Container coating system, in particular for coating beverage containers

Abstract

The invention relates to a container coating system (5), in particular for coating beverage containers, having an air-conditioned coating module (6), wherein the coating module (6) is connected to an air-conditioning device (16) via an air-conditioning duct system. According to the invention, the container coating system (5), in particular for coating beverage containers, comprises an air-conditioned coating module (6), wherein the coating module (6) is connected to an air-conditioning device (16) via an air-conditioning duct system. According to the invention, an aspect ratio of a length and a width of the air-conditioning device (16) is at least 3:1.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Container coating system, especially for coating beverage containers

[0003] The invention relates to a container coating system, in particular for coating beverage containers, with an air-conditioned coating module, wherein the coating module is connected to an air-conditioning device via an air-conditioning duct system.

[0004] Such container coating systems are generally known from the prior art and are used to provide containers with an internal coating. The invention relates in particular to containers from the field of food technology, especially beverage technology. Accordingly, the containers are beverage containers, for example, beverage bottles. These beverage containers are typically made of plastic, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Before coating, the beverage containers are usually formed from preforms using a blow molding process.

[0005] Since polyethylene terephthalate in particular has only low barrier properties against the penetration of oxygen and / or the escape of carbon dioxide or other gases, an additional barrier layer can be applied to the inside of the containers using an appropriate container coating system.

[0006] Such a coating is typically applied using so-called plasma coating processes, in which the corresponding layers are deposited from a plasma and deposited on the walls of the beverage container. In this context, so-called PICVD processes (“Plasma Impulse Chemical Vapor Deposition”) are also referred to, in which layers of silicon oxide are deposited. Corresponding processes are known, for example, from WO 03 / 100125 A1 and WO 03 / 100121 A2.

[0007] The air-conditioned coating module, which is used to coat the beverage containers, typically has a closed, fully enclosed coating chamber. This enclosure prevents the ingress of dust or condensate. At the same time, it also reduces the area that must be cooled to a predetermined operating temperature by the air conditioning system, ensuring maximum energy efficiency. It should be noted that heat is generated during the coating process, particularly during plasma coating, and this heat must be continuously dissipated by the air conditioning system to ensure trouble-free operation of the container coating system.

[0008] It is known in practice to arrange corresponding air conditioning devices either next to or on top of the coating module. The air conditioning devices typically have a substantially rectangular housing shape, with access to the air conditioning device or to the devices or air conditioning elements arranged within the air conditioning device only possible from certain sides during maintenance intervals. To access the air conditioning elements located behind the device, it is necessary to remove parts of the air conditioning device, meaning that the maintenance work can extend over a relatively long period of time, during which coating of the beverage containers is not possible.

[0009] Against this background, the invention is based on the object of providing a container coating system characterized by an air conditioning device that is easily accessible and can be easily maintained. The subject matter and solution to this object is a container coating system according to patent claim 1. Accordingly, the aspect ratio of the length of the air conditioning device to the width of the air conditioning device is at least 3:1.

[0010] The air conditioning device or the housing of the air conditioning device therefore has an elongated design, so that, for example, the air conditioning elements arranged within the air conditioning device can be arranged essentially one behind the other rather than side by side. This makes it possible for all air conditioning elements to be serviced from just one side, in particular from a long side. Corresponding modifications during maintenance work are not absolutely necessary.

[0011] Although it has been shown that an aspect ratio of 3:1 is sufficient, a particularly preferred embodiment provides an aspect ratio of at least 4:1, particularly preferably of at least 4.5:1.

[0012] According to a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the air conditioning device is arranged substantially above the coating module, in particular spatially above and to the side of the coating module. The invention is based on the recognition that the available space (footprint) for individual treatment systems within a production hall is limited. Accordingly, the individual treatment systems are subject to certain specifications regarding their width and length, so that, especially in the case of relatively long air conditioning systems, measures are expedient to reduce the overall installation space for the container coating system. Modern container treatment lines, which comprise a large number of container treatment systems, are often designed in blocks with one another.In this context, interlocking means that the containers, especially beverage containers, are transferred directly from one treatment system to the next. The transfer is typically carried out using so-called transfer stars. Accordingly, there are no system components that buffer containers. However, the direct transfer using transfer stars also further limits the installation space, so that, precisely against this background, the arrangement of the air conditioning system above the container coating system is expedient in order to utilize the required installation space as effectively as possible.

