METHOD FOR CLEANING CONTAINERS AND CLEANING MACHINE

• US 20110067730A1
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Published: 03/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Original Assignee: Krones AG (Krones)
• Inventors: Folz, Cornelia, Islinger, Thomas, Humele, Heinz, Wasmuht, Klaus-Karl, Kirchhoff, Timm, Weinholzer, Christoph, Hansen, Bernd, Momsen, Jan
• Granted Patent: US 8,574,371 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 134/7
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 2203/005 the liquid being ozonated
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/38 the apparatus cleaning by using scrapers, chains, grains of shot, sand or other abrasive means abrasive blasting in general B24C
• CPC Class Codes: B08B 9/46 Inspecting cleaned containers for cleanliness

Abstract

A method for cleaning containers, in particular bottles of glass or plastics, and a cleaning machine with at least one cleaning medium, with the containers cleaned at least in one station preferential for the cleaning result and/or in a procedure step with at least essentially chemical-free cleaning media. The cleaning medium is advantageously a granular material, in particular granular ice, carried under pressure with compressed air or compressed water. The cleaning machine suited for carrying out the method includes downstream of an unpacking and presoaking station, a pre-cleaning station with a high pressure water blasting pre-cleaning section, and subsequently an intensive cleaning station with at least one intensive cleaning section to which a pressure blasting system for chemical-free, granular material and a carrier medium are associated, and a disinfection station following the intensive cleaning station.

Claims

1. Method for cleaning containers, in a cleaning machine, in which in several stations and process steps, at least one cleaning medium is allowed to act on the containers conveyed by the cleaning machine, comprising intensively cleaning the containers in at least one station preferential for a final cleaning effect and/or in at least one process step selected in view of the final cleaning effect with at least one, essentially chemical-free cleaning medium.

2. Method according to claim 1, and intensively cleaning at least the inner surface of each container, with granular material carried in one of water or air as a carrier medium.

3. Method according to claim 2, wherein the granular material is selected from the following group individually or in combination:

metal, plastics, sand, and salt.

4. Method according to claim 2, cleaning at least the inner surface of the container with granular ice.

5. Method according to claim 2, wherein, for intensive cleaning, a granulated nutshell material as a granular material is allowed to act on the container surface by means of a carrier medium, such that a relative motion is generated between the granulated nutshell material and the container surface.

6. Method according to claim 1, and blasting the granular material into the container with the carrier medium under pressure.

7. Method according to claim 1, and for cleaning the container internal surface, partially filling the container with at least the granular material and wherein the container is shaken with the granular material therein.

8. Method according to claim 1, and in at least one pre-cleaning step, wetting each container with chemical-free water essentially on all sides, pre-soaking internal dirt accumulations for a predetermined period, pre-cleaning an exterior of each container outside by high-pressure blasting with chemical-free compressed water, subsequently predominantly internally intensively cleaning the container over at least one further predetermined period at least by pressure blasting with granular material and a carrier medium, subsequently rinsing with chemical-free water, and finally disinfecting the container without chemicals.

9. Method according to claim 1, and wherein the containers comprise non-sorted out containers, and intensively cleaning the non-sorted out containers depending on a detected level of dirt for one of a first shorter period and at least one second and longer period.

10. Method according to claim 8, wherein before final disinfection, detecting incompletely cleaned containers by automatic inspection and sorted out or returned for pre-cleaning or intensive cleaning.

21. Method according to claim 2, wherein the granular material is carried in the carrier medium under pressurization.

22. Method according to claim 2, wherein the intensive cleaning with granular material carried in the carrier medium is by blasting.

23. Method according to claim 2, wherein the granular material is recyclable and/or degradable without leaving any residue.

24. Method according to claim 4, wherein the granular ice is dry ice of carbon dioxide or water ice that is blasted or injected as the granular ice.

25. Method according to claim 24, wherein the water ice is slurry ice.

26. Method according to claim 6, wherein the blasting comprises blasting the container inner surface.

27. Method according to claim 6, and generating a relative rotary motion between the container and the pressure blasts or the applied granular material subsequently or simultaneously.

28. Method according to claim 26, and frictional rinsing of the blasted container internal surface with the granular material and the carrier medium.

29. Method according to claim 7, wherein the granular material is a mixture of water and granulated nutshell material or only granulated nutshell material.

30. Method according claim 8, wherein the finally disinfecting comprises applying ozone.

31. Method according to claim 30, wherein applying ozone comprises ozone consumed by at least one introduced energy pulse.

32. Method according to claim 31, wherein the one introduced energy pulse is with an energy pulse generated in the ozone piezoelectrically.

33. Method according to claim 8, wherein finally disinfecting the container without chemicals comprises, on at least the inside and in the opening of the container, application and combustion of gas or of a substance combustible without leaving any residue.

11. Cleaning machine for containers having several stations arranged along at least one container handling and conveyor line, in which containers conveyed by the cleaning machines are cleaned, wherein in a pre-cleaning station arranged downstream of an unpacking and presoaking station, a high pressure water blasting and presoaking-pre-cleaning section is provided, followed downstream by an intensive cleaning station with at least one intensive cleaning section and at least one pressure blasting system including a chemical-free, granular material and a pressurized carrier medium for the granular material, associated with at least an initial region of the intensive cleaning section, and downstream of the intensive cleaning stations at least one container disinfection station is provided.

12. Cleaning machine according to claim 11, and a reservoir for granular material, a material dosing device, and the pressure blasting system with at least one blast gun with at least one blast nozzle are associated to the intensive cleaning station.

13. Cleaning machine according to claim 12, wherein the reservoir, the material dosing device, and the pressure blasting system are designed for storing and processing granulated nutshell material as the granular material.

14. Cleaning machine according to claim 11, wherein at least the pre-cleaning station and the intensive cleaning station comprise collecting means to which cleaning and reprocessing means are directly associated, or which are connected to cleaning and reprocessing means.

15. Cleaning machine according to claim 11, and at least two parallel intensive cleaning sections (11a, 11b) of different lengths which are linked via distributing guides.

16. Cleaning machine according to claim 11, wherein between the pre-cleaning station and the intensive cleaning station, and/or between the intensive cleaning station and the disinfection station, one inspection station is provided each.

17. Cleaning machine according to claim 11, wherein the cleaning machine is designed as a rotary or linear machine.

18. Cleaning machine according to claim 11, and rotation devices for the containers and/or the respective blast gun or the blast nozzles are provided at least in the intensive cleaning station, and container turning means are provided upstream and/or downstream of the intensive cleaning station.

19. Cleaning machine according to claim 11, and at least one container shaking device is provided at least in the intensive cleaning station.

20. Cleaning machine according to claim 11, wherein the container disinfection station contains at least one applicator for ozone connected to an ozone source.

34. Cleaning machine according to claim 12, wherein the granular material is ice pellets.

35. Cleaning machine according to claim 15, wherein the at least two parallel intensive cleaning sections are controlled by a container inspection station located upstream.

36. Cleaning machine according to claim 16, wherein the one inspection station is provided in an associated container sorting-out station.

37. Cleaning machine according to claim 19, wherein the at least one container shaking device is for upright, suspended or lying containers.

38. Cleaning machine according to claim 20, and an energy pulse generator for supplying the ozone.

39. Cleaning machine according to claim 38, wherein the energy pulse generator is a piezoelectric energy pulse generator.

40. Cleaning machine according to claim 12, wherein each of the at least one blast nozzle is at least one of movably or rotatably controllable.