EP2509456B1 - Temperature control of a forming device for a filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a tempering device for a format device of a machine of the tobacco processing industry, in particular a filter rod machine or a tobacco rod machine, wherein the tempering at least one tempering surface having a Temperierungsflächenkörper and at least one Temperierungskörper which is integrally formed with the at least one Temperierungsflächenkörper or at least a Temperierungsflächenkörper is thermally conductively connected or connectable. The invention further relates to a machine of the tobacco processing industry, a method for operating a machine of the tobacco processing industry, in particular filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine, wherein a strand, in particular a filter strand or a tobacco rod, is wrapped with a wrapping paper strip, which at an adhesive seam with a Glue, in particular a hot glue or a cold glue, wherein the wrapped strand is conveyed through a formatting device having an upper format and / or a lower format with a tempering surface body for the adhesive seam, and a use.

Tobacco-processing industry machines that produce filter strands or tobacco strands from a filter tow, tobacco or other material and wrapped with a wrapping paper are marketed under the names KDF and SEF, among others, by the Applicant. The conveying speed of a filter strand with, for example, a KDF is currently about 500 m / min.

In a KDF of the patent applicant, a filter tow is first withdrawn from a filter towbale and then subjected to several process steps. Among other things, the filter tow is widened, stretched, and sprayed with a plasticizer during processing, before being formed into a round section strand in a formatting device. The format device may comprise an inlet finger and a format inlet and then a format outlet for introducing the material into the actual format. Beforehand, the filter tow is placed in a continuous wrapping paper strip withdrawn from a reel, which has an adhesive seam made of a hot glue on one side. The wrapping paper strip is completely wrapped around the filter strand in the formatting device with the adhesive seam of the wrapping paper placed on the opposite side of the wrapping paper so that the wrapping paper is closed in a ring around the filter strand.

A corresponding hot glue is liquid when applied to the wrapping paper strip and has a temperature of about 180 ° C. It must be cooled down so that it solidifies and creates a safe bond of the wrapper strip. This purpose is served by a cooling bar in the format device, which is arranged on an upper format or a lower format of the format device. The cooling of the adhesive seam by means of a cooling web is part of the so-called "process cooling", wherein a process cooling, the cooling of a material flow, ie a tobacco rod or a filter strand, or other movable or immovable parts of the machine is understood, in contrast to the cooling, for example, an electronic control system.

Usually, a cooling web of such a format is cooled by means of a separate recooling device for process cooling. A separate recooling unit for process cooling in a single-line machine such as the KDF, which simultaneously processes only one strand, has a power consumption of a few kW (kilowatts). It is arranged in a separate structural unit or in a structural unit in the machine and cools the cooling webs of the format device via a coolant circuit with a flow line and a return line. The coolant has, for example, a temperature of 6 ° C and a flow of 6 l / min at a pressure of 2 bar.

The integration of the coolant circuit from the external recooler to the cooling bar is complex and the required cooling capacity of the external recooler is relatively high. A temperature control with an external recooler is only very limited and possible because of the flow velocity of the coolant in the cooling circuit only with a large time delay.

The development of machines of the tobacco processing industry, in particular the development of filter rod machines, is going to develop twin-rod machines, ie strand machines, make the two filter or tobacco strands simultaneously and in parallel. For twin-strand machines, two cooling bridges must be cooled. If an external recooler is used for the process cooling, this means that the required cooling capacity would double.

Also in the production of tobacco strands, which are also called cigarette rods, such as in a marketed by the applicant cigarette manufacturing machine "PROTOS" line, a cigarette rod is wrapped in a format device with a wrapping paper strip or cigarette paper strip. Therein, a tobacco rod in the cigarette paper strip is conveyed through a sub-format, in which the cigarette paper strip is folded around the tobacco rod so that an edge still sticks, which is glued by a Glimapparat with a cold glue. Then the bond seam is closed and dried from above by a Tandemnahtplätte by heating. The sub-format, which heats up by friction with the strand, is cooled. The upper format formed, for example, by an inlet finger of the format device and the seam plate is heated, at least in sections, to bind the cold glue.

EP 1 532 876 A1 relates to a cooling for a wall for guiding a strand of the tobacco processing industry. This has a cooling element for indirect cooling of the guide wall. The use of a cooling element for indirect cooling has the advantage that it is avoided that when cooling the upper format, the coolant supply line must be swung away with and that the guide wall, and thus fingers and cover strip, remain fully accessible, since the cooling non-integrated part the guide wall is.

The present invention is therefore based on the object, a temperature control, ie cooling or heating, a format or format device for a machine of the tobacco industry, especially for a filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine to provide that requires no separate recooler, less energy consumed, flexibly controllable and small building, is simple and can be retrofitted.

This object is achieved by a temperature control device for a format device of a machine of tobacco processing Industry, in particular a filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine, wherein the Temperierungsvorrichtung comprises at least one Temperierungsfläche Temperierungsflächenkörper and at least one Temperierungskörper which is integrally formed with the at least one Temperierungsflächenkörper or thermally conductively connected to the at least one Temperierungsflächenkörper or is connected, which is further developed in that the tempering device comprises at least one Peltier element, by means of which the tempering body can be cooled and / or heated, wherein a plurality of Peltier elements are arranged in a row and / or offset one behind the other.

