Furnace and equipment for producing sterile vessels from decontaminated preforms of a thermoplastic material
AssigneeSidel Participations
InventorEric Adriansens
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to a thermal conditioning furnace (10) including a first infrared (IR1) heating element (32), an ultraviolet (UV) sterilizer (76) and a second infrared (IR2) heating element (34) for successively carrying out a decontamination for sterilizing at least the outer surface (28) of the body (14) of the perform (12), and to an equipment (56) including such a furnace (10) for producing sterile vessels (68) by a blowing or stretching-blowing technique from decontaminated performs (12) of a thermoplastic material.
Claims12
An oven (10) for heat-conditioning of thermoplastic preforms, particularly intended for equipping an installation for manufacture of sterile receptacles, comprising a device for transport (30) of the preforms (12) which are rotated around their own axes and successively conveyed within at least:
- one first zone A, which may be called a deep-heating zone, comprising first means for heating (32) by infrared radiation (IR1) intended to preheat the body (14) of each preform (12) up to a first setpoint temperature (TC1);
- a second zone B, which is an intermediate zone, and which may be called a residence zone, through which zone, which is interposed in the path of the preforms (12) between the first zone A, which is a heating zone, and a third zone C, which is a heating zone, each preform (12) passes, during a defined period (t);
- the third zone C, which may be called a distributed-heating zone, comprising second means for heating (34) by infrared radiation (IR2), intended to heat the body (14) of each preform (12), in accordance with a defined heater profile, up to a second setpoint temperature (TC2),
- characterized in that the oven (10) comprises means for sterilization (76, 78, 80) by emission of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, arranged in the second zone B, which is an intermediate residence zone, in such a way as to sterilize at least the external surface (28) of the body (14) of the preform (12) up to a defined degree of decontamination.
An installation (56) for the manufacture of sterile receptacles (68) starting from a decontaminated thermoplastic preform (12), comprising at least:
- one device for feed (58) of preforms;
- one unit for heat-conditioning (60) comprising a device for transport (30) of preforms through at least one oven (10) intended to heat each preform (12) with the aim of molding of the same;
- and
- a unit for molding (62) intended to convert each preform (12) to a hollow-bodied receptacle (68),
- characterized in that the oven (10) for heat-conditioning comprises:
- first means for heating (32) intended to decontaminate at least the external surface (28) of the body (14) of the preform (12) by preheating the body (14) of each preform (12) up to a first setpoint temperature (TC1);
- means for sterilization (76) by emission of ultraviolet (UV) radiation intended to decontaminate at least the external surface (28) of the body (14) of the preform (12) by irradiation of the preform (12) exposed during a defined period (Δt) to ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by the means for sterilization (76);
- and
- second means for heating (34) intended to decontaminate at least the external surface (28) of the body (14) of the preform (12) by heating the body (14) of each preform (12) up to a second setpoint temperature (TC2),
- in such a way as to sterilize at least the external surface (28) of the body (14) of the preform (12) up to a defined degree of decontamination.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.