Device for coating at least one object, system for producing and / or treating at least one container, and method for removing deposits

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for coating at least one object (12), in particular at least one container, with at least one coating material (16), in particular SiOx, by means of at least one plasma (14) to form at least one active process gas (18), comprising at least one structural part (20) having at least one surface section (22) which is in contact with the at least one active process gas (18) in an operating state of the device (10), wherein the at least one surface section (22) has at least one material component (24, 52) which is anti-adhesive with respect to at least one deposition material (44) of the at least one active process gas (18).

Description

[0001] Device for coating at least one object, system for manufacturing and / or treating at least one container, and method for removing deposits

[0002] The invention relates to a device for coating at least one object, a system for producing and / or treating at least one container, and a method for removing deposits.

[0003] The coating of objects, especially plastic containers, can be carried out using coating machines. For example, a coating containing SiO₂ can be applied to the inside of the containers. x , an oxide of silicon.

[0004] From WO 2013 / 004440 A1 it is known to place a hollow body in a vacuum chamber, in which the container is then subjected to a process gas under vacuum. The process gas is thereby converted into a plasma by an energetic discharge, whereby the ions of the plasma are deposited on the surfaces of the container to be coated and oxidize to form silicon dioxide as the coating material.

[0005] After the coating process, residual gases remain in the vacuum chamber as active process gases. These are extracted. However, these active process gases create hard and stubborn deposits on the surfaces they come into contact with, i.e., along the entire path from the vacuum chamber to the vacuum pumps. These deposits can only be removed with considerable effort, for example, by using a hammer and chisel.

[0006] The object of the invention is to provide a device for coating at least one object, whereby the removal of the deposits requires less effort. This object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims and the following description.

[0007] According to a first aspect, a device for coating at least one object, in particular at least one container, with at least one coating material, in particular SiO₂, is defined. x, described by means of at least one plasma generating at least one active process gas, comprising at least one component with at least one surface section which is in contact with the at least one active process gas in an operating state of the device, wherein according to the invention it is provided that the at least one surface section has at least one material component which is designed to be non-adherent with respect to at least one deposition material of the at least one active process gas.

[0008] The device thus includes a component that exhibits non-stick properties with respect to the solid deposition material of the at least one active process gas. For example, if silicon oxide is deposited on the surfaces by the active process gases, the at least one material component can exhibit non-stick properties, at least with respect to the silicon oxide. At least one surface section of the component is then easy to clean of the deposition material, since the deposition material adheres only weakly to the surface section of the component. Instead of removing the solid deposition material using complex processes, such as hammer and chisel or, in the case of sensitive components, ultrasonic baths, the invention significantly reduces the effort required to remove the deposition material.Because the deposited material does not adhere firmly to the surface section, the material can be removed, for example, by vacuuming or by working with a soft cloth or sponge.

[0009] The non-adherent properties of at least one material component further reduce the impact of changes in flow cross-sections on the vacuum properties required for plasma coating, which can be caused by the deposition of the coating material. This allows the coating quality of the objects to be maintained for a longer period than is possible with prior art methods. This can directly lead to a reduction in the reject rate of the coated objects.

[0010] The term SiO xThis refers to a compound in which a silicon atom can be chemically bonded to one or more oxygen atoms. The same applies to the other compounds described below.

[0011] The deposit material of the active process gas can also be referred to as a deposit.

[0012] Preferably, all surfaces of the device that can come into contact with the active process gas have at least one material component.

[0013] According to some embodiments, it is conceivable that the at least one material component is at least one oxidized metal, in particular AIO2 and / or CrO. x, may contain at least one polymer, in particular polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy polymer and / or perfluoroethylene propylene, polyurethane, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, fluororubber, hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, at least one non-metallic inorganic material, at least one hybrid polymer material, at least one ceramic material, and / or at least one ceramic composite material, in particular a ceramic composite material with at least one admixed polymer component.

[0014] The use of the aforementioned material components is particularly advantageous because it results in a very weak bond between the at least one deposit material and the at least one active process gas. The non-adherent properties of these material components with respect to the at least one deposit material are therefore exceptionally high. Consequently, the deposit material adheres to the surface section with even lower forces, thus further simplifying its removal.

[0015] The aforementioned rubber materials can be used in particular for components that need to be flexible, such as sealing elements.

[0016] Fluororubber can preferably be in the form of perfluororubber, tetrafluoroethylene / propylene rubber and / or fluorinated silicone rubber.

