WO2010112220A1

WO2010112220A1 - Device and method for dispensing oral tobacco in intake-friendly portions

Info

Publication number: WO2010112220A1
Application number: PCT/EP2010/002076
Authority: WO
Inventors: Thomas Gruss; Patrick Fricke; Willfried Hoffmann; Hartmut Ringel; Bernd Seliger; Stephan Plewa
Original assignee: Hauni Maschinenbau Ag
Priority date: 2009-04-01
Filing date: 2010-03-23
Publication date: 2010-10-07
Also published as: US20100252056A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) for dispensing oral tobacco in intake-friendly portions, comprising a supply element (12) for the tobacco (11) and an apparatus (13) for forming and outputting intake-friendly portions, characterized in that said apparatus (13) for forming and outputting intake-friendly portions has a device (14) for forming and pressing the tobacco (11) into at least one continuous tobacco strand (15) and an element (16) for portioning said tobacco strand (15) into tobacco portions (17) which are defined with regard to form and weight. Furthermore, the invention relates to a corresponding method.

Description

Device and method for dosing oral tobacco in dosage-ready portions

description

The invention relates to a device for dosing oral tobacco in dosage-ready portions, comprising a feed element for the tobacco and a device for forming and dispensing revenue-appropriate portions. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for dosing oral tobacco in dosage-ready portions.

Such devices and methods are used in the tobacco processing industry to process oral tobacco (or tobacco mixtures), ie tobacco, which is completely introduced into the mouth for smoking-free consumption, namely to dose and fill in particular. A distinction is made between the so-called portioned tobacco, the consumption of e.g. in a bag of cellulose or the like is introduced into the mouth, and the so-called loose tobacco, which is for consumption directly, so without wrapping packaging, introduced into the mouth. There are generally two product groups SNUS and SNUFF. SNUS is an e.g. in Scandinavia widespread product in which the tobacco u.a. is pasteurized. At SNUFF, e.g. In North America common product, it is a fermented tobacco. Both product groups are offered portioned in sachets or loosely. The term tobacco includes not only exclusively the actual tobacco, but also tobacco with additives, flavors or the like.

The portioned tobacco, which is taken in packaged form, for example in a bag made of cellulose or the like, must be portioned before being packaged in cans, boxes, combination packagings or the like in ready-to-use portions and filled into the bags. The tobacco portions, their weight and size can vary and is usually in the range of milligrams and grams, are separated from a continuously or intermittently fed tobacco stream by means of metering and usually by means of so-called seal edge or flow wrapper machines, such as those from DE 10 2005 017 474 Al or DE 10 2007 041 808 Al are known, packed. The loose tobacco, which is introduced directly into the mouth, is unpacked in cans, boxes, combination packages or the like filled, with the income-based dosing or portioning by the consumer himself is made. The consumer determines the size and weight of the tobacco portion.

For dosing the packaging-appropriate or intake-appropriate portions of tobacco, in particular for filling the bags or the like with tobacco servings devices are known in practice, having filling chambers into which the supplied via bands, funnels or the like, usually loose tobacco is sucked or sucked. The volume of a filling chamber corresponds to a packaging-appropriate or income-appropriate portion. From the filling chamber, the tobacco portion to a downstream device, such as the sealing edge or

Flow wrapper, delivered. This can be done or assisted by gravity and / or suction or compressed air and / or in other usual ways. For example, the portions can be blown through filling tubes, around which the bag paper is guided.

However, the known devices have the disadvantage that only free-flowing tobacco, so tobacco with a low residual moisture content, is processable. In other words, the known devices and methods are compared to wet tobacco, so tobacco with a residual moisture content of in particular greater than 20% to a residual moisture content of e.g. 60% or more, and / or to tobacco with the moisture content of the tobacco-raising oils, flavors or the like, very sensitive. This means that the wet and thus sticky tobacco to deposits in the devices and in the worst case to block the device and

Interruption of the procedure leads. This requires short cleaning intervals, resulting in downtime and downtime. Another disadvantage is that the dosage / portioning of the individual portions in particular due to the Deposits are very inaccurate. In other words, the weight and volume of each serving vary. The portioning of the loose tobacco also has the disadvantage that, as made by the consumer, it is very inaccurate, whereby the consumption can be affected.

