JPS6015531B2 - Aseptic product preparation equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention has at least one enveloping body, and the enveloping body includes a device for sterilizing a strip that is a raw material for forming a package, and a device for sterilizing the strip in a longitudinal direction. a bending device for bending to form a longitudinally open tube;
a welding layer for longitudinally welding the green portion of the tube; a filling tube for filling the tube with a sterile liquid;
a supply device that continuously supplies sterile gas into the enclosure;
A device for sterilizing both sides of the strip, a supply slit for feeding the strip into the enclosure, and a discharge slit for discharging the tube from the enclosure;
The present invention relates to an apparatus for preparing a sterile liquid product contained in a continuous tubular package.

This type of adjustment device is equipped with a device for sterilizing the strip, a folding device for bending the strip in the longitudinal direction, a device for expanding the strip into a tube, and a device for fusing the green part of the tube in the longitudinal direction. The fusion layer that is applied and the filling equipment that fills the tube with sterile liquid are open to the surrounding atmosphere, exposing them to a bacterial environment and, except in the case of low temperature sterilization, It was not possible to prepare a sterile product without risk of contamination.

In addition, in conventional preparation equipment, the sterile liquid filling tube and the sterile liquid flow control valve were sterilized separately before each filling operation, which required a lot of effort to remove and sterilize these parts. It had to be reinstalled after treatment.

The object of the invention is to provide a new preparation device for preparing sterile products under aseptic conditions. The preparation device according to the invention is economical compared to similar prior art devices and all of the above-mentioned drawbacks are also eliminated. The preparation device according to the invention is characterized in that the enclosure is resistant to a pressure of at least 3k9/c of hot water heated to at least 12000 °C and is removable for temporarily closing the supply and discharge slits. The apparatus is characterized in that it is provided with a shirt holder and is further provided with a device for supplying and discharging the above-mentioned hot water in order to sterilize the inside of the enclosure.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the hot water supply device is constituted by a sterile liquid filling tube forming part of a filling device.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a valve is provided for controlling the flow rate of hot water slit to be supplied to the enclosure and the flow rate of sterile liquid supplied to and filled the tube for sterilizing the enclosure. The valve is attached to the filling pipe and is sterilized by passing hot water through the valve.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the device for keeping the enclosure sterile includes a device for continuously supplying sterile gas under pressure, the sterile gas being for supplying the strip to the enclosure. It is adapted to be discharged to the outside through an inlet part and an outlet part for taking the tube out of the enclosure.

Next, a preparation device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a reduced perspective schematic diagram of the device.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side elevational view.

FIG. 3 is a partially cut away elevational view of the front side of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

Among these, the same symbols indicate the same elements. This device is used for producing sterile packages filled with liquid sterile fluids, in particular sterile milk. The package consists of at least one type of synthetic plastics material that can be heat-sealed under pressure and is made from a strip of composite flexible material that is longitudinally and transversely scored in a known manner. It will be done. This composite is made by laminating the following various materials under heat.

A polyethylene film with a ratio of 60/mu or an aluminum film with a ratio of 252/20 to form the back side of the strip.
The equipment used in the process of the present invention is airtight and has a polyethylene film of at least 6 m/m. It consists of an enclosure 2 that can withstand a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure of .

Inside this enclosure there is a device 3 for sterilizing the flexible strip, a device 4 for longitudinally folding the strip, a device 5 for unfolding the strip folded into a longitudinally open tube, and a device 5 for unrolling the strip into a tube with sterile liquid. 6 and a device 7 for longitudinally joining the tubes.

In addition to this, the enclosure 2 also contains a liquid disinfectant L, namely 3
There is a device that allows hot water to flow in and out at a temperature of 120-150 pm at that pressure.

The device for injecting hot water consists of a tube 6 for filling the tube with preferably sterile liquid.

This filling tube 6 controls the outflow amount of the liquid sterilizing agent that was introduced to sterilize the enclosure 2, and controls the outflow amount of the sterile liquid that was introduced into the tube to fill the tube 1. A valve 8 is provided for this purpose. A liquid sterilant is directed through the valve and tubing that fills the tube while simultaneously sterilizing the enclosure without disassembling it. Sterile water for cooling the enclosure is then also introduced through the conduit. In the lower part of the enclosure there is a conduit 9 with a valve 10 for draining hot water and cooling sterile water after sterilization inside the enclosure.

In order to maintain sterility during operation, a slit-like inlet passage 12 is provided through which the sterile gas is introduced into the enclosure through a conduit 11 and a slit-shaped inlet passage 12 through which the tube 1 exits the enclosure. during which the enclosure remains under high pressure.

