WO2012164645A1

WO2012164645A1 - Filter manufacturing device, filter manufacturing method, and filter

Info

Publication number: WO2012164645A1
Application number: PCT/JP2011/062229
Authority: WO
Inventors: 古賀　和弘; 忠明井上
Original assignee: 日本たばこ産業株式会社
Priority date: 2011-05-27
Filing date: 2011-05-27
Publication date: 2012-12-06

Abstract

A filter manufacturing device is provided with: a tow bale (12); a transport jet section (47) for feeding air together with tow (13), which has been pulled out of the tow bale, to a forming section; a cutting section (28) provided between the tow bale and the transport jet section and cutting the tow along the direction (S) of feeding of the tow into a band-shaped first portion (14) and into at least one band-shaped second portion (15) narrower than the first portion; an adding section for adding either a smoke modifying agent and/or a color to the second portion; and the forming section for forming the first portion and the second portion, to which either the smoke modifying agent and/or the color has been added, into a rod shape and positioning the second portion on the inner side of the first portion so that the second portion is substantially parallel to the direction in which the rod shape extends.

Description

Filter manufacturing apparatus, filter manufacturing method, and filter

The present invention relates to a filter manufacturing apparatus, a filter manufacturing method, and a filter for manufacturing a filter for tobacco.

For example, a filter manufacturing apparatus for cigarettes provided with an arrangement device that arranges a flavor element at a substantially central portion in a filter rod is disclosed. In this filter manufacturing apparatus, the arrangement device has a tubular shape, and the tip thereof is held at a predetermined position with respect to the transport jet and the air funnel. A liquid flavoring agent is supplied to the flavor element in the middle of passing through the placement device. The flavor element is selected from materials such as cotton yarn, cellulose acetate, rayon, and other fibers (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Similarly, a cigarette filter with a twisted yarn arranged at the center is disclosed. The twisted yarn is a cellulose acetate twisted yarn formed from cellulose acetate filaments that are not substantially crimped. The twisted filament material incorporates a pigment during manufacture. And by making the filter with uncrimped filaments, a denser and thinner thread can be obtained, which prevents the discoloration of the cellulose acetate twisted yarn compared to the case where the cotton yarn is placed in the center. (For example, see Patent Document 2).

International publication WO 03/082558 specification International publication WO 2009/010380 specification

By the way, when manufacturing a filter rod with a thread through the center by the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, it is necessary to prepare a cotton thread or a twisted thread exclusively for tobacco, in addition to a normal filter material. There was a situation where the manufacturing cost was high. In addition, if cotton yarn or twisted yarn is arranged in the cross section of the filter, the filter performance may be lowered. This may be manifested particularly when the number of cotton yarns passed through the filter is increased or when the filter rod is used for a cigarette having a small filter rod diameter.

A filter tow used in a normal filter performs a crimping process in which fibers are drawn in advance between a pair of rollers to crimp (crimp) each fiber so that the fibers have a predetermined three-dimensional structure. The desired airflow resistance is obtained in the product filter. In Patent Document 1, it is described that cellulose acetate is used as a flavor element, but it is unclear whether or not crimping is applied to this cellulose acetate. However, it is unlikely that the cellulose acetate is costly to perform the crimping process. This point is supported by the fact that the degree of difficulty in crimping with a small number of fibers is high (prone to crimp failure). Moreover, in patent document 2, it is specified that the cellulose acetate filament which is not crimped is actually used. For this reason, in the said patent documents 1 and 2, the problem that manufacturing cost becomes high and the problem that filter performance falls arise.

An object of the present invention is to provide a filter manufacturing apparatus and the like that can reduce manufacturing costs.

In order to achieve the above object, a filter manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a tow veil that is crimped and a banded tow is folded, and the tow that is drawn from the tow veil is molded together with air. A transport jet part to be sent to a part, and a belt-like first part provided between the tow veil and the transport jet part, and a first part in the form of a band along the feeding direction of the tow, and the first part A cutting portion that is cut into at least one strip-shaped second portion that is narrower than the width, an additional portion that adds at least one of a smoke modifier and a color to the second portion, the smoke modifier, and The second part to which at least one of the colors is added and the first part are formed into a single rod shape, and the front portion is substantially parallel to the direction extending in the rod shape. Comprising said molded part to position the second portion on the inner side of the first portion.