The invention is thus based on the object to provide an improved device for dosing tobacco, especially wet tobacco with a residual moisture content of greater than 30%. Furthermore, it is the task to propose a corresponding method.

This object is achieved by a device of the type mentioned above in that the means for forming and dispensing revenue-appropriate portions of a device for forming and pressing the tobacco to at least one endless tobacco rod and a member for portioning the tobacco rod in terms of shape and weight has defined tobacco portions. By forming and pressing the tobacco on the one hand and the portioning into defined tobacco portions on the other hand, especially wet tobacco with a high residual moisture content (greater than 30% to 60% and beyond) is precisely portioned into so-called Pressformlinge or pellets, so that a reproducible and the device is guaranteed only slightly polluting dosage. The fact that the pellets are already pressed and brought into shape prior to insertion into the bag, a gentle and dimensionally stable transport can be ensured. This helps significantly to the preservation of the so-called "white portions". "White Portions" means that the bags color remain unchanged when filled with the tobacco portions, so in particular no tobacco juice leads to a coloring of the bags. The inventive design of the device allows the accurate dosing of ready-to-use tobacco portions, which are to be taken either directly or in a bag. Overall, the inventive design leads to increased process reliability with low downtime.

An expedient development is characterized in that the device is designed and set up for the simultaneous shaping and pressing of several tobacco strands. This increases the performance of the device. Especially allows this training, for example, a direct assignment of each tobacco rod to each filling tube of a sealing edge or tubular bag machine, whereby the output of the sealing edge or tubular bag machine is increased.

Advantageously, a common element for simultaneous portioning is associated with several tobacco strands. This means that with one element of all tobacco strands synchronously at least one tobacco portion is separable, whereby a high capacity is achieved.

Preferably, the or each element for portioning a memory element downstream, which is designed and arranged for spatially separate receiving at least two tobacco portions of the same tobacco rod and set. With this design it is ensured that the continuously produced tobacco strands or tobacco portions separated from the tobacco strands are optionally continuously or clocked to the downstream device, such as the sealed edge or tubular bag machine, are eligible.

The object is also achieved by a method mentioned at the outset, characterized by the following steps: supplying tobacco, continuously shaping and pressing the tobacco into at least one endless tobacco rod, portioning the tobacco rod in tobacco portions defined with respect to shape and weight, and conveying the tobacco portions to a downstream processing station. The resulting advantages have already been explained in connection with the device, so reference is made to avoid repetition on the corresponding passages.

Further expedient and / or advantageous features and embodiments emerge from the subclaims and the description. A particularly preferred embodiment and the method will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawing shows:

Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of a device for forming and dispensing revenue-appropriate portions with a device for molding and Pressing the tobacco into several endless tobacco strands and an element for portioning the tobacco strands,

2 is an enlarged view of a storage element for receiving a plurality of tobacco portions of the same tobacco rod,

3 shows a filling tube with a finished filled and sealed bag, and

Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of a device for forming and dispensing revenue-appropriate portions.

The embodiment shown in the drawing is used for dosing and / or portioning of oral tobacco. Such portions may e.g. packed in sachets or as shaped articles, e.g. Tablets, to be provided.

The device 10 for dosing and / or portioning for oral tobacco 11 (hereinafter also referred to as tobacco) comprises a feed element 12 for the tobacco 11 and a device 13 for forming and dispensing of revenue-appropriate portions. The means 13 for forming and dispensing the revenue-proportional portions comprises a device 14 for forming and pressing the tobacco 11 to at least one endless tobacco rod 15 and a member 16 for portioning the tobacco rod 15 in terms of size and weight tobacco portions 17 defined.

