Cleaning assembly for blow-fill-seal device and blow-fill-seal device

Abstract

The utility model provides a blow molding-filling-sealing equipment cleaning assembly and blow molding-filling-sealing equipment, the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment comprises a filling needle, and the cleaning assembly is configured to utilize cleaning fluid to clean the outer surface of the filling needle of the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment. The blow-fill-seal apparatus further includes: a tube blank head including an air passage to inject compressed air into the tube blank to form a tube; the cleaning fluid is supplied to the filling needle surface through the air channel. The pipeline is transformed on the basis of existing equipment, the cleaning assembly is directly additionally arranged and communicated with the air channel of the existing pipe blank head, compared with a traditional cleaning mode, condensate on the surface of the filling needle can be cleaned in time in the production process, emptying of products or materials in the pipeline and the equipment is not needed, a large amount of product waste is avoided, and the production efficiency is improved. And the surface of the filling needle can be cleaned without complex operation. The cleaning efficiency is high, and production can be recovered immediately after cleaning is completed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to blow-fill-seal apparatus and, in particular, to improvements in blow-fill-seal apparatus. BACKGROUND

[0002] Blow-fill-seal manufacturing is an advanced aseptic manufacturing technique that was first developed in the 1930s and has been used since the 1960s to produce a variety of forms of plastic products. Currently, blow-fill-seal manufacturing has been introduced into the production of biopharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, and chemical industries.

[0003] The basic blow-fill-seal process includes: (1) extruding plastic resin vertically to form a tube known as a parison, (2) joining the parison with a multi-part primary mold to form a desired product container, (3) filling the formed container by filling the parison with a desired product through a filling needle, (4) joining the parison with a multi-part secondary mold to seal the container, and (5) labeling, inspecting, packaging, storing, and / or distributing, etc.

[0004] There are two different types of blow-fill-seal machines currently in use: (i) shuttle machines, and (ii) rotary machines. Rotary blow-fill-seal machines provide higher throughput than shuttle machines.

[0005] During the entire blow-fill-seal process, compressed air is injected into the parison through an air channel and nozzle in the parison head to control the shape of the parison, and the filling needle is always inside the continuous high-temperature parison during filling, and the entire filling process is in a completely closed environment to prevent contamination by foreign matter. However, during continuous production of the equipment, a small amount of precipitate is separated out inside the closed parison due to the high temperature, and the precipitate cannot be discharged inside the closed parison, and the filling needle is located inside the parison during filling, and the surface temperature of the filling needle is relatively low, and the precipitate will condense on the surface of the filling needle to form condensate. In addition, the product being filled, such as a liquid medicine, can also be splashed onto the surface of the filling needle during filling and condense. When these condensates accumulate too much, there is a risk of dripping and sticking to the inner surface of the parison, ultimately leading to contamination of the parison and even the product inside it, which will be identified as unqualified products and discarded and destroyed, seriously affecting the production efficiency and production cost of the equipment.

[0006] Although some blow-filling-seal devices are currently equipped with a clean-in-place (CIP) function, the function can only clean the inside of the pipeline and filling needle of the entire device, and it is difficult to effectively clean the condensate on the surface of the filling needle. For the condensate on the surface of the filling needle, if manually cleaned by hand, the device needs to be stopped, the production needs to be stopped, the operator needs to open various protective doors, and various wiping tools need to be used to manually physically wipe the filling needle. A large amount of time is needed to complete the cleaning, and the cleaning degree of the personnel is inconsistent, which makes it difficult to ensure the cleaning effect, and manual operation also has certain safety risks. Therefore, there is a need to improve the above-mentioned blow-filling-seal device. Invention content

[0007] In view of the above problems in the prior art, the present application is proposed.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present application, a cleaning assembly of a blow-filling-seal device is provided, wherein the blow-filling-seal device includes a filling needle, and the cleaning assembly is configured to clean the outer surface of the filling needle of the blow-filling-seal device with a cleaning fluid. In this way, the cleaning operation of the outer surface of the filling needle of the blow-filling-seal device can be conveniently performed, and long-term shutdown and installation risks brought by manual cleaning are avoided, and the cleaning effect is improved.