Under a Termperierungskörper is understood in the context of the invention, a heat sink, a radiator or optionally designed as a cooling and / or radiator body.

Under a Temperierungsflächenkörper are understood in particular cooling bars, heating bars, but also other bodies having a cooling or heating surface, including lower and / or upper formats of format devices that heat when passing through tobacco or filter strands and must therefore be cooled ,

The basic idea of the invention is that by means of Peltier elements a very small-sized and energetically favorable with electric current to be operated possibility is given to cool cooling bars or heat heating bars. Peltier elements are based on the Peltier effect that with certain conductors or semiconductors, a flow of an electrical current leads to heating of an electrical contact of the element and to a cooling of the other electrical contact. It is therefore from a warm side or hot side and a cold side of the Peltier element spoken. With commercially available Peltier elements can be between the cold side and the hot side can reach temperature differences of 50 ° C and more up to 70 ° C or 80 ° C. A single Peltier element can achieve cooling or heating powers of 80 W or more.

However, in view of the external recooler used so far, it is surprising that even a format of a machine of the tobacco processing industry, in particular a filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine can be cooled or heated by means of Peltier elements, since such a cooling power is not provided by means of Peltier elements or appropriately sized Peltier elements are not available in a correspondingly small size.

With the present invention, it is possible to reliably operate a filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine with a single refrigeration cycle system. A separate cooling circuit for cooling the format of conventional machines can thus be dispensed with. Optionally required coolant can then be removed from the single cooling circuit and used for cooling the Peltier elements.

Since Peltier elements are relatively small in size, they can also be installed in close proximity to the format device or in the format device, in particular existing machines or filter or tobacco rod machines can be retrofitted with such Peltier elements as cooling or heating. Since the Peltier elements are installed in the machine or filter or tobacco rod machine, only electrical lines are to be laid and for the waste heat possibly coolant connections to the machine system, but not consuming to insulate coolant lines to separate cooling units. Because the Peltier elements Moreover, very close to the cooling bars to be cooled or the heating bars to be heated can be arranged or arranged, the waste heat losses are greatly limited by heating surrounding components of the machine.

The tempering device according to the invention thus has the advantages that no separate external recooler and no long cooling lines to separate cooling units are necessary. It can be installed as a compact unit.

In an advantageous variant, the tempering device comprises a coolant circuit with a pump which thermally connects a cold side of the Peltier element with the Temperierungskörper. Thus, on the cold side of such a Peltier element, a separate small-scale coolant circuit can be used, including a coolant pump. This variant is particularly advantageous for retrofitting existing machines of the tobacco-processing industry, in particular of existing filter rod machines and / or tobacco rod machines, since the already cooled with a larger coolant circuit cooling bars, formats or other Temperierungsflächenkörper need only be connected to a different, smaller coolant circuit. Since the length of the coolant lines can be kept very short, the thermal losses during transport of the coolant are low. Also, due to the small volume of the coolant circuit, a control of the temperature of the cooling web can be done much faster than before with an external recooler.

In an alternative advantageous embodiment of the invention, the tempering body with a cold side of the Peltier element connected or connectable directly or via a metallic thermal conductor. In this case, the thermal conduction is carried out by a thermal contact without coolant, so that a very efficient and rapid transfer of thermal energy, ie heat takes place. Thus, thermal losses are severely limited and reaction times for the control of the temperature to be set of the Temperierungsflächenkörpers greatly shortened compared to a use with a coolant circuit. In addition, the elimination of a coolant circuit also eliminates the risk of leakage from which coolant exits. Such coolant leaks can make produced filter rods or tobacco rods batch-wise useless and thus lead to undesirable losses.

In particular, if a Temperierungsflächenkörper has an extension in the direction of a filter strand, a tobacco rod or other strand of material, which is greater than the longitudinal extent of a Peltier element, the invention provides that several Peltier elements are arranged in a row and / or offset one behind the other , In this way, a Temperierungsflächenkörper along its entire length can be cooled and / or heated. The staggered arrangement or alternate arrangement results in a higher power density of the cooling or heating along the length of the Temperierungsflächenkörpers.

In order to achieve an efficient dissipation of waste heat and a stable temperature setting of the Temperierungsflächenkörpers, it is preferably provided that a warm side of the at least one Peltier element for dissipating waste heat is connected to a cooling water circuit of a machine of the tobacco-processing industry or connectable. Most machines of the tobacco processing industry, in particular filter rod machines and Cigarette rod machines have a cooling water circuit, with cooling water at a temperature of about 20 ° C is used to transport the waste heat of the entire machine. The water cooling of the Peltier elements can be replaced or supplemented by air cooling or convection cooling.

The heat capacity of the cooling water system of a corresponding machine of the tobacco processing industry is so great that the cooling water for the Peltier elements means a large thermal mass. Therefore, the warm side of the Peltier element adopts the temperature of the cooling water when properly exchanged with the cooling water. Thus, the temperature of the cold side of the Peltier element as a differential temperature to the cooling water temperature is very precise and stable adjustable.

