EP1004247B1 - Method and apparatus for cutting tobacco - Google Patents

Abstract

During at least one cutting step a piece is cut from the tobacco cake (1) which is significantly wider than that cut in the other cutting steps. A tobacco cake is supplied to a nozzle (5) and as it exits the nozzle it is cut using a knife apparatus (6, 7), preferably a rotating knife drum (7). The circumferential distance between two or more of the blades on the knife drum is greater than that between any other two adjacent blades. An Independent claim is also included for the tobacco cutting machine.

Description

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for Cutting out tobacco in which a tobacco cake is fed to a mouthpiece which he exits, after which he uses a knife-cutting device, in particular one rotating knife drum is cut.

According to the prior art, it is common to use laminate sheet mixtures in commercially available Tobacco cutters with continuous, smooth knives and with a cutting width to cut. Knives are also used in other known cutting methods Use whose cut edges are profiled. So-called "castellated" are known here and "chiselled" knives (CSL knives), whose cutting edge profile is the shape of rectangular pinnacles or triangular pinnacles. When using this knife shifts the particle size distribution in a tobacco cutter compared to the continuous Normal knife. It is also known that the filling capacity of the cut tobacco when cutting with this knife turns out to be the same or less.

Experiments have confirmed that by mixing cut tobacco more traditional Cutting width with cutting tobacco with a larger cutting width increases the particle size distribution the larger fractions can be postponed, which is in cigarette manufacturing can be beneficial. In particular, there can be a certain increase in filling capacity can be achieved.

Disadvantageously, a separate mixture of cut tobacco brings different Cutting width but above all an increase in product throughput time, because the tobaccos with different cutting widths have to be stored temporarily, before they can be mixed. Such mixing also brings another Degradation and also dust formation in cut tobacco due to the intermediate storage, the outsourcing and mixing with the other cutting widths itself, and there is therefore a less than optimal mixing of the individual Cutting widths. The increase in filling capacity is accordingly in such a mixing process rather low.

From the international application WO 95/07031 (EP-0 717 600) is a rotary cutter Known for cutting pressed tobacco leaves, in which various Knife thicknesses are used on the knife drum or an inclination of the Knives are used to achieve different cutting widths. The knife attachment points are distributed evenly around the circumference of the knife drum.

It has been found in practice that such an influence on the Cutting width does not produce a sufficient increase in filling capacity in the tobacco end product. In the sliced tobacco blend, as through the process and the Device manufactured according to the above document is no longer too recognize that the tobacco was cut with different cutting widths; rather, the tobacco cutting width variation is within the normal range, as is usually the case with unmodified knife drums.

A controlled tobacco cutter is known from GB-A-2066649. According to the teaching of this Document control technology is used, which determines the cutting width and returns to a preset value if the actual cutting width of deviates from the set value or from the desired value.

It is therefore the object of the present invention, a method and an apparatus provide for cutting tobacco, with which the filling capacity of the cut tobacco is noticeably and reliably increased.

This object is achieved by the features in the characterizing parts of the claims 1 and 9 solved. Preferred embodiments of the invention defined by the subclaims.

The noticeable increase in the filling capacity of the cut tobacco is according to the invention achieved in that in a continuous cutting process, the successive Cutting operations, of the tobacco cake in at least one Cutting process, a much wider section is cut off than others Cutting operations. In other words, the continuous process alternates or at least successively smaller and larger width sections of the tobacco cake cut off, so that the cutting process automatically Mixture of tobacco of different widths is created. What is important in this Context that the tobacco sections with the larger cutting widths are essential be made wider than those with the small cutting widths. In a preferred one The wide cut is preferred, preferably from a cutting width of 1 mm performed with so-called CSL knives, which, thanks to their defined cutting edge geometry, shorten the length of the broadly cut tobacco fibers to make them easier to move of tobacco and to improve the homogeneity of the mixture.

The advantage of the invention, as already noted above, is in particular that the Filling capacity of the tobacco material cut in this way is significantly higher than in conventional ones Cutting methods or devices. It can when hiring suitably high cutting width differences filling capacity increases up to about 9% can be achieved.