[0017] According to some embodiments, it is conceivable that the at least one material component can be formed as a coating on the at least one component.

[0018] In some embodiments, the coating can be produced using the material components listed above. Surprisingly, it has also been found that the coating can be produced during operation of the device, for example, by transferring material from one surface section to another surface section with which it comes into contact, at least temporarily. This other surface section can, for example, be located on a different component. Thus, a sealing element of a valve head can transfer material from it to the valve seat upon contact. This allows the valve seat to be at least partially coated with the material component.

[0019] By coating at least one component, the component can have a base body made of a different material than the coating itself. For example, the component can be made of a metal, in particular a steel or stainless steel material.

[0020] According to some embodiments, it is conceivable that the at least one material component can be vacuum-stable in a pressure range of at least 0.01 bar to 1500 mbar, preferably from 0.05 to 1000 mbar. In these embodiments, the material component is not damaged or destroyed by applying a vacuum after placing the at least one container into a vacuum chamber of the device. Furthermore, in these embodiments, the material component does not outgas when a vacuum is applied, so the coating process is not slowed down.

[0021] According to some embodiments, it is conceivable that the at least one material component can be thermally and / or chemically stable at least in a temperature range of 0 °C to 150 °C, preferably from 5 °C to 100 °C.

[0022] In this embodiment, damage to the material component caused by high or low temperatures is avoided, at least within the specified temperature range, which preferably corresponds to the operating temperature of the device. Chemical reactivity of the material component, particularly at high temperatures, is also prevented. This simplifies the operation of the device and reduces the required maintenance.

[0023] According to some embodiments, it is conceivable that the at least one material component can be chemically resistant at least to oxygen radicals.

[0024] This prevents damage to at least one material component caused by free oxygen radicals, which can be formed, for example, during plasma generation. In this embodiment, this reduces the required maintenance.

[0025] According to some embodiments, the at least one component can be designed as a gas lance, valve block, transverse block, longitudinal block, cartridge (preferably with a standard diameter of 60 mm), vacuum rotary distributor, vacuum tube, pump, coating wheel, and / or as a sealing element, particularly a conical seal. The aforementioned embodiments of the at least one component, in particular, can come into very close contact with the active process gas. If these embodiments of the at least one component have at least one surface section with the material component described above, maintenance can be reduced particularly effectively.

[0026] According to some embodiments, it is conceivable that the at least one component can consist of the at least one material component.

[0027] This is particularly advantageous in the design of sealing rings made from the aforementioned rubber material. However, the other aforementioned configurations of the at least one component can also be manufactured entirely from the material component. Alternatively or additionally, the at least one material component can be added to a material from which the at least one component is made. This allows the at least one surface section to be provided during the manufacturing of the at least one component.

[0028] According to some embodiments, it is conceivable that the at least one component can be arranged on at least one wall of at least one chamber to limit a flow path of the active process gas.

[0029] The wall can, for example, limit the flow path of the active process gas perpendicular to the flow direction. The chamber can thus be bounded by a pipe or a bore. In particular, the chamber can extend from the vacuum chamber in which the coating takes place to at least one extraction pump with which the at least one active process gas is extracted. Specifically, all surface sections bounding the chamber can have at least one material component, thus further simplifying maintenance.

[0030] According to some embodiments, it is conceivable that the device has a plurality of coating stations for coating at least one object, which can be attached to a circumference of at least one rotatably mounted coating wheel.

[0031] With multiple coating stations, a large number of objects can be coated simultaneously. Extraction of active process gases can thus take place at several coating stations at the same time, allowing a single extraction system to serve multiple stations. This further reduces the effort required for removing deposited materials.

[0032] According to a second aspect, a plant for manufacturing and / or treating at least one container, in particular a plastic container, is described, comprising at least one manufacturing and / or treatment machine for at least one container, at least one transport device for at least one container and at least one device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport device is designed to transport the at least one container between the at least one manufacturing and / or treatment machine and the at least one device.

[0033] The advantages, effects, and further developments of the system result from the advantages, effects, and further developments of the device described above. To avoid repetition, reference is therefore made to the preceding description in this regard.

[0034] According to a third aspect, a method for removing deposit material of at least one active process gas from a coating device or plant as described above is described, comprising at least the following steps: suction of deposit material of the at least one active process gas from the at least one surface section by means of a suction device; and / or wiping of deposit material of the at least one active process gas from the at least one surface section by means of a fabric and / or foam material and / or by means of mechanical friction between at least two components of the device.

