Aseptic Filling Preform Sterilization Contradiction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aseptic filling apparatuses where both preforms and containers are sterilized often exceed the required sterilization power, leading to excessive costs and facility size, necessitating a method that balances sterilization reliability with compactness and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
An aseptic filling method and apparatus that sterilize both preforms and containers using a combination of sterilization techniques such as contact with sterilizers, electron beam irradiation, UV light, hot water, and superheated steam, ensuring appropriate sterilization levels without excessive overkill, with sterilization abilities ranging from 5 to 100 LRV across the preform and container sterilization steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If both preform and container are sterilized, then aseptic reliability is improved, but facility size and sterilization cost increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial sterilization by selectively sterilizing only the preform instead of both the preform and the molded container. This partial action approach achieves sufficient aseptic reliability for the filling process while avoiding the excessive sterilization capacity that would require oversized sterilizer devices and incur unnecessary costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the container sterilization step from the overall process, recognizing that sterilizing the molded container is unnecessary when the preform has been properly sterilized before molding. This extraction eliminates the need for a second sterilization system, reducing facility size and cost.
2Reliability
If both preform and container are sterilized, then aseptic reliability is improved, but sterilization cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements partial sterilization by applying sterilization only to the preform stage, which is the critical control point. This avoids the excessive consumption of sterilizer that would result from sterilizing both the preform and the molded container, while maintaining sufficient aseptic reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary sterilization of the preform before molding, ensuring that the sterilization effect is established at the source. This preliminary action eliminates the need for subsequent container sterilization, reducing overall sterilizer consumption while maintaining aseptic reliability.
3Area of stationary object
If preform is sterilized before heating, then sterilization area is reduced, but contamination risk increases during heating and molding steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary sterilization of the preform before heating and molding operations. By establishing the sterilization effect early at the preform stage, the system minimizes the sterilization area required while maintaining contamination resistance through proper process control and aseptic handling in subsequent steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the preform itself as an intermediary carrier that maintains the sterilization effect through the heating and molding process. By sterilizing the preform before molding, the sterilization benefit is transferred to the final container without requiring continuous sterilization of intermediate equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures high aseptic reliability with a compact apparatus design, reducing unnecessary sterilization and costs by matching sterilization effects and eliminating the need for large sterilizer devices, allowing for efficient and reliable aseptic filling without excessive resource consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a sterilizer, such as hydrogen peroxide, is blasted to a preform while the preform is conveyed and, then, the preform is heated so as to activate the sterilizer adhering to the surface
Implementation Method 2
the preform is heated so as to activate the sterilizer adhering to the surface
Implementation Method 3
irradiation with electron beam to the preform
Implementation Method 4
irradiation with light containing ultraviolet rays to the preform
Implementation Method 5
contact of hot water with the preform, and contact of superheated steam with the preform
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
To make a sterilization step appropriate in an aseptic filling apparatus. Provided is an aseptic filling apparatus including a step of sterilizing a preform and a step of sterilizing a container obtained by molding the preform, wherein assuming sterilization effects in the respective sterilization steps as X [LRV] and Y [LRV], a relationship of 5≤X+Y≤10 (where Y≥0) is established.