In order to achieve the above object, a filter manufacturing method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a belt-like tow which is crimped and fed in a feeding direction, and a first belt-like portion along the feeding direction and the first toe. Cut into at least one strip-like second part that is narrower than the one part, add at least one of a smoke modifier and a color to the second part, and attach the second part to the first part The first part and the second part are formed into one bar shape so as to be positioned inside the part.

In order to achieve the above object, a filter manufacturing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a first portion having a band-like tow that is crimped and fed in a feeding direction, The first part is cut into at least one band-like second part that is narrower than the first part, and the first part is formed into a rod shape, and the second part is set aside.

In order to achieve the above object, a filter according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first portion formed into a rod shape by crimped tows, and a first portion formed by crimped tows. At least one second portion that is positioned substantially parallel to the direction and located inside the first portion and to which at least one of a smoke modifier and a color is added.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a filter manufacturing apparatus or the like that can reduce manufacturing costs.

It is the schematic diagram which showed the whole structure of the filter manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment. The top view which expanded and showed the cutting part vicinity of the filter manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line F3-F3 shown in FIG. The side view which expanded and showed the cutting part shown in FIG. The front view which showed the cutting part shown in FIG. 4 from the front. The side view which expanded and showed the removal part vicinity shown in FIG. The side view which expanded and showed the coloring part shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which expanded and showed the pre-molding part shown in FIG. The perspective view which showed the filter manufactured by the filter manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment. Sectional drawing which showed the 2nd example of the cross-sectional shape of the 2nd part of the filter shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which showed the 3rd example of the cross-sectional shape of the 2nd part of the filter shown in FIG. Sectional drawing which showed the 4th example of the cross-sectional shape of the 2nd part of the filter shown in FIG. The schematic diagram which showed the modification of the filter manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the filter manufacturing apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. As shown in FIG. 1, the filter manufacturing apparatus 11 concerning this embodiment is used in order to manufacture the filter used for tobacco (cigarette) from a cellulose acetate fiber or another material, for example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the filter manufacturing apparatus 11 guides a band-like tow 13 (cellulose acetate tow) drawn from the tow veil 12 and cuts the tow 13 into a first part 14 and a second part 15. The section 16 and the individual filaments (monofilaments) of the first portion 14 of the tow 13 are spread uniformly in the width direction, and the first crimped first portion 14 is appropriately stretched, and a plasticizer Are uniformly attached to each filament, and a smoke modifier or a color is given to the first processing section 17 to be sent to the winding section 19 and the second portion 15 of the tow 13, or the second portion 15 has a predetermined shape. A second processing section 18 that is formed into a cylindrical shape, and a winding section in which the first portion 14 and the second portion 15 of the tow 13 are formed into a single cylindrical shape and a web 71 is wound around it. It is provided with a 19, a.

Tow 13 is a filter material for cigarettes of general size (circumferential length of 26.0 mm to 20.0 mm). For example, the total denier is about 20,000 to 40,000 and the total number of fibers is about 10,000. The cellulose acetate tow. The tow 13 in the tow veil 12 is preliminarily subjected to a crimping process for twisting each fiber.

The cutting section 16 includes, for example, a tow bale 12 formed by folding a long tow 13 into a rectangular block shape, a first banding jet portion 21 (BJ), and a tow 13 fed in a feeding direction S (downstream direction). A guide roller 26 that rotates together with the tow 13, a second banding jet portion 27 (BJ), and a cutting portion 28 for cutting the tow 13 into a first portion 14 and a second portion 15. And have.

The first banding jet unit 21 and the second banding jet unit 27 are provided with a plurality of nozzles that inject air toward the tow 13. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the first banding jet portion 21 and the second banding jet portion 27 are configured so that the tow 13 is moved in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (feed direction S) by the air volume and wind pressure from the nozzle. The distance between the fibers can be increased by extending the distance W.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second banding jet portion 27 is provided in the vicinity of one second banding jet 27 A provided in the vicinity of the upstream side of the cutting portion 28 and in the vicinity of the downstream side of the cutting portion 28. The other second banding jet 27B is included, and the cutting portion 28 is sandwiched between one second banding jet 27A and the other second banding jet 27B. The tow 13 is pressed (held) upstream and downstream of the cutting portion 28 by the wind pressure (air pressure) of one second banding jet 27A and the other second banding jet 27B. Is surely cut.

