Filling device

Abstract

Filling device, in particular intended for use with form, fill and seal machines, comprising at least one filling tube (14) and an associated valve (18), whose closing body (16) in an open position releases the filling tube (14) for dispensing fluid and in a blocking position blocks the fluid path in this regard, wherein the closing body (16) has an opening (54) on its free end face, which opening is part of a suction channel (56), and wherein the closing body (16) in the closed position bears in a sealing manner against a dispensing cone (52) of the filling tube (14) with a convexly shaped closing body surface.

Description

[0001] Rommelag Engineering GmbH

[0002] Talstraße 22-30, 74429 Sulzbach-Laufen, Germany

[0003] Filling device

[0004] The invention relates to a filling device, in particular intended for use in forming, filling and closing machines, with at least one filling tube and an associated valve, the closing element of which, in an open position, releases the filling tube for the discharge of fluid and, in a closed position, blocks the fluid path to that point.

[0005] German patent application 1 283 141 discloses a filling mandrel for a device for forming and filling a readily deformable container made of thermoplastic material located in a manufacturing mold, comprising two coaxial tubes forming a filling channel and a gas channel, which are axially displaceable relative to each other and whose outlet ends form a valve closing the annular channel in front of them, and comprising a valve body arranged in the channel of the inner tube, which acts ahead of or behind the annular channel valve, which, with the outer tube held in place, is axially displaceable relative to the outer and inner tubes by means of an actuating device and has a driver which is movable between two stops on the inner tube for opening or closing the annular channel ahead of or behind the other, wherein the filling material supply line is connected to the channel in the inner tube.The inner tube with the stem of the valve body is coupled via a compression spring acting on the driver in the opening direction towards the valve, the stem having an outwardly opening valve body and being connected to a lifting and lowering device for opening and closing the respective valve.

[0006] With this known solution, the inner tube and shaft can be moved independently of the outer tube using the actuating device, as soon as the outer tube is seated on the container. By lowering the discharge opening for the material towards the bottom of the container, the material can be introduced with minimal free fall. It is also possible to raise the level of the material above the discharge opening of the shaft or to raise the discharge opening by approximately the same amount as the level of the material. This means that after exiting the filling mandrel, the material has very little opportunity to mix with air, which is particularly advantageous for slightly foaming materials.

[0007] EP 2 930 140 B1 discloses a filling device for filling a container with a product, comprising a filling valve for controlling the flow of the product into the container and a swirl body with at least one guide surface by means of which the product flowing into the container can be set into a rotational motion. The slope of the guide surface of the swirl body is variable, so that the slope of the guide surface of this single swirl body can be adapted. In this way, a single swirl body can accommodate a variety of different configurations of product and container geometry to achieve optimal filling results.

[0008] US patent 4,671,762 discloses a filling device comprising two coaxially arranged tubes, an inner filling tube for supplying material is stationary within an outer tube for supplying compressed air. The filling tube can be closed by a backward-closing valve element to stop the supply of material. This valve element, starting from a hollow cylindrical section provided with an internal thread for the engagement of an external thread of an actuating rod to actuate the valve, has at least one annular sealing element on one side for contact with the free end face of the filling tube and a closing cone section with a rounded tip on the opposite side. Both sections are integral parts of the valve element.Both the filling tube and the closing body are penetrated by the aforementioned actuating rod of an actuating device, which moves the closing body from its position blocking the supply of filling material to an open position and vice versa, whereby in the open position the filling material is supplied into an associated, already formed container product.

[0009] At the point of transition between the closing element and the actuating rod, insofar as it engages in the filling tube in each of its travel positions, a cylindrical support section is provided with a contact surface on one of its free end faces for at least partial contact with the respective sealing element and a further contact surface arranged opposite this on its other free end face for the contact of a flow guide device, which has a guide surface for feeding the filling material, which, starting from a straight surface section and arranged parallel to the longitudinal orientation of the actuating rod, transitions into a trumpet-like surface section widening outwards, which functionally serves for a wall or screen filling, in which the filling material to be dispensed flows gently along an inner wall side of the shaped container product towards its bottom during the filling process.The outward-facing guide, which extends in a trumpet-like fashion, is interrupted by individual guide ribs. These ribs, running parallel to the longitudinal orientation of the actuating rod, ensure unimpeded longitudinal guidance of the rod within the filling tube. Retracting the guide and the filling tube back into the blowpipe simultaneously shuts off the fluid supply and closes the valve.