The feeding element 12 can be designed differently and can be, for example, a conveyor belt, a chute or, as shown in FIG. 1, a hopper. The means 13 for forming and dispensing the revenue-oriented portions serves to form individual portions of the preferably continuously supplied (loose) tobacco, optionally for filling a bag or other packages, and to supply them to the bag or the packaging. For this purpose, the device 13 according to the invention, the device 14 for forming and pressing the tobacco 11, which is an extruder with rotating rollers in the embodiment shown. However, other common devices for forming and pressing tobacco are also usable. The Element 16 for portioning or separating individual tobacco portions 17 from the tobacco rod 15 may be a knife, a wire or any other tool suitable for cutting or shearing.

Preferably, the device 14 is designed and configured for simultaneously forming and pressing a plurality of tobacco strands 15. In the embodiment shown four tobacco strands 15 can be produced simultaneously. Of course, less than four and more than four, in particular up to sixteen tobacco strands 15 can be produced simultaneously. For this, the device 14 may be e.g. according to the number of desired tobacco strands 15 for each tobacco rod 15 provide a separate molding and pressing element. In the preferred embodiment according to the figures, however, a central shaping and pressing element is provided, which is associated with a multi-lane nozzle, Nozzle or the like. In other words, the nozzle / nozzle has a number of openings that defines the number of tobacco rods 15 running side by side. Preferably, the plurality of tobacco rods 15 are guided in parallel. Regarding the alignment of the tobacco strands 15 different arrangements or orientations of the nozzle / Nozzle are possible. By way of example, the tobacco strands 15 according to FIG. 1 run parallel in the width dimension B of the feed element 12 or the funnel, while the tobacco strands 15 in the embodiment according to FIG. 4 lie parallel to one another in the length dimension L of the rotating rolls. In other words, the nozzle / nozzle can be designed and / or arranged such that the tobacco rods 15 have different exit directions from the device 13.

For portioning or separating the individual tobacco portions 17 from the tobacco strands 15, the element 16 is arranged in the flow direction of the tobacco strands 15 behind the forming and pressing element or the nozzle / Nozzle. In the described embodiment, the element 16 is designed such that with the element 16 all tobacco strands 15 can be processed simultaneously. In other words, a common element 16 is provided which portions all tobacco strands 15 with a single separating movement. In other embodiments, each tobacco rod may have its own separate element 16 associated therewith. The portioning / separating element 16 may be directly followed by a processing station such as a sealed edge or tubular bag machine. Optionally, however, downstream of the element 16, a storage element 18 (see FIG. 2) may also be arranged downstream of the device 10 for metering in the direction of flow of the tobacco strands 15. The memory element 18 decouples the device 10 from a downstream processing station and may be centrally located. Preferably, each tobacco rod 15 is associated with its own storage element 18, which is designed and arranged for spatially separate receiving at least two tobacco portions 17 of the same tobacco rod 15. This means that the continuously produced tobacco portions 17 in the storage element 18 aufhehmbar and timed are deliverable again. In the embodiment shown, the storage element 18 is a kind of turntable 19 with a plurality of receptacles 20 for the tobacco portions 17. By rotation of the turntable 19, the receptacles 20 from a Aufhahmeposition A _UF in a dispensing position A _ß and vice versa movable. The turntable 19 has at least two, but preferably a plurality of receptacles 20. In the region of the dispensing position A _B , a blow-out station 23 is provided, by means of which the tobacco portions 17 located in the receptacles 20 can be conveyed to downstream processing stations, for example to filling tubes 21 of a sealed edge or tubular bag machine. The storage element 18 may also be designed as a sliding element or in another known manner. Such a filling tube 21 is shown in FIG. 3, around which the bag paper 22 is guided in order to produce a filled and closed sealed edge bag 22.

As already mentioned, the device 10 can be combined in particular with a sealed edge or tubular bag machine. However, the dosing device 10 can also be connected to other processing stations, in particular packaging machines.

