JPH089383B2 - Cap sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a cap sterilizer used in an aseptic filling machine.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, for sterilization of a cap, for example, JP-A-60-1325 is used.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64,641, a method using ultraviolet rays and, for example, a method using chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-115221 are implemented.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the sterilization apparatus as described above, since the vacuum head is used when the cap is transported, in the sterilization step during transportation, the portion covered by the vacuum head is There was a high possibility that the chamber could not be sterilized and that the interior of the chamber, which had to be kept sterile, was contaminated.

In addition, the device for sterilization with chemicals has a chamber section for introducing caps, fixing the chemicals, drying and removing, filling capping, etc., but there is also a clear shield structure inside the chamber that blocks the flow of air. As a result, there is a needless flow of air and drug mist.

As a result, the mist-like or gaseous sterilizing chemicals that should adhere to the cap were blown off, and the dried chemical gas leaked out to other sections and the equipment, causing the inconvenience of polluting the atmosphere. .

Therefore, the technical problem of the present invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, to sterilize the entire cap surface, and to provide a cap sterilizer used for an aseptic filling and packaging machine capable of sealingly sealing each section in a chamber. It is intended for the purpose of hearing.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The technical means of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned technical problems is provided in a chamber that is sealed and isolated from the external atmosphere, in close contact with the inner wall of the chamber. A section that has a moving cap transport disk and sprays a mist-like or gaseous sterilizing agent onto the cap, and a section that activates the sterilizing agent adhering to the cap with hot air and sterilizes it while drying it. The cap sterilization device is characterized in that the movement of the cap transport disk in the chamber between the sections is closely slid against the inner wall of the chamber and is hermetically closed.

(Operation) In the sterilizer according to the present invention, when the cap transfer disk rotates in the chamber, the cap fixing disk closely slides between the medicine fixing section and the sterilization / drying section to seal the air flow. .

Then, the entire surface of the cap supplied to the transfer disk comes into contact with the mist-like or gaseous sterilizing drug in the drug fixing section, and then in the sterilizing and drying section, sterilization and drug removal are performed by heated air. After being broken, the container body is covered.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the technical means of the present invention, the cap after molding can be sterilized, so that it is not necessary to sterilize the punching machine and keep it aseptic.

In addition, the molded cap is not held by the vacuum holder and is stored in the chamber in an open state, so that the entire surface is sterilized.

Furthermore, since the sections are clearly separated, it is not necessary to maintain a positive pressure inside the sterile room, and as a result of the lack of air flow between the sections, mist-like or gaseous sterilization that should be attached to the cap The chemical is not blown off or leaks out of the device to pollute the atmosphere.

(Example) Hereinafter, the Example shown in drawing is described.

(1) is a cap transport disk that rotates in a chamber (2), and has a semicircular holder hole (3) for accommodating a molding cap (a) on the circumference.

The holder hole (3) has a groove (4) along its wall surface.
Is formed, and the molding cap (a) is supported in the groove (4).

The chamber (2) includes a front plate (5) and a back plate (6) which face each other in the front-rear direction, and an intermediate plate (2) which is interposed between the front plate (5) and the back plate (6). 7a) and (7b), and the intermediate plates (7a) and (7b) are formed with holes (8) having the same diameter as the conveying disc (1), and the disc (1) is fitted into the holes (8). It is rotated about the axis (9).

Also, a slit (8 ') on which a shooter described later is installed.
There is.

Furthermore, the front plate (5) and the back plate (6) have a mist shape,
Alternatively, a concave portion (10) for forming a drug fixing part as a section for spraying a gaseous sterilizing drug and a sterilizing / drying part as a section for activating the adhering drug with hot air to sterilize and simultaneously remove by drying. (11 is,
It is formed so as to sandwich the holder hole (3) of the disk (1).

Further, the inlet / outlet pipes (12) and (13) for supplying and discharging the sterilizing agent toward the one recessed portion (10) are arranged as shown in FIG. 3 or as shown in FIG. It is formed across the plate (5) and the back plate (6).

The hot air inlet / outlet pipe (14) (1
5) is formed over the front plate (5) and the back plate (6) as shown in FIG. 3 or as shown in FIG.