According to the invention, the different tobacco slice widths are mixed in continuous process so to speak automatically so that the losses that arise if only tobacco of different cutting widths are stored and then mixed will no longer occur. For this reason, the one that can be achieved according to the invention falls Filling capacity increase also much larger than with such a conventional one Mixing process.

So that noticeable and as high as possible increases in filling capacity can be achieved, the cutting operations should follow each other so that the difference in width of the cut off tobacco sections significantly above the nominal or random width difference lies, which occurs in conventional cutting processes. Therefore the width difference is at least 20%.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention there is a larger cutting width of the cut tobacco is essentially an integral multiple of a smaller one Cutting width, and in particular essentially twice the cutting width. As two different cutting widths have proven to be particularly advantageous: are approximately in the range of 0.85 mm and 1.7 mm.

According to the invention, there are various options, which are significantly different Realize cutting widths. A first option is the tobacco cake to cut with a rotating knife drum on which a circumferential distance between at least two knives is greater than at least one other circumferential distance. This ensures that between at least one and a subsequent one Cutting process takes more time than between other cutting processes, so that the tobacco cake is pushed a little further out of the mouthpiece can be. Accordingly, the at least one cutting operation is of course achieved a larger cutting width in the continuous cutting process, so that the tobacco sections with the substantially different cutting widths in continuous cutting process can be generated. In the case of the invention Device the greater circumferential distance is advantageously at least 20% larger than other circumferential distances and in particular is essentially one integer multiple of a smaller circumferential distance, preferably twice. With a particularly simple and therefore very inexpensive according to the invention The device has a conventional knife drum with a uniform circumference distributed knife attachments, with at least one knife from its attachment removed and preferably replaced by a counterweight. In order to According to the invention, a knife arrangement is now particularly simple and therefore inexpensive reached, in which a circumferential distance between two knives is greater than the remaining circumferential distances. Simply by removing a knife from his Attachment can thus be achieved the effect of the invention, the balance weight can be used to prevent the knife drum from becoming unbalanced.

A second way of realizing the inventive idea is to implement the Tobacco cake between at least two cutting operations with a much larger one Extending speed out of the mouthpiece than between other cutting operations. The knife roll can do this in even periods of time Cut off tobacco; when the tobacco cake feed is dynamic alternately faster and slower, this method also makes different Cutting widths generated. It is generally observed that the development in drive technology to more and more dynamic drives in the shortest possible time can brake and accelerate, and thus the possibility in the cutting process offer to ensure the appropriate cutting width difference. Even with this procedural or device variant should the greater speed of the tobacco cake feed preferably at least 20% higher than the lower speed and in particular be larger by an integer multiple, preferred twice as big.

A third possibility, according to the invention, of the suitable cutting width distribution achieve is to equip the knife drum with a dynamic drive, by means of which you can cut between at least two cutting operations with one essential rotates at a lower speed than between the other cutting operations. The Knife drum runs here with continuously changing speed and thus realizes different cutting widths. Good results are also achieved here if the lower speed is at least 20% lower than the higher speed, especially an integer fraction of this greater speed and is preferably half as large.

In a further preferred embodiment, the device according to the invention can be knives have on the cutting device, which have continuous smooth cutting edges. Successive knives can also have offset cutting edges. It is also advantageous to use knives with cutting edges Interact with fillets with profiled surfaces. Such fillets are located behind the edge of the knife and can be profiled to another Shape the cut tobacco.

Figur 1

eine schematische seitliche Schnittansicht einer erfindungsgemäßen Tabak-Schneidvorrichtung;

Figur 2

eine erfindungsgemäße Schneidvorrichtung mit einer Messertrommel, bei der ein Messer abgenommen wurde; und

Figur 3

ein Diagramm mit einer Gegenüberstellung differenzierter Schnittbreiten im Bezug auf die erzielbare Füllfähigkeit.

