US-12617140-B2 - Apparatus and method for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers with clean room

US12617140B2US 12617140 B2US12617140 B2US 12617140B2US-12617140-B2

Abstract

An apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, having a transport device which transports the plastic preforms to be formed along a predetermined transport path, wherein the transport device has a rotatable transport carrier wherein a plurality of forming stations are arranged. The forming stations each have blow-molding devices within which the plastic preforms can be formed into the plastic containers by applying a flowable medium. The forming stations each have application devices for applying the flowable medium to the plastic preforms, and the apparatus has a feed device for feeding plastic preforms to be formed to the transport apparatus, and a discharge device for discharging formed containers from the transport device. The apparatus has a clean room within which the plastic preforms or the plastic containers are transported at least sectionally. The apparatus has an ejection device to eject plastic preforms or plastic containers from the transport path.

Inventors

Beate Dorrmann
Frank Winzinger
Daniel Peter
Alexandra Zinkl
Florian Geltinger
Juergen Soellner
Christian Wittmann

Assignees

KRONES AG

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230911
Priority Date: 20220909

Claims (20)

1 . An apparatus for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, having a transport device which transports the plastic preforms to be formed along a predetermined transport path, wherein the transport device has a rotatable transport carrier on which a plurality of forming stations is arranged, wherein these forming stations each have blow-molding devices within which the plastic preforms can be expanded into the plastic containers by applying a flowable medium, and the forming stations each have application devices for applying the flowable medium to the plastic preforms, and wherein the apparatus has a feed device for feeding plastic preforms to be formed to the transport device, and a discharge device for discharging formed containers from the transport device, and wherein the apparatus has a clean room within which the plastic preforms or the plastic containers are transported, wherein the clean room is designed such that the plastic preforms are transported outside the clean room at least temporarily during their expansion.
2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the clean room is designed such that the plastic preforms transported by the feed device and/or the discharge device are transported through this clean room.
3 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has an ejection device to eject plastic preforms or plastic containers from the transport path.
4 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a low concentration of sterilization medium can be applied to region outside the clean room.
5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a first sterilization device for sterilizing and/or a cleaning device for cleaning the plastic preforms and/or the plastic containers, wherein the sterilization device and/or cleaning device is arranged upstream from the forming device.
6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the cleaning device is arranged on the infeed star to the heating device.
7 . The apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the ejection device is arranged outside the clean room.
8 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the apparatus has a second sterilization device for the sterilization of elements handling the plastic preforms.
9 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has an inspection device for inspecting the plastic preforms and/or the plastic containers.
10 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a filling device for filling the containers is downstream from the forming device, and another treatment device is provided between the forming device and the filling device, which treatment device handles the containers.
11 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a control device for controlling a gas pressure within a clean room.
12 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus has a robot device which is configured for carrying out treatment processes on at least one element of the forming device.
13 . The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the treatment processes are selected from a group of treatment processes which include changes of these elements, cleaning devices of these elements, sterilization processes of these elements, and/or the element of the forming device is selected from a group of elements which contains blow molds, blow mold parts, blowing nozzles, stretching rods, gripping clamps, holding mandrels.
14 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the clean room is bordered by a wall which has at least one curved section and/or a bend.
15 . A method for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers, wherein a transport device transports the plastic preforms to be formed along a predetermined transport path, wherein the transport device has a rotatable transport carrier on which a plurality of forming stations is arranged, wherein these forming stations each have blow-molding devices within which the plastic preforms are expanded into the plastic containers by applying a flowable medium, and the forming stations each have application devices which apply the flowable medium to the plastic preforms, and wherein the apparatus has a feed device that feeds plastic preforms to be formed to the transport device, and a discharge device that discharges formed containers from the transport device, and wherein the apparatus has a clean room within which the plastic preforms or the plastic containers are transported, wherein the clean room is designed such that the plastic preforms are transported outside the clean room at least temporarily during their expansion.