The cutting unit 28 is provided at a position between the tow veil 12 and a transport jet unit 47 of the first processing section 17 to be described later (see FIG. 1). Thus, the cutting part 28 was disposed between the one 27A and the other 27B of the second banding jet part 27. However, the position of the cutting part 28 is not limited to this. The positional relationship between the cutting portion 28 and the first and second

banding jet portions

21 and 27 can be changed as appropriate.

4 and 5, the cutting unit 28 is a mechanical cutter mechanism that can physically cut the tow 13, for example. That is, the cutting portion 28 includes a columnar first roll 31 that rotates in contact with the tow 13, a first arm portion 32 that rotatably supports the first roll 31, and the width of the first roll 31. A cylindrical second roll that rotates in contact with the tow 13 so that the tow 13 is sandwiched between the disc-shaped cutter 33 (rotary cutter) provided near the end in the direction and the first roll 31. 34, a second arm portion 35 that rotatably supports the second roll 34, and a groove portion 36 that is recessed so as to correspond to the cutter 33 and prevents interference between the second roll 34 and the cutter 33, ,have.

The cutting section 28 can cut the tow 13 along the feeding direction S into a band-shaped first portion 14 and a band-shaped second portion 15 that is narrower than the first portion 14. In the present embodiment, the position of the cutter 33 is set so that the width L of the second portion 15 is within a range of, for example, 10% to 20% with respect to the total width R of the toe 13 (FIG. 2). reference). In the present embodiment, the number of the second portions 15 is one, but the number of the cutters 33 is increased to obtain one or more (for example, 2 to 4) second portions 15 at the same time. It may be.

In the present embodiment, a mechanical structure is disclosed as an example of the cutting unit 28. However, the cutting unit 28 includes a CO ₂ laser, a YAG laser, a semiconductor laser, an excimer laser, and other types of lasers. A laser type using a laser transmitter such as the above may be used. In that case, the energy amount of each laser, the number of shots, and the like can be appropriately set under conditions sufficient for cutting the tow 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first processing section 17 includes, for example, a third banding jet portion 41 (BJ) and a fourth banding jet portion 42 (BJ) that inject air into the first portion 14 of the tow 13. ), A first pre-tension roll portion 43 that feeds the first portion 14 of the tow 13 in the feed direction S (downstream direction) so as to pull the tow 13 out of the toe veil 12, and a first blooming roll portion 44 A plasticizer addition part 45, a delivery roll part 46 (DR) for sending the first part 14 to the hoisting section 19, a transport jet part 47, and a trumpet provided adjacent to the transport jet part 47 And a guide 48.

The first pre-tension roll portion 43 has a cylindrical third roll 43A made of iron having a flat outer peripheral surface (contact surface) and a flat outer surface (contact surface) made of a cylindrical shape. And a pair of upper and lower rubber-made fourth rolls 43B. The first pretension roll 43 can rotate while pressing the first portion 14, and can pull the first portion 14 toward the hoisting section 19 in the feeding direction S (downstream direction).

The first blooming roll portion 44 has a cylindrical fifth roll 44A having a flat outer peripheral surface (contact surface), and an outer peripheral surface (contact surface) grooved in a cylindrical shape. An iron-made sixth roll 44B having On the outer peripheral surface of the sixth roll 44B, there is a non-contact portion formed in a narrow groove shape so as not to grip the first portion 14, and the first portion 14 and the grip provided around the non-contact portion. For example, the contact portions are arranged alternately. The first blooming roll unit 44, together with the first pretension roll unit 43, stretches the first portion 14 of the tow 13 that has been crimped in advance. At the same time, during this stretching, the bundle of the first portion 14 sandwiched between the contact portions of the fifth roll 44A and the sixth roll 44B and the non-contact portion of the sixth roll 44B are not entered. However, there will be a difference in the acting tension between the bundles of the first portions 14, and as a result, the first portions 14 are separated into small fiber bundles. This further promotes the effect of opening the spacing between the fibers in the next fourth banding jet portion 42.

