HK1085705B - Apparatus and method for filling flexible foil bags - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a process and device for filling flexible film bags. Film bags to be filled are stored in a composite state before filling. To enable these fillings, the film bags are shaped before filling, which means that the cavity is created in which the filling material is to be filled.

For this purpose, it is known from EP 0417810, EP 0908386 and EP 0909708 that the film bags are formed by inflating with air.

The formed film bags are then filled with filler material (see EP 0909708), which is then filled hot for hygiene reasons for disinfection.

The film bags are then sealed to ensure that the filler is packaged in a hygienically sound condition and can be stored for a long time in normal environmental conditions without spoiling.

The filled film bags must be refrigerated for further treatment.

The cost of running these plants is considerable because of the high cooling costs.

GB963144 provides a method and device for filling liquids according to the general terms of claims 1 and 9.

The present invention is therefore intended to create a process and device which are more cost-effective in operation.

The problem is solved by a procedure as claimed 1 and a device as claimed 9.

The method involves the formation of the film bag with a gaseous medium, which already disinfects the film bag. This means that heating of the liquid filler before filling can be avoided at least partially. This means that the filler either does not need to be heated at all or less strongly compared to the state of the art. Therefore, cooling can also be provided with a lower cooling power. This also results in a saving of the filler, since heating the filler may impair it.

Disinfecting means to reduce germs, bacteria or the like to such an extent that the product is not affected by them during its lifetime.

The disinfectant effect of the gaseous medium, which includes air as carrier gas, is achieved by the addition of ozone.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the bag is evacuated before being formed with the gaseous medium, which ensures that when the film bag is formed with the gaseous medium, the gaseous medium is introduced into all corners of the flat bag, thus achieving a more reliable disinfection effect throughout the interior of the film bag.

In another embodiment, the bag can be evacuated again after being formed to remove the disinfecting gaseous medium and then the film bag can be reconstituted with a disinfected or sterile gaseous medium and/or the filler.

It is also possible that the disinfectant gaseous medium is rinsed with a disinfected or sterile medium (e.g. sterile hot air) after the bag has been formed.

It is also possible in an advantageous embodiment to put only a small amount of disinfecting gaseous medium into the film bag and then to fully shape it with a disinfected or sterile gaseous medium (e.g. sterile hot air), using the disinfecting gaseous medium to partially shape the film bag.

In another advantageous embodiment of the process, it is possible to heat the gaseous medium before using it to shape the bag, increasing the disinfecting effect of ozone added to the gaseous medium.

The device shall have a forming device for forming the film bags with a gaseous medium and a filling device for filling the film bags with a liquid medium. The device shall also have a device to disinfect the gaseous medium. This includes a device for adding ozone and may be a device for heating the gaseous medium and/or adding hydrogen peroxide or similar to the gaseous medium.

Ozone has been added to air as a carrier gas to form the gaseous medium, which can be done by means of a dosing valve, a dosing pump or similar.

It is also possible that ozone is produced by irradiation of oxygen or air and thus added to the gaseous medium.

In an advantageous embodiment, the device has an evacuation device and/or a bag closure device.

The evacuation device may be designed to evacuate the bags before they are formed or to evacuate them after the first formation; in the latter case, a second formation device may be used to form the film bags.

The device also has the advantage of a washing device which flushes the film bag to displace the disinfecting gaseous medium. The flushing can be done, for example, by introducing preferably disinfected or sterile air which displaces the gaseous disinfecting medium. It is also possible to neutralize the disinfecting medium. For example, if a highly oxidizing disinfecting gaseous medium is used, it can be neutralized by a reducing agent. This agent can also be used instead of flushing.

The following figures show the advantages of the process and the device: Figure 1 shows the various states of a film bag in an embodiment of the process,Figure 2 a schematic representation of a device for filling flexible film bags,Figure 3 shows a schematic representation of a moulding device.

Figure 1a shows a film bag 1 as it is in a flat folded state. Figure 1a shows a cut through the film bag 1. The film bag 1 has two side films 1a and 1b and a floor film 1c.

Figure 1b shows how a tube 2 was inserted into the upper end of the film bag 1.

The tube 2 now blows gaseous medium into film bag 1 (see arrow 4 in Fig. 1c). By closing the top end of film bag 1 by the faces 3a and 3b and the tube 2, the film bag 1 is inflated and thus at least partially shaped. The two overlapping side films 1a and 1b are separated from each other and the folded floor film 1c is at least partially unfolded (see Fig. 1c).

The film bag 1 is now formed into a hollow space which can be filled with liquid filler.

