Line-control guide

Bottle-rinser stop, start and fault recovery.

Map bottle status through starvation, blockage, utility loss and safety stops so only bottles with an accepted rinse condition proceed.

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Direct answer

A bottle-rinser recovery plan defines the state of the machine and every affected bottle before the line is allowed to restart.

For each interruption, identify where bottles can be located, which process stages they completed, which utility or safety condition was lost, and whether the bottles may proceed, be re-rinsed, be inspected, be quarantined or be removed. Test the sequence during FAT or SAT with the actual control handshakes and accumulation conditions.

This prevents a successful alarm reset from being mistaken for a successful process recovery. The machine may be safe to move while bottle cleanliness or dry condition is still uncertain.

State matrix

Define the machine, bottle and operator response for each event.

Event

Machine response to define

Bottle question

Acceptance evidence

Starved infeed

Controlled run-down or wait state; no-bottle-no-rinse behaviour

Did bottle pitch or presentation become uncertain?

Sensor/valve response and clean re-entry of bottles

Blocked discharge

Stop or accumulate without collision or overfilling the machine

Which bottles completed rinse and drain/dry?

Zone map and release decision

Air, water or extraction loss

Remove run permissive and provide a clear alarm

Which bottles received an incomplete or uncertain process?

Affected range, hold/rework method and restored utility result

Guard or emergency stop

Safe stop and energy-control behaviour under risk assessment

Can any bottle move or become contaminated during intervention?

Safe isolation/intervention and controlled restart

Downstream filler stop

Controlled accumulation or coordinated stop

Are open bottles exposed or held beyond the accepted time?

Handover condition after the planned stop and restart

Bottle-zone map

How do you identify which bottles are affected?

Divide the process into physical zones that match the actual machine: incoming but not presented; held or inverted; under rinse; draining or drying; inspected; discharged but not yet accepted by the filler. For each sensor or index position, define what the control system knows and what remains an operator decision.

A zone map may be a simple line-layout drawing with sensor numbers and maximum bottle counts. More complex systems may use encoder or index tracking. The chosen method should be tested after power loss, manual clearance and recipe change as well as a normal software stop.

Where should the quarantine boundary be?

Set the boundary at the earliest and latest bottle that could have an uncertain process result. The exact method depends on sensor spacing, motion, valve timing and physical bottle positions. Avoid an unsupported assumption that only the bottle directly under a nozzle is affected.

Test sequence

Challenge recovery during FAT and SAT.

Agree the event and expected state. Write the alarm, stop, permissive and bottle decision before the test.
Introduce identified bottles. Use numbered or otherwise traceable development samples so their position can be recorded.
Create the interruption safely. Use an approved test method; never defeat guards or safety controls.
Record machine and bottle status. Capture sensors, alarms, motion, utilities and the physical bottle-zone map.
Apply the recovery rule. Re-rinse, inspect, hold or remove affected bottles as specified.
Prove the restart. Run accepted first-off bottles and confirm the downstream handover before normal production release.

Safety boundary: fault tests must be planned within the machine risk assessment and carried out by competent people. Do not create a utility or safeguarding fault by bypassing protective devices.

What should happen after power loss?

Define how the machine retains or loses position, what utilities remain, how stored energy is controlled, and how bottle status is reconstructed. Require a deliberate restart and first-off release rather than automatic continuation.

How should manual clearance be controlled?

Use the approved safe-isolation and access procedure. Record which bottles were removed, which remained, and whether cleaning or a new first-off test is required before restart.

What if the same fault repeats?

Do not normalise repeated resets. Hold the line under the site's fault-escalation process, investigate the cause and assess whether bottles exposed during repeated interruptions remain acceptable.

Related guidance

Responsible organisation: Bottle Rinsers UK is a specialist Lancing Ltd resource. The installed machine's risk assessment, control philosophy and site operating procedures determine the final recovery method.