The plasticizer addition unit 45 includes a chamber 45A in which a plasticizer (triacetin) is stored, and a brush roll that rotates in the chamber 45A. The brush roll can rotate in the chamber 45 A to splash the liquid plasticizer into a mist and attach the plasticizer to the tow 13.

The acetate fiber (tow) to which the plasticizer is added is given tackiness by the effect of dissolving the acetate by the plasticizer. Between adjacent acetate fibers, bonding points bonded by an adhesive force are formed at a plurality of locations. These strong bonding points exhibit sufficient hardness as a single filter.

The delivery roll unit 46 has a pair of upper and lower iron rolls that are cylindrical and have a flat outer peripheral surface (contact surface). The delivery roll unit 46 can send out the first portion 14 with the fibers spaced apart to the transport jet unit 47.

The transport jet portion 47 uses the wind pressure to move the first portion 14 of the tow 13 expanded in a cotton-like shape with the spacing between fibers and the second portion 15 joined thereto into the winding section 19. Can send. The trumpet guide 48 is provided at a position in front of the entrance of the winding section 19 in the vicinity of the entrance of the tongue 74 described later. The first portion 14 and the second portion 15 of the tow 13 are discharged together with air from the transport jet portion 47 into the trumpet guide 48 and expand. In the trumpet guide 48, both the effect of further opening the space between the fibers of the first portion 14 and the second portion 15 of the tow 13 and the effect of entanglement of the single yarn tows due to the dissipation of air in the inside. Arise. By these steps, the ventilation resistance of the filter 81 is expressed.

The second processing section includes a fifth banding jet portion 51 (BJ) for injecting air to the second portion 15 of the tow 13 and the second portion 15 of the tow 13 so as to draw the tow 13 from the tow veil 12. A second pre-tension roll section 52 that feeds in the feed direction S (downstream direction), a second blooming roll section 53, a removal section 54 that can remove slack from the second portion 15, and a second A coloring portion 55 that can add a predetermined color (pigment) to the second portion 15, a pre-molding portion 56 that can shape the second portion 15 into a predetermined shape, and a fragrance to the second portion 15. And a fragrance applicator 57. The coloring unit 55 and the fragrance applicator 57 are an example of an adding unit that adds at least one of a smoke modifier and a color to the second portion 15.

The configuration and operation of the second pretension roll unit 52 and the second blooming roll unit 53 are substantially the same as the configuration and operation of the first pretension roll unit 43 and the first blooming roll unit 44. However, the second pre-tension roll unit 52 and the second blooming roll unit 53 are rotationally driven by a servo motor 62 that operates under the control of the control device 61, and the rotational speed is controlled based on an instruction from the control device 61. Can be faster or slower.

As shown in FIG. 1, the removal unit 54 is provided between the cutting unit 28 and the transport jet unit 47. As shown in FIG. 6, the removing unit 54 includes a roller 63 (movable roller) that is called a dancer roller and can be moved up and down in the vertical direction and is rotatable, and a sensor 64 that detects the position of the roller 63. It is out. When the roller 63 is lowered, the roller 63 can allow the second portion 15 of the toe 13 to extend (the length of the extended portion), and the entire second portion 15 can be stretched. . The sensor 64 is a sensor that can sense the distance between the sensor 64 and the roller 63, such as a proximity sensor or a photoelectric sensor. The sensor 64 is connected to the control device 61 and can sense the position of the roller 63 and transmit it to the control device 61.

The control device 61 recognizes a case where the distance between the sensor 64 and the roller 63 is, for example, 100 mm to 200 mm as a normal state. For example, when the distance between the sensor 64 and the roller 63 becomes 100 mm or less, the control device 61 controls the rotation speeds of the second pre-tension roll unit 52 and the second blooming roll unit 53 via the servo motor 62. Feedback control is performed to increase the feed amount of the second portion 15 by increasing the speed. Similarly, when the distance between the sensor 64 and the roller 63 is 200 mm or more, the control device 61 rotates the rotation speeds of the second pre-tension roll unit 52 and the second blooming roll unit 53 via the servo motor 62. The feedback control is performed to reduce the feed amount of the second portion 15 by slowing down. In this way, the control device 61 controls the rotational speeds of the second pretension roll unit 52 and the second blooming roll unit 53, so that the length of the second portion 15 held in the removal unit 54 is fixed to some extent. To.