[0035] By using the device as described above, the deposit material does not adhere, or adheres only weakly, to the surfaces of the components that come into contact with the active process gas. Therefore, the deposit material can be removed by suction, for example, with a vacuum cleaner or a pump. Alternatively or additionally, the deposit material can be removed using a fabric and / or foam material, such as a cloth or a sponge. Alternatively or additionally, the deposit material can be scraped off, for example, by mechanical friction between two components of the device. This can occur, for instance, through the mechanical friction between a valve head and a valve seat when the corresponding valve is opened and closed.

[0036] Further advantages, effects, and enhancements of the method arise from the advantages, effects, and enhancements of the device and system described above. To avoid repetition, reference is made to the preceding description in this regard.

[0037] The invention is described below with reference to an exemplary embodiment and the accompanying drawing. The drawing shows:

[0038] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a device;

[0039] Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of a component with deposit material according to the prior art;

[0040] Figure 3 shows a schematic detail representation of a first embodiment of the component;

[0041] Figures 4a and 4b show a schematic representation of various embodiments of a third embodiment of the component; Figure 5 shows a schematic representation of a second embodiment of the component;

[0042] Figure 6 shows a schematic representation of a plant for manufacturing and / or treating at least one container; and

[0043] Figure 7 shows a flowchart of the process for removing deposit material.

[0044] The device is shown in its entirety with reference numeral 10 in Figure 1.

[0045] The device 10 has at least one component 20 which includes at least one surface section 22 which is in contact with at least one active process gas 18 in an operating state of the device 10.

[0046] The at least one surface section 22 has at least one material component 24, 52 which comprises an anti-adhesion property with respect to a deposition material 44 of the at least one active process gas 18.

[0047] The device 10 can be further configured to generate at least one plasma 14 for coating at least one object 12, which in this embodiment is represented as a bottle. The object 12 can be arranged in a vacuum chamber 30 for coating and plasma generation and held by at least one holding device 33. The plasma 14 can be generated, for example, by means of an electrical discharge. Furthermore, a gas lance 32 can be provided, for example, with which the gas underlying the plasma can be transported from a corresponding gas source 25 via at least one fluid line 26 to the vicinity of the surfaces of the object 12 to be coated. A drive 28 can be provided for moving the gas lance 32. The drive 28 can be used here to insert the gas lance 32 into an object 12, for example, designed as a bottle, and to withdraw it again after coating.

[0048] By means of the electrical discharge described above, the gas can be converted into a plasma 14 in order to start the coating process.

[0049] The plasma 14 can form a coating of a coating material 16 on a surface of the object 12. Particularly when coating plastic bottles, preferably made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), silicon dioxide (SiO₂) can be used as the coating material 16. x Silicon dioxide, SiO2, can be used. Preferably, silicon dioxide can be used.

[0050] The production of the coating material 16 does not require the entire plasma 14. Residual gases can be active process gases 18, which can be extracted by means of a pump 42.

[0051] The at least one active process gas 18 can deposit a deposition material 44 upon contact with the surfaces of the components 20 of the device 10. The deposition material 44 can be deposited on the surfaces of the components 20. Components 20 can be, for example, parts of the vacuum chamber 30, gas lances 32, vacuum tubes 34, 40, valves 36, rotary distributors 38, and pumps 42.

[0052] Figure 2 shows a prior art component 21 that does not have any material component 24, 52 as described above on a surface that is in contact with the active process gas 18. Deposits of the deposition material 44 form on this component 21. These must be removed using complex process steps. The deposition material 44 forms a growth on the surface area 46, which, for example, can reduce the inner diameter of pipes on their inner surfaces.

[0053] By using the material component 24, 52 with the non-stick properties shown in Figure 1, the deposition material 44 can only be loosely deposited on the surface section 22 of the component 20. The vacuum chamber 30 can be arranged on the circumference of a coating wheel 31. The coating wheel 31 can be rotatably mounted on a stationary component. The stationary component can, for example, include the vacuum tube 40, which can be fluid-communicating with the pump 42.

[0054] In the left part of Figure 1, the valve 36 is open, so that the pump 42 is fluidly connected to the vacuum chamber 30, which is located on the left side of Figure 1. In the left part of Figure 1, the gas lance 32 can also be retracted into the container 12 by means of the drive 28. The vacuum chamber 30, located on the right side of Figure 1, can be fluidically separated from the pump 42 by a closed valve 36. On the right side of Figure 1, the gas lance 32 is extended out of the container 12 by means of the drive 28.