16 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the apparatus has an ejection device which ejects plastic preforms or plastic containers from the transport path.
17 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein a low concentration of sterilization medium is applied to a region in which the plastic preforms and/or the plastic containers are transported during their transport from the feed device to the discharge device.
18 . The method according to claim 15 , wherein the plastic preforms and/or plastic containers are inspected, and in response to this inspection, an ejection of individual plastic preforms or plastic containers is carried out.
19 . The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the second sterilization device is arranged at a position where no handling of the containers takes place.
20 . The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the second sterilization device is arranged between the discharge device and the feed device.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers and in particular plastic bottles. Such apparatuses and methods have long been known from the prior art. Plastic preforms are first heated and subsequently reshaped into the containers in a forming device such as, for example, a stretch blow molding machine. More recently, apparatuses and methods have become known in which this forming process proceeds under sterile conditions. Accordingly, WO 2021/239936 A1 describes such an apparatus for producing plastic containers. In this case, when feeding the plastic preforms, a clean room is formed within which the plastic preforms are transported. In addition, a sterilization device is provided which sterilizes the plastic preforms after heating them. Furthermore, a sterile air source is provided which applies sterile air to the containers along their transport path. This apparatus accordingly allows the production of plastic containers under sterile conditions. However, the measures necessary for this are relatively laborious. The present invention is therefore based on the object of making such apparatuses and methods simpler. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An apparatus according to the invention for forming plastic preforms into plastic containers has a transport device, which transports the plastic preforms to be formed along a predefined transport path. In this case, the transport device has a rotatable transport carrier on which a large number of forming stations is arranged, wherein such forming stations each have blow molding devices, within which the plastic preforms can be formed, and in particular expanded, into the plastic containers by applying a flowable and, in particular, gaseous medium. Furthermore, the forming stations each have application devices in order to apply flowable medium to the plastic preforms. Furthermore, the apparatus has a feed device to supply plastic preforms to be formed to the transport device, as well as a discharge device for removing formed containers from the transport device. Furthermore, the apparatus has a clean room within which the plastic preforms are at least sectionally transported. Preferably, at least the plastic preforms transported by the feed device and/or the plastic preforms transported by the discharge device are arranged within this clean room. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus has an ejection device to eject plastic preforms or plastic containers from the transport path. The clean room is preferably designed such that the plastic preforms are transported outside the clean room at least partially or sectionally during their expansion. The clean room is preferably designed such that the plastic preforms are transported outside the clean room at least temporarily during their expansion. In another preferred embodiment, a low concentration of sterilization medium can be applied to a region outside the clean room, in particular the region in which the forming stations are arranged. This does not necessarily mean that there is no cleanroom atmosphere around the plastic preforms during transport, but merely that outer sides of the blow molding devices are not located in the cleanroom for a certain period of time or partially or sectionally. Preferably, the transport path is composed of several sections. In a first section of the transport path, the plastic preforms are fed from the feed device to the transport carrier; in a second section, the plastic preforms are formed into the plastic containers in the forming stations; and in a third section, the formed plastic containers are discharged from the discharge device (in particular after the being transferred from the forming stations). In a preferred embodiment, the feed device and/or the discharge device have a rotatable transport carrier with a plurality of holding devices for holding the plastic preforms. In this embodiment, the feed device and/or the discharge device, and in particular both, are designed as transport stars or transport wheels. The holding devices can be designed as clamps. They can grip and hold the containers at least in the mouth region. The clamps can have two pincer arms which can be opened for receiving and dispensing preforms or finished blow-molded containers, and closed to grip and transport them. Preferably, at least the transport carrier of the feed device and/or the transport carrier of the discharge device and preferably both transport carriers are arranged within the clean room. Particularly preferably, the apparatus has a heating device for heating the plastic preforms, which is arranged in front of the actual forming device in the transport direction. Particularly preferably, the apparatus has a filling device for filling the produced plastic containers. Particularly preferably, an internal pressure in a region of the feed device and/or in a region of the discharge device is higher than in