Photo of plastic containers in a Twistrinser bottle rinser from Traktech. Top 5 publications on container handling 2021.

A machine for cleaning bottles that does not use water. Is it possible?

Reading time: 3 minutes

Machines for cleaning empty bottles have traditionally used water to clean the inside of the bottles at the beginning of a production line.

From this process comes the expression “bottle washer”, where “washer” was used to refer to cleaning the containers with water, but this terminology is now obsolete.

Why? Because the needs of bottle manufacturers and bottling companies have changed. They are under ever more pressure to supply high-quality products that are also subject to strict regulatory and environmental control.

As a result, the market has evolved, and today there are different systems and methods that offer better performance, and terms have arisen that are more closely adapted to these processes such as rinse or clean.

What are the needs or challenges of the sector?

Most production companies, especially beverage ones, have similar needs that vary according to their production capacity and the format and material of the containers used for their products.

In general terms, we could say that companies with high production need a machine for cleaning the inside of the containers that:

  • Guarantees the cleanliness of the empty containers before the filling process.
  • Does not cause unnecessary interruptions or stoppages in the production line.
  • Optimises the space used for production.
  • Reduces or minimises the high costs of resources used for proper cleaning of the containers.

Cost of energy and water used to wash containers

It is worth mentioning the energy and water resources in a separate section, as traditionally they are the most commonly used to wash containers.

Water and the energy used for cleaning containers is an enormous expense that cannot be recycled, also requiring subsequent processes to dry the containers, making the operation more expensive.

Thus, this cleaning equipment becomes an unsustainable “black hole” for resources.

Different solutions have been proposed for this problem, for example, the use of inert gases, such as nitrogen, but results have not been good, and they are still costly.

With an understanding of the needs of manufacturers and bottlers, our R&D department has developed a bottle cleaning machine that does not use water in the process.

So, it is possible to use a machine for cleaning containers without water, using technology and innovation, and offering excellent results in production, as well as sustainability.

TwistRinser a PET bottle cleaning machine that does not use water

The Twistrinser is a compact and novel solution for cleaning the inside of bottles. Using an ionised air technology and responding to the needs of producers to guarantee complete cleanliness of containers before the filling process, without interrupting the operation of the packaging line.

It has an exclusive design, turning the bottles upside down and cleaning them on the same air conveyor.

This is a unique solution that can be incorporated into an existing production line or a new one, eliminating the habitual interface problems between machines, and at the same time reducing space in the production area and overall surface area of the plant.

Basically designed for cleaning particles from the inside of PET and HDPE bottles with models TR-700 and TR 1000, it can also be used for different types of cans (iron, aluminium, etc.), model TR-SPC and PET preforms, model TR-SPT, but the most common use is for cleaning PET bottles in the drinks industry.

The TwistRinser includes the IonRinseTM system, patented by Meech UK, the world leader in ionizing systems, being the ideal and most popular solution on the market.

Advantages of the TwistRinser:

  • Eliminates water expense for cleaning the containers.
  • Eliminates traces of water and other chemicals.
  • Does not use compressed air for drying the containers.
  • Very simple to maintain
  • Integrated control system
  • Can easily be fitted to an existing production line.

How does the container cleaning process work?

Cleaning process of glass bottles with system

Cleaning process of glass bottles with system.

 

The Twistrinser ionised air rinsing system with its bottle turner, turns the bottles upside down, so the opening is at the bottom before passing over the CHU blowing and suction head.

The head is made of stainless steel with two air chambers (blowing and suction) and 2 ionizing bars (primary and reserve), placed approximately 5mm under the containers. The effective cleaning length is 700 or 1000mm.

The rinser needs minimum maintenance and can be very easily integrated into existing pneumatic conveyors, as it is a compact and autonomous system. It also incorporates an automatic guide format change.

In short, beverage manufacturers only need 8 m in their production plant to install our TwistRinser complete solution, with a bottle turner and the IonRinseTM ionized air cleaning system, also integrated into our pneumatic conveyor. Please write to us for more information, without obligations!

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