JP2020069776A - Container molding unit, filling system, and container molding method - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 A container molding unit, a filling system, and a container molding method that can be used for preforms of different sizes while avoiding quality deterioration of containers with a simple configuration are provided. A heating unit (22) for heating a preform, a blow molding turret (23) arranged downstream of the heating unit (22), and a conveying unit installed between the heating unit (22) and the blow molding turret (23) for conveying the preform. A container forming unit 20 comprising a portion 24, wherein the transporting portion 24 is configured to have a first transporting path 24A and a second transporting path 24B having a path length shorter than that of the first transporting path 24A. [Selection drawing] Fig. 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a container forming unit, a filling system, and a container forming method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an in-line blow type filling system is known that consistently performs container molding by blow molding and filling / sealing of a content liquid in the same factory (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Such an in-line blow type filling system, after heating the preform in a heating part such as an oven, conveys the heated preform to a blow molding turret to mold the container, and then the molded container. Is conveyed to a filling turret to fill the content liquid in the container.

JP, 2014-231356, A

  Here, the present applicant has conceived to develop a filling system that can be used for both molding and filling of a small container such as a 500 ml PET bottle and a large container such as a 2,000 ml PET bottle.

  However, if the same filling system is used for both molding and filling of small containers and large containers, it will take a long time to transfer the preform from the heating section to the blow molding turret during molding of large containers. It has been found that so-called bleaching symptoms occur.

  More specifically, when an attempt is made to mold and fill a large container such as a 2,000 ml plastic bottle, the amount of the content liquid to be filled is larger than when a small container such as a 500 ml plastic bottle is filled. Therefore, it is necessary to secure a long filling time of the content liquid in the filling turret. As a result, even if the container is conveyed at a high speed such as 900 BPM for blow molding, 300 BPM for conveying, molding and filling the container in the filling system. It becomes necessary to perform at low speed.

  When the container is transported, molded, and filled at a low speed such as 300 BPM, the time required to transport the preform from the heating unit that heats the preform to the blow molding turret is about 30 seconds, which results in However, due to overstretching whitening due to temperature decrease of the preform after heating and crystallization of the preform, whitening symptoms occur in the molded container.

  Therefore, the present invention is to solve these problems, with a simple configuration, a container molding unit, a filling system, and a container molding method that can be used for preforms of different sizes while avoiding deterioration of the quality of the container. It is intended to provide.

The container molding unit of the present invention is a container molding unit (20) for molding a container by subjecting a preform to blow molding, comprising a heating section (22) for heating the preform and the heating section (22). A blow molding turret (23) arranged on the downstream side; and a carrying section (24) installed between the heating section (22) and the blow molding turret (23) for carrying a preform, The part (24) is configured to have a first transport path (24A) and a second transport path (24B) having a shorter path length than the first transport path (24A), and thus the above-mentioned problem is solved. Is the solution.
The filling system of the present invention includes the container forming unit (20) and a filling unit (30) arranged downstream of the container forming unit (20) for filling the container with the content liquid, thereby achieving the above-mentioned object. Is the solution.
The container molding method of the present invention comprises a heating part (22) for heating a preform, a blow molding turret (23) arranged on the downstream side of the heating part (22), the heating part (22) and the blow part. A first processing mode for processing the first preform, which is provided between the molding turret (23) and a transporting section (24) for transporting the preform, and a second processing mode having a size larger than the first preform. A container forming method for forming a container in a container forming unit (20) capable of selecting a second processing mode for processing a preform, wherein the conveying section (24) includes a first conveying path (24A), A second transport path (24B) having a shorter path length than the first transport path (24A), and a first preform along the first transport path (24A) when the first processing mode is selected. Transport In addition, when the second processing mode is selected, the second preform is transported along the second transportation path (24B) at a transportation speed slower than when the first processing mode is selected. It is a solution.

