Due to a heavy production schedule at Daiwa Can’s Ooigawa facility, in-plant photos of the two lines described in this story were not possible. But nearly identical equipment is shown here.
Shown above is a photo of a low-acid ASIS line at Daiwa Can’s Toyokawa plant. Taken inside the Class 10ꯠ clean room, it shows the Class 100 chamber where the filler/capper block sits. Four glove ports above the step stool permit an operator to access the filler in case of a jam. Visible to the left is an “intervention suit.” If there is a problem with the filler/capper, an operator can step inside the suit and, again, access the equipment without breaking asepsis. Tools can be handed to him through the white cylindrical port visible on the left side of the photo. First the tool is placed inside the cylinder and the door reclosed. Then a hydrogen peroxide spray sterilizes the tool. Only then does the operator in the intervention suit open his side of the cylinder and remove the tool for use.
