Bottle Vacuums Offer Unique Solution for Hard to Rinse Containers

Container cleaning is not always a requirement for a packaging line, but bottle rinsing prior to the introduction of product may occur on systems even where not a necessity. The reasons for this can vary, from simply wanting bottles and other containers to be pleasing to the eye - i.e. clean - to wanting to ensure the product stays pure from contaminants picked up during manufacture, storage or delivery. In most cases, the automatic rinsing of the inside of a bottle will be done by inverting the container and blasting the inside with air, water or other cleaning media. But another solution exists for unique situations when inverting bottles becomes inefficient or even impossible.

Heavy bottles may be difficult to hold, much less invert. Oddly shaped containers may be hard to hold, causing slipping of containers and breakage, especially when dealing with glass bottles. Small containers can also be hard to grab and flip. A variety of other reasons exist for why a packager may not want to invert containers on a packaging line. When one of those reasons do exist, a bottle vacuum can usually take the place of an inverting rinser on the system.

Bottle vacuums allow the containers to remain on the conveyor belt by using a special type of nozzle to clean dust, debris and contaminants out of containers. These nozzles first seal over bottle openings, creating the necessary vacuum, then use a blast of clean air to loosen minute dust and debris in the containers. Once loosened, the debris is sucked through the nozzle to an easily removable waste reservoir. The reservoir will occasionally need to be emptied by the operator of the packaging line, but otherwise the bottle vacuum continues to index and cycle containers in the same manner as would the more popular inverting rinsing machine, just without the removal of bottles from the conveyor.

Bottle vacuums provide an excellent example of manufacturing for unique situations. For container cleaning and every other machine manufactured by Liquid Packaging Solutions, alternative solutions exist to those displayed on our website or typically seen on a packaging line. To discuss custom container cleaning equipment, or other custom packaging machinery, with an Packaging Machinery Specialist, contact the LPS offices today.