According to the present invention, by providing the first transport path and the second transport path having a shorter path length than the first transport path in the transport section between the heating section and the blow molding turret, a large size process can be achieved. When the preform is conveyed, by conveying the preform along the second conveyance path having a short path length, it is possible to shorten the preform conveyance time from the heating unit to the blow molding turret, and thus the conveyance speed. Even if the setting is slow, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of whitening symptoms of the container, which tends to occur when the transport time of the preform between the heating part and the blow molding turret is long, and the size is When a small preform is conveyed, by conveying the preform along the first conveyance path having a long path length, even when the conveyance speed is set to be high, Since it is possible to avoid that the transport time of the reform is too short, ensure the time required to perform various treatments such as sterilization treatment on the preform during the transport of the preform in the transport path. You can As a result, it is possible to use the container forming unit for preforms of different sizes while avoiding deterioration of the quality of the container.
In addition, in a section between the heating unit and the blow molding turret, a first transport path for transporting the first preform and a second transport path for transporting a second preform larger in size than the first preform. By providing a transport path, when switching between the first processing mode for processing the first preform and the second processing mode for processing the second preform, the device configuration of the section between the heating unit and the blow molding turret Since it is not necessary to change the above, it is possible to reduce the work load and work time related to the mode switching.

Explanatory drawing which shows schematically the filling system which is one Embodiment of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows a 1st conveyance path and a 2nd conveyance path.

  Below, the filling system 10 which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated based on drawing.

  First, the filling system 10 is for aseptically filling a sterilized liquid container into a sterilized container such as a PET bottle. The filling system 10 includes a first processing mode for processing a first preform for a small first container such as a 500 ml plastic bottle, and a large first such as a 2,000 ml plastic bottle having a size larger than the first container. Two modes, a second processing mode for processing the second preform for two containers, are selectable.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the filling system 10 includes a container forming unit 20 having a blow forming turret 23, a filling unit 30 arranged downstream of the container forming unit 20, a container forming unit 20, and a filling unit 30. And a container transfer unit 40 installed between the blow molding turret 23 and the filling turret 33 of the filling unit 30. Is equipped with.

  Below, each component of the filling system 10 is demonstrated based on drawing.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the container molding unit 20 includes an inlet section 21 for introducing a preform, a heating section 22 arranged downstream of the inlet section 21 for heating a preform, and a heating section 22, and a heating section. Between the heating unit 22 and the blow molding turret 23, which is arranged on the downstream side of 22 and is provided with a blower (not shown) for blow molding the container by blowing sterile air into the preform. And a transfer unit 24 including a plurality of turrets 24a, 24b, and 24c for transferring preforms, a transfer unit 25 disposed downstream of the blow molding turret 23 for transferring containers, and a transfer unit 25 disposed downstream of the transfer unit 25. The outlet section 26 and the box 27 that covers the entire container forming unit 20 are provided.

The inside of the box 27 of the container molding unit 20 is maintained at a positive pressure by blowing in sterile air that has passed through the HEPA filter from above with an FFU (Fan Filter Unit).
Further, in the transfer unit 25, the blow-molded container is conveyed so as to pass through while blowing air from the container mouth side toward the container bottom side for the purpose of aseptic maintenance of the inside of the container. Good.

On the outer circumference of the blow molding turret 23, a plurality of blow molding dies (not shown) are installed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.
In this embodiment, as a mold for blow molding, a mold for a first preform (first container) and a mold for a second preform (second container) are prepared.

  The carrying section 24 carries the preform from the heating section 22 to the blow molding turret 23. As shown in FIG. 1, the carrying section 24 is a first preform for carrying the first preform. It has 1 conveyance path 24A and the 2nd conveyance path 24B for conveying a 2nd preform as shown in Drawing 2 (b). The second transport path 24B is set to have a shorter path length than the first transport path 24A.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the first transport path 24A is composed of one first turret 24b and a plurality of common turrets 24a arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the first turret 24b. ..

As shown in FIG. 2B, the second transport path 24B includes a second turret 24c and a plurality of common turrets 24a arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side of the second turret 24c.
The plurality of common turrets 24a are provided commonly to the first transport path 24A and the second transport path 24B.

Each of the turrets 24a, 24b, 24c (, 34a, 61) is rotatably provided about the vertical axis, and is formed so as to be able to hold a container by a container holding portion formed on the outer periphery thereof at equal intervals.
In addition, the concrete aspect of the container holding portion of each turret 24a, 24b, 24c (, 34a, 61) is that the container is held by a gripper provided at a predetermined position on the outer circumference of the turret 24a, 24b, 24c (, 34a, 61). Anything may be used, such as one that holds the container, one that holds the container by a recessed pocket provided at a predetermined position on the outer circumference of the turret 24a, 24b, 24c (, 34a, 61).

