CN105410991B

CN105410991B - Assembly machine and method for producing rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry

Info

Publication number: CN105410991B
Application number: CN201510573545.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: M.凯斯勒; H-H.米勒; S.马克斯; J.维特克
Original assignee: Hauni Maschinenbau GmbH
Current assignee: Kolber Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2014-09-11
Filing date: 2015-09-10
Publication date: 2020-02-28
Anticipated expiration: 2035-09-10
Also published as: EP2995208B1; DE102014218203A1; CN105410991A; EP2995208A1; PL2995208T3

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly machine (21) for producing rod-shaped articles (10) of the tobacco processing industry, comprising a plurality of rotating rollers for conveying a first rod-shaped section (12), in particular a filter rod, and a second rod-shaped section (11), in particular a tobacco rod, transversely to an axial direction through a wrapping region (24), and a feeding device (30-34) for feeding a wrapping rod (29) into the wrapping region (24) along a wrapping rod center line MU for wrapping the first rod-shaped section and the second rod-shaped section, for connecting the first rod-shaped section and the second rod-shaped section to each other. The wrapping strip center line MU is arranged offset by a positive value Δ x with respect to the machine center line MM.

Description

Assembly machine and method for producing rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry

Technical Field

The invention relates to an assembly machine and a method for producing rod-shaped articles for the tobacco processing industry.

Background

A validated filter assembly machine of the applicant is disclosed, for example, in DE 4008475 a1 and is sold under the name "MAX". Conventional filter assembly machines are provided for processing double-length tobacco products. In the wrapping area, double-length filter rods are arranged symmetrically in the machine center. Laterally, a tobacco rod is arranged outside the double-length filter rod. The tipping paper is fed centrally into the wrapping region and wrapped around the filter rod and tobacco rod by means of roller rollers for connecting the tobacco rod with the filter rod. The double cigarette produced in this way is cut in the centre to produce two separate filter cigarettes.

Consumers are increasingly asking for rod-shaped smoking articles having dimensions and internal structures that differ significantly from those of conventional cigarettes. For example, so-called Heat-Not-Burn-Artikel, in which, instead of combustion, a tobacco silo (Tabakdepot) which is relatively short with respect to the filter is heated, and the aerosol formed by the heating then flows through the relatively long and/or complex filter. Due to the machine construction of current cigarette makers, such products cannot be made on standard machines. In particular, the filter length and the paper-coating width are significantly higher than the maximum workable dimension, and the tobacco rod length is correspondingly significantly lower than the minimum workable rod dimension.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a structurally proven assembly machine and a corresponding method which enable the production of rod-shaped tobacco products having geometries that differ significantly from conventional geometries.

The invention solves this object with the features of the independent claims. By displacing the wrapping rod center line by a positive value Δ x relative to the machine center line, a double-wide wrapping rod according to the conventional format can be used according to the invention as a single-wide wrapping rod for producing single-length tobacco products with comparatively long filter rods. The machine center line is located in the center plane or symmetry plane of the rotating rollers, specifically in pockets provided on the outer circumference of the rollers for transporting rod-shaped articles or article parts, and therefore the center line of the product flow is shown through the assembly machine when the latter is loaded over the entire roller width.

The first and second rod-shaped sections are in particular filter rods and tobacco rods. Advantageously, the offset Δ x between the wrapper centre line and the machine centre line is greater than half the width of the wrapper and/or greater than half the length of the filter rod and/or greater than the length of the tobacco rod.

On both sides of the machine center line or machine center, a production track, referred to as a track for short, is provided. In contrast to the prior art, the assembly machine according to the invention is advantageously operated with bar-shaped articles or article parts loaded only on one track, starting from the machine center, while the other track remains unloaded. The articles are processed in the process chamber or in the process plane by one rail, while the second rail on the other side of the machine center remains free of articles. Advantageously, the wrapping strip centre line is arranged offset with respect to the machine centre line toward the operating side of the assembly machine. In this way, the processing in the assembly machine is better visible to the operator, which makes the operation easier.