[0010] During the aforementioned wall or cup filling of the container, liquid splashes can easily occur, particularly in the upper, inner wall area. This can often lead to unsightly stains along the inner wall of the container during the blow molding, filling, and closing (BFS) process. Especially when filling medical products, which are generally subject to visual inspection inside the container, this can result in increased rejects. Furthermore, residual droplets can accumulate on the valve closure and its sealing elements. During the next BFS cycle, these droplets can easily drip down the opening of an unmolded container, acting as contaminants and preventing a tight seal, which in turn can increase rejects.

[0011] Based on this prior art, the invention aims to further improve known filling devices while retaining their advantages. A filling device with the features of claim 1 in its entirety achieves this objective.

[0012] By having, according to the invention, an opening on the free end face of the closing element which is part of a suction channel and wherein the closing element in the closed position is in sealing contact with a dispensing cone of the filling tube with a convexly shaped closing element surface, the disadvantages described above in the prior art are avoided, in particular there are no quality-reducing effects in the respective container product, neither in its upper area in the form of stains from liquid splashes nor in the form of drops which, due to localized cooling of the container opening, could make a tight closure of the filled container products difficult or even impossible.It is surprising to an average person skilled in the art of BFS technology that, with the inventive closure geometry, at least approximately 80% of the fluid quantity supplied via the filling tube strikes the respective container product vertically as a so-called solid jet, and that less than approximately 20% enters the container product radially as part of the aforementioned wall or screen jet; however, this amount is insufficient to make the described disadvantages relevant in the prior art. This has no equivalent in the prior art. Overall, the invention provides a filling device that enables improved, rapid, and trouble-free filling of plastic container products, particularly those manufactured using the BFS process.In addition to the rapid and virtually drip- or splash-free filling of liquids, especially for medical purposes, into associated container products, the possibility of simple cleaning and sterilization, preferably with hot steam, for the filling device is achieved.

[0013] In a particularly preferred embodiment of the filling device according to the invention, the convexly shaped closing element surface is part of a droplet- or teardrop-shaped closing element, and the sealing arrangement is free of further independent, in particular elastomeric, sealing elements such as O-rings. Overall, a droplet- or teardrop-shaped contour is created for the valve closing element, thereby enabling a combined free-jet / screen filling process in which the majority of the liquid material is directed vertically as a free jet towards the bottom of an associated container, resulting in short filling times.According to the invention, using the filling device within the framework of a BFS process, it is possible to fill 500 ml of liquid, for example in the form of a physiological saline solution (9 g of sodium chloride per liter of water), into a 500 ml infusion bottle within 2 to 3 seconds. The splashing and dripping of liquid, which are considered disadvantages, can be largely avoided due to the filling jet geometry according to the invention, which has a high free jet component. Dripping can be further advantageously reduced if the closing element has an opening on its free end face, which is part of the suction channel leading to a suction device, such as a vacuum pump or the like. In this way, any drops remaining at the free end of the convex head section of the closing element can be reliably suctioned away and thus can no longer unintentionally impede the closing process.The filling device does not require any additional sealing agents, thus enabling wear-free operation in a cost-effective manner.

[0014] In a further preferred embodiment, the closing element is composed of at least two sections: a head section and an adjoining foot section. In every position of the closing element, the head section projects out of the filling tube, and the foot section projects at least partially into the filling tube. In the locked position, the foot section, with its convexly shaped closing element surface, seals against the dispensing cone of the filling tube, which widens outwards. Thus, the closing element is composed of individual components or sections, allowing for a modular design with a multitude of adaptation options to changing filling tube geometries.Preferably, the head section is provided to be placed on the foot section in a cap-like manner along adjacent contact surfaces, transverse to the respective direction of travel of the closing body, which are penetrated by the extraction channel, preferably as part of the head section.

[0015] Provided that the suction channel extending from the head section is at least partially enclosed by a hollow cylindrical stem part of the foot section, which extends from the contact surfaces, stable guidance of the suction channel within the additional stem part as part of the valve drive for the closing element is achieved.