[0013] In this context, an arrangement substantially above the container coating assembly simply means that the air conditioning system is arranged at least largely, but in particular entirely, above the coating module. However, the air conditioning device does not necessarily have to be arranged directly above the coating module.

[0014] Although such an embodiment is fundamentally possible within the scope of the invention, a particularly preferred embodiment provides for an arrangement next to the coating module. Accordingly, a pump module is arranged next to the coating module, with the air conditioning device preferably being arranged at least partially on the pump module. The coating module is supplied with various fluids with the aid of the pump module. For example, the pump module can also have a pump unit which creates a vacuum during the coating of the containers. Other pump units can also be arranged within the pump module, with the pump module typically having a height which corresponds at least 80%, preferably 90%, and particularly preferably completely to the height of the coating module.

[0015] The pump module is located next to the coating module and is therefore particularly well-suited for accommodating the air conditioning system. This arrangement also ensures that the coating module, especially the coating chamber, is kept as free as possible on an upper wall, allowing access to the interior of the coating chamber through the upper wall.

[0016] Such a design is expedient because a rotatably driven coating wheel is typically arranged within the coating chamber. This coating wheel coats the containers as they rotate, with maintenance work on this coating carrier and the coating units arranged thereon typically being carried out from the inside. Accordingly, access to the interior of the coating wheel is required, which is provided via the upper wall of the coating chamber. For example, it is known in practice to arrange air conditioning devices on the upper wall and thus directly above the coating module. However, precisely for the reasons mentioned above, such a design is not appropriate within the scope of the invention.

[0017] According to a preferred development, the pump module also has an aspect ratio of length to width of at least 3:1, particularly preferably of at least 4:1. Accordingly, both the air conditioning device and the pump module are essentially elongated, so that the air conditioning device can be arranged on the pump device in a simple manner. In this context, it can then also be expedient if the pump module projects beyond the air conditioning device at least on one long side in the width direction, in which case a maintenance platform can be arranged on the pump module along the long side of the coating module. Of course, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide a maintenance platform that is independent of the coating module and is also arranged at least along one long side of the air conditioning device.

[0018] Furthermore, it is also conceivable for the maintenance platform to be arranged along a broad side of the air conditioning device, so that the maintenance platform at least partially encompasses the air conditioning device. According to such a configuration, the pump module can then also project beyond the air conditioning device in the longitudinal direction, so that an L- or C-shaped maintenance platform can then be arranged on the air conditioning device.

[0019] A particularly preferred embodiment further provides that the air conditioning duct system has at least one supply duct and one return duct, wherein the supply duct is arranged at least partially on the coating module. With the aid of the supply duct, the conditioned, in particular the cooled air is introduced into the coating module, in particular into the coating chamber. The supply duct connects to the coating chamber of the coating module via an air conditioning inlet in the upper wall, wherein the air conditioning inlet is arranged as close as possible above the coating wheel. The conditioned air thus enters the coating module from above, in particular through the upper wall, and is then drawn off again via the return duct and re-enters the air conditioning device.The return duct preferably connects to the coating module, in particular to the coating chamber, via an air conditioning outlet. The air conditioning outlet is preferably located near the floor in a side wall. Accordingly, the conditioned air flows into the coating module from above and exits again at the bottom. This prevents dust located in the coating module from being stirred up and potentially disrupting the coating process.

[0020] A further development of the invention provides that the width of the air conditioning device is less than 1500 mm, in particular less than 1400 mm. Such a design has the advantage that the air conditioning device can be easily loaded into standard containers without having to remove components prior to transport.

[0021] A further development provides that the air conditioning device is formed from at least two air conditioning units arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the spatial extent of the air conditioning device and preferably detachably connected to one another. Accordingly, prefabricated air conditioning units are available which can be combined with one another in a suitable manner, and in particular, the transport of individual air conditioning units and / or groups of air conditioning units is also possible. Accordingly, it is particularly expedient if the air conditioning units and / or the groups of air conditioning units have a length of less than 2400 mm. This size also depends in particular on the length of standard containers.