Preferably, the free end of one of the rod-shaped parts is arranged in the machine center line in the wrapping region. One of the rod-shaped partial portions is arranged in the wrapping region, preferably inwardly, starting from the machine center line toward one side and one of the other rod-shaped partial portions is arranged on the outer fitting. Advantageously, the tobacco rod is arranged inwardly with respect to the machine center line and the filter rod is arranged outwardly. In an alternative embodiment, the filter rod can be arranged internally and the tobacco rod externally.

The transfer of the rod-shaped articles from the upstream machine to the assembly machine is advantageously carried out completely transversely to the axial direction. This preferred hand-off is called "direct linking". In an advantageous embodiment, this is achieved in that an adapter module for the transverse axial transport of the rod-shaped articles is arranged between the assembly machine and the upstream machine. The machine may advantageously comprise at least one supply module having a supply container for supplying the rod-shaped parts. Furthermore, the advanced machine may comprise a grouping device for assembling groups of filter segments for making multi-segment filter rods. The modules or groups of modules are sold by the applicant under the name "MERLIN".

Drawings

The invention is explained below by means of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. Wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a rod-shaped smoking article;

fig. 2a shows a schematic side view of a machine component according to the invention in a first embodiment;

fig. 2b shows a schematic top view of the production flow in the machine assembly according to fig. 2a, seen from above;

FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of a production facility according to the invention;

FIG. 4a shows a schematic side view of a second embodiment of a production facility according to the invention; and

fig. 4b shows a schematic top view of the production flow in the production facility according to fig. 4a, seen from above.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 schematically shows a tobacco product 10 in the form of a rod having a construction which differs greatly from conventional filter cigarettes. The tobacco product 10 has a comparatively short tobacco rod 11 of length LT and a comparatively long filter rod 12 of length LF, which filter rod is composed of two

segments

13, 14 here, but can also be composed of more than two segments, in particular, for example, of three segments (see below). The length LF of the filter rod 12 is in particular greater than the length LT of the tobacco rod 11. The filter rod 12 is fastened to the tobacco rod 11 by means of a comparatively wide paper cover 15 having a width BU > LT. The total length L = LT + LF may correspond to the length of a conventional filter cigarette. The width BP of the tipping strip 29 does not allow the conventional processing of double-length rod-shaped articles with a centrally arranged, double-width tipping sheet 15 in conventional filter assembly machines.

Fig. 2a and 2b show a machine assembly 20 according to the invention for producing rod-shaped tobacco products 10 using a predominantly conventional filter assembly machine 21, i.e. it is advantageously not necessary to completely modify the filter assembly machine. In the embodiment according to fig. 2a and 2b, the tobacco rods 11 are fed laterally into the filter assembly machine 21, for example, from above, in a multiple, here three, use length 11a, for example, via a supply container 22, which is only schematically illustrated in fig. 2a, provided for storing a large number of tobacco rods 11, and are cut into single-length tobacco rods 11 (see fig. 2 b) by means of driven rollers and are transported laterally into the wrapping region 24. The predominantly vertical roller flow 23 corresponds to the usual filter flow in the case of conventionally manufactured filter cigarettes, but in this embodiment of the invention is used in reverse for feeding the tobacco rod 11. The storage container 22 can be large when the tobacco rod 11 is fed directly and in sequence or rhythmically into the tumbling stream 23.

The filter rods 12 are transported from the upstream machine 26 into the wrapping region 24 and processed transversely to the axial direction by driven rollers forming a predominantly horizontal roller flow. The roller stream 25 corresponds to the usual roller stream for feeding tobacco rods in the case of conventionally produced filter cigarettes, but in this embodiment of the invention is used in reverse for feeding the filter rods 12.