[0016] In a further preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, it is provided that the convexly shaped head section has a hemispherical shape and that the foot section, up to the point where it reaches a rod drive actuating the closing element, is initially convex, then conical and subsequently concave, and that the connection area located between the head section and the foot section, which overlaps the two contact surfaces, is designed with a convex curvature, in particular a spherical shape.

[0017] Preferably, the foot section is further provided that it is arranged with a predefinable radial overhang in the connection area such that the head section is recessed relative to the foot section, forming an offset. For the aforementioned jet guidance of the filling material with a laminar component, it has proven particularly advantageous if the foot section projects slightly at the transition point to the head section with a predefinable overhang.

[0018] In a further particularly preferred embodiment of the filling device according to the invention, the closing element is actuated by means of an actuator connected to the closing element via a rod drive, allowing a reverse-closing valve function against the outflow direction of the fluid from the filling tube. This enables a secure closure of the filling tube between fillings of successively produced containers with a minimal surface area to which liquid droplets could adhere, which in turn facilitates easy cleaning and sterilization, for example with hot steam.

[0019] It is particularly preferred that the rod drive travels less than 4 cm, preferably less than 3 cm, and most preferably less than 2 cm, from the valve's closed position to its maximum possible open position. This results in exceptionally short reaction times for actuating the valve closing element.

[0020] In a further preferred embodiment of the filling device according to the invention, the closing element is formed integrally with the head and foot sections, or, more preferably, is composed of these two sections. It is further preferred that the closing element, at least in the area of ​​the sealing system with the filling tube, has a sealing material as part of the sealing contour; preferably, the foot section consists entirely of this sealing material, which contains, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK). In this way, a reliably sealed locking position for the filling tube is achieved within the framework of the back-closing valve function by means of the associated sealing surfaces of the back-closing valve.

[0021] In a further preferred embodiment of the filling device according to the invention, the closing element is guided within the filling tube by means of a guide device that allows the fluid to pass towards the filling tube outlet. This guide device preferably consists of wing-like guide elements that are slidably guided along the inner circumference of the filling tube and that define a directed flow path for the fluid passing through the guide device in this area. In this way, on the one hand, a secure, unobstructed guidance of the valve closing element is achieved during its movement within the filling tube with minimal flow resistance, and on the other hand, the material being filled can exit the filling tube undisturbed and without turbulence via its valve-side open end face for container filling when the valve is open.

[0022] In a further preferred embodiment of the filling device according to the invention, the filling tube is located inside a mandrel, which has further individual fluid channels, in particular for guiding compressed air and / or exhaust air from the container products, and which is preferably temperature-controlled. Preferably, the mandrel and the filling tube are arranged coaxially to each other, forming an annular gap, so that compressed air can be guided in the annular gap for container forming. The mandrel thus formed has a further sealing surface on its outer circumference and axially offset from the free discharge end of the filling tube for sealing against a container product to be formed. In this way, all media necessary for container production can be transported via associated channel-like fluid channels, in particular introduced into and / or discharged from the container product.

[0023] In a further preferred embodiment of the filling device according to the invention, the closing element is provided, at least in an end-face shell region of the convex head section, with a microstructured surface and / or a coating that results in a self-cleaning or hydrophobic, preferably superhydrophobic, surface. Such a modified closing element surface leads to the rapid and complete runoff of droplets from the closing element, so that these either enter the respective container product or are reliably removed by the suction channel at the free end of the valve closing element.

[0024] The filling device according to the invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment as shown in the drawing. The drawing shows, in a general and not to scale, the following:

[0025] Fig. 1 shows essential parts of the filling device in a perspective side view;

[0026] Fig. 2 shows a longitudinal section through the filling device according to Fig. 1 in its lower end region;

[0027] Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of a circular section of the image labeled X in Fig. 2; and

[0028] Figures 4 to 6 show a lower section of the filling device according to Figures 1 and 2 in a perspective bottom view, wherein, in an enlarged representation compared to Figures 5 and 6, Figure 4 shows the fully open position of the valve closing element, whereas Figures 5 and 6 relate to a partially open or closed or locked position of the valve closing element.

