization chamber and the bottle insertion chamber are separated from each other, and the bottle insertion chamber is provided between the thin bottle cleaning chamber and the filling chamber, and each chamber is a sterile chamber. is there. The invention according to claim 3 is the method for filling and sealing the thin bottle according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the insertion of the thin bottle into the transport cup in the aseptic environment is performed by removing the transport cup from the bottom of the thin bottle. It is characterized by carrying out suction.

The transport cups used for filling and sealing method according to claim 1 to 3, which supports the bottles fitting tube walls and the thin bottle having a depth which can be fitted from the bottom of thin-walled bottles conveyed to a predetermined range height It has a bottom wall, and a suction hole for sucking the thin bottle when the thin bottle is fitted is opened on the bottom wall. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the method for filling and sealing a thin bottle according to the fourth aspect , the lower end is grounded to the outer peripheral portion of the thin bottle fitting cylindrical wall via an annular ceiling wall having a predetermined width. It has an annular side wall, and a plurality of holes are formed in the annular top wall to allow air to flow during sterilization and washing of the transport cup.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the thin bottle after the sterilization / washing process is inserted into the transport cup having the bottle fitting cylindrical wall into which the lower portion of the thin bottle is fitted. The bottles can be sterilized and washed without disturbing the transport cup during sterilization and washing, and the content liquid can be hermetically filled in a highly clean state. In addition, after the filling process of the contents, it is inserted into the transport cup and transported while the bottom of the bottle is supported by the transport cup, so that the weight of the bottle during filling is not directly applied to the shoulder of the bottle and the shoulder is deformed. And the bottle shoulder due to centrifugal force can also be prevented. In addition, deformation of the bottom and body of the bottle is prevented by the transport cup, and the line pressure is received by the transport cup even if the bottle is transported in a continuous state or in a multi-row dense state. It is possible to promote the practical use of thin-walled bottles that have been difficult to handle. In addition to these effects, since the transport cup is sterilized and washed before being supplied to the aseptic filling line, the transport cup can be used without destroying the aseptic environment of the aseptic filling line, and the sterility of the container is maintained. Moreover, it can be transported and handled without deforming the container, and aseptic filling into a thin-walled bottle is possible.
According to invention of Claim 2 , since the conveyance cup sterilization chamber which performs sterilization and washing | cleaning of a conveyance cup and the bottle insertion chamber which inserts a bottle in a conveyance cup are divided | segmented, a chemical | medical solution and washing water are conveyed from a conveyance cup sterilization chamber. Can be prevented from flowing into the bottle insertion chamber, the bottle insertion chamber can be maintained at a high cleanliness, and the aseptic filling degree can be increased.
According to the invention of claim 3 , when the bottle is inserted into the transport cup, the bottom of the bottle can be sucked from the bottle suction hole, so that the bottle does not buckle even if the compression strength is weak. It can be inserted well.

According to the fourth and fifth aspects of the invention, since the structure is simple and the bottle can be easily inserted from the upper opening, the bottle can be easily attached even if it is a thin bottle, and sterilization and washing are easy. It is. In addition, the function of supporting the bottle to prevent the bottle from tipping over, the function of preventing deformation of the bottle shoulder during filling, the function of preventing deformation due to centrifugal force, and the body of the bottle due to line pressure during conveyance by the conveyor The function which prevents the deformation | transformation of can be fulfilled. In addition, since the suction hole is opened in the bottom wall, the bottle can be sucked from the hole when the bottle is inserted, and the bottle can be inserted without applying an axial load. It becomes a circulation hole, and there exists an effect that air flows in between a bottle bottom part and a bottom wall, and becomes easy to remove.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of an aseptic filling line to which the thin bottle transport method of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a thin bottle is fitted to a transport cup and transported, 3 to 5 show a transport cup according to the present embodiment.
The bottle targeted by the present invention is a thin plastic bottle 40 made of a synthetic resin such as a thin PET bottle having a blow-molded body average thickness of 50 to 200 μm, and a neck ring 41 at the neck as in the case of a conventional PET bottle. It has volume reduction. If such a thin bottle is filled with the contents while the neck ring 41 is held in the same manner as a conventional PET bottle, the shoulder shape is gradually deformed due to the weight of the contents and the centrifugal force. Moreover, since the bottle bottom part swells and deform | transforms and contacts a bottom guide strongly, the bottle with which the content liquid was filled will interfere with the delivery between turrets. Further, since the body part also swells, when the bottle is transported along the side guide, the body part may come into strong contact with the side guide and the bottle may stop. Moreover, since the strength of the bottom of the bottle is weak, there is a problem that the conveyance on the conveyor is not stable and easily falls down.
As a method for solving such a problem, there is a method in which a thin bottle is mounted on a holder as shown in the publication 1 and transported. However, in that case, there is a problem as described above, and there is a problem in the aseptic filling line. In the present invention, a thin bottle has a simple structure, is easy to sterilize, is supported by the transport cup without destroying the aseptic environment of the aseptic filling line, and a transport cup therefor has been found. The invention has been reached.