[0022] A preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the air conditioning device or units comprise air conditioning elements selected from the group consisting of refrigeration units, valves, heat exchangers, filters, fans, and piping. In particular, each air conditioning element comprises at least one corresponding air conditioning element.

[0023] As already explained above, the coating module preferably has a rotatably driven coating wheel, wherein at least one coating unit for coating containers is arranged on the coating wheel.

[0024] The coating unit is preferably designed to coat the containers by means of plasma deposition.

[0025] The invention further relates to a production line for the manufacture and coating of beverage containers according to claim 15, comprising a container coating system according to the invention and a transport line for feeding the beverage containers into the container coating system, wherein the transport line for cooling the beverage containers is connected to the air conditioning device via the air conditioning duct system. Accordingly, not only the coating module but also the transport line is air-conditioned. Typically, the transport line connects the container coating system to a blow-molding module in which the beverage containers were formed from preforms by blow molding or stretch blow molding.Since the preforms are usually heated in an upstream heating device before being formed into beverage containers, and thermal conditioning of the preforms can also occur during forming, the beverage containers generally leave the blow molding module warm, with temperatures reaching up to 35°C. By connecting them to the air conditioning device, it is possible to cool the beverage containers, in particular to a temperature between 10 and 30°C. The air conditioning device is preferably configured to cool the beverage containers by 1°C to 5°C during the transport section.

[0026] The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments. They show:

[0027] Fig. 1 a plan view of a schematic representation of a production line with a coating system according to the invention

[0028] Fig. 2 a schematic plan view of the coating module of the coating system according to the invention

[0029] Fig. 3 a plan view of the coating system according to the invention with representation of the air conditioning device

[0030] Fig. 4 is a side view of the coating system according to the invention.

[0031] Figure 1 shows a production line for the manufacture and coating of beverage containers, in this case beverage bottles made of plastic, in particular polyethylene terephthalate (PET). These beverage bottles are first formed within a blow-molding module 1. For this purpose, so-called preforms are first fed via a container feeder 2 to a heating device 3, in which the preforms are heated to a predetermined temperature. This heating allows the preforms to be plastically deformed in a simple manner within the blow-molding module 1.

[0032] After the beverage bottles have been formed, they are fed via a conveyor line 4 to the container coating system 5, where the beverage bottles are coated with a barrier layer by plasma deposition. The container coating system 5 has a coating module 6, which in turn consists of at least one coating chamber 7 and a coating wheel 8, shown in more detail in Fig. 2. Furthermore, an access staircase 9 provides access to an upper area of ​​the coating module 6, for example, to perform maintenance work on the coating wheel 8.

[0033] Furthermore, a pump module 10 is provided, via which, for example, the coating module 6 can be provided with a vacuum. The pump module 10 is arranged with a pump longitudinal side 11 on the coating module 6 and has a length-to-width aspect ratio of at least 3:1.

[0034] Fig. 2 shows the interior of the coating chamber 7. In this coating chamber 7, a rotatably driven coating wheel 8 with a plurality of coating units 12 is arranged, wherein the coating units 12 are arranged along the circumference of the coating wheel 8. The containers are fed in via an inlet starwheel 13 and discharged via an outlet starwheel 14. As the coating wheel 8 rotates, the beverage bottles are coated by plasma deposition and then leave the coating system 5 via an outlet 15. Since an energy source is required to generate the plasma, which correspondingly also generates a large amount of heat, this heat must be dissipated in a suitable manner via an air conditioning device 16. This air conditioning device 16 is shown in particular in Fig. 3.The air conditioning device 16 consists of a total of three air conditioning units 17a, 17b, and 17c, each of which has a climate element selected from the group consisting of a refrigeration unit, valves, heat exchangers, filters, fans, and piping. Furthermore, it is also possible to cool the beverage bottles in the transport line 4 via the air conditioning device 16.

[0035] The air conditioning units 17a, 17b, 17c are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction L and are connected to one another. According to the invention, the air conditioning device 16 has an aspect ratio of a length a to a width b of at least 3:1, in particular of at least 4:1. Such a configuration allows not only the pump module 10 but also the air conditioning device 16 to be arranged on the coating module 7, each with a pump longitudinal side 11 and an air conditioning longitudinal side 18, respectively.