[0029] The filling device according to Fig. 1 is shown in its usual vertical operating position. The filling device has a so-called mandrel holder 10 for a hollow cylindrical mandrel 12, which comprises a downwardly projecting filling tube 14. At its free end, the filling tube has a closing element 16 of a valve 18. The filling device according to Fig. 1 also has a product connection 20, which serves to supply a fluid, for example, a liquid for medical purposes, to the annular discharge end 22 (see Fig. 2) of the filling tube 14.Above the corresponding product connection 20, a control cylinder 24 is arranged, for example in the form of a fluidic working cylinder, such as a pneumatic cylinder, with its two control lines 26, which serve for the alternating supply and discharge of a fluidic working medium in order to drive a piston of the control cylinder 24, thus serving as part of an actuating device 28 for a movement of the closing element 16 of the valve 18. Instead of the control cylinder 24 as the actuator, another actuating drive can also be used, for example in the form of a rod drive with an electric motor.

[0030] For this purpose, the control cylinder 24 is mounted on a connection block 30 of the filling device, which is partially penetrated by an actuating rod 64 of the actuating device 28 and has the product connection 20 on its front side. In this respect, the actuating device 28, together with the actuating rod 64, forms the rod drive for the valve 18. Below the connection block 30 and laterally offset, a blow air connection 32 is arranged on the mandrel holder 10. This connection allows the supply of blow air from a source (not shown) via a supply line 34 for forming a container product made of plasticized plastic material (not shown) through an annular blow air guide 36 (see Fig. 2) inside the mandrel 12.Furthermore, for the supply and discharge of a temperature control medium, such as cooling water, two angled connections 38 are provided protruding from the mandrel holder 10. These connections circulate the respective temperature control medium into and out of the mandrel 12 via a channel-like temperature control guide 40 (see Fig. 2), in particular in the form of a coolant guide. It is understood that, depending on the number of container products to be formed, filled, and closed, including bottles and ampoules, a filling device according to Fig. 1 is provided for each product, arranged side by side in a row; for example, for eight products, eight individual filling devices are provided, which are typically part of a BFS machine (not shown).

[0031] As can be seen particularly from Fig. 2, the closing element 16 has a convex head section 42 and a foot section 44 immediately adjoining it, which tapers progressively towards its side facing away from the head section 42, down to a predefinable outer diameter A and a preferably provided convexity B in a connection area C at the point of transition 46 to the head section 42, and which, as shown in Fig. 2, projects at least partially into the associated filling tube 14 at its end in every position of the closing element 16. According to the invention, the closing element 16, particularly in the area of ​​its foot section 44, has a convexly shaped closing element surface which can be brought into sealing contact with a dispensing cone 52 of the filling tube 14. The dispensing cone 52 is arranged at the free lower end of the filling tube 14 and widens outwards towards the surroundings.Furthermore, the convex surface of the valve body, together with the discharge cone 52, forms a type of linear sealing system with high sealing forces in the closed position of the valve. The technical term "convex," meaning curved outwards, refers to a view from the inside of the valve body 16 outwards towards the surroundings. In contrast, the term "concave," meaning curved inwards, indicates that the curvature is formed by an inwardly directed recess in the valve body 16 or in the base section 44.

[0032] As can be seen further in Fig. 2, the convex head section 42 has a hemispherical shape or an almost hemispherical shape with a predefinable radius R (see Fig. 3), which, according to the illustration in Fig. 6, in the closed position of the valve 18, is flush or substantially flush with the free end of the filling tube 14 with its flat side, wherein the conical base section 44, provided with a sealing contour 48, rests against an attributable sealing surface 50 on a dispensing cone 52 (see Fig. 4) of the filling tube 14 along its free end region in the closed position shown. This results (see Fig. 6) in the fact that, in the closed position, the projection of the closing element 16 relative to the free end of the filling tube 14 corresponds only approximately to the radius R of the head section 42 of the closing element 16.Furthermore, the closing element 16 has a round opening 54 centrally located on its free end face, which forms part of a suction channel 56 for the removal of liquid droplets. This suction channel runs coaxially within the filling tube 14. The mandrel 12 with its temperature control media guide 40 is arranged coaxially around the filling tube 14. Together with the filling tube 14, the mandrel 12 forms an annular gap 36 for guiding compressed air, so that all fluid guides 14, 36, and 40 are at least partially contained within the mandrel 12.

