Planar Motor Conveying for Aseptic Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing filling machines for pourable products face challenges in achieving high-throughput while maintaining complexity and space requirements, and there is a need for improved packaging solutions that can efficiently fill and close containers under hygienic conditions.
Innovation Solution
A filling machine with a configuration that includes an isolation chamber for sterilization, a filling apparatus, a closing apparatus, and a conveying apparatus using a planar motor to advance carriers with receptacles through sterilization, filling, and closing stations, allowing for efficient filling and closure of pourable products in aseptic conditions, and optionally forming and shaping the containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rotary conveying devices are used to achieve high-throughput filling, then productivity increases, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional rotary mechanical conveying systems with a linear conveying system that uses a planar motor (electromagnetic propulsion) to move carriers along a linear path. This substitution of mechanical rotary motion with electromagnetic linear motion reduces device complexity while maintaining high throughput capability, directly resolving the contradiction between productivity and device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a rotary (circular) conveying path to a linear (rectilinear) conveying path, effectively changing the dimensional approach from rotational to translational motion. This dimensional change allows for high-throughput filling without the complexity of rotary mechanisms, as carriers are accelerated and decelerated along a straight line rather than requiring complex rotary acceleration and positioning
2Productivity
If rotary conveying devices are used to achieve high-throughput filling, then productivity increases, but space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the circular footprint required by rotary conveying systems with a linear footprint. By using linear acceleration and deceleration of carriers along a straight path, the machine occupies less horizontal space while maintaining high throughput, directly addressing the contradiction between productivity and space requirements
3Reliability
If sterilization and filling are performed in a controlled environment, then product purity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the filling system into two distinct segments: an isolated aseptic zone containing the sterilization and filling apparatus, and an external zone containing the carrier loading and unloading stations. This segmentation allows controlled environmental maintenance only where necessary (during sterilization and filling), reducing overall system complexity while ensuring product purity through localized isolation rather than complete system isolation
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 machine achieves high-throughput filling and closure of containers with reduced space requirements and the ability to customize product composition, while ensuring aseptic conditions and efficient operation.
Implementation Method 1
a planar motor configured to selectively and independently move each one of the plurality of carriers within the inner environment and such to advance the receptacles in order of mentioning to a sterilization apparatus, then to the filling apparatus and afterwards to the closing apparatus
Data Source
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AI summary
There is described a filling machine (1, 1', 1") for filling a pourable product into receptacles (2) and comprising an isolation chamber (6) delimiting an inner environment (7), a sterilization apparatus (9) at least partially arranged within the inner environment (7), a filling apparatus (10) at least partially arranged within the inner environment (7), a closing apparatus (11) at least partially arranged within the inner environment (7) and a conveying apparatus (12) configured to advance the receptacles (2) at least within the inner environment (7). The conveying apparatus (12) comprises a plurality of carriers (20, 20'), each one configured to carry at least one receptacle (2) at a time and a planar motor (21) configured to move each one of the carriers (20, 20') within the inner environment (7) and such to advance the receptacles (2) in order of mentioning to the sterilization apparatus (9), the filling apparatus (10) and the closing apparatus (11) .