Polylaminate Wine Pouch Filling with Inert Gas Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current machines for filling beverages into polylaminate containers fail to produce high-quality, robust, and aseptic containers, especially for alcoholic beverages like wine, due to inadequate sealing and oxygen exposure, leading to perishability issues.
Innovation Solution
A machine with multiple workstations for pre-shaping, gas dosing, beverage filling, and hermetic sealing using a robust cellulose-based polylaminate material with a specific layer structure, including UV-treated inert gas injection and dual sealing systems for heat or ultrasound sealing, ensuring sterility and oxygen removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional polylaminate materials and machines are used for filling alcoholic beverages, then production can be performed on large scale, but the containers cannot achieve robustness, sterility, and perfect sealing simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter by using a specific polylaminate structure with a cellulose layer of at least 150 g/m² basic weight, which is a significant parameter change from conventional materials. This parameter change enables the material to simultaneously achieve robustness, sterility, and sealing capability while maintaining large-scale production feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention employs a composite polylaminate material structure consisting of multiple layers including a cellulose layer, plastic layers, and aluminum foil. This composite structure combines the advantages of different materials to achieve robustness, sterility, and perfect sealing simultaneously, resolving the contradiction between container quality and production scalability.
2Reliability
If filling is performed without adequate aseptic measures, then the process is simpler and faster, but the beverages are exposed to oxidation and deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an inert atmosphere (nitrogen or carbon dioxide) into the container before sealing to displace oxygen. This creates an oxygen-free environment that prevents oxidation and deterioration of the beverage, while the system remains relatively simple and does not require complex aseptic processing equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs gas dosing and inert atmosphere creation before the filling operation and sealing. By preparing the container environment in advance with inert gas, the system ensures beverage conservation without requiring complex real-time aseptic control during filling, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining high reliability.
3Strength
If the polylaminate material has insufficient basic weight, then the container is easier to manufacture, but it cannot provide adequate robustness and sealing for alcoholic beverages
Solution Approach 1:
The invention specifies a minimum basic weight of 150 g/m² for the cellulose layer, which is a critical parameter change from conventional materials. This parameter ensures adequate robustness and sealing capability while remaining manufacturable with standard equipment, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and ease of manufacture.
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 produces high-quality, robust, and aseptically sealed containers that significantly reduce oxidation and deterioration of alcoholic beverages, enhancing their conservation and reliability in production.
Implementation Method 1
means positioned inside the container prior to introducing the liquid, for irradiating the interior surface of the container with a view to sterilising it
Implementation Method 2
means allowing a predetermined quantity of inert gas to be injected into the container, after introducing the liquid
Implementation Method 3
closing means designed for closing the opening after introduction of the liquid
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A procedure for filling alcoholic beverages, in particular wine, into stand-up type containers made from polylaminate material comprises the following operational steps : a) preparing a stand-up type container; b) mechanically opening the upper part of the container (21) to form a filling space; c) injecting an inert gas in the filling space with the aim of reducing the presence of oxygen in the space; d) introducing a predetermined quantity of an alcoholic beverage, in particular wine, inside the space; e) closing without sealing the open edges of the container (21 ); f) sealing the upper part of the container (21) to form a hermetically closed container and containing an alcoholic beverage, in particular wine. The polylaminate material used comprises a cellulose layer having a basic weight of not less than 150 g/m2; the mechanical opening comprises the mechanical opening from the inside of the mouth of the container (21) and the deep injection into the container of a high pressure jet of air; step f) is performed inside a sealing station (38) in which a first sealing unit (55) performs a hermetic sealing operation fulling sealing a shaped strip inside the upper portion of the container (21).