[0009] Preferably, the cleaning assembly includes a cleaning fluid source, a pipeline, and a cleaning nozzle, wherein the pipeline is configured to selectively connect the cleaning fluid source to the cleaning nozzle to spray the cleaning fluid from the cleaning fluid source to the outer surface of the filling needle.

[0010] Preferably, the blow-filling-seal device further includes a parison head, the parison head includes an air passage to inject compressed air into a parison to form a tube, and the air passage constitutes at least part of the pipeline. By using the air passage in the parison head as at least part of the pipeline of the cleaning assembly, the existing blow-filling-seal device can be advantageously modified without having to set up a separate cleaning device, thereby reducing costs.

[0011] Preferably, the blow-filling-seal device further includes a drying assembly including a drying gas source, and the cleaning assembly further includes a valve that selectively communicates the cleaning nozzle with the drying gas source of the drying assembly or the cleaning fluid source of the cleaning assembly. By providing a valve, the existing blow-filling-seal device can be easily modified to add a cleaning assembly.

[0012] Preferably, the blow-fill-seal apparatus comprises a sterilization assembly, the cleaning fluid source is shared with the sterilization assembly and / or the cleaning fluid is from a fluid source of other process parts of the blow-fill-seal apparatus. In this way, an existing fluid source can be utilized as the cleaning fluid source, reducing the cost of modification.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a blow-fill-seal apparatus comprising:

[0014] a parison head comprising an air passage and a nozzle to inject compressed air into a parison to form a tube;

[0015] a filling needle configured to fill a predetermined product into the formed tube;

[0016] a cleaning assembly configured to clean the surface of the filling needle with a cleaning fluid.

[0017] By providing the cleaning assembly, effective cleaning of the condensate on the surface of the filling needle is achieved, effectively avoiding the risk of product contamination, improving product quality.

[0018] In one embodiment, the blow-fill-seal apparatus further comprises a drying assembly configured to dry the cleaned surface of the filling needle.

[0019] In one embodiment, the cleaning assembly comprises a cleaning fluid source to provide the cleaning fluid and a first valve configured to selectively connect the cleaning fluid source to the air passage in the parison head.

[0020] Preferably, the cleaning fluid is selected from at least one of high pressure steam, pressurized purified water, pressurized water for injection, or a combination thereof, and preferably the high pressure steam is from a sterilization assembly of the blow-fill-seal apparatus.

[0021] In one embodiment, the drying assembly comprises a drying gas source comprising compressed air or an inert gas, preferably the inert gas is selected from at least one of nitrogen, argon, helium, or a combination thereof, and preferably the drying gas source is a source of dry compressed air, the source of dry compressed air being selectively connectable to the air passage by a second valve.

[0022] In one embodiment, the first valve and the second valve are the same valve, and preferably a three-way valve.

[0023] In one embodiment, the cleaning assembly further comprises a cleaning tank which is detachably mounted on the blow-fill-seal apparatus to recover and / or recycle high-temperature high-pressure fluid used to clean the filling needle. In one embodiment, the cleaning tank is sealingly mounted to the parison head of the blow-fill-seal apparatus, for example by a sealing ring.

[0024] In one embodiment, the cleaning tank comprises: a cleaning tank body having a receiving space; a mounting surface to mate the cleaning tank to the parison head; a seal provided on the mounting surface to seal with the parison head when mounted; a mounting mechanism configured to detachably secure the cleaning tank to the parison head. Preferably, the mounting mechanism comprises a plurality of wings extending from the cleaning tank body, whereby the cleaning tank of the cleaning assembly is compatible with an existing online cleaning assembly of a blow-fill-seal apparatus, and the cleaning tank can be mounted using the mounting mechanism of the existing online cleaning assembly.