The invention will now be explained further on the basis of examples and preferred embodiments. Show it:

Figure 1

is a schematic side sectional view of a tobacco cutting device according to the invention;

Figure 2

a cutting device according to the invention with a knife drum, in which a knife has been removed; and

Figure 3

a diagram with a comparison of different cutting widths in relation to the achievable filling capacity.

In Figure 1 is the basic structure of a tobacco cutting device, the total with 10 is shown. The tobacco appears on the arrow I Place in the device and forms one below it Tobacco cake 1, further through the upper and lower feed chain 2, 3 for right side and is pressed. Feed chains 2 and 3 are driven by a drive motor 4 via belts 11, 9. The tobacco cake reached after pressing the mouthpiece 5 of the cutting device, where it exit.

Past the mouthpiece 5, the knives 7 of a knife drum 6 run in the knife drum housing 8 is housed. The knife drum 6 rotates in the direction of the arrow so that as each knife passes the mouthpiece 5, there is an emerging one Section of the tobacco cake is cut off. The cut tobacco leaves it Then the housing at the point indicated by arrow II.

One way of realizing the invention is shown in FIG. 2 and is being discussed discussed here first.

FIG. 2 again shows the knife drum housing 8 and that from the mouthpiece 5 emerging tobacco cake 1 and the knife drum 6.

The knife drum 6 is a drum with three knife attachments, also triple Knife drum called.

The realization of significantly different cutting widths for the tobacco is now achieved according to the embodiment of Figure 2 in that the two knives 7a and 7b are left on the knife drum 6 while the third knife is removed has been. Only the empty knife attachment 12 can be seen in FIG. 2.

If the knife drum 6 now rotates at a constant speed, the tobacco cake between the cut of the knife 7a and the subsequent cut of the Knife 7b only have half as much time to move forward as between the Section of the knife 7b and the section of the knife 7a following there again the circumferential distance between the knives 7a and 7b on the side shown above is only half the size of the page shown below. The attachment 12 itself does not cut tobacco.

It is obtained in such a simple way in a continuous process two different tobacco cutting widths, namely a smaller cutting width and one about twice the cutting width.

The filling capacity of the tobacco thus obtained is far above the average of those conventionally cut tobacco. The tobacco cut width can thus be individual be set that the tobacco for subsequent tobacco preparation processes suitable is. Cut tobacco, which has a narrow particle size distribution, especially have few small parts (<1 mm) and a pneumatic one Transport device and the cigarette machine are adapted so that tobacco fiber segregation and further tobacco degradation can be restricted. This can can be achieved according to the invention. Another mix of individual tobacco different Cutting width to a finished tobacco mixture and the resulting degradation of tobacco does not take place.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 2, the mass ratios of the tobacco fiber widths according to the cutter shown in Table 1 below occur for a triple knife drum: Triple knife drum Cutting width in mm Mass ratio of tobacco fiber widths ex cutter Number of knives removed 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 100% 0.8 mm 0 0.8 / 1.6 33% 0.8mm / 66% 1.6mm 1

Of course, the embodiment according to the invention with the dismantling of knives can also be carried out with knife drums with a larger number of knives. Tables 2 and 3 below show the cutting width and the mass ratio for a 6-fold knife drum and an 8-fold knife drum with different numbers of dismantled knives. 6-fold knife drum Cutting width in mm Mass ratio of tobacco fiber widths ex cutter Number of knives removed 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 100% 0.8 mm 0 1.6 / 1.6 / 1.6 100% 1.6 mm 3 2.4 / 2.4 100% 2.4 mm 4 0.8 / 0.8 / 1.6 / 1.6 33% 0.8 mm / 66% 1.6 mm 2 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 / 1.6 66% 0.8 mm / 33% 1.6 mm 1 0.8 / 1.6 / 2.4 16% 0.8 mm / 33% 1.6 mm / 50% 2.4 mm 3 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 / 2.4 50% 0.8 mm / 50% 2.4 mm 2 8-fold knife drum Cutting width in mm Mass ratio of tobacco fiber widths ex cutter Number of knives removed 8 x 0.8 100% 0.8 mm 0 1.6 / 1.6 / 1.6 / 1.6 100% 1.6 mm 4 2.4 / 2.4 / 1.6 75% 2.4 mm / 25% 1.6 mm 6 2.4 / 2.4 / 0.8 / 0.8 75% 2.4 mm / 25% 0.8 mm 5 2.4 / 1.6 / 1.6 / 0.8 37.5% 2.4 mm / 50% 1.6 mm / 12.5% 0.8 mm 4 2.4 / 1.6 / 0.8 / 0.8 / 0.8 37.5% 2.4 mm / 25% 1.6 mm / 37.5% 0.8 mm 3 2.4 / 5 x 0.8 38% 2.4 mm / 62% 0.8 mm 2 1.6 / 1.6 / 1.6 / 0.8 / 0.8 75% 1.6 mm / 25% 0.8 mm 3 1.6 / 1.6 / 4 x 0.8 50% 1.6 mm / 50% 0.8 mm 2 1.6 / 6 x 0.8 25% 1.6 mm / 75% 0.8 mm 1