[0033] The suction channel 56 opens into the environment at one free lower end via the opening 54 and is connected at its other free upper end to a suitable suction device (not shown), such as a vacuum pump. The convex head section 42 is an integral part of a hollow cylindrical stem section 58, which can be screwed into a corresponding extension 62 of the actuating rod 64 via a threaded section 60 in a releasable manner. A ring seal 66 is provided at the point where the free end of the stem section 58 transitions to the extension 62 of the actuating rod 64, sealing the suction channel 56 against the fluid-carrying inner surface of the filling tube 14.By means of an actuating aid 68, for example in the form of a splined shaft toothing, a corresponding actuating tool (not shown) can be inserted from the side of the free opening 54, which then, in engagement with the actuating aid 68, serves to screw in or out the head section 42 with the associated one-piece stem part 58 along the indicated threaded section 60.

[0034] The head section 42, like the foot section 44, is planar at the connection area C with the adjacent contact surfaces 70, which form a common plane extending transversely to the actuation direction of the valve 18. The sleeve-like foot section 44, which is partially bulbous in this area, is clamped with its free end faces between the head section 42 and a free end face of the cup-shaped extension 62 of the actuating rod 64 via the threaded section 60 and is thus defined and fixed on the hollow cylindrical stem 58, which extends centrally through the sleeve-like foot section 44. In this way, the hollow cylindrical inner circumferential wall of the foot section 44 is flush with the outer wall of the hollow cylindrical stem 58.The previously mentioned suction channel 56 for individual drops widens slightly in diameter after passing through the extension 62 in the direction of the suction device (not shown) within the actuating rod 64, resulting in improved suction effects at the free end face of the convex head section 42. In particular, drops located on the convex head section 42 are thus reliably suctioned away via the suction channel 56 and removed from the head surface in a controlled manner. For this purpose, a surface of the convex head section 42 that is at least hydrophobic is advantageous.

[0035] As can be seen particularly from Fig. 3, in the area of ​​the aforementioned convexity B and at the point of transition 46 between the two sections 42 and 44, and thus in the connection area C, the foot section 44 is arranged with a predefinable radial projection 72, so that the spherical area of ​​the head section 42 is slightly recessed compared to the convexity B of the foot section 44. This is indicated in Fig. 3 by an imaginary vertical line V, which is perpendicular to a fictitious horizontal line H that runs parallel to the two adjacent contact surfaces 70 belonging to the head section 42 and the foot section 44, respectively. The radial projection 72 shown facilitates the assembly of the head section 42 with the foot section 44 and, surprisingly, contributes to the desired predominantly vertical jet guidance for the material to be discharged from the filling tube 14.

[0036] As can be further seen from Figures 4 to 6, the valve 18 allows a so-called reverse-closing valve function, in which the rod drive 28, 64, actuated by the actuator 24, pulls the droplet- or teardrop-shaped closing element 16 upwards from the fully open position according to Figure 4 to a pressureless basic position for a filling material outlet according to Figure 5, up to the fully closed filling material outlet as shown in Figure 6. In this process, the rod drive 28, 64, in particular in the form of the actuating rod 64, travels less than 4 cm, preferably less than 3 cm, and most preferably less than 2 cm, from the closed position of the valve 18 according to Figure 6 to its maximum possible opening position according to Figure 4.The dimensions specified for the actuation of valve 18 with its closing element 16 illustrate that the filling device is exceptionally compact, particularly in the dispensing area, allowing even small containers, such as ampoules, to be reliably filled and subsequently sealed. Filling a bottle-like container with 500 ml of product takes advantageously less than 3 seconds at a filling pressure of 0.3 to 0.5 bar. For this purpose, the filling tube 14 preferably has an inner diameter of 16 mm. The valve or actuating rod 64 has an outer diameter of 8 mm, resulting in a free opening cross-section of approximately 150 mm² when valve 18 is open. 2This results in rapid filling. The closing element 16 can, at least in the area of ​​the sealing system with the filling tube 14 as part of the aforementioned sealing contour 48, have a sealing material, or preferably the base section 44 consists entirely of this sealing material, which contains, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Advantageously, PEEK with an addition of 10% or 20% PTFE can also be used; such materials are available under the names TECAPEEK TF10 and TE-CAPEEK TF20 from Ensinger GmbH, 71154 Nufringen, Germany.