[0055] Figure 3 shows a detailed view of a valve 36. The valve 36 can have a valve head 37 to which a sealing element 48, which can be designed, for example, as a conical seal, can be attached. In an open state, the valve head 37 with the sealing element 48 can be spaced apart from a valve seat 50. In a closed state (not shown here), the valve head 37 with the sealing element 48 can be in contact with the valve seat 50 to close the valve 36.

[0056] In one embodiment, the sealing element 48 can consist entirely of at least one material component 22, 52, which is designed to be non-adherent to the deposit material 44. For example, the sealing element can be made of a rubber material. The rubber material can be, for example, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, fluororubber, hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, and / or ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber. Fluororubber can further be, for example, perfluororubber, tetrafluoroethylene / propylene rubber, and / or fluorinated silicone rubber. These materials can also be provided as material components 24, 52 on the other surfaces of the valve 36. For this purpose, at least one surface section 22 of the valve 36 can be coated with the material component 24, 52.A first material component 22 and a second material component 52, which may differ from the first material component 24, may be provided.

[0057] As material components 24, 52, at least one oxidized metal, in particular aluminum dioxide or chromium oxide, CrOx, at least one polymer, in particular polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy polymer and / or perfluoroethylene propylene, polyurethane or the rubber materials described above, at least one non-metallic inorganic material, at least one hybrid polymer material, at least one ceramic material, and / or at least one ceramic composite material, in particular a ceramic composite material with at least one admixed polymer component, may be provided. Polymer components may, for example, be the polymers mentioned above.

[0058] The component 20 can have the material component 24, 52 as a coating on the surface section 22 as shown in Figure 4a.

[0059] According to Figure 4b, component 20 can also consist entirely of material component 24, 52. In particular, the sealing element 48 described above can be formed entirely of the corresponding material component 24, 52.

[0060] The coating with material component 24, 52 can be carried out during the manufacture of component 20 or during the operation of the device 10. In particular, material component 24, 52 can be transferred from the sealing element 48 according to Figure 3 to the valve seat 50. The other surface sections 22 can be coated with a different material component 52. For example, a pipe with a wall 56 adjoining the valve seat 50 can be coated with the other material component 52.

[0061] Figure 5 shows another embodiment of component 20. In this embodiment, component 20 is designed as a valve block 54. The valve block 54 can have several valve seats 50, each of which can have at least one surface section 22. The material components 24, 52 can be configured differently in different surface sections 22.

[0062] Figure 6 shows a system 60 for manufacturing and / or treating containers. The system 60 can have a housing 61 in which at least one device 10 can be arranged. For example, a pump 42 of the device 10 can be arranged inside the housing 61. However, it is not excluded that the pump 42 can also be arranged outside the housing 61.

[0063] The system 60 can further comprise a manufacturing and / or processing machine 62 for at least one container and at least one transport device 64-76. The transport device 64-76 can supply the manufacturing and / or processing machine 62 with preforms and / or bottles made of thermoplastic material, in particular PET. The preforms can be formed into containers or treated by the manufacturing and / or processing machine 62, for example, sterilized, heated, etc. If the manufacturing and / or processing machine 62 is a forming device for the preforms, a part 68 of the transport device 64-76 can be configured as a heating section for thermally conditioning the preforms for forming them into containers.

[0064] The transport device 64-76 can transport the containers further to the device 10, in which the containers can be coated. Furthermore, the transport device 64-76 can be configured to take the coated containers from the device 10 and transport them away from it.

[0065] Figure 7 shows a method 100 for removing deposit material 44 of at least one active process gas 18 from a device 10 as described above. The method 100 can also be carried out with a system 60 comprising a device 10 as described above. The method 100 can be carried out after deposit material 44 of at least one active process gas 18 has been deposited on at least one surface section 22 of the device 10 or the system 60.

[0066] The deposited material can be extracted in step 102. This can be done using a suction device, for example, a vacuum cleaner. Alternatively, the material can also be extracted from the device 10 or the system 60 using a pump. For this purpose, it is conceivable that the device 10 or system 60 could be purged with a purge gas, such as air, at normal pressure. The purge gas can carry the deposited material along with it when it is extracted by the pump.

[0067] In an additional or alternative step 104, the deposit material can be wiped off the at least one surface section 22. For this purpose, a woven and / or foam material can be used, which may advantageously be designed as a cloth or sponge.

