Claims
- 1. A method for sterilization of packaging at a sterilization station on a form, fill and seal machine, the method comprising:
- providing packaging to be sterilized at the sterilization station;
- partially erecting the packaging to form a partially formed carton;
- affixing a fitment on the partially formed carton;
- transforming to a vapor phase a solution of hydrogen peroxide having a concentration less than 53%;
- subjecting the partially formed carton with a fitment thereon to a predetermined quantity of vapor-phase hydrogen peroxide thereby creating a partially formed carton with the fitment thereon coated with a thin layer of hydrogen peroxide;
- condensing the hydrogen peroxide onto the partially formed carton with the fitment thereon;
- irradiating the coated partially formed carton with the fitment thereon with ultraviolet radiation for a predetermined set of time thereby creating an irradiated partially formed carton with the fitment thereon; and
- drying the irradiated partially formed carton with the fitment thereon with heated air for a predetermined amount of time thereby creating a sterilized partially formed carton with the fitment thereon having less than 0.5 parts per million residue of hydrogen peroxide.
- 2. An apparatus for sterilizing a series of cartons being processed on a multiple station form, fill and seal packaging machine, each of the cartons partially formed and having sidewalls defining a hollow interior, the process occurring at a sterilization station on the packaging machine, the apparatus comprising:
- a conveyor assembly for moving each of the partially formed cartons to the sterilization station at a predetermined interval;
- a nozzle for subjecting each of the partially formed cartons to a predetermined quantity of vapor-phase hydrogen peroxide for the predetermined interval thereby applying a thin layer of hydrogen peroxide to the interior and the exposed exterior of each of the partially formed cartons;
- means for vaporizing hydrogen peroxide to form the vapor-phase hydrogen peroxide having a concentration lower than 53%, the vaporizing means in flow communication with the nozzle;
- a heater;
- an ultraviolet radiation source for irradiating each of the partially formed cartons with ultraviolet radiation for a multiple of the predetermined interval, the ultraviolet radiation source disposed above the conveyor assembly and having a reflector to widely disperse the ultraviolet radiation to provide irradiation of the interior and the exposed exterior of each of the partially formed cartons; and
- a hot air distributor capable of flowing hot air onto each of the partially formed cartons,
- wherein the ultraviolet radiation source is disposed between the heater and the hot air distributor.
CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/911,967 filed on Aug. 15, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,922 and hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
US Referenced Citations (7)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
0361858 |
Apr 1990 |
EPX |
62-4038 |
Jan 1987 |
JPX |
2-4621 |
Jan 1990 |
JPX |
8072255 |
Apr 1997 |
JPX |
9735768 |
Oct 1997 |
WOX |
Continuation in Parts (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
911967 |
Aug 1997 |
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