As shown in FIG. 7, the coloring unit 55 includes a spray unit 55A that injects a pigment, for example, a green coloring liquid, toward the second portion 15 of the tow 13, and a pump 55B that sends the coloring liquid to the spray unit 55A. The cover 55C surrounds the periphery of the spray unit 55A and prevents the colored liquid from scattering around the spray unit 55A. For example, the spray unit 55 A is provided so as to cover the entire width of the second portion 15. The coloring portion 55 can uniformly color the second portion 15 by the spray unit 55A. The coloring liquid is composed of, for example, an edible dye, polyethylene glycol (PG), and a plasticizer (triacetin). In addition, about a pigment | dye, it is not limited to green, All colors, such as red, blue, yellow, pink, and orange, can be employ | adopted. If necessary, a smoke modifier (scented liquid) such as menthol can be added to the colored liquid. The second portion 15 to which the coloring liquid containing the plasticizer is added is sent to the pre-molding portion 56. In this embodiment, the plasticizer is mixed with the coloring liquid and added to the second portion 15. However, the method of adding the plasticizer is not limited to this, and for example, a pre-molded portion A plasticizer (triacetin) may be added alone to the second portion 15 at a position upstream of 56.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pre-molding part 56 is provided between the cutting part 28 and the transport jet part 47. As shown in FIG. 8, the pre-molding unit 56 heats the second portion 15 of the tow 13 to join the first portion 14 with the second portion 15 in a predetermined shape in advance. Can be molded. The pre-molding unit 56 includes, for example, a thermoforming unit 56A (thermoforming tube) that injects high-temperature steam into the second portion 15 and a cooling unit 56B (injecting dry low-temperature compressed air into the second portion 15). A cooling pipe) in series. Each of the thermoforming unit 56A and the cooling unit 56B has a tubular shape, and is supplied with high-temperature steam and compressed air from the outside via a pipe. Each of the thermoforming unit 56 A and the cooling unit 56 B has a plurality of nozzles 58 on the inner surface, and steam or compressed air can be injected from each nozzle 58. The inner surfaces of the thermoforming unit 56A and the cooling unit 56B each have a predetermined geometric cross-sectional shape, and the second portion 15 of the tow 13 passing through the inner side of the inner surface of the thermoforming unit 56A and the cooling unit 56B has its geometric shape (in this embodiment, (See FIG. 9). As the cross-sectional shape of the second portion 15, various geometric shapes such as a circle, a star shape, a horseshoe shape, a heart shape, a quadrangle, or a triangle can be adopted (see FIGS. 9 to 12).

The fragrance applicator 57 is provided in the vicinity of the upstream side of the transport jet section 47. The fragrance applicator 57 can add a fragrance such as a smoke modifier, for example, menthol, to the second portion 15 formed by the pre-molding unit 56.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hoisting section 19 includes a winding paper 71, a feeding portion (roller) that feeds the winding paper 71, and a first paste that bonds the winding paper 71 and the filter body (tow 13) to the inner surface of the winding paper 71. A first spray gun 72 that is applied to the inner surface of the web 71, a second spray gun 73 that applies a second paste to the inner surface of the web 71, and a tongue 74 that is an example of a molding part. And a heater 75, a cooler bar 76, a cutting mechanism 77 for cutting the rod-shaped filter body into a predetermined length, and an inner box packing portion 78.

The tongue 74 is provided at a position closest to the trumpet guide 48, for example, in a cylindrical shape, and the sheet-like tow 13 (the first portion 14 and the second portion 15) is formed into one cylindrical shape therein. It can be formed into a (rod-shaped) filter rod. In addition, the tongue 74 cooperates with the transport jet portion 47 and the trumpet guide 48 so that the second portion 15 is substantially parallel to the extending direction (axial direction) of the filter rod. It can be located inside the portion 14.

The winding paper 71 fed by the feeding unit 79 is supplied to the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical tow 13, and the tow 13 is wound up on a rod-shaped filter rod. Either hot melt or vinyl acetate emulsion is used for the first paste and the second paste.

The heater 75 applies heat to the web 71 to melt the first paste and the second paste. The cooler bar 76 cools the rod-like filter rod heated by the heater again to cure the first paste and the second paste. The cutting mechanism 77 is provided with a knife or the like, for example, and the filter rod wound up in a rod shape can be cut as a filter 81 having a predetermined length. The inner box packing unit 78 includes, for example, a pusher and an inner box 78A (tray), and a predetermined number of filters 81 can be stored in the inner box using the pusher.