[0025] The present application achieves effective cleaning of condensate on the surface of the filling needle by providing a cleaning assembly on the blow-fill-seal apparatus to clean the surface of the filling needle, effectively avoids the risk of product contamination, and improves product quality. In particular, the present application further modifies the pipeline based on the existing equipment, and directly adds the cleaning fluid system for cleaning the surface of the filling needle to the air passage of the existing parison head through the pipeline and valve. Compared with the traditional manual cleaning method and CIP program cleaning, the filling needle surface condensate can be cleaned during production, and only the related instruments and equipment need to be stopped, without the need to empty the product or material in the pipeline and equipment, without a large amount of product waste, and without the need for complex operations to achieve filling needle surface cleaning, with high cleaning efficiency and the ability to resume production immediately after cleaning is completed, thus being more efficient and safe.

[0026] The cleaning assembly of the present application can clean the filling needle in a timely manner. Actual production process shows that the blow-fill-seal apparatus with the filling needle surface cleaning function of the present application can extend the original 6 hours of continuous production to more than 24 hours, greatly improving the control effect of the product quality of the closed parison extrusion molding filling apparatus during the production process, and ensuring the production efficiency and product quality of the closed filling apparatus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings of the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced in the following. The drawings are only used to show some embodiments of the present application, and the present application is not limited to the drawings, wherein:

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing an existing blow-fill-seal apparatus comprising a CIP assembly;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating a blow molding-filling-sealing apparatus including a cleaning component according to this application, showing the operation of the cleaning step;

[0030] Figure 3 This shows the operation during the drying step. Figure 2 A schematic block diagram of a blow molding-filling-sealing device;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic block diagram showing the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment according to this application under normal production conditions; and

[0032] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional view showing the cleaning tank. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same components. It should be noted that the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of this utility model without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0034] In the following description and claims, directional terms such as "upstream" and "downstream" are included. Those skilled in the art will understand that upstream refers to the direction from which the fluid originates, while downstream refers to the direction in which the fluid flows.

[0035] First refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A simplified block diagram of a typical portion of an existing blow molding-filling-sealing device 100 is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment 100 includes a blow molding-filling-sealing mold system 250, to which a preform 110 of a molding material, such as resin, is supplied. The mold system includes an air channel 420 and a nozzle 430 to form a container to be filled after air blowing through the nozzle 430. A filling assembly 200 includes a filling needle 210 that descends into the formed container and fills the container with product from a product can 220. The finally filled container is sealed and cooled, and then output as the final product.

[0036] To prevent cross-contamination between different products or to avoid other foreign contaminants, the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment 100 is optionally equipped with an in-line cleaning (CIP) component 300, such as... Figure 1As shown, the online cleaning assembly may include, for example, a CIP cleaning tank 310, a valve 320 connecting the cleaning tank 310 to the filling assembly 200, and related pumps (not shown) and piping. During CIP cleaning, valve 320 is switched to disconnect the product tank from the piping and open the connection between the cleaning tank 310 and the filling assembly. Thus, under the action of the pump, cleaning fluid is pumped into the filling assembly to clean it. Before executing the CIP program, the equipment must be stopped. A stainless steel cleaning tank with the equipment is installed on the tube blank head 230 to discharge the product and cleaning wastewater from the piping. When the CIP program starts, the PLC program controls the water pump to operate. Dedicated cleaning water is pumped from the cleaning tank 310 into the product piping for cleaning. The interior of the filling needle 210 is cleaned by the water flow, while the outer surface of the filling needle cannot be cleaned under the original equipment's CIP program.

[0037] Therefore, as can be seen from the above process, the CIP procedure is mainly for cleaning the inside of the pipeline and the filling needle, but it cannot remove the condensate on the surface of the filling needle 210. In addition, the entire CIP procedure takes about 2 hours to execute, and in order to execute the procedure, the machine needs to be stopped beforehand and the product in the entire blow molding-filling-sealing equipment needs to be emptied. This results in wasted time and product, seriously affecting the equipment's production efficiency and increasing production costs.

[0038] If manual cleaning is used, operators need to use hand cleaning tools to clean the condensate on the filling needles, which still requires a long downtime and also carries certain operational safety risks.