[0037] In particular, in the closed position according to Fig. 6, the convex sealing contour 48 rests against the discharge cone 52 at the end of the filling tube 14, the discharge cone 52 tapering accordingly towards the inside of the mandrel and preferably being inclined at a shallow angle. Thus, when the closing element 16 is drawn in under the force of the actuator 24, a flush, preferably linear, sealing seal with high sealing pressure is achieved, ensuring a reliable seal in the closed state of the valve 18 in every case.

[0038] In the illustrated embodiment, the head section 42 is formed separately from the foot section 44; however, in an embodiment not shown, it is also possible to form the head section 42 and foot section 44 integrally as a single part of the closing body 16. Depending on how the seal between the closing body 16 and the filling tube 14 is designed, the aforementioned convexity B in the connection area C between the two foot sections 42, 44 can optionally be omitted, and a purely conical shape can be selected for the foot section 44 up to the connection area C, if required.

[0039] The closing element 16 is guided within the filling tube 14 by means of a guide device 74, which allows the fluid to pass towards the outlet or discharge side 22 of the filling tube 14 at the free lower end and which consists of wing-like guide elements 76 that are slidably guided along the inner circumference of the filling tube 14 on its inner wall and, in particular, provide a laminar flow path for the fluid passing through the guide device 74 in this area. For example, three to five guide elements 76 can be guided along the outer circumferential surface in the hollow cylindrical part of the base section 44, preferably at the same radial distance from each other; in particular, Fig. 2 shows a central arrangement of the guide device 74 with its respective guide elements 76 between the free end of the closing element 16 and the extension 62 at the point of transition to the other actuating rod 64.Furthermore, the wing-like and flat guide elements 76 are provided with chamfers on their opposite end faces. As already described, the filling tube 14 for the material supply is located inside the mandrel 12 shown in Fig. 1, which has at least two further individual fluid guides inside: a temperature control media guide 40 and an annular gap 36, bounded by the mandrel 12 and the filling tube 14, for guiding blown air and / or exhaust air from the container products. Thus, the mandrel 12 is designed as a combined blown-filling mandrel, which has a further sealing surface 78 on its outer circumference and axially offset from the free discharge end of the filling tube 14 for sealing against a container product to be formed and filled as soon as the mandrel 12 comes into contact with this further sealing surface 78 on the free edge of the container product (not shown) in the usual manner.

[0040] To further improve the dispensing of the contents into a recognizable container, the closure element 16 can be provided with a coating and / or, preferably, a microstructuring of its surface, at least in an end-face shell region of the convex head section 42. This surface modification of the closure element 16 can result in a self-cleaning or hydrophobic, preferably superhydrophobic, surface. In the case of self-cleaning surfaces based on the so-called lotus effect, these form individual thin capillaries, and for self-cleaning to occur, the capillary effect must be greater than the adhesive effort required for the respective droplet or liquid component to adhere to the surface. The hydrophobic surface of the convex head section 42 is particularly advantageously achieved by two parallel measures. Firstly, a hydrophobic material is used for the head section 42, i.e.,A material with low surface energy was selected, such as PTFE or PEEK, which are characterized by a contact angle to water of approximately 110° and 90°, respectively. This surface can also be provided with periodic microstructures, preferably using a laser ablation process such as DLIP (Direct Laser Interference Patterning). This process is offered, for example, by Fusion Bionic GmbH in Dresden, Germany. In this way, a superhydrophobic surface of the convex head section 42 with very high contact angles to water of over 150° was achieved.

[0041] It has also proven particularly advantageous for the filling device according to the invention if the filling tube 14 has an axial projection of more than 2 mm, preferably more than 5 mm, relative to the outer tube in the form of the mandrel 12. Furthermore, the aforementioned projection 72 at the point of transition 46 between the two sections 42, 44 should be less than 2 mm, preferably less than 1 mm, and particularly preferably less than 0.5 mm.

