Manifold and valve block assembly

A manifold and valve block assembly for a bottle cleaning machine comprising:

• a. a bottle cleaning machine for cleaning bottles, including two substantially identical carousels, a first bottle washing carousel and a second bottle sanitizing carousel, and the bottle cleaning machine passes bottles in an inverted position, neck down, first to the bottle washing carousel around which the bottles are rotated to a carousel transfer means for transferring the bottles to the sanitizing carousel around which the bottles are rotated to an exit transfer means for transferring the bottles to an exit conveyor;
• and
• b. a manifold and valve block assembly mounted in the bottle cleaning machine and associated with a bottle being washed and comprising,
• i. a valve block housing,
• ii. a drive cylinder mounted in said valve block housing,
• iii. a lance longitudinally movably positioned within said drive cylinder, said lance having a central fluid flow passageway, and also having a spray nozzle on a first upper end thereof, said lance having a retracted position in which the lance is positioned retracted within said drive cylinder and a fully extended position in which the fully extended lance positions said spray nozzle internally within a bottle for spraying a fluid through said nozzle and against the internal surfaces of the bottle,
• iv. a plurality of valves mounted in said valve block housing for supplying a plurality of spray fluids to a common manifold which provides a fluid passage to said central fluid flow passageway of the lance for fluids to be sequentially sprayed through the nozzle.

A manifold and valve block assembly, comprising:

• a. a valve block housing;
• b. a drive cylinder mounted in said valve block housing;
• c. a lance longitudinally movably positioned within said drive cylinder, said lance having a central fluid flow passageway, and also having a spray nozzle on a first upper end thereof, said lance having a retracted position in which the lance is positioned retracted within said drive cylinder and a fully extended position in which the fully extended lance positions said spray nozzle for spray impingement of a fluid through said nozzle;
• and
• d. a plurality of valves mounted in said valve block housing for supplying a plurality of spray fluids to a common manifold which provides a fluid passage to said central fluid flow passageway of the lance for fluids to be sequentially sprayed through the nozzle, including a static air valve, and the static air from the static air valve passes to air ingress passages near the top of the lance in its fully extended position to pneumatically drive the lance downwardly to its retracted position, and a static dump valve which is opened simultaneously with the static air valve, to allow fluid within the drive cylinder to be evacuated.

A manifold and valve block assembly, comprising:

• a. a valve block housing;
• b. a drive cylinder mounted in said valve block housing;
• c. a lance longitudinally movably positioned within said drive cylinder, said lance having a central fluid flow passageway, and also having a spray nozzle on a first upper end thereof, said lance having a retracted position in which the lance is positioned retracted within said drive cylinder and a fully extended position in which the fully extended lance positions said spray nozzle for spray impingement of a fluid through said nozzle;
• and
• d. a plurality of valves mounted in said valve block housing for supplying a plurality of spray fluids to a common manifold which provides a fluid passage to said central fluid flow passageway of the lance for fluids to be sequentially sprayed through the nozzle, including a static air valve, and the static air from the static air valve passes to air ingress passages near the top of the lance in its fully extended position to pneumatically drive the lance downwardly to its retracted position, and wherein said static air valve comprises a three-way valve which, in a first position, allows static air to flow through the valve to the top of the lance to pneumatically drive the lance to its retracted position, and in a second position allows air to be vented from the drive cylinder on top of the lance through the valve to the atmosphere, whereby when the lance is driven to its extended position, air from the drive cylinder on top of the lance is vented through the static air valve to the atmosphere.

A manifold and valve block assembly for a container processing machine comprising:

• a. a container processing machine including a conveyor which conveys a plurality of containers being processed through the container processing machine in inverted positions, and each container on the conveyor having a separate manifold and valve block assembly associated therewith which is movably mounted in the container processing machine;
• and
• b. each manifold and valve block assembly comprising,
• i. a valve block housing,
• ii. a drive cylinder mounted in said valve block housing,
• iii. a lance longitudinally movably positioned within said drive cylinder, said lance having a central fluid flow passageway, and also having a spray nozzle on a first upper end thereof, said lance having a retracted position in which the lance is positioned retracted within said drive cylinder and a fully extended position in which the fully extended lance positions said spray nozzle internally within a container for spraying a fluid through said nozzle and against the internal surfaces of the container, and
• iv. a plurality of valves mounted in said valve block housing for supplying a plurality of spray fluids to a common manifold which provides a fluid passage to said central fluid flow passageway of the lance for fluids to be sequentially sprayed through the nozzle.