Sterile Packaging Machine Preliminary Weld Sterilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing machines for packaging products in flexible, sterile environments fail to ensure complete sterilization due to undecontaminated areas around longitudinal welds, which can expose defects and compromise product safety.
Innovation Solution
A machine with preliminary sterilization means that deliver a sterilizing agent, such as hydrogen peroxide vapor, to the internal surfaces adjacent to longitudinal welds before welding, ensuring sterilization and preventing residue accumulation by exploiting the heat generated during welding to evaporate the agent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If longitudinal welds are performed in a continuous manner to ensure tubular casing integrity, then packaging efficiency is improved, but areas covered by the welds remain undecontaminated and exposed to defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary sterilization by delivering a sterilizing agent to the internal surface of the tubular casing before the longitudinal welding process. This preliminary action ensures that the welding areas are decontaminated in advance, preventing any potential contamination from weld defects while maintaining continuous welding for efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a preliminary sterilizing agent to counteract the potential harmful effect of undecontaminated weld areas. By applying the sterilizing agent before welding, the system pre-empts the contamination risk that would otherwise be introduced by the welding process, ensuring that even if weld defects occur, the areas are already protected.
2Reliability
If a sterilizing agent is delivered to internal surfaces before welding, then sterilization completeness is improved, but residue accumulation may deteriorate the product
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potential harm of sterilizing agent residues into a benefit by using the heat generated during the continuous welding process to evaporate the liquid sterilizing agent. The welding heat, which would otherwise be a byproduct, is utilized to remove residues, transforming a potential contamination risk into an effective residue elimination mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent exploits the phase transition of the sterilizing agent from liquid to vapor through the heat generated during welding. This phase change allows the sterilizing agent to be delivered in liquid form for effective sterilization and then automatically evaporated during welding to prevent residue accumulation, ensuring both sterilization completeness and product safety.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the welding process heat is used to evaporate sterilizing agent, then residue removal is improved, but control over sterilizing agent delivery becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service mechanism where the welding process itself provides the heat necessary to evaporate the sterilizing agent. The system uses its own operational heat (a byproduct of welding) to perform the residue removal function, eliminating the need for separate heating or evaporation equipment and simplifying overall process control despite the multi-functional requirement.
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
Guarantees the sterilization of packages even with defects in longitudinal welds, reducing the risk of bacterial proliferation and maintaining product quality by preventing sterilizing agent residues from deteriorating the product.
Implementation Method 1
said preliminary sterilizing agent is hydrogen peroxide... configured to deliver said preliminary sterilizing agent at a temperature and at a pressure such as to guarantee both the delivery thereof in the form of vapor, and the subsequent condensation thereof on said portions of said one or more sheets
Implementation Method 2
ensuring sterilization and preventing residue accumulation by exploiting the heat generated during welding to evaporate the agent
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
A machine (10) for packaging a product (P) into flexible packages (B) comprises one or more units (30) for shaping and filling the packages (B); each shaping and filling unit (30) extends along a longitudinal axis (A) and comprises at least one nozzle (11), feeding means (19) configured to make advance along the longitudinal axis (A) a tubular casing (20) of the material with which to make the packages (B) and having an internal surface (22) facing toward the nozzle (11), longitudinal welding means (27) configured to form at least a first longitudinal weld (29) that joins together at least two sides of the tubular casing (20) and preliminary sterilization means (31), disposed in proximity to said longitudinal welding means (27) for delivering a sterilizing agent (S2).