[0039] Additionally, the blow molding-filling-sealing apparatus 100 may also include a drying assembly 400 to dry the entire piping system and the filling needle using compressed air. The drying assembly 400 may include a compressed air source (not shown), a compressed air line 410 connected to the compressed air source, a nozzle line 420 located downstream of the compressed air line, a nozzle 430 communicating with the nozzle line 420, and an associated valve 440, to spray compressed air through the compressed air line 410, the nozzle line 420, and the nozzle 430 onto the surface of the filling needle 210 to dry the filling needle 210 upon completion of the cleaning process. In an optional specific example, the nozzle 430 may utilize a nozzle within the preform head 230 that controls the shape of the preform, and the nozzle line 420 may utilize an air passage within the preform head; therefore, in the description of this application, the two may be used interchangeably. Thus, during the production process, compressed air is injected into the tube blank from the air channel 420 and nozzle 430 to form a container for the product, and during drying, compressed air for drying can be ejected from the air channel 420 and nozzle 430 to dry the surface of the filling needle 210. The compressed air source for drying can be the same as the compressed air source controlling the shape of the tube blank or a separate compressed air source; there is no limitation. If different compressed air sources are used, a corresponding three-way valve 450 is provided between the different compressed air sources to switch between them. However, in the prior art, the drying component in the CIP equipped with the blow molding-filling-sealing system only has a drying function and cannot achieve cleaning of the filling needle surface.

[0040] According to this application, such as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, a cleaning assembly 500 is provided for cleaning the surface of a filling needle. The cleaning assembly 500 is configured to provide cleaning fluid to the outer surface of the filling needle 210 when needed to clean the outer surface of the filling needle 210. Figure 2 A simplified diagram of one embodiment of the cleaning component 500 according to this application is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the cleaning assembly 500 includes a cleaning fluid source (not shown), a cleaning line 510 disposed downstream of and connected to the cleaning fluid source, a cleaning nozzle, a cleaning tank 520 removably attached to a blow molding-filling-sealing device, and a valve 530 disposed between the cleaning line 510 and the nozzle line 420 to connect or disconnect the cleaning line 510 and the nozzle line 420 as needed. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning fluid line 510 is connected via a valve 530 to the nozzle line of the drying assembly or the air passage 420 within the tube blank head. The cleaning nozzle is a nozzle 430, which supplies cleaning fluid to the outer surface of the filling needle 210 by means of the nozzle line 420 and the nozzle 430. However, this application is not limited to this; separate lines and nozzles may also be provided to spray cleaning fluid onto the outer surface of the filling needle 210.

[0041] Preferably, the cleaning fluid can be a high-temperature, high-pressure fluid; more preferably, the cleaning fluid can be high-pressure steam. When the cleaning fluid is high-pressure steam, the cleaning fluid source can be a high-pressure steam source, specifically a high-pressure steam source shared with the sterilization assembly (not shown) of the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment; or a high-pressure steam source used in other process sections of the equipment workshop. Thus, by switching appropriate valves when needed, existing high-pressure steam can be used to clean the filling needles. Alternatively, pressurized purified water or water for injection can be used instead of high-pressure steam for the cleaning operation; this application is not limiting.

[0042] like Figure 2 As shown, when performing the surface cleaning operation of the filling needle, it is necessary to install the cleaning tank 520 beforehand. The structure of the cleaning tank 520 is as follows: Figure 5 As shown. The cleaning tank 520 includes a cleaning tank body 521, which is, for example, machined from a single piece of cuboid metal using a CNC machine tool. The material is selected from metals such as 316L stainless steel, 304 stainless steel, and copper alloy, but this application is not limited to these; it can also be formed by methods such as stamping. The body 521 of the cleaning tank 520 includes a receiving cavity 522, and the body 521 is provided with a discharge hole (not shown) for connection, for example, with a hose, for discharging the medium. The cleaning tank 520 includes a mounting surface, which is substantially flat and is provided with a sealing ring 524 to maintain a closed-loop seal when engaged with the tube blank head. In one embodiment, the cleaning tank 520 can be compatible with the cleaning tank used in CIP functions. The cleaning tank 520 has multiple wings 525 on its outer periphery so that when the cleaning tank 520 is pushed into the mounting position of the CIP drainage device, the wings 525 are supported by a cylinder (not shown) inside the device to lift the cleaning tank, so that the cleaning tank 520 is tightly engaged with the tube blank head.