First, an embodiment of the transport cup of the present invention will be described.
3 is a plan view of the transport cup according to the present embodiment, FIG. 4 is a bottom view, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
The transport cup 20 according to the present invention supports a thin bottle at the bottom, prevents the bottle from overturning, prevents the bottle shoulder from being deformed during filling, prevents deformation due to centrifugal force, The function of preventing the deformation of the bottle body due to the line pressure at the time of transport by the transport conveyor is achieved, and in order to perform such a function, the transport cup 20 according to the present embodiment is predetermined from the bottom of the bottle to be transported. It has a bottle fitting cylinder wall 21 having a depth that can be fitted to a height h and a bottom wall 22 that supports the bottom of the bottle, and an annular top wall 23 having a predetermined width on the outer periphery of the bottle fitting cylinder wall 21. It has an annular side wall 24 whose lower end is grounded via a pin and is made of an appropriate material such as a synthetic resin or a metal material.

  A bottle suction hole 25 is formed in the bottom wall 22. Since the thin bottle as described above has almost no compressive strength, the bottle is likely to buckle when the bottle is inserted into the transport cup. In order to prevent this, by sucking the bottle from the bottle suction hole 25 from the bottom of the transport cup 20, the bottle can be inserted satisfactorily without buckling. In addition, by providing the bottle suction hole 25, when the transport cup is removed from the bottle, the bottle suction hole 25 becomes an air circulation hole and air flows between the bottle bottom and the bottom wall 22 and is removed. There is an advantage that the sterilization medium and the cleaning medium at the time of sterilization / cleaning can be freely distributed to improve the sterilization / cleaning effect, further save the material and reduce the weight. The annular ceiling wall 23 is formed with a plurality of holes 26 as shown. The hole 26 is used for air flow when the transport cup is sterilized and cleaned, whereby the posture of the transport cup is stabilized during sterilization and cleaning, and good sterilization and cleaning can be performed. In the figure, reference numeral 27 denotes a reinforcing rib, and a plurality of radial ribs are appropriately provided between the annular side wall 24 and the bottle fitting cylinder wall 21.

Next, a method for filling and sealing thin bottles according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an aseptic filling line, and a portion surrounded by a frame in the drawing shows an arrangement in an aseptic chamber or an aseptic booth. In the present embodiment, compared to a conventional aseptic filling line, a bottle insertion chamber 3 is provided between the bottle sterilization / washing chamber 2 and the filling / sealing chamber 4 and is supplied to the bottle insertion chamber 3. It is characterized by having a transport cup sterilization / cleaning chamber 6 for sterilizing / cleaning. In other words, in the present invention, a sterilized bottle is attached to a sterilized and washed transport cup, thereby preventing the bottle from being sterilized and washed, and a thin bottle is supported on the transport cup 20. Can be transported in a sterile chamber and can be aseptically filled into thin-walled bottles. The turrets and the like as shown below are arranged in each chamber, but this is an example, and the arrangement and combination thereof can be changed as appropriate.

