A method of operating a container filling plant for filling plastic containers with a filling material, the method comprising steps to minimize distortion of plastic containers to be filled and maximize throughput of plastic containers by controlling the temperature of a container to be filled, said container filling plant comprising:
- a controller arrangement disposed and configured to monitor and control said container filling plant and to regulate control valves controlling a flow of activation medium;
- a filling machine being configured and disposed to fill empty plastic containers with a filling material;
- a first moving arrangement being configured and disposed to move plastic containers to said filling machine;
- a closing machine being configured and disposed to close filled plastic containers;
- a second moving arrangement being configured and disposed to accept filled plastic containers from said filling machine and to move filled plastic containers out of said filling machine and to said closing machine;
- a rotary treatment machine being configured and disposed to treat plastic containers prior to filling;
- a third moving arrangement being configured and disposed to move plastic containers to said treatment machine;
- said first moving arrangement being configured and disposed to move treated plastic containers from said treatment machine to said filling machine;
- said treatment machine comprising at least one treatment device being configured and disposed to treat plastic containers upon the plastic containers being within said treatment machine;
- and
- said at least one treatment device comprising:
- a source of a treatment agent, which treatment agent is configured to be heated to treat the inside surface of a plastic container to be treated;
- a heater being configured and disposed to heat the treatment agent to a predetermined temperature, above a temperature of a container to be treated;
- a dispensing arrangement being configured to dispense heated treatment agent into a plastic container, which heated treatment agent is in sufficient amount and at a sufficient temperature to sufficiently coat the inside surface of the plastic container with condensed treatment agent to treat the plastic container, upon contact of the heated treatment agent on the inside surface of the container being treated;
- said dispensing arrangement also being configured to dispense a first and a second volume of heated activation medium into the plastic container, which heated activation medium is at a temperature sufficient to activate the condensed treatment agent;
- and
- a non-contact temperature measuring apparatus configured and disposed to measure a temperature, on or within the outer surface, of the plastic container being treated and to send the sensed temperature to the controller arrangement;
- said method comprising the steps of:
- moving a plastic container into said treatment machine to be treated;
- heating the treatment agent to a temperature greater than a temperature of the plastic container to be treated;
- dispensing treatment agent into the plastic container being treated in an amount sufficient to coat the inside surface of the plastic container with a sufficient amount of condensate of the treatment agent to treat the plastic container;
- condensing at least a portion of the treatment agent on the inside surface of the plastic container being treated and coating the inside surface of the plastic container being treated with a sufficient amount of condensate to sufficiently clean the container to increase the shelf life of contents of the filled container to a substantially predetermined shelf life;
- dispensing a first volume of heated activation medium into the plastic container being treated in an amount sufficient to heat the treatment agent to a temperature sufficient to treat the plastic container and heating the container to be filled to a first, predetermined, temperature;
- sensing a temperature on or within the outer surface of the plastic container being treated with the non-contact temperature measuring apparatus;
- sending the sensed temperature to the controller arrangement;
- controlling the first volume of heated activation medium being dispensed into the plastic container being treated, with the control valves, to an amount sufficient to heat the treatment agent to a temperature sufficient to treat the plastic container and heating the container to be filled to the first, predetermined, temperature, the first, predetermined, temperature being a temperature just below the temperature at which the plastic container will distort outside of predetermined tolerances;
- reducing the flow of heated activation medium into the plastic container being treated, upon or just before the container to be filled reaching the first, predetermined, temperature, by an amount sufficient to permit cooling, during rotation of the plastic container in the treatment machine, the treatment agent and plastic container cooling to a second, lower, temperature;
- dispensing a second volume of heated activation medium into the already heated plastic container being treated and increasing the temperature of the treatment agent to a temperature sufficient to treat the plastic container and increasing the temperature of the container to be filled to the first, predetermined, temperature, the second volume of heated activation medium being smaller than the first volume of activation medium and at essentially the same temperature as the first volume of activation medium, the second volume being sufficient to activate the treatment agent to finally clean the container being treated and increase the shelf life of contents of the filled container to a substantially predetermined shelf life and to not distort the plastic container outside of predetermined tolerances;
- moving the treated plastic container from said dispensing arrangement to said filling machine;
- filling the treated plastic container;
- moving the treated, filled plastic container to said closing machine;
- closing the treated, filled plastic container.