The tipping strip 29 is drawn from a reel 30, glued, cut into successive tipping sheets 15 (see fig. 3) on a coating roller 31 by a cutter cylinder 32, successively adhered to successive filter rod-tobacco rod units on a transfer cylinder 34 and rolled around the filter rod-tobacco rod units on a roller cylinder 35 by means of a roller hand 36, thereby connecting the filter rod 12 with the tobacco rod 11.

The finished rod-shaped articles 10 are delivered from the assembly machine 21 by means of a delivery device 39. The assembly machine 21 is therefore, as is usual, the last machine in a production line for producing rod-shaped articles 10. The roller flow 49 from the wrapping area 24 to the delivery device 39 may advantageously be conventional and therefore not have to be redesigned.

The upstream machine 26, in this embodiment for example a filter maker, is advantageously connected to the assembly machine 21 via a Direct connection (Direct Link), i.e. the push-in roller 27 transfers the filter rods 12 directly onto the take-up roller 28 of the assembly machine 21. The direct connection or direct linking may include the transfer being carried out in an orderly or rhythmic manner and/or only in the transverse axial direction without longitudinal axial transport, wherein advantageously each filter rod 12 is transferred individually.

Fig. 2b shows a schematic top view of the operation of the tobacco rod 11 and the filter rod 12 in the machine assembly 20 according to fig. 2a, viewed from above. The axial positions in fig. 2a and 2b correspond here (analogously to fig. 4a, 4 b). As can be seen from fig. 2b, the tobacco rod 11 is not symmetrical in the wrapping region 24 with respect to the machine center MM, but is advantageously arranged offset from the machine center MM such that the free end of the tobacco rod 11 contacts the machine center MM on one side. Likewise, the filter rod 12 is fed eccentrically into the wrapping region 24 and is fitted to the tobacco rod 11 on the side of the tobacco rod facing away from the machine center MM.

According to the invention, the cover slip 29, the cover sheet 15 are arranged in the covering region 24 in such a way that the center MU of the cover flow is offset by a positive value Δ x relative to the machine center MM. It is thus achieved according to the invention that with a conventional paper-coating strip 29, the width of which is designed according to a conventional double-length filter cigarette (conventional double-filter wrapping), for example a single-length product according to fig. 1 can be wrapped with a considerably wider paper-coating sheet than would be achieved without the invention with a conventional filter assembly machine. The function of the assembly machine 21 in connection with the wrapping is substantially the same as that of a conventional filter assembly machine.

The value Δ x is advantageously greater than the length LT of the tobacco rod 11, greater than half the width of the paper strip 29 or paper cover 15 (0.5 BU) and/or greater than half the length of the filter rod 12 (0.5 LF). Furthermore, the wrapping strip center line MU is advantageously offset with respect to the machine center line MM in the forward direction, i.e., toward the operating side of the placement machine 21 (downward in fig. 2 b), so that the processing in the placement machine 21 can be better seen by the operator. It can also be seen from fig. 2b that in the placement machine 21, the processing takes place only on one track (on the lower side in fig. 2b, proceeding from the machine center), i.e. the placement machine 21 is only loaded on one track and is therefore operated monorail, while the placement machine 21 is not loaded on the other track and is therefore not processed. Accordingly, only single-length rod-shaped articles 10 and in particular no double-length rod-shaped articles are processed in the assembly machine 21.

Fig. 3 shows an exemplary production facility 40 with the main machines present, in which a machine assembly 20 according to the invention according to fig. 2a is integrated. Assembly machine 21 is here, in particular, a MAX M series of applicant, for example MAXM5, with included testing possibilities and great structural flexibility. The production facility 40 comprises a machine 41, for example the AF-KDF of the applicant, for making a rod 14a of multiple length for the segments 14 of filter rods 12. The multiple length rod 14a is forwarded to a supply module 43a, such as the applicant's MERLIN-software module, and from there to a filter maker 26, such as the applicant's KDF, for making filter rods 12. The production facility 40 optionally comprises a machine 42, for example the KDF of the applicant with a cylindrical unit, for making a multiple-length rod 13a for the segment 13 of filter rods 12. The multiple-length rod 14a is forwarded to an optional supply module 43b, for example the MERLIN software module of the applicant, and from there also to the filter maker 26. The

supply modules

43a, 43b each comprise a supply container (see fig. 4 a) for the rods 13a or 14 b. The

supply modules

43a, 43b thus form a grouping device 43 for assembling groups of

filter segments

13, 14 for making multi-segment filter rods 12 in the rod maker 26.