Since the cooling bar must be cooled to a temperature of about 6 ° C to 15 ° C to solidify the hot glue, little energy or power is required to cool the cold side compared to the tempered at cooling water temperature hot side to this value ,

Additionally or alternatively, a warm side of the at least one Peltier element for dissipating waste heat is advantageously connected or connectable to a cooling pipe which carries cooling air. The heated air is then optionally used elsewhere for heating. The heat removal can also passively convective carried out with a suitable coolant or a cooling liquid. In this embodiment, therefore, a second cooling circuit is present, but without a separate recooler. This solution provides a lower necessary overhead and a lower coolant flow compared to a cooling circuit with a recooler.

A particularly good heat conduction and low heat losses are preferably achieved if the tempering body and the Temperierungsflächenkörper have a common abutment surface, wherein at the abutting surface, the surface of the Temperierungskörpers is complementary to the surface of the Temperierungsflächenkörpers, in particular the abutment surface in cross-section a straight, V-shaped, forms dovetailed, curved or irregular line.

Preferably, the tempering body and the Temperierungsflächenkörper are bolted together. However, due to the rigidity of the material and the length of the tempering surface, which is approximately 750 mm in the case of the applicant's KDF cooling web, the surface closure along the abutment surfaces is approximately 75% in the case of a screw connection with several screws. At the same time, the tempering body and the tempering surface body are at least partially made of copper and / or a ceramic material with good heat conductivity.

Due to the shape of the abutment surfaces, which may be V-shaped, dovetail-shaped or similar in cross-section, the abutment surface is increased overall, so that a proportion of 75% of the abutment surface, in which the contact is flush, leads to a better heat transfer or transfer the thermal energy leads. In addition, a, for example, dovetailed, abutting surface is advantageous because with such a geometry of the abutting surfaces a form fit between Temperierungskörper and Temperierungsflächenkörper is achieved. The positive connection can also be supplemented by a force fit if the dimensions of the interlocking structures of the dovetail structure are selected accordingly. In such a case, a gland omitted or provided as an additional backup.

A particularly easy-to-use solution consists in that the at least one Peltier element and the at least one Temperierungskörper are combined in a structural unit of a block with which the Temperierungsflächenkörper is connected to form a flat support or connectable. The two-dimensional support preferably takes place along a previously described abutment surface. Such a unit or a block, also called "thermoblock" is particularly easy to install and manufacture.

Preferably, an inlet finger, a sub-format, an upper format and / or a cover strip of the format device is designed as Temperierungsflächenkörper which is thermally conductively connected to a temperature control body comprising at least one Peltier element or connectable. This applies to both filter rod machines and tobacco rod machines.

Advantageously, a Temperierungsflächenkörper is designed as a heating bar, which is heated by means of a tempering device which comprises at least one Peltier element, wherein the heating bar is adapted to heat a glued on a cold glue glue seam of a wrapping paper strip.

For this purpose, it is preferably provided that the heating bar is a cooling bar, which is connected to a Temperierungskörper with at least one reversed Peltier element or with a heating side of a Temperierungskörpers with at least one Peltier element. These two embodiments mean in the first case, the reuse of a heat sink, the after polarity reversal of the Peltier element as a radiator works. In the second case, the tempering body has a heating side and a cooling side, so that it can be used optionally for heating or for cooling. Thus, it is possible to use similar Temperierungskörper in a filter rod machine for cooling a hot glue seam with a matching cooling bar and in a tobacco rod machine for heating a cold glue joint with a matching heating bar. A multiple development of Temperierungskörpern can be omitted. In the same way, heating bars of a tobacco string unit and cooling bars of a filter string unit can be configured identically so that the development and production costs for heating and cooling bars are reduced.

The heating of an adhesive seam of a wrapping paper strip based on a cold glue with a tempering device comprising at least one Peltier element can be combined with cooling of further components of the corresponding format device by means of the same and / or another tempering device according to the invention with Peltier elements.

The object underlying the invention is also achieved by a machine of the tobacco-processing industry, in particular filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine, with a pre-described tempering device according to the invention.

The object underlying the invention is also by a method for operating a machine of the tobacco-processing industry, in particular filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine, wherein a strand, in particular a filter strand or tobacco rod, is wrapped with a wrapping paper strip, in particular at an adhesive seam with a glue a hot glue or a cold glue, wherein the wrapped strand is conveyed through a format device having an upper format and / or a lower format with a Temperierungsflächenkörper, in particular for the adhesive seam, solved, which is further developed in that the Temperierungsflächenkörper means of several in a row and / or offset Peltier elements arranged one behind the other are cooled and / or heated. This method has the same advantages as the aforementioned tempering device according to the invention.

