Rinsing Machinery for 2022 Packaging Projects
Though not seen as much on the production floor at Liquid Packaging Solutions as filling and capping machines, rinsing machinery still remains a popular equipment category for 2022. These machines range from simple semi-automatic machinery to completely automatic equipment that allows bottles to be rinsed free of dirt, debris and other contaminants prior to the introduction of the product to the container. While not every industry or product will require a bottle to be rinsed before the filling process, these machines are incredibly important in certain industries, especially those where products are made for ingestion or human consumption. Not only do rinsing machines remove debris that could be harmful if ingested, but they protect against product contamination and help to keep the entire packaging process sanitary.
Semi-automatic rinsing machinery generally requires the operator of the machine to interact with bottles and start the rinse with each cycle run. For instance, a four-nozzle semi-automatic rinsing machine will require the operator to place four bottles on the rinse nozzles. Once in place, the operator will then step on a foot switch to start the rinse cycle. Bottles will be rinsed for the predetermined amount of time, after which the operator will remove the nozzles. This process is repeated until all bottles have been rinsed.
Automatic rinsing machines normally include a clamp that secures bottles coming in on a power conveyor. Once secured, the bottles are inverted over a rinse basin. Bottles on an automatic machine will also be rinsed for a predetermined amount of time, before being returned to the conveyor, where the clamp releases the bottles and they continue down the conveyor to the next packaging machine, likely a liquid filling machine. Automatic rinsers allow the operator to enter all settings for the rinse on a touchscreen interface prior to the start of production. Once these settings are entered, the machine or line can be started and the operator only need monitor the performance of the eqiupment, rather than interact with every cycle as is necessary with a semi-automatic rinser.
For some bottles or containers, however, inverting can be difficult due to the size, weight or shape. LPS also manufactures a bottle vacuum that allows containers to remain on the conveyor belt. Once in place, special nozzles will seal over the container opening while releasing a blast of clean air to loosen debris. The nozzles then vacuum the debris from the containers before sending them to the filling machine or other equipment down the line.
Semi-automatic and automatic inverting machines offer different methods of rinsing as well. While the bottle vacuum will use air to loosen debris, these other machines can use water, air, product or other cleaning liquids to rinse bottles. In some cases, the rinse media used simply comes down to the desire of the packager, though air rinsing offers the benefit of not having as much waste material in the form of the rinse liquid during production. Different factors may apply to different projects that will make one rinse media a better solution than the others, and a thorough analysis of the packaging project at hand will assist in making that decision.
To learn more about the rinsing equipment manufactured by Liquid Packaging Solutions, browse the Container Cleaning section of the LPS website or contact a Packaging Specialist for assistance with your specific project today!