Packaging Filling Machine Pressure Flange Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In packaging and filling machines, maintaining positive pressure within filled containers is challenging, especially when the packaging material has slight cracks or pinholes, as external atmosphere substances can invade and contaminate the liquid food, and fluctuations in liquid food pressure can lead to negative pressure conditions.
Innovation Solution
A packaging and filling machine equipped with a pressure flange and positive pressure keeping means around the filling pipe, which controls the flow of liquid food to maintain positive pressure, absorbs pressure fluctuations, and prevents the invasion of outside atmosphere substances by using a pressure flange and unidirectional valves to manage liquid flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the packaging material is used with slight cracks or pinholes, then the manufacturing process can proceed, but outside atmosphere substances can invade and contaminate the liquid food
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pressure control system that maintains positive pressure of inert gas (nitrogen or carbon dioxide) inside the packaging tube during the filling process. This inert atmosphere prevents outside atmosphere substances from invading through cracks or pinholes in the packaging material, thereby preventing contamination while allowing continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a pressure control system with sensors and control valves as an intermediary mechanism between the internal packaging environment and the external atmosphere. This system actively monitors and adjusts the pressure differential to prevent harmful substances from penetrating through packaging defects.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the liquid food pressure fluctuates during filling, then the filling process adapts to variations, but the pressure can drop to negative pressure conditions allowing contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a feedback control system with pressure sensors that continuously monitor the internal pressure of the packaging tube during filling. When pressure fluctuations approach negative pressure conditions, the control system automatically adjusts the inert gas supply to maintain positive pressure, ensuring reliability while adapting to filling variations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces inert gas pressure as a cushioning mechanism before negative pressure conditions can develop. This preemptive pressure support prevents the liquid food pressure from dropping below atmospheric pressure, thereby maintaining the positive pressure barrier against contamination throughout the filling process.
3Productivity
If the filling speed is increased to improve productivity, then more containers are filled per unit time, but pressure control becomes more difficult and contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual or simple mechanical pressure control with an automated electronic control system that uses sensors, controllers, and actuators to precisely regulate inert gas pressure. This substitution enables accurate pressure control even at high filling speeds, maintaining manufacturing precision while improving productivity.
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
The solution effectively maintains positive pressure within the container, preventing contamination and ensuring the liquid food remains in good hygienic conditions, even if the packaging material has cracks or pinholes, and stabilizes pressure fluctuations, ensuring consistent filling and sealing processes.
Implementation Method 1
the pressure flange controls free flows from the lower part to the upper part about the liquid food filled in the tube to keep the pressure of the liquid food in the tube below the pressure flange a positive pressure
Implementation Method 2
having a unidirectional valve in the passing hole to flow the liquid food downward from the upper part at the step that the liquid food pressure drops, and to control upward flow from the lower part of the liquid food at the other steps
Implementation Method 3
the positive pressure keeping means absorbs fluctuation of the pressure of the liquid food in the tube below the pressure flange, and prevents the liquid food pressure from dropping in negative pressure
Implementation Method 4
while the tube is held with seal jaws and counter jaws along transversal direction below the liquid level, and is pulled down, the tube is transversally sealed
Implementation Method 5
the tube is held with forming flaps at the same time to be preformed
Implementation Method 6
The packaging laminated material is formed into a tube-shaped shape. Both end sides of the packaging material are overlaid on each other to form an overlap. The overlap is pressed by a strip covering an inner edge section face of longitudinal sealing, and the overlap is sealed with a longitudinal seal element along the longitudinal direction.
Data Source
AI summary
A packaging and filling machine that is capable of easily preforming with the forming flaps by keeping the pressure of the filled liquid food in the tube at positive pressure, capable of preventing the pressure of the liquid food from dropping to negative pressure, even if the pressure of the liquid food decreases due to the change in the liquid food pressure, and capable of preventing outside atmosphere materials from invading into the tube.A pressure flange fixed on a periphery of the filling pipe absorbs fluctuation of the pressure of the liquid food in the tube below the pressure flange, and prevents the liquid food pressure from dropping to negative pressure to keep the pressure of the liquid food in the tube below the pressure flange at a positive pressure.