Abstract: Disclosed is a pressure heating apparatus which can surely prevent generation of cold spots inside the pressure vessel without using an excessive amount of steam and can shorten the required time necessary for pressurizing and heating. A circulation pipe for connecting a top side opening provided on the upper portion of a pressure vessel and a bottom side opening provided on the lower portion of the pressure vessel is provided outside the pressure vessel. A turbo blower is provided on a path of the circulation pipe and a steam supply pipe is connected thereto. Therefore, air inside the pressure vessel and steam supplied to the circulation pipe can be strongly agitated, thereby achieving uniformity of the temperature distributions and the steam density.

Abstract: Disclosed are a pressure heating method and a pressure heating apparatus which can prevent deformation of articles or deterioration of the quality of the articles due to supply of excessive pressure and heat. After performing pressurizing and heating processing of articles by supplying steam to a pressure vessel, the supply of steam is stopped and air is supplied to the pressure vessel to keep the internal pressure of the pressure vessel within the range not exceeding the maximum value of the internal pressure at the time of pressurizing and heating. A cooling water spray device on a circulation pipe is operated along with a turbo blower so as to condense it for gradual removal. After completing the removal of the steam, the articles are cooled by the operation of the cooling water jet unit. By avoiding an abrupt decrease in the pressure inside the pressure vessel through preventing an instant condensation of the whole steam, an excessive pre-load becomes unnecessary at the final stage of sterilization.

Abstract: Encapsulation apparatus for forming capsules by dropping a coagulatable mixture into a coagulation tank, including a dropping tank with a perforated bottom and a coagulation tank beneath the dropping tank. The dropping tank has a shallow mid-section and deeper portions at the inlet and discharge ends. Pumps provide circulation between the discharge and inlet ends of the coagulation tank.

Abstract: A sterilizer which has two transfer chains moving through sterilizing and cooling tanks; open-backed transfer containers with holes in their walls and locking members at both ends, which are supported between the chains; and inner vessels containing the materials being treated, which have holes in the walls thereof and locking means, which are engageable with the locking members, at both ends thereof, and which are adapted to be removably inserted into the containers. Projections extend inward from the circumferential edges of the holes in the walls of the containers and/or inner vessels, serving to support the materials and define liquid passages between the materials and the inner surfaces of the containers and/or inner vessels.

Abstract: The top seal parts of bottle-like containers made by blow-molding a flexible synthetic resin are cut off by nonrotatably supporting each container, pressing from one side a cutting edge of a cutter against a specific cutting line on the top part of the container, and rotating the cutter around the top part thereby to cut off the top seal part. This process can be carried out by an apparatus comprising a plurality of combinations of mechanisms, each combination comprising a fixing device for nonrotatably and fixedly supporting a container, a cutting head which can be fitted onto the top seal part of this container and can be driven in ascending, descending, and rotating movement, and cutting head drive.

Abstract: An apparatus for taking a material to be treated into and out of a treating high pressure tank such as a heating sterilization tank comprises a conveyor passage interconnecting the high pressure tank and a water tank and constituted by two or more partially cylindrical casings connected in a side-by-side relation and each rotatably accomodating a rotary closure member having 2 to 6 blades adapted to make a sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface of the casing. Due to a specific phase difference between the blades of adjacent rotary closure members, the conveyor passage is always closed by some of the blades. A pair of endless conveyor chains, carrying a plurality of treating vessels accomodating the material, are adapted to run along both side surfaces of the conveyor passage through the high pressure tank and the water tank in a timed relation to the rotation of the rotary closure members. Means are provided for returning the leaked liquid back to the high pressure tank from the water tank.

Abstract: A device for screw-tightening caps on containers such as bottles has a cap chuck head for grasping and holding each cap with holding pawls, a driving shaft, and a friction clutch mechanism constructed separately from the chuck head but mechanically coupling the driving shaft and the chuck head to transmit rotational power to the chuck head at torques below a predetermined maximum torque, at which the cap is screw tightened, friction plates of the clutch mechanism slipping at any higher torque to prevent excessive tightening. The separate construction of the clutch mechanism and the chuck head prevents subsequent engagement of the clutch plates due to reaction forces arising during the screw-tightening operation, thereby preventing excessive tightening.

Abstract: An apparatus for intermittently transferring a suitable number of cylindrical plastic containers using a conveyor, which comprises a vessel stopping and transferring wheel which is rotatably disposed on one side of the conveyor, on which the cylindrical vessels are placed, and which has in the peripheral portion thereof arc-shaped recesses which are engageable with the side surface of the cylindrical vessels; a cam having flat surfaces and operatively connected to the vessel stopping and transferring wheel via toothed wheels; a buffer having at the free end portion thereof a roller slidingly engageable with the flat surfaces of the cam; and a control for disengaging the roller from the flat surfaces of the cam.