Subsequently, the manufacturing process (manufacturing method) of the filter of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, the tow 13 that is the raw material of the filter 81 is pulled out of the tow bale 12 by the pulling force by the first and second

pretension roll portions

43 and 52 and is sent in the feeding direction S. The tow 13 is cut into a first portion 14 and a second portion 15 along the feed direction S at the cutting portion 28. The first portion 14 is sent to the first processing section 17 and subjected to a processing for opening a space between fibers usually added as a filter and a processing for adding a plasticizer.

That is, in the first portion 14, the distance between the fibers is widened by the third banding jet portion 41. In addition, the first portion 14 is separated into small fiber bundles by the action of the first pretension roll portion 43 and the first blooming roll portion 44, and is further separated by the fourth banding jet portion 42. The distance between the fibers is widened. A plasticizer is attached to the first portion 14 at the plasticizer addition portion 45, and a bonding point is formed by bonding the fibers. The first portion 14 to which the plasticizer is attached is sent toward the hoisting section 19 by the delivery roll unit 46.

Meanwhile, the second portion 15 is sent to the second processing section 18. The second portion 15 is separated (stretched) into small fiber bundles by the second pre-tension roll portion 52 and the second blooming roll portion 53. Further, since the second portion 15 having a smaller number of fibers than the first portion 14 is more easily extended than the first portion 14, the length of the extended portion is held by the removing unit 54. . At this time, the roller 63 (dancer roller) of the removing unit 54 moves downward, thereby allowing the second portion 15 to extend and prevent the entire second portion 15 from being loosened. Further, the second portion 15 is sent to the coloring portion 55 and colored in a predetermined color (for example, green) by the coloring liquid, and is molded into a predetermined shape (for example, a circle) in the pre-molding portion 56. At that time, in the thermoforming unit 56A of the pre-molding portion 56, the second portion 15 is molded into a predetermined shape by the heat of steam, and unnecessary moisture is removed and dried in the cooling unit 56B (pre-molding). To complete.

Further, a smoke modifier, for example, a fragrance such as menthol is added from the fragrance applicator 57 provided in the vicinity of the transport jet section 47 to the second portion 15 sent toward the transport jet section 47. . The second portion 15 to which the smoke modifier is added in this way is sent to the transport jet portion 47 where it merges near the central portion of the first portion 14.

When the first portion 14 and the second portion 15 are sent together with air in the transport jet portion 47 and the trumpet guide 48, the distance between the fibers is further widened and the single yarn tows are entangled with each other. In the tongue 74, the second portion 15 is formed inside the first portion 14 (near the central portion), and the web 71 is formed around the tow 13 having the cylindrical shape. It is wound to form a rod-shaped filter (filter rod). The rod-like filter is heated with a heater to melt the first paste and the second paste, and further returned to the original temperature with the cooler bar 76 to cure the first paste and the second paste. Then, this rod-shaped filter is cut by the cutting mechanism 77 to complete a filter 81 having a predetermined length as shown in FIG. At this time, the cross-sectional area of the second portion 15 is preferably set to be, for example, 1% or more and 30% or less of the entire cross-sectional area of the filter 81, thereby balancing the appearance of the product with the flavor. Becomes better.

As shown in FIG. 9, the filter 81 manufactured in the above manufacturing process is formed from the crimped tow 13, and is formed from the first portion 14 formed into a rod shape and the crimped tow 13. And a second portion 15 having a circular string shape, which is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the first portion 14 and is located inside the first portion 14. The second portion 15 is at least one, and at least one of a smoke modifier and a color is added to the second portion 15.

According to this embodiment, the filter manufacturing apparatus 11 transports the tow veil 12 in which the tow 13 having been crimped and the belt-like tow 13 is folded, and the tow 13 pulled out from the tow veil 12 together with the air to the forming unit. The tow 13 is provided between the jet part 47, the tow veil 12 and the transport jet part 47, and the tow 13 is moved along the feeding direction S of the tow 13 from the band-shaped first part 14 and the first part 14. A cutting section 28 that cuts into at least one strip-shaped second portion 15 that is narrow, an additional section that adds at least one of a smoke modifier and a color to the second portion 15, a smoke modifier and a color The second part 15 to which at least one of the first part 15 and the first part 14 are formed is formed into one bar shape, and the second part is substantially parallel to the direction extending in the bar shape. 15 comprises a shaped portion which is positioned inside the first portion 14, a.

