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AssigneeTetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
InventorJacques Laurent
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The apparatus for treating the inside surface of a bottle (1) in a plasma enhanced process comprises a vacuum chamber (2), a microwave confinement (3) with a microwave generator (4), evacuation means and gas feed means (5). The microwave confinement (3) is substantially cylindrical and adapted to the shape of at least the body portion of the bottle (1) to be treated as closely as possible. The microwaves are coupled into the microwave confinement (3) form the bottom side of the bottle (1) and the microwave confinement is excited in a TM mode of resonance. The inventive apparatus is very compact and very simple. It can be integrated into a stretch-blow-moulding apparatus or into a filling apparatus. For upscaling, a plurality of one-bottle apparatuses is arranged in a row or in a matrix and all the one-bottle apparatuses are connected to a net of energy, vacuum and gas supply lines. Each of the one-bottle apparatuses may have its own vacuum chamber or a plurality of microwave confinements (3) may be arranged in one common vacuum chamber.
A method for treating, in a plasma enhanced process, an inside surface of a plastic bottle (1), said plastic bottle having a substantially cylindrical body, a bottom portion on one end of the body and a shoulder and neck portion with a relatively narrow opening on the other end of the body, the process comprising the steps of simultaneously evacuating the inside of the bottle (1) and an area outside of the bottle, igniting and sustaining a plasma inside the bottle, providing means for feeding a process gas into the bottle (1), and flowing the process gas (G) via the feeding means and through the bottle for a predetermined process time, wherein the means for feeding the process gas into the bottle (1) is selected from the group consisting of a gas feed tube (5), which is positionable in the bottle (1), and a gas feed nozzle, which is positionable in the opening of the bottle, and wherein, following said predetermined process time, simultaneously venting the inside and the outside of the bottle, wherein, for carrying out the process steps, the bottle (1) is positioned substantially coaxially in a substantially cylindrical microwave confinement (3) whereby, for igniting and sustaining the plasma inside the bottle (1), microwaves are coupled to the microwave confinement (3) from one face of the confinement towards which the bottom portion of the bottle (1) is facing and whereby the microwave confinement (3) is excited in a TM mode of resonance.
A method for treating, in a plasma enhanced process, an inside surface of a plastic bottle (1), said plastic bottle having a substantially cylindrical body, a bottom portion on one end of the body and a shoulder and neck portion with a relatively narrow opening on the other end of the body, the process comprising the steps of simultaneously evacuating the inside of the bottle (1) and an area outside of the bottle, igniting and sustaining a plasma inside the bottle, providing means for feeding a process gas into the bottle (1), and flowing the process gas (G) via the feeding means and through the bottle for a predetermined process time, wherein the means for feeding the process gas into the bottle (1) is selected from the group consisting of a gas feed tube (5), which is positionable in the bottle (1), and a gas feed nozzle, which is positionable in the opening of the bottle, wherein the bottle (1) is filled immediately after treatment in the plasma enhanced process whereby, instead of venting the inside of the bottle, a liquid (c) is drawn into the bottle following said predetermined process time, wherein, for carrying out the process steps, the bottle (1) is positioned substantially coaxially in a substantially cylindrical microwave confinement (3) whereby, for igniting and sustaining the plasma inside the bottle (1), microwaves are coupled to the microwave confinement (3) from one face of the confinement towards which the bottom portion of the bottle (1) is facing and whereby the microwave confinement (3) is excited in a TM mode of resonance.
An apparatus for treating, in a plasma enhanced process, an inside surface of a plastic bottle (1), the apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber (2), means for evacuating the vacuum chamber and an inside of the bottle (1) positioned in the vacuum chamber (2), means for igniting and sustaining a plasma inside the bottle and means for feeding a process gas (G) into the bottle, wherein the means for feeding a process gas into the bottle (1) is a gas feed tube (5) positionable in the bottle (1) or a gas feed nozzle positionable in the opening of the bottle, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a substantially cylindrical microwave confinement (3) into which confinement the bottle is positionable substantially coaxially and wherein the apparatus further comprises a microwave generator (4) and means for coupling the microwaves generated by the microwave generator (4) to the microwave confinement (3) from the one face towards which a bottom portion of the bottle is facing, whereby the microwave generator (4), the microwave coupling means and the microwave confinement (3) are designed and tuned for excitement of the microwave confinement in a TM mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.