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the filling unit 30 is provided with an inlet part 31 for introducing a container, a transfer part 32 arranged downstream of the inlet part 31 for transferring the container, and a downstream part of the transfer part 32. A filling turret 33 serving as a filling unit for filling the container with the content liquid, a capping unit 34 having a turret 34a arranged on the downstream side of the filling turret 33, and having a sterilized cap attached to the mouth of the container, and a capping unit. An outlet portion 35 disposed downstream of 34 for discharging the container with the cap attached, and a box 36 for covering the entire filling unit 30 are provided.

Each process in the filling unit 30 is performed in a box 36 whose interior is maintained in a sterile state. In this box 36, aseptic air is introduced from the outside in the vicinity of the filling turret 33, and aseptic air is collected (exhausted) in the vicinity of the inlet 31 and the outlet 35, whereby the inside of the box 36 is maintained at a positive pressure.
On the outer periphery of the filling turret 33, a plurality of filling devices (not shown) are installed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

The container transfer unit 40 transfers a container in a sterile state, and as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of turrets 61 and an inlet section 42 connected to the outlet section 26 of the container molding unit 20. An outlet 43 connected to the inlet 31 of the filling unit 30 and a box 44 covering the entire container transfer unit 40 are provided.
In addition, in the present embodiment, the inside of the box 44 of the container transfer unit 40 is kept at a positive pressure, but the pressure inside the box 44 of the container transfer unit 40 depends on the atmospheric pressure inside the box 36 of the filling unit 30 and the container molding. Although it is kept lower than the atmospheric pressure in the box 27 of the unit 20, the sterility in each box may be ensured and the atmospheric pressure in the box may be the same.

The sterilizer 50 sterilizes a container or a preform, and in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a sterilizing agent such as hydrogen peroxide is applied to the preform transported in the transport unit 24. Is applied to sterilize the preform.
In the present embodiment, the sterilization area of the sterilizer 50 (the area to be sterilized) is, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, at least a partial area of the path through which the preform is conveyed by the first turret 24b (this embodiment). The entire area), at least a partial area of the path through which the preform is conveyed by the second turret 24c (the entire area in the present embodiment), and a partial area of the path through which the preform is conveyed by the common turret 24a. It is set across.
In addition, the area | region shown by the code | symbol 50 in FIGS. 1 and 2 represents the sterilization area | region by the sterilization processing machine 50. FIG.
The sterilization machine 50 may have any specific configuration and installation position as long as it can sterilize the container or the preform.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the container transfer unit 60 includes a plurality of turrets 61 installed in the transfer unit 25 of the container molding unit 20, the container transfer unit 40, and the transfer unit 32 of the filling unit 30.

  Next, a container processing method by the filling system 10 will be described below.

  First, a container processing method at the time of selecting the first processing mode for processing a small first container (first preform) such as a 500 ml plastic bottle is as follows.

When the first processing mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 2, in all the steps of the filling system 10, the transport speed is set to be higher (600 BPM in the present embodiment) than when the second processing mode is selected.
Further, when the first processing mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 2A, in the transport unit 24, the first turret 24a and the first turret 24b are formed along the first transport path 24A. The preform is transported.
Further, when the first processing mode is selected, a plurality of molds for the first container (first preform) are installed on the outer periphery of the blow molding turret 23.

  In addition, in FIG. 2A, the transport route of the first container (first preform) when the first processing mode is selected is indicated by a thick line.

  Further, in the above description, it is assumed that the transport speed of the first container (first preform) is set to be constant (600 BPM in the present embodiment) in all steps of the filling system 10 when the first processing mode is selected. However, in the first processing mode, the transport speed of each section may be different.

  Next, the container processing method at the time of selecting the second processing mode for processing a large second container (second preform) such as a 2,000 ml plastic bottle is as follows.

When the second processing mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 2, in all the steps of the filling system 10, the transport speed is set to be slower (300 BPM in this embodiment) than when the first processing mode is selected.
Further, when the second processing mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the transport unit 24, the second turret 24a is formed along the second transport path 24B including the plurality of common turrets 24a and the second turret 24c. The preform is transported.
Further, when the second processing mode is selected, the molds for the plurality of first containers (first preforms) to the molds for the plurality of second containers (second preforms) are provided on the outer periphery of the blow molding turret 23. Have been replaced and installed.