The production facility 40 also comprises a machine 44 for producing a multiple-length tobacco rod 11a, having a distributor 45, a rod unit 46 and a transfer unit 47 for transferring the multiple-length tobacco rod 11a to the assembly machine 21.

An advantage of the production facility 40 as shown in fig. 3 is that new tobacco products outside the conventional geometric specifications can be manufactured with overall low modification costs and modification risks without having to abandon the functional and quality standards of conventional cigarette manufacturing facilities.

A preferred embodiment of the assembly machine 21 and the production facility 40 according to the invention is shown in fig. 4a, 4 b. The assembly machine 21 differs from the embodiment according to fig. 2a in that the tobacco rod 11 together with the filter rod 12 is fed from the same upstream machine 26 into the wrapping region 24 via the same tumble flow 25. In this preferred embodiment, the supply container 22 and the roller stream 23 guided from the supply container 22 into the wrapping region can be omitted.

The production facility 40 is in this case provided for producing rod-shaped articles 10, the filter rods 12 of which are composed of three

filter segments

50, 51, 52. The intermediate filter segments 50 are conveyed, for example, in three rows by the conveying device 53 and are conveyed individually and with a positive offset Δ x2 relative to the machine center MM in the separating device 54 into the machine 26 and from there into the wrapping region 24 of the assembly machine 21. The filter segments 51 remote from the tobacco rod are fed from the supply container 56 by the feed device 55 as multiple, for example triple, rods 51a, cut into individual filter segments 51 and fed into the wrapping region 24 of the assembly machine 21 with a positive offset Δ x3 with respect to the machine center MM. The filter segments 52 adjacent to the tobacco rod are fed from the supply container 58 as a multiple, for example quadruple, rod 52a by the feed device 57, cut into individual filter segments 52 and fed into the wrapping region 24 of the assembly machine 21 with a positive offset Δ xl relative to the machine center MM. The tobacco rod 11 is fed as a multiple, for example quadruple, rod 11a from a supply device 59 from a supply container 60, cut into single-length tobacco rods 11 and fed into the wrapping region 24 of the assembly machine 21 with a positive offset Δ xT relative to the machine center MM. The supply devices 55, 57, 59 are, for example, MERLIN software modules of the applicant. All the displacements Δ x1, Δ x2, Δ x3, Δ xT are oriented from the machine center MM toward the same side or on the same track, as the displacements Δ xl of the cover slip 15, cover slip 29. The offset Δ xT is dimensioned such that the free end of the tobacco rod 11 is located in the machine center MM. The offsets Δ x1, Δ x2, Δ x3, and Δ x are greater than Δ xT, respectively. The feed modules 55, 57, 59 form a grouping means 43 for assembling groups of

filter segments

50, 51, 52 and for manufacturing multi-segment filter rods 12.

The tumble flow 25 from the upstream machine 26 (here the grouping device 43) to the assembly machine 21 is advantageously arranged in an adapter module 61, in which the only transverse axial transport of the tobacco rod 11 and the filter rod 12 is advantageously carried out.