The process principle is explained in greater detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4: Tobacco 11, tobacco mixtures or the like are fed to the device 10 for dosing oral tobacco via the feed element 12. This tobacco 1 1 is continuously molded and pressed in the device 14 to at least one, but preferably several endless tobacco strands 15. The preferably parallel tobacco rods 15 are then cut. That means that of the individual or each tobacco rod 15 separated in size and weight tobacco portions 17 are separated. These tobacco portions 17 are then fed directly or via the storage element 18 to a downstream processing station.

The shaping and pressing of the plurality of tobacco rods 15 takes place simultaneously, as well as the cutting of the tobacco strands 15 in tobacco portions 17. In the event that the tobacco portions 17 clocked promoted to the subsequent processing station, the tobacco portions 17 are stored. By rotation of the turntable 19 is provided below each strand outlet from the device 14 for molding and pressing and behind the element 16 for separating a free receptacle 10 ready. Once the receptacle 20 is filled, the turntable 19 is rotated further. Thus, on the one hand achieved that A _UF always an empty receptacle 20 is in the receiving position and the other hand transported _ß the filled receptacles 20 to the delivery position A and there, the tobacco portions are ejected 17th The tobacco portions 17 are preferably fed to a sealed edge or tubular bag machine. However, it is possible to deliver the tobacco portions 17, whose shape and weight may of course vary, to any processing stations. When dosing and conveying the packaging-appropriate and / or revenue-appropriate tobacco portion 17, it is preferable to ensure that the tobacco 1 1, the tobacco strands 15 and the tobacco portions 17 have the same direction of flow, preferably in a vertical orientation from top to bottom. Other conveying directions, for example in the horizontal direction, but are also possible.

Claims

claims

A device (10) for dosing oral tobacco into dosage-ready portions, comprising a feeding element (12) for the tobacco (11) and means (13) for forming and dispensing income-based. Portions, d a d u r c h indicate that the device (13) for

Forming and dispensing revenue-appropriate portions of a device

(14) for forming and pressing the tobacco (11) into at least one endless tobacco rod (15) and an element (16) for portioning the tobacco rod

(15) in terms of the shape and the weight defined tobacco portions (17).

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the device (14) for the simultaneous forming and pressing of several tobacco strands (15) is formed and arranged.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a plurality of tobacco strands (15) is associated with a common element (16) for simultaneous portioning.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each

Tobacco strand (15) is associated with a separate element (16) for portioning.

5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the or each element (16) for portioning a memory element (18) is arranged downstream, the spatially separate recording at least two

Tobacco portions (17) of the same tobacco rod (15) is designed and set up.

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the or each element (16) for portioning a knife, a wire or the like.

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said device (10) is designed and arranged for cooperation with a sealing edge or tubular bag machine.

8. A method for dosing oral tobacco into dosage portions, which comprises the following steps: a) feeding tobacco (11), b) continuously forming and pressing the tobacco (11) into at least one endless tobacco rod ( 15), c) portioning the tobacco rod (15) with respect to the mold and the

Weight defined tobacco portions (17), and d) conveying the tobacco portions (17) to a downstream processing station.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that in step b) of

Tobacco (11) is formed and pressed simultaneously to several tobacco strands (15) and in step c) these tobacco strands (15) are then portioned simultaneously.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the cut tobacco portions (17) are first stored before they are conveyed to the downstream processing station.

1 1. A method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the tobacco portions (17) by cutting, scissors or the like from

Tobacco strand are separated.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 1 1, characterized in that the tobacco (1 1) fed centrally and then after forming and pressing into several tobacco strands (15) is divided.

13. The method according to claim any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that the tobacco portions (17) of a sealing edge or bagging machine for filling of bags (22) are supplied.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that the processing direction of the tobacco (11) from feeding to conveying to the downstream processing station is rectilinear, in particular in a vertical direction from top to bottom.

15. A sealed edge or tubular bag machine with a device (10) for dosing oral tobacco, that is to say that the device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7 is formed.