If a temperature profile along the Temperierungsflächenkörper is set by means of several Peltier elements, which increases or decreases in particular in a conveying direction of the strand, the temperature profile can be advantageously adapted to the optimization of the cooling process or heating process for the bond line. Thus, a first very strong cooling can cause a strong solidification of the hot glue seam, the filter strand is not drawn because of the short residence time at this point by the very low temperature affected. In the subsequent section of the cooling web, lower cooling is provided by subsequent Peltier elements, so that further solidification of the bond seam is continued at a lower cooling rate, but despite the longer residence time in this section, the underlying filter strand is not exposed to a very low temperature , Conversely, it is also possible to start with gentle cooling, which is reinforced towards the end. In the case of heating a cold glue seam with a heating bar, what has been said applies with the opposite sign, ie with high temperatures instead of low temperatures.

The measurement of the temperature profile is preferably carried out at the respective Peltier element, especially on the format while so far a temperature measurement was only possible at the inlet of the format device.

Preferably, the Temperierungsflächenkörper is designed as a cooling bar or as a heating bar for the bond line.

An advantageous development of the method according to the invention is that, in particular in the absence of a strand in the format device, by reversing a polarity of a supply voltage of the Peltier element of the Temperierungsflächenkörper is at least temporarily heated. The cold Temperierungsflächenkörper, or in this case chute, forms in the otherwise warm machine of the tobacco processing industry a condensation point for the existing humidity in the machine, so that the cooling bar tends to attract condensation moisture, especially after completion of the production of a filter strand and Go through a filter strand eg is stopped. In this case, condensation may drip off the chute and cause short circuits, contamination or other negative effects. This also applies to other cooled Temperierungsflächenkörper, such as lower or upper formats, inlet fingers or cover strips.

A momentary reversal in the polarity of the supply voltage or the supply current for the Peltier element causes the cold side to become the hot side and vice versa. The now after the reversal of polarity hot side has a corresponding high temperature at which the condensation evaporates very quickly and can not accumulate so much that it can drip down. The heating can happen very quickly with Peltier elements, so that a short heating time to a temperature of 40 ° C is already sufficient to condensation moisture to remove. When ice formation due to excessive cooling capacity after a machine stop is preferably heated quickly and only then the stranding machine started up again. Otherwise results in a soaked filter or tobacco rod.

Preferably, an adhesive seam of a wrapping paper strip of a tobacco rod or filter strand based on a cold glue is heated by means of a tempering surface body designed as a heating bar.

An efficient and material-saving process control results when preferably the temperature of the Temperierungskörpers is adapted to a conveying speed of the machine and / or acceleration or deceleration of the conveying speed is adapted to a rate of change of the temperature of Temperierungskörpers, especially when starting the machine and / or deviations from a production speed.

With the first alternative, the temperature is adapted, inter alia, to a run-up and / or braking ramp. With reference to the temperature of the Peltier element, this means that the temperature during cooling drops when the machine starts up or ramps up and rises again when braking. With fluctuations of the production speed the same applies. Thus, the cooling flow is adapted to the material flow of the strand, so that the strand receives a uniform temperature, regardless of the conveying speed. This is possible due to the quick controllability of the Peltier elements. The second alternative relates to the case that the temperature change of the Peltier element and the Temperierungskörpers does not take place as fast as the acceleration or braking of the strand. In this case, the Rate of acceleration or braking rate selected so that the temperature change can be fast enough to ensure a constant strand temperature. Both alternatives can also be combined with each other.

Preferably, a strand diameter of the filter strand or of the tobacco rod is determined by means of a sensor downstream of the format device, and the temperature of the temperature control body is regulated as a function of the determined strand diameter. This deals with the case where hot glue does not set fast enough in the case of a lack of cooling power, or if cold glue does not harden quickly enough in the case of a lack of heating power. Both leads to the fact that the strand diameter increases in each case due to the insufficiently strong bond seam. If such an increase in the strand diameter is detected, the cooling capacity or heating power is increased. Such a sensor is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the control point, ie the Temperierungsflächenkörpers.

Finally, the object underlying the invention is also achieved by using a plurality of Peltier elements arranged one after the other and / or in a previously described machine according to the invention of the tobacco processing industry, in particular a filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine, for cooling and / or heating a tempering surface a formatting device solved. This use according to the invention offers the same advantages which have already been mentioned for the tempering device according to the invention and for the method according to the invention.

By means of the invention, the energy efficiency of a machine of the tobacco processing industry is increased. The cooling of the cooling water in the case of a heating tempering device lowers the Energy requirement for an external cooling device. In the case of a cooling tempering device, the warm cooling water can be used as process water, for example for preheating hot glue, in particular hot glue pellets. It also accounts for performance losses due to the throttling of the water flow rate in the previously known machines. Overall, the efficiency of the strand machines increases, in particular by the energy recovery described above.

When changing format results with the invention, the advantage that no coolant leaks occur more. In conventional extrusion machines a variety of seals, sleeves and water pipes must be separated in format changes, which is substantially reduced according to the invention.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Darstellung einer Formatkühlung einer Filterstrangmaschine nach dem Stand der Technik,

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung eines Ausführungsbeispiels einer erfindungsgemäßen Formatkühlung einer Filterstrangmaschine,

Fig. 3

eine schematische Querschnittsdarstellung durch eine Formatkühlung gemäß Fig. 2,

Fig. 4

eine schematische Darstellung eines weiteren Ausführungsbeispiels einer erfindungsgemäßen Formatkühlung einer Filterstrangmaschine,

Fig. 5

eine schematische Querschnittsdarstellung durch eine Formatkühlung eines Stranges gemäß Fig. 4 und

Fig. 6a) bis 6f)

mehrere Ausführungsbeispiele eines Querschnitts durch eine Formatkühlung gemäß Fig. 5.