Figure 1d shows how a tube 6 which may be identical or different from tube 2 is used to fill liquid filler 5 into film bag 1 (see arrow 7 in Figure 1d).

As can be seen, the liquid medium largely fills the created cavity in the film bag 1.

The film bag 1 thus filled is then welded at its top with welding trays 8a and 8b and closed as shown in Figure 1e.

By inflating a disinfecting gaseous medium into the film bag 1, as indicated by the arrow 4 in Figure 1c, the inside of the film bag 1 is disinfected.

In a special embodiment, the film bag 1 is evacuated after it has been at least partially formed and disinfected as shown in Fig. 1c, and then re-formed to the shape shown in Fig. 1b. The bag is then re-formed so that it again takes the shape shown in Fig. 1c. The film bag 1 thus formed and disinfected can then be filled as shown in Fig. 1d.

It is also possible to evacuate the film bag 1 with the tube 2 as shown in Fig. 1b and thus remove the last air residue from the inside of the bag. Then, using the tube 2 as shown in Fig. 1c, the inside of the bag can be filled with the disinfectant gas, so that its interior is disinfected.

The same tube 2 as the inflation tube may be used for evacuation, but different devices may be used.

Figure 2 shows a schematic of a device for the preparation of flexible film bags.

The film bags can be carried in the direction 13 by an unmarked conveyor, with the film bags suspended at their upper end.

In a first station 9 the film bags 1 can be picked up by the conveyor.

In a forming device 10 the film bags are inflated with the gaseous medium through tube 2 and thus formed.

A filling device 11 is located to the right of the moulding device 10 to fill the film bags 1.

A closing station 12 is provided to close film bags from the filling unit 11.

The current from the filling unit 12 may be provided by a cooling unit or a withdrawal unit to remove the film bags 1 from the conveyor.

The design of the moulding device 10 is shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3a shows a foil bag 1 together with tube 2 into which ozone 14 and, if necessary, hydrogen peroxide or similar can be introduced through a valve.

Figure 3b shows a device 15 which can be used to achieve a disinfectant effect of the gaseous medium.

This may be a device which generates ozone, for example by irradiation with UV light, so that the ozone gives the gaseous medium its disinfectant effect.

An additional evacuation station may be provided between the 9th and the 10th forming station to evacuate the inside of the film bag 1 but this evacuation facility may also be integrated into the forming device 10 which means that evacuation by the tube 2 is possible by means of a corresponding vacuum pump or similar attached or connectable to the tube 2 at the end of the device.

An evacuation device may also be located between the outlet device 10 and the filling device 11.

The evacuation is then used to remove the gaseous medium with the disinfecting effect, and it is advantageous to provide an additional forming device after this intermediate evacuation device and the filling device 11.

Claims (12)

1. A method of filling flexible foil bags (1), wherein:

   a foil bag (1) is shaped at least partially by means of a gaseous medium and

   said foil bag (1) is then filled with a liquid filling material (5), wherein

   said gaseous medium disinfects the foil bag (1),

   characterized in that the gaseous medium comprises ozone, and air as a carrier gas.
2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that said gaseous medium comprises hydrogen peroxide.
3. A method according to one of the claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the liquid filling material (5) is a beverage.
4. A method according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the foil bag (1) is evacuated before it is shaped.
5. A method according to one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the foil bag (1) is evacuated after having been shaped, and is subsequently shaped by means of a disinfected and/or sterile gaseous medium and/or the filling material (5).
6. A method according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the foil bag (1) is rinsed with a disinfected and/or sterile medium after it has been shaped.
7. A method according to one of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the foil bag (1) is shaped only partially by means of said gaseous disinfecting medium and is then shaped fully by means of a disinfected and/or sterile medium which preferably produces no longer a disinfecting effect.
8. A method according to one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the gaseous medium is heated before it is used for the purpose of shaping.
9. An apparatus for filling flexible foil bags (1) comprising:

   a shaping unit (10) for shaping the foil bags (1) by means of a gaseous medium which disinfects the foil bag (1),

   a filling unit (11) for filling the foil bags (1) with a liquid filling material (5),

   characterized by means (14), (15) for adding a disinfecting effect to said gaseous medium, said means (14), (15) comprising means for adding ozone to said gaseous medium, said gaseous medium comprising air as a carrier gas.
10. An apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that said means (14), (15) for adding a disinfecting effect comprise means for heating said gaseous medium and/or for adding hydrogen peroxide to said gaseous medium.
11. An apparatus according to one of the claims 9 or 10, characterized in that said apparatus comprises an evacuating unit for evacuating the bags.
12. An apparatus according to one of the claims 9 to 11, characterized in that said apparatus comprises a sealing unit (12) for sealing the bags.