Tetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.a.

Purepulse Technologies, Inc.

Olof Stark

Gunnar Drevfors

Robert D Massey

Ashok Singh

Andrew H Bushnell

Arde Kirka

R Wayne Clark

Johan Hegardt

Anders Ek

Don Meader

Lars-ANGke Naslund

Hangkan Mellbin

Hangkan Moller

Miriam Gersten

Par Olanders

Hisami Mitsuishi

Stefan Annehed

Erik Schott

Dean C Skonieczny

Par J Svensson

Hakan Moller

Hakan Möller

Methods and apparatuses are described for food product preservation by deactivation of microorganisms and enzymes by applying high-intensity, short-duration pulses of polychromatic light in a broad spectrum to packaging material surfaces. A photodiode is employed for detecting the intensity of the light, and a control circuit is used to adjust power delivered to a flashlamp if the intensity of the light needs adjustment. An outer safety glass is employed to protect the flashlamps. The outer safety glass may include coating materials at ends thereof. In addition, several variations of lamp assembly geometries accommodate small diameter packaging material tubes by using an fill pipe having offset first and second portions with a transitional region thereinbetween, or be eliminating the water jackets and using an outer safety glass to contain water as it is passed over flashlamps. A lamp holding device includes a holding cylinder with a first flange, which, together with a compression cylinder, compresses the first O-ring into the flashlamp. A lamp holding device is positioned in a receptacle into which an electrode of a U-lamp is inserted. The lamp holding device allows a proximal portion to move relative to a distal portion thereof. A light guide is positioned to receive light emitted from a linear flashlamp and to transmit such light into a packaging material cup.

Deactivation of microorganisms

A packaging machine under control of an electronic control system is set forth. The packaging machine includes a plurality of servo driven packaging stations that execute the processes required to fill and seal a carton. Each of the packaging stations is driven by one or more servomotors associated therewith. A plurality of servo amplifiers are connected to the servomotors to control the rotational movement of the servomotors thereby to effect control of the motion of the various components associated with each if the packaging stations. The packaging machine further includes at least two programmable devices connected for communication over a common bus. A programmable axis manager (PAM) is connected to control the plurality of servo amplifiers and, thus, the motion profiles of the servomotors and components of the respective processing station. A programmable logic controller (PLC) is connected to receive and transmit input/output signals associated with the plurality of packaging stations. The PAM and the PLC communicate data variable values over the common bus using predetermined fingerprints assigned to each variable value. Use of the fingerprint/variable value protocol allows high speed communication between the PLC and PAM thereby allowing the PLC and PAM to be viewed as a single control unit.

Control system for a packaging machine

Methods and apparatuses are described for food product preservation by deactivation of microorganisms and enzymes by applying high-intensity, short-duration pulses of polychromatic light in a broad spectrum to packaging material surfaces. In some embodiments, a photodiode is employed for detecting the intensity of the light, and a control circuit is used to adjust power delivered to a flashlamp if the intensity of the light needs adjustment. In some embodiments, an outer safety glass is employed to protect the flashlamps. The outer safety glass may include coating materials at ends thereof. In addition, several variations of lamp assembly geometries accommodate small diameter packaging material tubes by, for example, using an fill pipe having offset first and second portions with a transitional region thereinbetween, or be eliminating the water jackets and using an outer safety glass to contain water as it is passed over flashlamps. In another additional embodiment, a lamp holding device includes a holding cylinder with a first flange, which, together with a compression cylinder, compresses the first O-ring into the flashlamp. In yet another embodiment, a lamp holding device is positioned in a receptacle into which an electrode of a U-lamp is inserted. The lamp holding device allows a proximal portion to move relative to a distal portion thereof. In yet a further embodiment, a light guide is positioned to receive light emitted from a linear flashlamp and to transmit such light into a packaging material cup.

A servomotor driven machine under control of a control system which compensates for the slip and other errors associated with indirectly driving a movable component of the machine with a servomotor is set forth. The control system includes a servomotor that is connected through an intermediate drive mechanism to drive the movable component from a start position to an end position. A sensing system is disposed on the apparatus for generating an output signal indicative of at least one motion characteristic of the movable component. A controller drives the servomotor in accordance with a predetermined motion profile. The predetermined motion profile defines the motion characteristics of the movable component as the movable component moves from the start position to the end position within a predetermined time frame. The controller is responsive to the output signal of the sensing system to compensate for movement errors caused by the intermediate drive mechanism by deviating from the predetermined motion profile.

Control system having error correcting apparatus

Ultrasonic sealing apparatus, including at least one anvil and at least one transducer opposed to the anvil to transmit ultrasonic energy to a workpiece clamped between them, is disclosed. The anvil and sealing horn each are reciprocated between an open position allowing a carton to pass and a closed position for sealing a closure. A biasing element is connected between the anvil or the horn and its drive to define the sealing pressure developed between the anvil and the horn. The biasing force can be adjusted without stopping the machine, by using an externally applied pneumatic force. The anvil has a backing element, a facing member, a body, and a resilient pad separating the body from the facing member. The backing element has a curved front surface facing the transducer. The back surface of the anvil pad is curved similarly to and bears against the curved front surface of the backing element. A fastener is provided for selectively fixing the anvil pad and the backing element together or allowing the anvil pad to shift along the curved surface of the backing element for aligning the anvil with respect to the transducer. The apparatus may also include cooling fluid passages within the facing member and extending through the anvil body and the resilient pad for carrying fluid from the source of cooling fluid through the facing member of the anvil. A method for aligning the anvils and transducers of a ultrasonic sealing apparatus as described above is also disclosed.

Ultrasonic carton sealer

A packaging machine for manufacturing packaging containers for liquid contents, e.g., milk or juice, from tubular packaging container blanks of laminated paper and plastic material. The blanks are fed through the machine by means of a main conveyor along which is disposed various stations for performing operations such as sealing the bottom ends of the blanks to form bottom-sealed packaging containers, filling the bottom-sealed packaging containers, and top-sealing the filled containers. A station can also be provided to transfer blanks from an infeed conveyor located below the main convey to the main conveyor. The stations are jointly controlled but individually driven and replaceable, which makes for a flexible and compact machine.

Packaging machine

The invention relates to a method for the sterilization of the inside layer of a packaging material, the packaging material being produced as a laminate with an inside layer of a transparent thermoplastic which is applied on a reflective material layer. The sterilizing energy includes high energy light flashes emitted from one or more flash units, the light flashes being caused to act on the inside of the packaging material for purposes of exterminating bacteria and microorganisms present on the surface. Because the light flashes emitted from the flash unit are reflected by the reflective layer, the surface layer of the layer will be influenced by both the direct and the reflecting photoenergy from the flash units, the sterilizing effect being thereby improved. Packaging material well-suited for sterilization according to the method is also disclosed.

Method of sterilizing the inside layer in a packaging material

Growing community of inventors

Ystad, Sweden

Olof Stark