The invention will be described below without limiting the general inventive idea by means of embodiments with reference to the drawings, reference being expressly made to the drawings with respect to all in the text unspecified details of the invention. Show it:

Fig. 1

a schematic representation of a format cooling of a filter rod machine according to the prior art,

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of an embodiment of a format cooling according to the invention a filter rod machine,

Fig. 3

a schematic cross-sectional view through a format cooling according to Fig. 2 .

Fig. 4

a schematic representation of another embodiment of a format cooling according to the invention a filter rod machine,

Fig. 5

a schematic cross-sectional view through a format cooling of a strand according to Fig. 4 and

6a) to 6f)

several embodiments of a cross section through a format cooling according to Fig. 5 ,

In the following figures, identical or similar elements or corresponding parts are provided with the same reference numerals, so that a corresponding renewed idea is dispensed with.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic representation of a top format cooling of a double-stranded filter rod machine of the tobacco processing industry according to the prior art. According to this prior art, an external cooling unit 1 is used with a recooling device 2, which absorbs a few kW in known filter rod machines, such as the applicant's KDF and cooling fluid at a temperature of 6 ° C with a flow of 6 l / min at a pressure of 2 bar provides.

The cooling liquid is introduced via a feed line 3 via a manifold 5 in a unit 9 of the format device and continued there in several flow lines. It is in the filter attachment according to Fig. 1 to a double-strand machine, so that the belonging to the respective format device heat sink 6, 6 ', cooling webs 7, 7' and strands 8, 8 'doubles are. For clarity, the two modules are not side by side or behind each other, but shown one below the other. In one possible embodiment of a machine, however, the two strands are arranged in one plane and the two heat sinks are respectively assigned to the two strands. The webs run like the strands parallel to each other in two horizontal tracks.

Each heat sink 6, 6 'of the first strand 8 and the second strand 8' is supplied with its own coolant line and cooled. The cooling webs 7, 7 'each have a thermal connection with the heat sink 6, 6', so that the cooling webs 7, 7 'have a temperature of about 6 ° C to 15 ° C and cool down hot glue in the filter strands 8, 8' and solidify.

Due to the heat absorbed from the strands 8, 8 ', the cooling liquid is heated. This is guided via coolant lines to a second distributor 5 'and combined there into a common return line 4 and conveyed to the recooling device 2. So that the coolant circuit is closed.

For a double-strand machine, for example, the KDF-M of the applicant, the cooling capacity must be adjusted accordingly, since the hot glue of a seam of two strands must be cooled.

In Fig. 2 is a first embodiment of a Formattemperierung invention shown schematically using the example of a format cooling. It is also a two-line machine, wherein the format elements, namely heat sink 6, 6 ', cooling webs 7, 7' and strands 8, 8 'in the assembly 21 of the format cooling are the same as in the prior art after Fig. 1 , These are also shown above each other for reasons of clarity.

Central component of the embodiment according to Fig. 2 is the cooler 22, which includes one or more Peltier elements, of which in Fig. 2 a Peltier element 23, 23 'is shown. The Peltier element includes a cold side 23 and a hot side 23 '. With the hot side 23 ', the Peltier element is connected to stubs 12, 13 of a cooling water circuit with a flow line 10 and a return line 11, which dissipates large volumes of waste heat of the machine. The temperature of the cooling water is usually about 20 ° C in the flow.

With the cooling water in the branch lines 12, 13, the thermally a comparatively small mass performing Peltier element or the radiator 22 is set to a constant temperature base and waste heat can be dissipated via the cooling water. The Peltier element 23, 23 'generates a temperature difference between the warm side 23', which has the temperature of the cooling water, and the cold side 23. The temperature difference is variably adjustable by controlling the electrical power consumption of the Peltier element 23, 23 '.

The cold side 23 of the Peltier element is connected to a cooling fluid circuit which is completely enclosed within the assembly 21 of the format cooling and thus has only a very small mass to be moved. The cooling circuit consists of a flow line 24 with a pump 25 for the cooling liquid, wherein the flow line 24 is split in a manifold 27 in a plurality of flow lines, so that the heat sink 6, 6 'of two format devices for two strands eighth '8' can be cooled.

In the heat sink 6, 6 ', the cooling liquid is heated due to the Absorption of heat from the strands 8, 8 'via the cooling webs 7, 7'. The heated cooling liquid is returned via return lines and recycled in a second manifold 27 in a return line 26 of the cooling circuit to the cold side 23 of the Peltier element, where the cooling liquid is in turn cooled down to a cooling liquid temperature. The heat absorbed is dissipated via the warm side into the cooling water through the branch line 13 to the return line 11 of the cooling water.