[0043] However, this application is not limited to this; other installation mechanisms may also be used, such as threaded connections or snap-fit ​​connections, to allow the cleaning tank 520 to be detachably and sealingly installed onto the tube blank head. Thus, during surface cleaning operations, the cleaning tank 520 recovers the steam and condensate from cleaning the filling needle 210 and discharges it outside the equipment or recycles the recovered steam back into the equipment.

[0044] Valve 530 can be a three-way valve, connected between the dry compressed air line 410, the cleaning line 510, and the nozzle line 420, and can be switched between two positions. In the first position, valve 530 connects the dry compressed air line 410 to the nozzle 430 via the nozzle line 420 for drying the filling needle 210. See [reference needed]. Figure 3In the second position, valve 530 connects cleaning line 510 to nozzle 430 via nozzle line 420 to perform cleaning operation on filling needle 210. (See [reference]) Figure 2 Valve 530 can be a pneumatically controlled valve, an electrically controlled valve, or a manually controlled valve, without limitation. In a preferred embodiment, a controller (not shown) is provided, which may include, for example, a programmable controller, a microprocessor, a single-chip microcomputer, etc., thereby controlling the operation of valve 530 according to a pre-set program.

[0045] The following reference Figures 2 to 4 This describes the cleaning and drying procedures for the filling needles in this application.

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, when cleaning of the filling needles is required, the production process is interrupted, and the cleaning tank 520 is installed on the equipment. Valve 440 is closed, and valve 530 is switched to the second position, thereby connecting the nozzle line 420 with the cleaning line 510. High-temperature, high-pressure steam is supplied to the nozzle 430 through valve 530 and the cleaning line 510 and sprayed onto the outer surface of the filling needle 210 to clean it. After a predetermined cleaning time, as... Figure 3 As shown, valve 530 is switched to the first position, thereby disconnecting the cleaning line 510 from the nozzle line 420 and connecting the nozzle line 420 to the dry compressed air line 410. Simultaneously, valve 440 is opened and valve 450 is switched to connect the dry compressed air source to the compressed air line 410, thereby supplying dry compressed air to the filling needle 210 via line 410, nozzle line 420, and nozzle 430 to dry the filling needle 210. After a predetermined drying time, such as 10 minutes, the equipment returns to normal production status. Figure 4 As shown, the cleaning tank 520 is removed, the valve 450 is switched to connect the compressed air line 410 to the compressed air source that controls the shape of the tube blank, and the valve 530 is held in the first position, thereby resuming production.

[0047] In one embodiment, the predetermined cleaning time is 5-20 minutes, preferably 10 minutes, but this application is not limited to this and can be adjusted as needed; the drying time can be in the range of 5 to 20 minutes, preferably 10 minutes, but this application is not limited to this and can be adjusted as needed. In one embodiment, during the cleaning operation, the pressure of the high-pressure steam is 1.5 to 3 bar, preferably 2 bar, and the steam flow rate is not less than 81 m³ / s. 3 / h.

[0048] Since the entire cleaning process takes place on the outer surface of the filling needle 210, it does not affect the product inside the filling needle. Therefore, it is not necessary to empty the product from the system before and after the cleaning operation. Alternatively, a small amount of product inside the filling needle can be discarded after the cleaning operation and before resuming production. This can be done by draining the product into the cleaning tank before removing it and discarding it along with the cleaning tank.

[0049] The above operations can be performed manually, by an operator manipulating each valve and switching between each process. However, this application is not limited to this and can also be performed automatically.

