GB1047015A - Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of tipped cigarettes - Google Patents

Abstract

1,047,015. Cigarette-making machines. D. T. N. WILLIAMSON and MOLINS ORGANISATION Ltd. Nov. 8, 1963 [Nov. 9, 1962], No. 42457/62. Heading A2C. A. method of feeding tipping material in the manufacture of tipped cigarettes comprises the steps of feeding lengthwise a web of tipping material, cutting the web transversely of its length to sever desired lengths therefrom, and receiving and conveying the severed lengths on a conveyer to which they are held by electrostaticattraction. As shown a web W of cork tipping is drawn from a bobbin 1 over a. guide 3 between a drive roller 6 and a co-operating roller 5. The web is cut transversely by a fixed knife 9 and a co-operating rotary knife 7. A spring biased arm holds the web away from the knife 9 except during cutting when the arm is pivoted anticlockwise about a pivot 12 by a cam 14 rotatable with the kiife 7. The lower end of the web W is held between a drive roller 15 and co-operating rollers 16, 17 mounted on a spring-biased arm 19. During cutting the peripheral speed of the rollers 6 and 15 are equal but at other times the roller 6 is driven at a slower speed so that cut lengths L are separated. A conveyer comprising an endless band 23 of insulating material receives the cut lengths L. The band passes around rollers 24, 25 the roller 24 being driven so that the band 23 moves at the same speed as the peripheral speed of the roller 15. The band 23 runs over the surface of a block 26 which contains an upper central metal portion 35 of a width equal to that of the lengths L. The portion 35 is insulated from the remainder of the block by insulating material 36. The roller 24 is alos provided with a peripheral metal ring 37 electrically connected to portion 35 by a metal plate 39. The ring 37 is insulated from the remainder of the roller by insulating material 38. A positive potential of between 5,000 and 10,000 volts is applied to the portion 35 and ring 37 while two rollers 27 and 34 spaced slightly from the conveying surface of the band 23 are earthed. The lengths L are thus held on the, band 23 by electrostatic action. The lengths are gummed by an adhesive applier 28 and used to unite groups A consisting of double length mouthpiece filter portions flanked by two cigarette lengths which are fed on a conveyer 33. The conveyer 33 is spaced from the lower run of the band 23 by a distance approximately equal to the diameter of a group and travels at a slower speed than the band 23 so that the lengths L are rolled around the groups A.