Further, in the filter manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the band-shaped tow 13 that is crimped and fed in the feeding direction S is wider than the band-shaped first portion 14 and the first portion 14 along the feeding direction S. Cut into a narrow and at least one strip-shaped second portion 15, add smoke modifier and / or color to the second portion 15, and place the second portion 15 inside the first portion 14. The first portion 14 and the second portion 15 are formed into one bar shape so as to be positioned.

Furthermore, the filter 81 according to the present embodiment includes a first portion 14 formed into a rod shape by the crimped tow 13 and a substantially parallel to the extending direction of the first portion 14 formed of the crimped tow 13. And at least one second portion 15 which is located inside the first portion 14 and to which at least one of a smoke modifier and a color is added.

According to these configurations, a part of the crimped tow 13 is cut (divided) to provide the second part 15 and include a smoke modifier or the like so that the cotton yarn or twisted yarn dedicated to tobacco It is no longer necessary to prepare the manufacturing cost, and the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced. Moreover, since the cotton yarn contained in the filter 81 does not exhibit the filter performance, the performance of the filter 81 may be deteriorated when the cotton yarn containing the smoke modifier is disposed in the filter. According to the present embodiment, since the second portion 15 containing the smoke modifier is also derived from the crimped tow 13, the second portion 15 can also exert the filter performance. As a result, particularly when the performance degradation of the filter 81 becomes obvious, that is, when the number of cotton yarns passing through the filter 81 increases or when the diameter of the filter is small, sufficient filter performance can be exhibited. it can.

In this case, the filter manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a pre-molding portion 56 that heats the second portion 15 and molds the second portion 15 into a predetermined shape between the cutting portion 28 and the transport jet portion 47. . The cross-sectional shape of the second portion 15 of the filter 81 is a predetermined geometric shape.

According to these configurations, the smoke modifier and the portion to which the color is added can have a predetermined designed cross-sectional shape. This makes it possible to improve the appearance of the filter 81 on the end face of the filter 81 that can be visually recognized by the user, to differentiate the product from other companies, and to improve the willingness to purchase the product.

In this case, the filter manufacturing apparatus 11 includes a removing unit 54 that is provided between the cutting unit 28 and the transport jet unit 47 and removes the slack of the second portion 15. According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the second portion 15 having a small number of fibers from being easily stretched and causing problems such as loosening and entanglement of a part of the second portion 15 with a roller or the like.

The filter manufacturing apparatus 11 is provided between the tow veil 12 and the cutting unit 28 in the vicinity of the cutting unit 28, and includes one banding jet that injects air to the tow 13, the transport jet unit 47, and the cutting unit 28. And the other banding jet for injecting air to the tow 13. According to this configuration, since the cutting part 28 is provided at a position sandwiched between one and the other banding jet, the toe 13 is stretched by the cutting part 28 in a state in which the tow 13 is stretched by the air pressure of both banding jets. Can be cut off. As a result, it is possible to prevent a problem that cutting is not successful in the crimped tow 13 that is originally difficult to cut.

Further, the filter manufacturing apparatus 11 is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. That is, the configuration of the cutting unit 28 is not limited to the above-described mechanical type and laser type, and may be, for example, a structure that combines a mechanical type and a laser type, or a structure that cuts by air pressure or water pressure. .

In the present embodiment, only one second portion 15 is provided, but the tow 13 is replaced by one first portion 14 and two to four second portions 15 in the cutting portion 28. A plurality of cutters 33 may be provided in the cutting part 28 so as to cut into two pieces. According to this structure, for example, a filter 81 (filter rod) provided with a plurality of second portions 15 as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 can be manufactured.

In the present embodiment, both the smoke modifier (such as menthol) and the color are added to the second portion 15 in the second processing section 18. Of course, it may be a configuration in which only one of the modifier and the color is added to the second portion 15.

