GB1371046A - Manufacture of cigarettes - Google Patents

Abstract

1371046 Making mouthpiece cigarettes MOLINS Ltd 14 Dec 1971 [15 Dec 1970] 59490/70 Heading A2C Mouthpiece cigarettes are made by cutting an axially-moving continuous cigarette rod into multiple cigarette length rods D, cutting the rods D while they are moving laterally to produce individual cigarette lengths A, B, arranging the lengths A, B, so produced into axially aligned pairs in which the outermost ends are ends Y resulting from cutting the rods D, inserting a double length mouthpiece portion S between the cigarette lengths A, B of each pair, joining the cigarette lengths A, B and mouthpiece portions S by encircling bands, and cutting through the mouthpiece portions S at Z to produce individual mouthpiece cigarettes C1, C2. As shown in Fig. 3, double length cigarette rods issuing from the cut-off of a continuous cigarette making machine are braked by a roller 5 as they pass into flutes (4) of a catcher drum 1 to rest against stops 7. The drum 1 includes a circumferential slot 6 into which a disc knife (2) extends to bisect the rods D into single lengths A, B to form two rows of cigarettes. The cigarettes B are transferred into the grooves 8 of a second drum (3) and, during one complete revolution of the drum (3), are displaced along the flutes 8 (from right to left as viewed in Fig. 3) by means of air jets 9 to come to rest against stops 12. The cigarettes B are then transferred back to the drum 1 and the row of cigarettes A together with the displaced row of cigarettes B are transferred to a further drum (13) on which double length mouthpiece portions S are placed between each pair of cigarettes A, B, the resulting assembly closed up together, united by an encircling band, and bisected. Instead of using air jets 9, for displacing the cigarettes B along the flutes 8, a helical guide could be used. Multiple length cigarette rods longer than double may be used. For example if triple length rods are used two knives (2) would be used to produce three rows of cigarettes the centre one of which could be removed to provide a supply of plain cigarettes, the outer two rows being treated as before. If quadruple length cigarettes rods are used, four rows of cigarettes would be produced of which it would be necessary to displace only one of the two outer rows to produce two parallel pairs of rows having ends Y at their outermost ends.