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US 9,061,873 B2Granted
Device and method for producing plastic containers
AssigneeKrones AG
InventorHeinz Humele
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for producing plastic containers includes feeding plastic preforms to a shaping unit, shaping the plastic preforms to plastic containers, and filling the plastic containers with a liquid. The method further includes closing the plastic containers with plastic closures, wherein the plastic closures are produced of a plastic material and are heated during the manufacturing process.
Claims13
A method for producing plastic containers, comprising the steps of:
- (a) feeding plastic preforms to a blow moulding unit;
- (b) moulding the plastic preforms into plastic containers at the blow moulding unit;
- (c) filling the plastic containers with a liquid at a filling unit;
- and
- (d) closing the plastic containers with plastic closures at a closing unit after filling the plastic containers with the liquid,
- wherein the plastic closures are produced from a plastics material and are heated during steps (a) through (d) at a closure production unit, wherein producing the plastic closures includes moulding closure blanks into the plastic closures by performing a heating process that includes microwave energy directed at the closure blanks,
- wherein producing the plastic closures is carried out at times and temperatures which cause the plastic closures to be sterilized,
- wherein a temperature at which the plastic closures are produced is higher than a temperature at which the plastic performs are moulded into the plastic containers,
- wherein the filling unit, the closing unit and the closure production unit are arranged in a clean room, and
- wherein a production rate of the closures is adapted to a production rate of the moulded containers.
7 more elements
A device for producing plastic containers, comprising:
- a blow moulding unit that moulds plastic preforms into plastic containers;
- a filling unit disposed downstream of the blow moulding unit in a transport direction of the plastic containers, the filling unit configured to fill the plastic containers with a liquid;
- a closing unit that closes the filled plastic containers with closures after filling the plastic containers with the liquid;
- and
- a closure production unit that produces the plastic closures from a plastics material,
- wherein the filling unit, the closing unit and the closure production unit are configured to be placed in a same clean room, and
- wherein a production rate of the closures is adaptable to a production rate of the plastic containers,
- wherein the closure production unit includes a microwave-based heating unit that is constructed and arranged to direct microwave energy at closure blanks moulded into the plastic closures, and
- wherein a temperature at which the plastic closures are produced is higher than a temperature at which the plastic performs are moulded into the plastic containers.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.