(16) is a cap entrance shooter, which is connected to a cap punching machine, and stoppers (17) and (18) alternately hold the caps and allow them to freely fall toward the disc (1) one by one. .

In (19), the molded cap sterilized by the capping shooter is discharged and supplied to the sealing machine.

Therefore, as the disc (1) rotates, a charging zone connected to the cap inlet shooter (16), a drug fixing zone for spraying a mist-like or gaseous germicide, a germicidal drying zone as a germicidal drying section, and a capping shooter. After passing through each discharge zone connected to (19), the cap of the holder is sterilized.

The zones are shielded from each other so that the mist-like or gaseous germicidal agent does not flow out to other zones or pollute the atmosphere.

In addition, since it is sterilized after molding, it is not necessary to sterilize the punch molding machine or keep it aseptic.

As described above, in the section connecting the sections, the shield, that is, the disk (1) slides on the front plate (5) and the back plate (6).

Further, if foreign matter is mixed into the sliding surface, the wall surface is scraped due to friction, resulting in further increase of foreign matter, which may damage the device.

Therefore, a plurality of radial grooves (20) (20) are provided on both side surfaces of the cap transport disc (1) to prevent this.

In any case, the supplied cap (a) is brought into contact with a mist-like or gaseous sterilizing agent on the entire surface in the medicine fixing section, and then sterilized and removed by heated air in the sterilization drying section. After being transferred, it is put on the container.

Next, an example in which the above-described cap sterilizer is applied to an aseptic filling and packaging machine will be described.

In FIG. 7, (21) is a sterile chamber, and the container (b) supplied into the conveyor (23) is a chamber (28) (where the drug mist inlet pipe (26) and the hot air outlet pipe (27) are connected. 2
9) After passing through the inside, the drug is fixed on the surface of the container, and the drug is activated by hot air, sterilized, and simultaneously dried and removed.

Next, the container (b) is covered with the cap (a) sterilized by the cap sterilizer (A) according to the present invention.

Then, the heat shield head (30) is used for heat sealing to seal. The sealed product is discharged from the outlet (31) as a product.

The cap (a) is usually one in which an aluminum roll is supplied to a punching machine to be punched and molded, and the cross-section layer as the aluminum packaging material is, for example, a hot melt layer, a polyethylene layer, an aluminum layer ( 30 to 40 μm) are sequentially laminated.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the cap after molding can be sterilized, it is not necessary to sterilize the punching machine and keep aseptic, and the entire surface of the molded cap can be sterilized.

Also, because the sections are clearly separated,
It is not necessary to keep the positive pressure in the aseptic chamber, and the air flow between each section is lost. As a result, the mist-like or gaseous sterilizing agent that should adhere to the cap is blown off or leaks to the outside of the equipment and pollutes the atmosphere. Never.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 is a front view of the device of the present invention FIG. 2 is an inner view of the device of the present invention FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the device of the present invention FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a holder part FIG. 5 is a shield part Sectional view FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the medicine fixing section or the sterilization drying section. FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of the aseptic filling and packaging machine. (1) …… Cap transport disk (2) …… Chamber (3) …… Holder hole (4) …… Groove (5) …… Front plate (6) …… Back plate (7) …… Intermediate plate (8) ) Hole (9) ...... Cap transport disk rotating shaft (10) (11) …… Recessed hole (12) (13) …… Mist inlet / outlet pipe (14) (15) …… Hot air inlet / outlet pipe (16)… … Cap inlet shooter (17) (18) …… Cap stopper (19) …… Capping shooter (20) …… Foreign matter removal groove

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A cap transfer disk that rotates in close contact with the inner wall is provided in a chamber that is sealed and isolated from the outside atmosphere, and the transfer disk is provided with a cap in a holder hole provided therein. A section for spraying a mist-like or gaseous sterilizing agent on the cap and a section for sterilizing the sterilizing agent adhering to the cap with hot air and sterilizing it at the same time, and drying and removing the section. The cap sterilization apparatus is characterized in that the movement of the cap in the chamber of the cap transfer disk is performed by closely rotating the cap transfer disk against a wall in the chamber and sealingly closing the cap transfer disk.