The more knives that can be mounted on a knife drum, the larger it is Number of possible cutting widths and flexibility in the mass ratios.

Of course, to implement an inventive embodiment described above also a special order for a knife drum can be used as long at least one circumferential distance between two knives is larger than other circumferential distances.

Further embodiments of the invention will now be explained with reference to FIG. 1. In a first alternative implementation of the present invention, the motor 4 one that is provided with a dynamic drive control, that is, via the Belts 9 and 11 discontinuously tobacco cake once faster and once moved forward more slowly. If here the knife drum 6 with continuous Rotates speed, are corresponding to the continuous cutting processes cut smaller and larger tobacco cut widths, so that it in turn for Distribution to be achieved according to the invention in the widths of the cut tobacco strips comes, and thus also to the desired increase in filling capacity. The cut tobacco blends With regard to particle fiber distribution, mass ratio, Produce fillability and processability in a wide variety. In a commercially available cutting device becomes the drive technology of the feeding device modified for the tobacco fleece (tobacco cake 1) to the mouthpiece 5 so that the Feeding device speed in a freely adjustable program of Step by step can be varied so that many different, significantly different Cutting widths can be realized in one process flow. The feed receives an angle and speed synchronous drive with a high dynamic has to in this rapid cutting process changes the cutting width of To be able to make cut to cut. With the currently highly developed dynamic Drive technology can be easily implemented.

The third possibility according to the invention of influencing the cutting widths can also be explained with reference to FIG. 1. If the knife drum shown 6 is provided with a dynamic drive, which is also less Of course, time allows acceleration and deceleration of the rotation Even with a constant tobacco cake feed, those to be realized according to the invention significant cutting width differences can be achieved as in the above described second embodiment.

Figure 3 shows experimentally achieved filling capacities for different The tobacco cutting process is compared. In the graphic, normal cut means one State-of-the-art method in which different individual cutting widths can be achieved with smooth knives, "Mix ex TV" shows experimental values for the Mixing tobacco of different cutting widths after going through the tobacco preparation, i.e. here are tobaccos that are on different cutters were cut with different widths of cut, stored and subsequently mixed together. Finally, the term "double cut in the cutter" indicates cutting method according to the invention, namely the one referred to above as the first Cutting method, which was explained with reference to Figure 2. It is also called controlled cutting marked according to method 1.

The unit of filling capacity is ml tobacco per gram of tobacco, measured with a Borgwaldt densimeter at 12% tobacco moisture.

The experimental results shown in the graphic in FIG. 3 clearly show the superiority of the cutting method according to the invention (method 1), in which for a mass ratio of 33% a cutting width of 0.85 mm and 66% one Cutting width of 1.7 mm, significantly higher filling capacity values can be achieved than with a normal cut. This is particularly the case for the line drawn in equivalent cutting width of 1.4 mm clearly. Here is the normal cut, so Cut tobacco that was cut only with a 0.85 mm cutting width, lowest in the filling capacity (around 4.5 (connection of the diamond-shaped result points)). The Filling capacity to be achieved by method 1 according to the invention also lies much higher than that with the help of tobacco mixed afterwards different cutting width can be achieved (mixture ex TV), which already is slightly cheaper than the fill capacity for normal cuts.