[0036] The air conditioning device is further connected to the coating module 7 via an air conditioning duct system. This air conditioning duct system has a supply duct 19 and a return duct 20, wherein conditioned, in particular cooled, air can be supplied to the coating module 7 via the supply duct 19. The used air is then discharged from the coating module 7 via the return duct 20 and fed to the air conditioning device 16.

[0037] In particular, a comparison with Fig. 4 shows that the air conditioning device 16 is arranged above the coating chamber 7 on the pump module 10. Therefore, an upper wall 21 of the coating chamber 7 is kept essentially free, so that, in particular, the coating wheel 8 is easily accessible via the upper wall 20 and maintenance work can be carried out thereon. Only the supply duct 19 extends above the coating module 6 and enters the coating chamber 7 via the upper wall 21. The exhaust of the used air via the return duct 20 takes place via a lateral wall 22 in a lower region.

[0038] List of reference symbols:

[0039] 1 blow module

[0040] 2 container feed

[0041] 3 Heating device

[0042] 4 Transport route

[0043] 5 Container coating system

[0044] 6 Coating module

[0045] 7 Coating room

[0046] 8 Coating wheel

[0047] 9 Access stairs

[0048] 10 Pump module

[0049] 11 Pump longitudinal side

[0050] 12 coating units

[0051] 13 Inlet star

[0052] 14 Outlet star

[0053] 15 Exit

[0054] 16 Air conditioning device

[0055] 17a, 17b, 17c Air conditioning units

[0056] 18 Longitudinal air conditioning side

[0057] 19 Flow channel

[0058] 20 return channel

[0059] 21 upper wall

[0060] 22 side wall

[0061] L longitudinal direction

[0062] A Length

[0063] B Width

Claims

Patent claims 1. Container coating system (5), in particular for coating beverage containers, with an air-conditioned coating module (6), wherein the coating module (6) is connected to an air-conditioning device (16) via an air-conditioning duct system, characterized in that an aspect ratio of a length (L) of the air-conditioning device (16) and a width (b) is at least 3:

1.

2. Container coating system (5) according to claim 1, characterized in that the aspect ratio is at least 4:

1.

3. Container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air conditioning device (16) is arranged above the coating module (6), in particular spatially above and laterally next to the coating module (6).

4. Container coating system (5) according to claim 3, characterized in that a pump module (10) is arranged next to the coating module (6), wherein preferably the air conditioning device (16) is arranged at least partially on the pump module (10).

5. Container coating system (5) according to claim 4, characterized in that the pump module (10) has an aspect ratio of a length to a width of at least 3:

1. 6 Container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air conditioning device (16) is arranged with a longitudinal side towards the coating module (6).

7. Container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air conditioning duct system has at least one flow duct and one return duct (19, 20), wherein the flow duct (19) is arranged at least partially on the coating module (1).

8. Container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a maintenance platform is arranged on a longitudinal side of the air conditioning device (16).

9. Container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the width of the air conditioning device (16) is less than 1500 mm, in particular less than 1400 mm.

10. Container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding Claims, characterized in that the air conditioning device (16) comprises at least two air conditioning units arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction of the spatial extent of the air conditioning device (16). air conditioning units (17a, 17b, 17c).

11. Container coating system (5) according to claim 10, characterized in that the air conditioning units (17a, 17b, 17c) and / or groups of air conditioning units have a length of less than 2400 mm.

12. Container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air conditioning device (16) or the air conditioning units (17a, 17b, 17c) have air conditioning elements which are selected from the group consisting of refrigeration unit, valves, heat exchangers, filters, fans and pipes.

13. Container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the coating module (6) has a rotatably drivable coating wheel (8), wherein at least one coating unit (12) for coating containers is arranged on the coating wheel (8).

14. Container coating system (5) according to claim 13, characterized in that the at least one coating unit (12) is designed to coat the containers by means of plasma deposition.

15. Production line for the manufacture and coating of beverage containers with a container coating system (5) according to one of the preceding claims and a transport line (4) for feeding the beverage containers into the container coating system (5), wherein the transport line (4) for cooling the beverage containers is connected to the air conditioning device (16) via the air conditioning duct system.

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