[0050] To automate the aforementioned cleaning operation of the filling needles, a controller can be configured, as described above. This controller may include, for example, a programmable logic controller (PLC), microprocessor, or microcontroller. The controller can be a standalone controller or a component of the original equipment's controller; in the latter case, the controller is reprogrammed to incorporate the cleaning and drying operations. When an operator issues a cleaning command, for example via operation buttons, a touchscreen, voice, or other command devices, the controller controls the valves to perform the corresponding cleaning and drying steps. The controller can be pre-programmed to control the execution time of the cleaning and drying steps, automatically switch between them after execution, and automatically return to production mode after completion.

[0051] Preferably, the device also includes a display (not shown) to indicate the currently set execution stage and the operating status of the equipment to the operator, and can issue operation prompts to the operator, such as prompting "Please install the cleaning tank" before the cleaning step begins, and prompting "Please remove the cleaning tank" after the cleaning and drying steps are completed. However, this application is not limited to this, and prompts or reminders can also be issued by voice or other means.

[0052] Although the cleaning and drying steps are described above as being performed sequentially, this application is not limited to this. The cleaning and drying steps may also be performed separately according to the operator's instructions, or the cleaning and drying steps may be performed sequentially and repeatedly multiple times, or each step may be performed separately and repeatedly multiple times.

[0053] The cleaning operation can be performed according to the equipment's predetermined production time, or according to the equipment's production batches, output, etc. In one embodiment, the cleaning operation can be initiated by the operator based on the operator's observation of a certain degree of condensation on the filling needle; or the equipment can be equipped with a filling needle surface detection device to detect the contamination status of the filling needle surface. This detection device is, for example, a vision-based camera or other detection device, and this application is not limited thereto. Thus, the controller is configured to automatically initiate the cleaning and / or drying operation when the detection device detects that the contamination status of the filling needle surface reaches or exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0054] According to this application, a storage medium is provided that stores code, which, when read by a controller of a blow molding-filling-sealing apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform the cleaning and / or drying operations of the filling needles described above. The storage medium is not limited to a tangible medium, but can also be an intangible medium, such as code stored in the cloud or a remote server, from which the blow molding-filling-sealing apparatus can connect via wired or wireless means to download the corresponding code.

[0055] Although high-pressure steam is used to clean the outer surface of the filling needle in the above embodiments, this application is not limited to this. Pressurized purified water or water for injection can also be used instead of pure steam for cleaning to achieve the purpose of cleaning the filling needle; or the filling needle can be cleaned with purified water or water for injection first, and then cleaned with pure steam to further enhance the cleaning of the filling needle; or a combination of the above cleaning media can be used to achieve cleaning.

[0056] In performing the drying step, in addition to using compressed air, inert gases such as nitrogen, argon, or helium can also be used, or a vacuum pump can be added to connect the vacuum line to the existing drying compressed air line of the equipment. The surface of the filling needle and the cleaning line can be dried by negative pressure. This application does not limit this.

[0057] According to this application, by installing a cleaning component 500 on the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment to clean the surface of the filling needle 210, effective cleaning of condensate on the outer surface of the filling needle 210 is achieved, effectively avoiding the risk of product contamination and improving product quality. In particular, the cleaning component of this application modifies the pipeline on the basis of existing equipment, directly adding an air channel connecting the pipeline and valve to the existing tube blank head. Therefore, when cleaning the surface of the filling needle is required during production, only the relevant instruments and equipment need to be paused. Compared with CIP / SIP cleaning, it is not necessary to empty the product and / or materials from the pipeline and equipment. Only a small amount of product in the filling needle needs to be discarded before resuming production, or even none at all. Therefore, manual or automatic cleaning of the filling needles can be performed on the closed-loop tube blank extrusion molding filling equipment without damaging the equipment's production conditions. Production can resume immediately after the operation, solving the problem of ineffective cleaning of the filling needle surface during the production process of closed-loop filling equipment, and ensuring the quality of products produced by the closed-loop tube blank extrusion molding filling equipment. In addition, the added pipelines and valves enable timely cleaning of the filling needles. Actual production shows that the system after pipeline and valve modifications can extend the original continuous production time from 6 hours to more than 24 hours. Therefore, it greatly improves the quality control of the closed-loop tube blank extrusion molding filling equipment during the production process, ensuring the production efficiency and product quality of the closed-loop filling equipment.