Overall, it can be stated that by a method according to the invention or a Filling capabilities according to the invention can be achieved, up to 9% higher than with conventional tobacco cutting.

Claims (20)

1. A method for cutting tobacco in which a tobacco cake (1) is continuously fed to a mouthpiece (5) from which it emerges, after which it is cut by means of a knife cutter (6, 7), more particularly a rotating knife drum (6), characterised in that a substantially wider section is severed from said tobacco cake (1) in at least one cutting action than in other cutting actions, wherein said cutting actions are sequenced so that said difference in width amounts to at least 20%.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1, characterised in that a larger cutting width is essentially a whole-number multiple of a smaller cutting width, more particularly, essentially twice said cutting width.
3. The method as set forth in claim 1 or 2, characterised in that two different cutting widths are produced, more particularly, approximately 0.85 mm and 1.7 mm.
4. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that said tobacco cake (1) is cut by a rotating knife drum (6) on which a circumferential spacing between at least two knives (7) is greater than at least one other circumferential spacing.
5. The method as set forth in claim 4, characterised in that a standard knife drum (6) having a uniform knife arrangement about its circumference is used, from which at least one knife (7) is removed from its fastener (12) and is preferably replaced by a compensating weight.
6. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that said tobacco cake (1) is advanced out of said mouthpiece (5) between at least two cutting actions at a substantially higher speed than between other cutting actions.
7. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that said knife drum (6) rotates between at least two cutting actions at a substantially lower speed than between other cutting actions.
8. The method as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that said wider cut is made with profiled cutting edges (CSL knives).
9. An apparatus for cutting tobacco including a continuous feeder for a tobacco cake (1), a mouthpiece (5) at said feeder through which said tobacco cake (1) emerges, and a knife cutter at said mouthpiece (5), more particularly, a rotating knife drum (6), characterised in that said apparatus is configured so that a substantially wider section is severed from said tobacco cake (1) in at least one cutting action than in other cutting actions, wherein said cutting actions are sequenced so that said difference in width amounts to at least 20%.
10. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, characterised in that a circumferential spacing between at least two knives (7a, 7b) on said rotating knife drum (6) is substantially greater than another circumferential spacing.
11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10, characterised in that said larger circumferential spacing is at least 20% larger than other circumferential distances.
12. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 or 11, characterised in that said larger circumferential spacing is essentially a whole-number multiple of a smaller circumferential spacing, more particularly, double.
13. The apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 10 to 12, characterised in that it comprises a standard knife drum (6) having knife fasteners (12) uniformly distributed about the circumference, and from which at least one knife is removed from its fastener (12) and is preferably replaced by a compensating weight.
14. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, characterised in that it comprises an advancing means (2, 3, 4) which, by means of a drive control, advances said tobacco cake (1) out of the mouthpiece (5) between at least two cutting actions at a substantially higher speed than between other cutting actions.
15. The apparatus as set forth in claim 14, characterised in that said higher speed is at least 20% higher than said lower speed and, more particularly, higher by a whole-number multiple, preferably twice as high.
16. The apparatus as set forth in claim 9, characterised in that said knife drum (6) comprises a dynamic drive, by means of which it rotates between at least two cutting actions at a substantially lower speed than between other cutting actions.
17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16, characterised in that said lower speed is at least 20% lower than said higher speed and, more particularly, is a whole-number fraction of it, preferably half.
18. The apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 9 to 16, characterised in that said knives (7) on said cutter have smooth cutting edges throughout or, if the knives are consecutive, cutting edges with staggered profiles.
19. The apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 9 to 16, characterised in that the knives (7) of the cutting edges co-operate with coves having profiled surface areas
20. The apparatus as set forth in any one of claims 9 to 16, characterised in that said substantially wider section is severed with knives (7) having profiled cutting edges, and said smaller section is severed with knives (7) having smooth cutting edges throughout.

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