  Note that, in FIG. 2B, the transport route of the second container (second preform) when the second processing mode is selected is indicated by a thick line.

  Further, in the above description, when the second processing mode is selected, the transport speed of the second container (second preform) is set to be constant (300 BPM in this embodiment) in all steps of the filling system 10. However, in the second processing mode, the transport speed of each section may be different.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. It is possible.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, it is described that one first turret 24b is provided and one second turret 24c is provided, but the number of the first turret 24b and the second turret 24c is It is not limited to this, and two or more may be provided.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the description has been made assuming that the transport section 24 is formed with two transport routes, that is, the first transport route 24A and the second transport route 24B, but the number of transport routes is limited to two. In the case where a container (third preform, fourth preform, etc.) having a different size from the first preform and the second preform is processed, even if three or more transfer paths are formed in the container transfer unit 60. Good.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the first transport path 24A and the second transport path 24B share a partial section, that is, the common turret 24a common to the first transport path 24A and the second transport path 24B is provided. However, it is also possible to provide all sections of the first transport path 24A and the second transport path 24B independently of each other.

10 ・ ・ ・ Filling system 20 ・ ・ ・ Container molding unit 21 ・ ・ ・ Inlet section 22 ・ ・ ・ Heating section 23 ・ ・ ・ Blow molding turret 24 ・ ・ ・ Conveying section 24A ・ ・ ・ First conveying path 24B ・ ・ ・2nd conveyance path 24a ... Common turret 24b ... 1st turret 24c ... 2nd turret 25 ... Transfer part 26 ... Exit part 27 ... Box 30 ... Filling unit 31 ... -Inlet part 32 ... Transfer part 33 ... Filling turret 34 ... Capping part 35 ... Exit part 36 ... Box 40 ... Container transfer unit 42 ... Inlet part 43 ... Exit Part 44 ・ ・ ・ Box 50 ・ ・ ・ Sterilizer 60 ・ ・ ・ Container transfer part 61 ・ ・ ・ Turret

Claims (6)

A container molding unit (20) for molding a container by subjecting a preform to blow molding, comprising:
Between the heating part (22) for heating the preform, the blow molding turret (23) arranged on the downstream side of the heating part (22), and between the heating part (22) and the blow molding turret (23) And a transfer section (24) for transferring the preform,
The carrying section (24) is configured to have a first carrying path (24A) and a second carrying path (24B) having a shorter path length than the first carrying path (24A). And a container forming unit (20). The transport unit (24) includes a common turret (24a), a first turret (24b), and a second turret (24c),
The first transport path (24A) includes the common turret (24a) and the first turret (24b),
The container forming unit (20) according to claim 1, wherein the second transport path (24B) includes the common turret (24a) and the second turret (24c). The container molding unit (20) has a sterilizer (50) for sterilizing the preform,
The sterilization area by the sterilization processor (50) is at least a partial area of the path through which the preform is conveyed by the first turret (24b) and the path through which the preform is conveyed by the second turret (24c). The container molding unit (20) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container molding unit (20) is set so as to extend over at least a partial region. The container molding unit (20) is configured such that a first processing mode for processing a first preform and a second processing mode for processing a second preform having a size larger than the first preform can be selected. ,
The transport section (24) transports the first preform along the first transport path (24A) when selecting the first processing mode, and at the same time when performing the first processing mode when selecting the second processing mode. 4. The second preform is configured to be transported along the second transport path (24B) at a transport speed slower than when a mode is selected. A filling system (10) according to claim 1.   A container molding unit (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, and a filling unit (30) arranged downstream of the container molding unit (20) for filling a container with a content liquid. A filling system (10), characterized in that Between the heating part (22) for heating the preform, the blow molding turret (23) arranged on the downstream side of the heating part (22), and between the heating part (22) and the blow molding turret (23) A first processing mode for processing the first preform, and a second processing for processing a second preform having a size larger than the first preform. A container forming method for forming a container in a container forming unit (20) capable of selecting a mode, comprising:
The transport section (24) has a first transport path (24A) and a second transport path (24B) having a shorter path length than the first transport path (24A),
When the first processing mode is selected, the first preform is transferred along the first transfer path (24A), and when the second processing mode is selected, the transfer is slower than when the first processing mode is selected. A method of forming a container, characterized in that the second preform is conveyed at a speed along the second conveying path (24B).

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