Further, in the above embodiment, the filter 81 is manufactured by processing the second portion 15 formed by cutting from the tow 13 in parallel with the first portion 14, but the manufacturing method is limited to this example. Absent. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the second portion 15 is stored, for example, in the form of a tow veil (second tow bail 82) or the like, and the second portion 15 from the tow bale (second tow bail 82) is stored later. The filter 15 may be manufactured by joining the portion 15 in the vicinity of the transport jet portion 47.

That is, in the manufacturing method, the band-shaped tow 13 that is crimped and fed in the feeding direction S is narrower than the first part 14 and the first part 14 that are banded along the feeding direction S and at least It cut | disconnects with the 1st strip | belt-shaped 2nd part 15, and the 1st part 14 is shape | molded in rod shape, and the 2nd part 15 is set aside. Further, at least one of a smoke modifier and a color is added to the second portion 15 that has been set aside, and the second portion 15 that has been set inside the second tow 83 that has been crimped is separate from the tow 13. The second toe 83 and the second part 15 set aside are formed into one bar shape so that the part 15 is positioned. According to such a manufacturing method, it is possible to give variations to the manufacturing method. For example, it is possible to flexibly cope with changes in product specifications or design changes (for example, when the number of second parts is increased). Can do. Further, when the second portion 15 is left as in this modification, in order to prevent volatilization of the fragrance (smoke modifier) such as menthol, the fragrance is added to the second portion 15 immediately before use. It is desirable to make it.

Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine the component covering different embodiment suitably.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Filter manufacturing apparatus, 12 ... Tow bale, 13 ... Tow, 14 ... 1st part, 15 ... 2nd part, S ... Feed direction, 27 ... 2nd banding jet part, 27A ... One 2nd banding Jet, 27B ... the other second banding jet, 28 ... cutting part, 47 ... transport jet part, 54 ... removal part, 55 ... coloring part, 56 ... pre-molding part, 57 ... perfume applicator, 74 ... tongs, 81 ... Filter, 82 ... Second tow veil, 83 ... Second tow

Claims

A tow veil with a crimped and banded tow;
A transport jet section for sending the tow drawn from the tow veil together with air to a molding section;
The tow veil is provided between the tow veil and the transport jet part, and the tow is formed in a band-shaped first portion along the feeding direction of the tow, and at least one band-shaped narrower than the first portion. A cutting part for cutting into a second part of
An addition part for adding at least one of a smoke modifier and a color to the second part;
The second part to which at least one of the smoke modifier and the color is added and the first part are formed into one bar shape, and are substantially parallel to a direction extending in the bar shape. The molding part for positioning the second part inside the first part;
A filter manufacturing apparatus comprising:
The filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a pre-molding part that heats the second part to mold the second part into a predetermined shape between the cutting part and the transport jet part.
The filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a removing unit that is provided between the cutting unit and the transport jet unit and removes slack in the second part.
One banding jet that is provided in the vicinity of the cutting portion between the tow veil and the cutting portion, and injects air to the tow,
The other banding jet that is provided in the vicinity of the cutting portion between the transport jet portion and the cutting portion, and injects air to the tow,
The filter manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3.
A band-like tow that has been crimped and is fed in the feed direction is cut into a belt-like first part and at least one band-like second part that is narrower than the first part along the feed direction. And adding at least one of a smoke modifier and a color to the second part and positioning the second part inside the first part. The filter manufacturing method which shape | molds a single rod shape.
A band-shaped tow that has been crimped and is fed in the feed direction, a first portion that is banded along the feed direction, and at least one band-like second portion that is narrower than the first portion and A filter manufacturing method in which the first part is formed into a rod shape, and the second part is left.
Adding at least one of a smoke modifier and a color to the second portion to be set aside, and placing the second portion to be put inside a second crimped tow different from the tow. The filter manufacturing method according to claim 6, wherein the second tow and the second portion set aside are formed into one bar shape so as to be positioned.
A first portion shaped like a rod by crimped tows;
At least one formed of crimped tows, positioned substantially parallel to the extending direction of the first part and positioned inside the first part, and having at least one of a smoke modifier and a color added thereto Two second parts,
With a filter.
The filter according to claim 8, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the second portion is a predetermined geometric shape.
10. The filter according to claim 9, wherein the cross-sectional area of the second portion is 1% or more and 30% or less of the cross-sectional area of the filter.