  In the bottle supply chamber 1, a bottle supply turret 10 that grips and conveys the neck of the bottle is disposed, and the sterilization turret 12 disposed in the sterilization / cleaning chamber 2 via the relay turret 11 by the supply turret. Then, the inner and outer surfaces of the bottle are sterilized with a chemical solution such as peracetic acid by an appropriate method, then transferred to the cleaning turret 14 and the inner and outer surfaces are cleaned with sterile water. As described above, since the transfer by the turret and the transfer between the turrets in the sterilization / cleaning chamber 2 are all performed while the neck ring portion is supported or gripped by the support member or the gripper provided on the turret wheel, the thin bottle However, since the sterilization medium and the cleaning medium can be directly brought into contact with the inner and outer surfaces of the bottle, the sterilization of the bottle is measured in the same manner as conventional aseptic filling, and the sterilized chemical solution Can be removed from the inner and outer surfaces of the bottle and cleaned.

  On the other hand, the transport cup 20 is supplied from the outside to the transport cup sterilization / cleaning chamber 6 which is a sterile chamber through the transport cap supply chamber 5, and is continuously sterilized and cleaned in the chamber. The sterilization of the transport cup 20 can employ a method in which a chemical solution such as an aqueous solution of peracetic acid or hydrogen peroxide is appropriately sprayed while being transported by a wheel, as in the case of sterilization and washing of the PET bottle. Moreover, it wash | cleans by injecting aseptic water following it. At that time, the transport cup has a simple configuration as described above, and the bottle suction hole 25 and the hole 26 are formed, so that a good sterilization and cleaning can be performed. In this way, the transport cup 20 that has been sterilized and cleaned is continuously supplied from the transport cup sterilization / cleaning chamber 6 to the bottle insertion chamber 3.

  In the bottle insertion chamber-3, a bottle insertion device for inserting a thin bottle sterilized and cleaned in the bottle sterilization / cleaning chamber 2 into the transport cup 20 is disposed. Appropriate means can be adopted for the bottle insertion device, for example, a supply means for supplying one transport cup one by one and a bottle suction mechanism are arranged below the transport path of the thin bottle by the wheel, When the axes coincide with each other, the bottle suction mechanism is activated to suck the thin bottle from the bottom of the transport cup through the bottle suction hole 25, so that even a bottle with low compression strength can be safely inserted. After insertion into the transport cup, the state becomes as shown in FIG. 2, the thin bottle is moved integrally with the transport cup 20 being supported, transported to the next filling / sealing chamber 4, and supplied to the filling turret 15. Is filled with a predetermined amount of content liquid during the rotary conveyance. When filling the bottle with the neck hanging, when the bottle is thin, the shoulder part is deformed by the weight of the liquid and centrifugal force, but in this embodiment, the bottle is inserted into the carrying cup to support the carrying cup. Since the filling is performed while moving along the table, the bottle weight is supported by the transport cup and does not hit the shoulder of the bottle, so that the bottle shoulder can be filled without being deformed.

  When the filling of the contents is completed, the bottle is then supplied to the capper and the cap is screwed or plugged by the capper in the same manner as in the prior art to seal the bottle. At the time of capping, since an axial load is applied to the bottle, the capper supports the bottom portion with the transport cup 20 and supports the neck ring with the capper wheel to receive the axial load. As described above, the capped bottle is transferred to the carry-out conveyor 16 in a state of being inserted into the transfer cup and transferred to the packaging facility 30 which is the next step installed outside the aseptic chamber. Since the bottle is inserted into and supported by the transport cup, the bottle can be transported satisfactorily by preventing the bottle bottom and body from being deformed. Further, even if the bottles are conveyed in a continuous state or in a multi-row dense state, the line pressure is received by the conveying cup, so that the thin-walled bottle is not deformed and can be conveyed well. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to carry the bottles in a state where the actual bottles are continuously in contact with each other or in a multi-row assembly state. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a multi-row conveyor is provided downstream of the carry-out conveyor 16 outside the sterile chamber, and the multi-row conveyor conveys the speed difference between processes and performs accumulation when the line is stopped. Functioned as a rate conveyor.