These passageways preferably match the cross section of the strip and the tube to be filled. The sterile gas continuously discharged from these passages causes non-sterile air to flow into the enclosure while strips are successively introduced into the enclosure and filled tubes are continuously evacuated. prevent you from doing The device for sterilizing the strip on both sides is the sterilization bath 15.
, a stainless steel container 14 containing an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution having a concentration of, for example, 5 to 30%. The hydrogen peroxide is maintained at a temperature of 40 to 60 degrees centigrade by a device, not shown, such as an electrical resistor made of nichrome wire. Although not shown, a device for activating the hydrogen peroxide stage is provided. The strip introduced through passage 12 is introduced vertically into the heated hydrogen peroxide bed in order to apply hydrogen peroxide vapor to both sides of the strip before and after immersion into the bath. It moves on one or many parallel rolls 16 with respect to two transfer rolls 17 arranged in parallel on the same perpendicular plane. In addition, the sterilization bag register for strips has a device for heating the strips after soaking them in the container. This device has a drum 18 freely rotating on rattan 27 inside an airtight sterilization chamber 19 having an inlet passage 26 and an outlet passage 29 of the strip. The drum 18 is provided with an identical internal jacket delimiting a hollow annular space 20 in which a heating fluid, for example oil, circulates. This oil is heated to a temperature of 90-90°C in a heating tank separate from the enclosure. For this purpose, it is connected to the tank by an inflow conduit 22 through two hollow shafts 23 and 56 of the same D, which are arranged around the central axis 27 of the drum. These hollow shafts 23 and 56 are connected to the annular space of the jacket by two flexible conduits 24 and 25. In order to maintain the relationship of the hollow shafts 23 and 56 and the conduits 24 and 25, these shafts consist of fixed parts 23a and 56a located above the sterilization chamber and parts 23b and 56b that rotate with the drum. The movable part and the fixed part are connected by sockets 23c and 56c with joints.

After being immersed in the hydrogen peroxide rack, the strip 1 passes through a passage 26 and is brought into close contact with the outer surface of the drum 18 by means of a roll 17 provided in the rack and a mounting roll 28 arranged parallel to the roll 17. Move while staying in close contact with the heating surface of at least a 270o drum.

To complete the sterilization, the strip 1 after heating leaves the drum and is guided through a passage 29 towards a device 4 for longitudinally folding the strip by means of a transfer roll 30. A tube 11 introducing sterile gas into the enclosure is placed at the outlet of the sterilization chamber 19 in the vicinity of the passage of the strip moistened with hydrogen peroxide, so that this gas mixes with the residual vapor of hydrogen peroxide and dries the strip. established in

A device 4 for folding the strip into a sheath is provided in the four parts of the enclosure pot.

At its lower part, the folded strip is connected to a device for sterilizing the strip, and at its upper part, it communicates with a device for unrolling the strip. The strip is dried by the action of sterile air flowing through the straw. The sheath has three guide rolls 31, 32, 33 at its bottom in order to give the strip a rotation of 900 degrees relative to the direction of the entrance of the sheath.

Roll 31 has four
It is attached so that it can be adjusted to 50 degrees of angle. Rolls 32 and 33 transport the strip to a folding device located in the middle of the sheath. The folded portion of the strip is then bent to about 90 degrees. The folding device consists of four rolls 34, 35, 36, 37.

Rolls 34 and 35 are located on an extension line of a distance corresponding to the unfolded part of the strip separated by a fold line previously prepared in this strip, and rolls 36 and 37 are arranged parallel to each other. 34 and 35 and perpendicularly to the free end of the first roll in the horizontal plane and separated by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the part of the strip bent vertically at that point. Inside the enclosure is a pair of first rolls 38, 39 at the top of the strip, the fold of which is bent approximately 180 degrees.

The roll 39 transfers the folded strip to a pair of second rolls 4.
Transfer between 0 and 41. These are placed on the lowering step of this strip after the previous pair of rolls and before the expansion step. The rolls 38 and 40 are eccentric and are provided with manual adjustment levers 42, 43 on the rolls. This exerts pressure on the strips on rolls 39 and 41, which rotate in opposite directions. Manual handling of the strip within the enclosure is carried out by means of a gas-tight group located outside the enclosure and within an orifice 44 in its inner wall. This orifice is provided with a valve 45 which, under the pressure within the enclosure, creates a counterpressure and which, under the influence of the internal pressure, blocks the outlet of the globe through this orifice.
This valve 45 consists of a removable plate on the inner wall. In addition, shirts 46 and 47 are installed in the same machine at the inlet passage 12 of the strip 1 and the outlet passage 13 of the filled tube, and these are removable from the inner crab 48 and 49, respectively. When liquid disinfectant is added, it can be temporarily sealed.

The device for unrolling the strip 1 into a longitudinally open tube is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the envelope and above the downward stroke of the strip folded under the second pair of rolls 40, 41. It has a fixed separation plate 50 located at .

In the case of a strip within an enclosure, the folds of the strip are unfolded manually with gloves and both are placed on the plate. Then, as the strip advances, this plate unfolds the strip folded into a tube. Two crosses 51, 52 made of stainless steel with variable tension, infinite movement in the direction of tube travel, and variable spacing spread toward the bottom and are unrolled during filling with sterile liquid. A plate 501 is attached to both sides of the inner wall of the tube.The apparatus for vertically welding the tubes consists of a pair of rolls above the descending part of the strip, after plate 50, and after filling tube 6. 40, 41 and two pressure rolls 53 and 54 located between a pair of crosses 51 and 52.These pressure rolls fuse the vertical green of the tube and close the tube in the longitudinal direction. , to maintain the airtightness of the sterile liquid introduced into this tube section.Continuously join the tube sideways,
A cutting and individual packaging device 55 is provided below the inner wall 49.