[0042] In a manufacturing process, particularly using the device as described above, it is advantageous to carry out the filling with the product, supplied via the product connection 20, at an overpressure of less than 1 bar, preferably less than 0.7 bar, and particularly preferably less than 0.5 bar. Preferably, during the filling process, the valve or actuating rod 64 is moved towards the outlet end of the filling tube 14 to such an extent that the filling channel at the lower end of the filling tube 14 has its maximum free cross-sectional area, for example, 150 mm². 2 , as shown in Fig. 4. During the filling process described above, the mandrel 12 with its extended sealing surface 78 rests on the respective container product for at least 80%, preferably at least 90%, and particularly preferably at least 95% of the intended filling time.

[0043] Overall, the filling device according to the invention as a whole achieves the largely complete avoidance of liquid splashes in the upper inner wall area of ​​the container product and unwanted droplet deposits in the area of ​​the free opening of the container product during the filling process. This has no equivalent in the prior art.

Claims

Patenta claims 1. Filling device, in particular intended for use in forming, filling and closing machines, with at least one filling tube (14) and an associated valve (18), the closing element (16) of which, in an open position, releases the filling tube (14) for the discharge of fluid and, in a closed position, blocks the fluid path thereto, wherein the closing element (16) has an opening (54) on its free end face, which is part of a suction channel (56), and wherein, in the closed position, the closing element (16) is in sealing contact with a discharge cone (52) of the filling tube (14) with a convexly shaped closing element surface.

2. Filling device according to claim 1, characterized in that the convexly shaped closing body surface is part of a droplet- or teardrop-shaped closing body (16) and that the sealing arrangement is free of further independent, in particular elastomeric, sealing means, such as O-rings.

3. Filling device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the closing body (16) is composed of at least two sections in the form of a head section (42) and in the form of a foot section (44) adjoining it, that in every position of the closing body (16) the head section (42) projects out of the filling tube (14) and the foot section (44) projects at least partially into the filling tube (14), and that in the locked position the foot section (44) with its convexly shaped closing body surface seals against the dispensing cone (52) of the filling tube (14), which widens outwards.

4. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the head section (42) is placed cap-like on the foot section (44) along mutually adjacent contact surfaces (70), transverse to the respective direction of travel of the closing body (16), which are penetrated by the suction channel (56), preferably as part of the head section (42).

5. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the suction channel (56) extending from the head section (42) is at least partially encompassed after emerging from the same by a hollow cylindrical stem part (58) of the foot section (44) extending from the contact surfaces (70).

6. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the convexly shaped head section (42) has a hemispherical shape and the foot section (44) is initially convex, then conical and subsequently concave from the head section (42) until it reaches a rod drive (28, 64) actuating the closing element (16), and that the connection area (C) located between the head section (42) and the foot section (44), which overlaps the two contact surfaces (70), is formed with a convex curvature, in particular a convex shape.

7. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the foot section (44) is arranged radially projecting in the connection area (C) with a predefinable overhang (72) such that the head section (42) is set back from the foot section (44) forming an offset.

8. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closing body (16) can be actuated by means of an actuator (24) which is connected to the closing body (16) via the rod drive (28, 64) and allows a backward closing valve function in the opposite direction to the outflow of the fluid from the filling tube (14).

9. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closing body (16) has a sealing material as part of its sealing contour (48) at least in the area of ​​the sealing system with the filling tube (14), preferably that the foot section (44) consists entirely of this sealing material, which contains, for example, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or polyetheretherketone (PEEK).

10. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closing element (16) is guided within the filling tube (14) by means of a guide device (74) which allows the fluid to pass in the direction of the filling tube outlet and which preferably consists of wing-like guide parts (76) which are guided sliding along the inner circumference of the filling tube (14) and provide a vertically directed laminar flow guidance for the fluid passing through the guide device (74) in this system area.

11. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the filling tube (14) is located inside a preferably temperature-controlled mandrel (12) which has further individual fluid guides (36, 40), in particular for guiding blown air and / or exhaust air from the container products.

12. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fluid guide (36) is designed as an annular gap and at least partially coaxially surrounds the filling tube (14) and that the mandrel (12) has a further sealing surface (78) offset on the outer circumference and axially from the free discharge end of the filling tube (14) for sealing against a container product to be formed and filled.

13. Filling device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the closing body (16) is provided at least in an end-side shell area of ​​the convex head section (42) with a microstructuring of the surface and / or with a coating which leads to a self-cleaning or hydrophobic, preferably superhydrophobic, surface.

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