[0068] Alternatively or additionally, the deposit material can also be scraped off by mechanical friction between two components of the device 10. For example, by placing or lifting a valve head on a valve seat, the deposit material can be scraped off when closing and / or opening a valve.

[0069] The example described above is in no way intended to limit the invention. Rather, the invention can be modified in numerous ways. All features of the invention described above can be essential to the invention, either alone or in combination. List of reference numerals

[0070] 10 Device for coating at least one object

[0071] 12 objects

[0072] 14 Plasma

[0073] 16 Coating material

[0074] 18 Process gas

[0075] 20 components

[0076] 21 Component

[0077] 22 Surface section

[0078] 24 Material component

[0079] 25 Gas source

[0080] 26 Fluid line

[0081] 28 Drive

[0082] 30 vacuum chamber

[0083] 31 coating wheel

[0084] 32 Gas lance

[0085] 33 Holding device

[0086] 34 Vacuum tube

[0087] 36 Valve block

[0088] 37 Valve head

[0089] 38 vacuum rotary distributors

[0090] 40 vacuum tube

[0091] 42 Pump

[0092] 44 Separation material

[0093] 46 Surface area

[0094] 48 Sealing element

[0095] 50 valve seat

[0096] 52 Material component

[0097] 54 Valve block

[0098] 56 Wall

[0099] 60 plant

[0100] 61 cases

[0101] 62 Treatment machine

[0102] 64 Transport device Transport device Transport device Transport device Transport device Transport device Transport device

Claims

Claims 1. Device (10) for coating at least one object (12), in particular at least one container, with at least one coating material (16), in particular SiO x , by means of at least one plasma (14) generating at least one active process gas (18), comprising at least one component (20) with at least one surface section (22) which is in contact with the at least one active process gas (18) in an operating state of the device (10), characterized in that the at least one surface section (22) has at least one material component (24, 52) which is designed to be anti-adherent with respect to at least one deposition material (44) of the at least one active process gas (18).

2. Device (10) according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one material component (24, 52) is at least one oxidized metal, in particular AIO2 and / or CrO x, comprising at least one polymer, in particular polytetrafluoroethylene, perfluoroalkoxy polymer and / or perfluoroethylene propylene, polyurethane, acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, fluororubber, hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, at least one non-metallic inorganic material, at least one hybrid polymer material, at least one ceramic material, and / or at least one ceramic composite material, in particular a ceramic composite material with at least one admixed polymer component.

3. Device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the at least one material component (24, 52) is formed as a coating on the at least one component (20).

4. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one material component (24, 52) is vacuum stable at least in a pressure range of 0.01 bar to 1500 mbar, preferably from 0.05 to 1000 mbar.

5. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one material component (24, 52) is thermally and / or chemically stable at least in a temperature range of 0 °C to 150 °C, preferably from 5 °C to 100 °C.

6. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one material component (24, 52) is chemically resistant at least to oxygen radicals.

7. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the at least one component (20) is designed as a gas lance (32), valve block (36), transverse block, longitudinal block, cartridge, preferably with a standard diameter of 60 mm, vacuum rotary distributor (38), vacuum tube (40), pump (42), coating wheel (31) and / or as a sealing element (48), in particular as a conical seal.

8. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one component (20) consists of the at least one material component (24, 52).

9. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the at least one component (20) is arranged on at least one wall (56) of at least one chamber for limiting a flow path of the active process gas (18).

10. Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims characterized in that the device (10) has a plurality of coating stations (30) for coating at least one object (12) which are attached to a circumference of at least one rotatably mounted coating wheel (31).

11. Plant (60) for the manufacture and / or treatment of at least one container, in particular a plastic container, comprising at least one manufacturing- and / or treatment machine (62) for at least one container, at least one transport device (64-76) for at least one container and at least one device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transport device (64-76) is designed to transport the at least one container between the at least one manufacturing and / or treatment machine (62) and the at least one device (10).

12. Method (100) for removing deposit material (44) of at least one active process gas (18) from a coating device (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or a system (60) according to claim 11, comprising at least the following steps: Extraction (102) of separation material (44) of the at least one active process gas (18) from the at least one surface section (22) by means of a suction device; and / or Stripping (104) of separation material (44) of the at least one active process gas (18) from the at least one surface section (22) by means of a fabric and / or foam material and / or by means of mechanical friction between at least two components of the device (10).

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