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 10ęŻ 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.
Shown below is a CC line virtually identical to the one at Ooigawa. Like the ASIS line, this line also relies on glove ports that allow an operator to access a Class 100 chamber without breaking asepsis. Here again the photo is taken inside the Class 10ęŻ clean room, and this time the garb required for any operator entering the room is shown. The first four glove ports let the operator access a rotary sterilizer. The next two glove ports lead to the rinser. The remaining ports, mounted below the panel that reads “Fillstar,” are for access to the filler/capper block.
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