  In the position of the packaging facility 30, an appropriate separating means for separating the actual bottle that has been transported in the state inserted into the transport cup and the transport cup, and means for transferring the separated transport cup 20 to the return conveyor 31, And the boxing mechanism which packs the isolate | separated real bottle into a carton etc. suitably is arrange | positioned. The separated transport cup 20 is transported and supplied to the transport cup supply chamber 5 by the conveyor 31 and again supplied to the transport cup sterilization / cleaning chamber 6 and is used for circulation reuse by repeating the above. In the above embodiment, each sterilization chamber does not necessarily need to be formed in a separate chamber. The flow of the air flow is controlled by adjusting the pressure of each chamber, and the inside of the filling / sealing chamber 4 where the most sterility is required. What is necessary is just to prevent other chambers and outside air from flowing into.

  According to the present invention, it can be suitably used for the aseptic filling method into a thin bottle made of synthetic resin, but is not limited to the aseptic filling method, and is also suitably used in the case of other room temperature filling or hot pack into a thin wall bottle. Is possible.

It is the schematic which shows arrangement | positioning of the aseptic filling line which concerns on embodiment of the filling and sealing method to the thin wall bottle of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which fits and conveys a thin bottle to the conveyance cup which concerns on this embodiment. It is a top view of the conveyance cup which concerns on this embodiment. It is the bottom view. It is AA sectional drawing in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Bottle supply chamber 2 Bottle sterilization / washing chamber 3 Bottle insertion chamber 4 Filling / sealing chamber 5 Transport cup supply chamber 6 Transport cup sterilization / wash chamber 10 Bottle supply turret 11 Relay turret 12 Sterilization turret 13 Cleaning turret 15 Filling turret 16 Unloading conveyor 20 Transport cup 21 Bottle fitting cylinder wall 22 Bottom wall 23 Annular side wall 25 Bottle suction hole 26 Hole 30 Thin wall bottle 31 Conveyor

Claims (5)

  A transporting cup for sterilizing the inner and outer surfaces of a transporting cup for transporting a thin-walled bottle, comprising filling and sealing the contents of a thin-walled bottle having an average body thickness of 50 to 200 μm in a sterile environment in a sterile environment. A sterilization step, a bottle insertion step of inserting the thin bottle after sterilization / washing into the sterilized transport cup, a thin bottle is transported in a state where the lower part is inserted and supported in the transport cup, A filling / sealing step for sealing, a real bottle carrying step for carrying the actual bottle filled and sealed with the content liquid outside the aseptic environment, removing the carrying cup from the real bottle, collecting the carrying cup, A transport cup sterilization process for transporting to the transport cup sterilization process, wherein the transport cup sterilization process, the bottle insertion process, and the content filling / sealing process are performed in an aseptic environment. Filling and sealing method to the meat bottle. The transport cup sterilization process is performed in a transport cup sterilization chamber, the bottle insertion process is performed in a bottle insertion chamber, the transport cup sterilization chamber and the bottle insertion chamber are separated, and the bottle insertion chamber is bottle sterilization / washing. It provided between the chamber and the filling chamber, filling and sealing method to thin bottle according to claim 1, wherein each chamber is a sterile chamber. The method for filling and sealing a thin bottle according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the insertion of the thin bottle into the transport cup in the aseptic environment is performed by sucking the transport cup from the bottom of the thin bottle . The transport cup has a bottle-fitting cylinder wall having a depth that can be fitted to a predetermined range height from the bottom of the thin-walled bottle to be transported and a bottom wall that supports the thin-wall bottle. The method for filling and sealing thin bottles according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a suction hole for sucking the bottle is opened. It has an annular side wall whose lower end is grounded via an annular ceiling wall of a predetermined width on the outer peripheral portion of the thin bottle fitting cylinder wall, and allows air to flow through the annular ceiling wall during sterilization and washing of the transport cup The method for filling and sealing a thin bottle according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of holes are formed.

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