The in the format cooling according to Fig. 2 required electrical energy to operate the Peltier element 23, 23 'is substantially smaller than that according to the prior art according to Fig. 1 This is because the coolant lines are much shorter than in the prior art and thus significantly fewer losses occur by radiation of thermal energy from the coolant lines. The short cooling liquid lines also do not have to be fed into the machine, for example a filter rod machine, and led out again so that the volume of the machine groups and machine elements with which the cooling liquid lines come into contact are also significantly smaller than in the prior art. Thus, less mass of the machine is to be considered as a cold sink according to the invention.

In Fig. 3 is a format cooling largely according to Fig. 2 shown schematically in cross section. It can be seen in cross-section that it is a two-strand machine with two strands 8, 8 '. Stub lines 12 and 13 to a flow line 10, not shown, and a not shown return line 11 of the cooling water lead into the assembly 21 of the cooling device 20 and meet a cooling water chamber 28, the direct contact with the warm side 23 'of a Peltier Elements has. By means of Coolant chamber 28 is a thermal exchange between the warm side 23 'of the Peltier element and the cooling water instead.

The Peltier element has a cold side 23, which is connected to a further cooling liquid chamber 29 and allows an exchange of thermal energy between the cold side 23 of the Peltier element and the cooling liquid. From this cooling liquid chamber 29, which acts as a heat exchanger, leads a feed line 24 with a pump 25 of the cooling circuit to a manifold 27, which in the case of the Fig. 3 common heat sink 6 of the two cooling webs 7, 7 'is seated. In this case, the distributor 27 serves to introduce the cooling liquid into the cooling body 6. Through the distributor 27, the cooling liquid is also returned to the cooling liquid chamber 29 through a return line 26, where the cooling liquid, which in the meantime has been heated, is again cooled to the operating temperature.

In the reverse case of heating a cold glue in tobacco rod production, the cooling webs 7, 7 'in Fig. 3 be designed as heating bars, while the heat sink 6 is reversed or its Peltier elements are reversed.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of another embodiment of a format cooling according to the invention. As in Fig. 2 a Peltier element 23, 23 'with its warm side 23 via stubs 12, 13 connected to a cooling water circuit of the machine, which represents a large compared to the cooling device according to the invention thermal mass and thus provides a temperature reference point. This temperature reference point can serve as a reference both for cooling and for heating by means of Peltier elements.

In contrast to the embodiment according to Fig. 2 exists within the cooling device 40 according to FIG Fig. 4 no cooling circuit, but a Peltier element 23, 23 'is installed in a cooler 42, which has a direct thermal contact with heat sinks 43, 44 of a first strand 8 and heat sinks 43', 44 'of a second strand 8'. These heatsinks in turn have a direct thermal contact with a respective cooling web 45, 45 'of the first strand 8 and of the second strand 8' of the double stranding machine. As a heat sink 43 to 44 'preferably good heat conductors such as copper blocks are provided. These may be laterally insulated to suppress heat radiation to the side, away from the strands 8, 8 '.

If instead of a Peltier element several Peltier elements in the direction of the strands 8, 8 'are arranged one behind the other and can be controlled separately, it is possible to set a varying temperature profile along the cooling webs 45, 45'. The Peltier elements can be controlled very quickly, so that it is possible to regulate the temperature very quickly and constantly when measuring the cold stack temperature. It is also possible, very quickly with a reversal of the polarity of the supply voltage of the Peltier elements, to heat the cooling webs 45, 45 'and in this way to remove unwanted condensation water.

In Fig. 4 are in reality juxtaposed heat sink 43, 44 and the cooling web 45 of the first strand 8 and the corresponding elements 43 'to 45' of the second strand 8 'with each other. In fact, however, the elements 8, 43 to 45 on the one hand and 8 ', 43' to 45 'on the other hand do not touch, but are arranged side by side. This is the convention Fig. 2 adhered to, in which also the juxtaposed Assemblies of the heat sink and cooling webs of the two strands of clarity are shown below each other. The actual geometric distribution is similar to in Fig. 3 shown.

In Fig. 5 is a cross section through a format cooling according to the invention according to the second embodiment according to Fig. 4 , but for a strand 8, shown. The cooling device 40 has as a central part of a Peltier element 23, 23 ', which is connected with its warm side 23' with a cooler 42 having a cooling water chamber 47, so that cooling water in the cooling water chamber 47 thermally well conductive contact with the hot side 23 'of the Peltier element has. The cold side 23 of the Peltier element is connected to a cooling block 48, which is a first, directly contacted heat sink. This cooling block 48 is preferably made of copper or a similar good heat conducting material. At the cooling block 48, a cooling web 45 connects, which also consists of copper or a good heat conducting material.

The cooling web 45 has a surface thermal contact with the cooling block 48 at a common abutment edge 49, which in Fig. 5 is shown in a design with a flat surface. At the opposite end of the cooling bar 45 has a circular portion-shaped recess, which coincides in radius with the radius of the strand 8, in particular filter strand 8, substantially. The point of contact of the chill web 45 with the filter strand 8 is at the location of an adhesive seam 50 of the wrapping paper of the filter strand 8 consisting of a hot melt which is cooled to solidify and join the overlapping edges of the wrapping strip.