[0058] In addition, in a preferred embodiment of this application, pure steam is used to rinse the filling needle, and dry compressed air is used to dry the pipeline and filling needle after steam rinsing. Due to the dual effects of high temperature and high pressure, a high-quality cleaning effect is guaranteed.

[0059] As described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that while the methods and apparatus described herein constitute exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and changes may be made to such embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that the present invention is defined by the claims, and this does not mean that any limitation or element describing the exemplary embodiments set forth herein will be incorporated into the interpretation of any claim element, unless such limitation or element is expressly stated. Similarly, it should be understood that not all the advantages or objectives mentioned in the present invention need to be satisfied in order to fall within the scope of any claim, because the present invention is defined by the claims and because there may be inherent and / or unforeseen advantages of the claimed invention, even if not explicitly discussed herein.

Claims

1. A cleaning component for a blow molding-filling-sealing apparatus, wherein, The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment includes a filling needle, characterized in that the cleaning component is configured to clean the outer surface of the filling needle of the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment using a cleaning fluid.

2. The cleaning component as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning components include: Clean fluid source; Piping; and Clean the nozzle. The tubing is configured to selectively connect a cleaning fluid source to a cleaning nozzle to spray cleaning fluid from the cleaning fluid source onto the outer surface of the filling needle.

3. The cleaning component as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment also includes a tube blank head, which includes an air channel for injecting compressed air into the tube blank to form a tube, the air channel forming at least a portion of the pipeline.

4. The cleaning component as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment further includes a drying component, which includes a drying air source, and the cleaning component further includes a valve that allows the cleaning nozzle to be selectively connected to either the drying air source of the drying component or the cleaning fluid source of the cleaning component.

5. The cleaning component as described in any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that, The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment includes a sterilization component, and the cleaning fluid source is shared with the sterilization component or the cleaning fluid comes from a fluid source in other process sections of the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment.

6. A blow molding-filling-sealing apparatus, comprising: A tube blank head, the tube blank head including an air passage for injecting compressed air into the tube blank to form a tube; A filling needle configured to fill a predetermined product into a formed tube; The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment is characterized in that it further includes: A cleaning assembly configured to clean the surface of the filling needle using a cleaning fluid.

7. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment also includes a drying assembly configured to dry the cleaned surface of the filling needle.

8. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The cleaning assembly includes a cleaning fluid source for providing cleaning fluid and a first valve configured to selectively connect the cleaning fluid source to an air passage in the tube blank head.

9. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The cleaning assembly includes a cleaning fluid source for providing cleaning fluid and a first valve configured to selectively connect the cleaning fluid source to an air passage in the tube blank head.

10. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The cleaning fluid is selected from at least one or a combination of high-pressure steam, pressurized purified water, and pressurized water for injection.

11. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment also includes a sterilization component, and the high-pressure steam comes from the sterilization component of the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment.

12. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The drying assembly includes a drying air source, which is selectively connected to the air passage via a second valve.

13. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 12, characterized in that, Drying gas sources include compressed air or inert gas.

14. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The inert gas is selected from at least one of nitrogen, argon, and helium, or a combination thereof.

15. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that, The first valve and the second valve are the same valve.

16. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 15, characterized in that, The valve is a three-way valve.

17. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The cleaning assembly also includes a cleaning tank detachably mounted on the blow molding-filling-sealing equipment to recover and / or recycle fluid used for cleaning the filling needles.

18. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 17, characterized in that, The cleaning tank is installed in a sealed manner onto the tube blank head.

19. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 18, characterized in that, The cleaning tank includes: A cleaning tank body with a capacity; The cleaning tank is fitted and installed onto the mounting surface of the tube blank head; A sealing element installed on the mounting surface to seal with the tube blank head during installation; The mounting mechanism is configured to detachably secure the cleaning tank to the tube blank head.

20. The blow molding-filling-sealing equipment as described in claim 19, characterized in that, The mounting mechanism includes multiple wings extending from the cleaning tank body.

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