The packaging is then completed at the next station. Known detection devices for controlling the level of sterile liquid and the level of sterile processing in the tube may also be provided.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various design changes made by those skilled in the art are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a reduced perspective schematic diagram of an apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway elevational view of the side of this apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the apparatus of FIG. 2. FIG. 1... Band-shaped body, 2... Surrounding body, 3... Sterilization equipment, 4...
... device for folding the strip, 5... device for unfolding the strip, 6... sterile liquid filling tube, 7.
...Fusion attachment, 8... Valve, 9... Conduit, 10... Valve, 9... Conduit, 1
0... Valve, 11... Conduit, 12.
...Entrance passage, 13...Exit passage, 14
... Container, 15 ... Sterilization bath, 16,1
7...Roll, 18...Heating drum,
19... Sterilization room, 20... Annular space,
21, 22... Conduit, 23, 56... Hollow shaft,
24, 25... Conduit, 26, 29... Passage, 27... Central axis, 28, 30-4...
・Roll, 42, 43...adjustment lever, 44・
．． .... Orifice, 45... Valve, 46, 47...
...Shutter, 48, 49...Inner wall, 50...
- Separation plate, 51, 52...Cross, 53, 54...Pressure roll, 55...Packaging device. FIGI FIG2 FIG1

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A device for conditioning a sterile liquid product contained in a continuous tubular package, comprising at least one enclosure, the enclosure forming a package. A device for sterilizing a strip that is a raw material for the process, a bending device for folding the strip in the longitudinal direction to form a tube open in the longitudinal direction, and a device for fusing the open edges of the tube in the longitudinal direction. a fusion device for filling the tube with a sterile liquid, an introduction device for constantly introducing sterile gas into the enclosure, and a sterilization device for sterilizing both sides of the strip. an inlet slot for feeding the strip into the enclosure, and an outlet slot for ejecting the tube from the enclosure, wherein the enclosure is heated to at least 120°C.
heated to a temperature of at least 3 kg/cm^2
said enclosure further includes a removable gasket for temporarily closing said inlet and outlet slots, and a removable gasket for supplying said hot water to said enclosure; and a device for discharging said hot water under pressure into said enclosure forming part of a device for filling said tube with a sterile liquid. The sterilizer is constituted by the filling tube, and the sterilizer is composed of a tank body having a sterilizing agent bath and having a guide device for guiding the strip into the sterilizing agent bath, and a rotating drum for heating. is located in a housing concentrically disposed therewith and adapted to receive the strip from the disinfectant bath and heat both sides of the strip by direct contact and thermal radiation; the enclosure includes: A device further characterized in that a pressure roller is provided for pressing the strip against the drum over at least 270° of its circumference. 2. In the device according to claim 1, an inlet tube for introducing sterile gas into the enclosure is arranged near the path of the strip exiting the drum, so that the strip is sterile. A device characterized in that it is dried by the body. 3. A device for conditioning a sterile liquid product contained in a continuous tube-shaped package, comprising at least one enclosure, said enclosure containing a strip of material from which the package is formed. a body sterilization device; a folding device for longitudinally folding the strip to form a longitudinally open tube; and a fusing device for longitudinally welding open edges of the tube. , a filling tube for filling the tube with a sterile liquid, an introduction device for constantly introducing sterile gas into the enclosure, a sterilization device for sterilizing both sides of the strip, and a sterilization device for sterilizing both sides of the strip. In the apparatus provided with an inlet slot for feeding into the enclosure and an outlet slot for ejecting the tube from the enclosure, the enclosure is heated to a temperature of at least 120°C.
heated to a temperature of at least 3 kg/cm^2
said enclosure further includes a removable gasket for temporarily closing said inlet and outlet slots and for supplying said hot water into said enclosure. and a device for evacuation therefrom and a glove member accessible from the outside for manual guidance of the strip, said glove member being mounted in an orifice provided in the wall of said enclosure; The device is further characterized in that it is provided with a closing plate for exerting a counterpressure when the enclosure is placed under pressure. 4. In the device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the enclosure is further provided with a pair of belt-shaped body driving rollers, and the belt-shaped body driving rollers are arranged so that the belt-shaped body is A device, characterized in that it is arranged in the upward movement path of the strip after it has been folded in the longitudinal direction but before it is unfolded. 5. In the device according to claim 4, the enclosure is further provided with a pair of belt-shaped body guiding rollers, and the belt-shaped body guiding rollers are located downstream of the belt-shaped body driving rollers. , furthermore, the device is disposed in the downward movement path of the strip before the strip is spread. 6. In the invention as set forth in claim 5, the belt-shaped body guiding roller includes a manual operating device for guiding the belt-shaped body when the belt-shaped body is installed at a predetermined position within the enclosure.