Claims

1. Assembly machine (21) for producing rod-shaped articles (10) of the tobacco processing industry, comprising a plurality of rotating rollers for conveying filter rods (12) and tobacco rods (11) transversely and axially through a wrapping region (24), and a feeding device (30-34) for feeding wrapping rods (29) into the wrapping region (24) along a wrapping rod center line MU for wrapping filter rods and tobacco rods for connecting the filter rods and tobacco rods to each other, characterized in that the machine (21) has a track on both sides of a machine center line MM, the rod-shaped articles (10) are loaded on only one track from the machine center line MM and are not loaded on the other track, and the wrapping rod MU center line is arranged offset by a positive value Deltax with respect to the machine center line MM, wherein a free end of one of the tobacco rods (11) is arranged in the wrapping region (24) on the machine In a machine centre line MM, wherein the filter rod (12) is composed of two or more filter segments, wherein a filter segment (51) remote from the tobacco rod is fed into the wrapping region (24) with a positive offset Δ x3 relative to the machine centre MM, a filter segment (52) close to the tobacco rod is fed into the wrapping region (24) with a positive offset Δ xl relative to the machine centre MM, and the tobacco rod (11) is fed into the wrapping region (24) with a positive offset Δ xT relative to the machine centre MM, wherein the offsets Δ x1, Δ x3 and Δ x are each greater than Δ xT.

2. Assembly machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the offset Δ x between the wrapping-bar centre line MU and the machine centre line MM is greater than half the width BU of the wrapping bar (29).

3. Assembly machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the offset Δ x between the wrapping strip centre line MU and the machine centre line MM is greater than half the length LF of a filter rod.

4. Assembly machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the offset Δ x between the wrapping rod centre line MU and the machine centre line MM is greater than the length LT of the tobacco rod.

5. Assembly machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the wrapping-strip centre line MU is arranged offset with respect to the machine centre line MM towards the operating plane of the assembly machine (21).

6. Assembly machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one of the tobacco rods (11) is arranged inwardly in the wrapping region (24) to one side proceeding from the machine center line MM and one of the filter rods (12) is arranged fitted outwardly thereon.

7. Assembly machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the assembly machine (21) is loaded with product parts during operation on only one track, while the other track is unloaded.

8. Machine assembly (40) for the tobacco processing industry, comprising an assembly machine (21) according to any one of the preceding claims and at least one upstream machine (26), characterized in that the transfer of the tobacco rod (11) and the filter rod (12) from the upstream machine (26) onto the assembly machine (21) takes place completely trans-axially.

9. The machine assembly according to claim 8, wherein an adapter module (61) for transporting the tobacco rod (11) and the filter rod (12) in the transverse axial direction is arranged between the assembly machine (21) and the upstream machine (26).

10. Machine assembly according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that said advanced machine (26) comprises at least one feeding module (55, 57, 59) having a reserve container (56, 58, 60) for feeding tobacco rods (11 a, 51a, 52 a).

11. Machine assembly according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that the advanced machine (26) comprises a grouping device (43) for assembling groups of filter segments (13, 14, 50, 51, 52) for making multi-segment filter rods (12).

12. Method for manufacturing rod-shaped articles (10) of the tobacco processing industry, comprising: conveying filter rods (12) and tobacco rods (11) transversely to the axial direction through a wrapping region (24), and feeding wrapping rods (29) into the wrapping region (24) along a wrapping rod center line MU for wrapping filter rods and tobacco rods for connecting the filter rods and tobacco rods to one another, characterized in that a track is provided on both sides of a machine center line MM of an assembly machine (21), only one track is fed with rod-shaped articles (10) starting from the machine center line MM and on the other track, and the wrapping rods (29) are fed into the wrapping region (24) with a positive offset Δ x of the wrapping rod center line MU relative to the machine center line MM, wherein a free end of one of the tobacco rods (11) is arranged in the wrapping region (24) in the machine center line MM, wherein the filter rod (12) is composed of two or more filter segments, wherein the filter segment (51) remote from the tobacco rod is fed into the wrapping region (24) with a positive offset Δ x3 relative to the machine center MM, the filter segment (52) close to the tobacco rod is fed into the wrapping region (24) with a positive offset Δ xl relative to the machine center MM, and the tobacco rod (11) is fed into the wrapping region (24) with a positive offset Δ xT relative to the machine center MM, wherein the offsets Δ x1, Δ x3 and Δ x are each greater than Δ xT.