Packaging Machinery: Inverting Rinsing Machine or Bottle Vacuum?

Container cleaning equipment can be custom manufactured to meet the needs of just about any packaging project. But in most situations, these machines will take the form of either an inverting rinsing machine or a bottle vacuum. The decision of which bottle rinser to use will depend on the unique characteristics of the individual packaging project. Below we will look at a few of the factors that can help a packager make the best decision for their own container cleaning needs.

To Invert or Not To Invert

The type of bottle or other container being cleaned will often be the biggest factor in deciding between an inverting rinser and a bottle vacuum. As the name suggests, an inverting rinsing machine inverts the containers. The bottles are stabilized and turned upside down before nozzles use air, water or other cleaning solution to rinse the inside of the container, allowing dust, debris and other contaminants to flush out of the container into a rinse basin on the machine. Large, oddly shaped or even very tiny containers can cause problems during the inverting portion of the rinse cycle. When these containers cannot consistently and reliably be flipped, the bottle vacuum will often be a better choice for container cleaning needs. Should bottles slip, a thorough rinse may not be accomplished, and of course, should they fall completely, packagers may end up with a machine jam or even broken containers when dealing with glass. Inverting rinsers can handle a wide range of container types and sizes, but the bottle vacuum eliminates the need to invert for those containers that may cause problems.

Type of Debris

Debris in containers can come from a lot of different sources. The manufacture of the bottle may leave behind remnants, containers may become dirty during transport or might even just collect dust in storage, waiting to be used on the packaging line. For bottles that contain large pieces of debris, for any reason, the inverting rinsing machine will be the better choice for acquiring a thorough rinse. The inverting rinsing machines allow debris to wash out of the bottle opening, never creating a seal over the container. The bottle vacuum, on the other hand, does create a seal over the opening, allowing nozzles to vacuum up the debris. Larger debris may not be removed or may plug the nozzle, leading to poor rinsing results.

Projects with Pucks

From time to time, packaging projects will include containers that simply do not travel well on a conveyor, such as vials or tubes in the pharmaceutical industry. These containers will typically be placed in a puck, which is generally a stabilizing container, that allows the containers to move from machine to machine along a power conveyor. In these cases, inverting would require that the vials, tubes or bottles be removed from the pucks for inversion and placed back in the pucks when returned to the conveyor. The better solution in this situation is the bottle vacuum, which simply dives onto the container opening to vacuum out debris.

While these are some of the most common factors that affect the decision to use an inverting rinser of a bottle vacuum, they are many other factors that may come in to play on any given packaging project. For more information on container cleaning equipment, or to discuss your own project with a Packaging Specialist, contact Liquid Packaging Solutions today.