Laterally, the assembly is isolated by means of two insulation 46, 46 'against thermal radiation, so that the cooling capacity of the Peltier element 23, 23' for the most part flows into the cooling of the adhesive seam 50 of the filter strand 8.

Preferably, the Peltier element 23, 23 'is made together with the radiator 42 and the heat sink 48 as a block or block-shaped unit, wherein the individual parts are connected together. The cooler 42 is, however, thermally insulated from the heat sink 48. Such, also referred to as "thermoblock" unit can be installed with little effort, even in existing filter rod machines. The cabling effort is limited, since only electrical lines are to be laid, as well as a connection to the cooling water circuit of the machine. Furthermore, this construction variant is very space-saving and compact.

For heating an adhesive seam from a cold glue, the cold and hot sides of the Peltier element are according to Fig. 5 reversed. The thermoblock can also be constructed, for example symmetrically, such that it can be used optionally for heating a heating bar or for cooling a cooling bar.

Such assemblies can also be adapted to different requirements, for example, different cooling bars or heating bars, and be connected to them. This allows a flexible combination of thermoblocks of different capacity and different length with cooling bars or other components to be cooled a machine of the tobacco processing industry, in particular filter rod machine.

In Fig. 6 are schematically several variants of a single-strand format cooling according to Fig. 5 shown in cross section. For a format heating, the figures shown apply as well. The variants in the FIGS. 6 a) to 6 f) differ in the shape of the abutting edge 49 between the cooling block 48 and the cooling bar 45. In a screw connection of a cooling bar 45 with a cooling block 48, which are for example both made of copper and have a usual length of 750 mm, a surface area of approx 75%. On the remaining area of 25%, where no dense contacting takes place, a gap forms with an air layer that acts as an insulator, so that a transport of thermal energy at this point is strongly suppressed.

In order to increase the area on which a surface closure takes place, it is therefore provided according to the invention to increase the total area of the abutment surface 49. This happens according to Fig. 6 a) by a V-shaped abutment surface 49 ^I , in which the increase in the area of the abutment surface 49 is accompanied by an automatic centering of the cooling web 45 on the cooling block 48. This can according to Fig. 6b) also happen with a "W" -shaped edge 49 ^II .

In Fig. 6c) is a dovetail-shaped abutment edge 49 ^III shown, in addition to an increase in the area of the abutting edge 49 ^{III has} the further advantage that a positive connection between the cooling bar 45 and the cooling block 48 is formed. In this respect, the cooling web 45 can be plugged onto a self-holding rail, so that a further fastening, for example a screw connection, can be omitted at least in part. The cooling web 45, however, is to be secured against displacement in the longitudinal direction along a strand.

According to Fig. 6d) For example, the abutting edge can also be formed as a curvilinearly curved abutting edge 49 ^IV . This will be sharp Avoid edges that can lead to a high radiation of heat radiation and a high loss of heat energy, if there is no direct contact between the cooling bar 45 and the cooling block 48 at the edges,

The variants in Fig. 6 e) and Fig. 6 f) show a version of accumulated dovetails and a "V" -shaped abutment edge 49 ^V or a version of a abutting edge 49 ^VI , which forms complementary interlocking cooling fins.

The abutting edges according to Fig. 6c), Fig. 6e) and Fig. 6f ) have interlocking structures, which ensure that the cooling web 45 must be pushed onto the corresponding complementary structures of the cooling block 48 in the strand direction. In these cases, the structures of the abutting edges 49 ^III , 49 ^V and 49 ^{VI can} be dimensioned so that in addition to a form fit also a frictional connection between the cooling block 48 and the cooling bar 45 occurs. This is achieved, for example, in that the male structures, which engage in the female structures of the complementary side, are dimensioned somewhat larger than the corresponding female structures.

Due to the adhesion, the surfaces are pressed together so that a surface closure of well over 75% is achieved, so that the thermal conduction is optimized, in a manner that with a screwing at a shock edge as the abutting edge 49 in Fig. 5 is unreachable.

All mentioned features, including the drawings alone to be taken as well as individual features that are disclosed in combination with other features are considered alone and in combination as essential to the invention. Embodiments of the invention can be fulfilled by individual features or a combination of several features.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

External cooling unit

2

Cooling device

3

Flow line

4

Return conduit

5, 5 '

distributor

6, 6 '

heatsink

7, 7 '

cool bar

8th

front strand

8th'

back strand

9

Unit of the format

10

Flow line of the cooling water

11

Return line of the cooling water

12

Stub line from the supply line

13

Stub line to the return line

20

cooler

21

Assembly of format cooling

22

cooler

23

Peltier element, cold side

23 '

Peltier element, warm side

24

Flow line of the cooling circuit

25

pump

26

Return line of the cooling circuit

27, 27 '

distributor

28

Cooling water chamber

29

Coolant chamber

40

cooler

41

Assembly of format cooling

42

cooler

43-44 '

heatsink

45, 45 '

cool bar

46, 46 '

insulation

47

Cooling water chamber

48

cooling block

49

abutting face

49 ^I - 49 ^VI

abutting surfaces

50

adhesive seam

Claims (14)

