Method for fabrication of coated metal packages by thermoforming
AssigneeSCAL Societe de Conditionnements en Aluminium
InventorRobert Guedet
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Abstract
A method for continuous packaging in metal packages produced in situ, the invention comprises the fabrication of aluminum containers from aluminum sheet immediately prior to packaging of a material in the containers, the operations being conducted as part of a continuous flow process. The metal packages are produced by thermoforming, that is, the deformation of a heated metal body in a mold by pressure, thereby resulting in the production of containers which are aseptic and which can be easily coated with a protective layer of a plastic or similar material. The invention is particularly useful for the packaging of perishable produce.
Claims8
A process for the continuous packaging under sterile conditions of a consumable product in metal containers, comprising the steps of:
- continuously thermoforming containers from metal blanks formed of aluminum having a thickness of from 0.10 to 0.50 mm, the blanks being covered with a layer of artifical alumina, the thermoforming temperature being sufficient to sterilize the containers thus formed;
- maintaining the sterile thermoformed containers from formed under sterile conditions subsequent to thermoforming and at least prior to and during subsequent continuous flow process operations;
- and
- filling the sterile containers with the consumable product in a continuous flow process which includes sterile formation of the containers by thermoforming, the containers being maintained under sterile conditions during filling to assure packaging under aseptic conditions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.