1. A tempering device (20, 40) for a format device of a machine of the tobacco processing industry, particularly a filter rod machine or a tobacco rod machine, with the tempering device (20, 40) comprising at least one tempering surface body having a tempering surface, particularly a cooling bar (7, 7', 45, 45') or a heating bar, and at least one tempering body (6, 6', 43, 43', 44, 44'), which is made in one piece with at least one tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45') or is connected or can be connected to at least one tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45') in a thermally conductive fashion, characterized in that the tempering device (20, 40) includes at least one Peltier-element (23, 23'), by which the tempering body (6, 6', 43, 43', 44, 44') can be cooled and/or heated, with several Peltier-elements (23, 23') being arranged serially and/or offset behind one another.
2. A tempering device (20, 40) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the tempering device (20, 40) comprises a coolant circuit (24, 26) with a pump (25) for the liquid coolant, which thermally connects a cold side of the Peltier-element (23) to the tempering body (6, 6', 43, 43', 44, 44') or that the tempering body (6, 6', 43, 43', 44, 44') is connected or can be connected directly to a cold side of the Peltier-element (23) or via a metallic thermal conductor.
3. A tempering device (20, 40) according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a warm side of at least one Peltier-element (23') is connected or can be connected to a cooling pipe conducting cooling air and/or an appropriately convective cooling circuit for dissipating heat via a coolant circuit (10, 11) of a machine of the tobacco processing industry.
4. A tempering device (20, 40) according to any of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the tempering body (6, 6', 43, 43', 44, 44') and the tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45') have a common abutting surface (49, 49^I - 49^VI), with at said abutting surface (49, 49^I - 49^VI) the surface of the tempering body (6, 6', 43, 43', 44, 44') being complementary to the surface of the tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45'), with particularly the abutting surface (49, 49^I - 49^VI) forming in the cross-section a straight, V-shaped, dovetail-shaped, curved, or irregular line.
5. A tempering device (20, 40) according to any of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that at least one Peltier-element (23, 23') and at least one tempering body (6, 6', 43, 43', 44, 44') are combined in a unit of a block, with which the tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45') is connected or can be connected under formation of a support surface.
6. A tempering device (20, 40) according to any of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that an intake finger, a lower format, an upper format, and/or a cover brace of the format device are made as a tempering surface body, which is connected or can be connected in a thermally conductive fashion to at least one tempering body comprising a Peltier-element.
7. A tempering device (20, 40) according to any of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a tempering surface body is made as a heating bar, which can be heated via a tempering device, which includes at least one Peltier element, with the heating bar being made to heat an adhesive seam of a wrapping paper strip, based on a cold glue, with particularly the heating bar being a cooling bar, which is connected to a tempering body having at least one inversely polarized Peltier-element or a heating side of a tempering body having at least one Peltier-element.
8. A machine of the tobacco processing industry, in particular a filter rod machine or a tobacco rod machine, with a tempering device (20, 40) according to one of Claims 1 to 7.
9. A method for operating a machine of the tobacco processing industry, particularly a filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine, with a rod, particularly a filter rod (8, 8') or tobacco rod, being wrapped with a wrapping paper strip, which is provided with glue at an adhesive seam (50), particularly hot glue or cold glue, with the wrapped rod (8, 8') being conveyed through a format device, which has an upper format and/or a lower format with a tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45'), characterized in that the tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45') is cooled and/or heated via several Peltier-elements (23, 23') arranged serially and/or offset behind one another, with particularly the tempering surface body being formed as a cooling bar (7, 7', 45, 45') or a heating bar for the adhesive seam (50).
10. A method according to Claim 9, characterized in that via several Peltier-elements (23, 23') a temperature progression is set along the tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45') which continuously and/or sectionally increases, decreases, and/or is kept steady particularly in the direction of conveyance of the rod (8, 8').
11. A method according to Claim 9 or 10, characterized in that particularly in the event that a rod (8, 8') is absent from the format device, by inverting polarity of a supply voltage of the Peltier-element (23, 23'), the tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45') is heated at least temporarily and/or an adhesive seam of a wrapping paper strip of a tobacco rod or filter rod, the adhesive seam being based on a cold adhesive is heated via a tempering surface body designed as a heating bar.
12. A method according to any of Claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the temperature of the tempering body is adjusted to the speed of conveyance of the machine and/or any acceleration or deceleration of the speed of conveyance is adjusted to the change rate of the temperature of the tempering body, particularly when starting the operation of the machine and/or in case of deviations from a production speed.
13. A method according to any of Claims 9 to 12, characterized in that via a sensor downstream of the format device a rod diameter of the filter rod or the tobacco rod is determined and the temperature of the tempering body is controlled depending on the rod diameter determined.
14. The use of several Peltier-elements (23, 23') arranged serially and/or offset behind one another in a machine of the tobacco processing industry according to Claim 8, particularly a filter rod machine or tobacco rod machine for cooling and/or heating a tempering surface body (7, 7', 45, 45') of a format device.

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