GB2134432A - Cork paper cutter - Google Patents

Abstract

A cork paper cutter for cutting cork paper used in the manufacture of cigarettes with filter in tobacco industry comprises a roller 54 with a cutting blade 56 projecting therefrom in the axial direction thereof and cylindrical collars 55 provided at the opposite ends of the roller the cutting blade 56 forming a substantially trapezoidal sectional profile and section back roller 66. The trapezoidal blade edge substantially does not touch the back roller, but the cork paper tape is cut into a cork paper piece by a wedging effect of edge lines defined by the edge face having a slight width and opposite side faces of the trapezoidal edge. The cutter thus has a long life, precludes the problems of noise and vibrations and permits high speed cutting operation. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Cork paper cutter Background of the invention This invention relates to a cork paper cutter for cutting cork paper used in the manufacture of cigarettes with filter in the tobacco industry.

Afilter attaching machine for use in the manufacture of cigarettes with filter includes a cutter for cutting cork paper used for binding a cigarette and a filter. The cork paper is fed as cork paper tape from a supply reei and cut to a predetermined length. The cork paper pieces thus obtained is used to wrap the cigarette and filter in end-to-end contact with each other. Glue is first applied to the cut cork paper piece, and then it is wound on and bonded to the periphery of the cigarette and filter.

The conventional cutter comprises a rotating roller having a cutting blade and a cylindrical roller serving as a back roller facing the roller with the cutting blade. The blade has a sharp edge and cuts cork paper with a cutting pressure exerted to the back roller.

In this conventional cutter, the cutting blade strikes the back roller every time the cork paper is cut. Therefore, the cutting blade and back roller are soon worn out, so that their frequent replacement or re-polishing is necessary.

In addition, the cutting pressure exerted when the cutting blade strikes the back roller must be set to a proper pressure in orderto maintain neatness of the cutting edge of cork paper pieces. The adjustment of the contact pressure requires suspension of the operation for a necessary period of time, and eventually, the frequent replacement of the cutting blade yields a great deal of loss time.

Further, since the cutting blade strikes the back roller in a shock mode when cutting the cork paper, it constitutes a source of noise and also a source of vibrations of the cutter. This poses problems in the improvement of the operating speed of the cigarette manufacturing machine and is also undersired from the stand-point of the working environment.

Summary of the invention The invention is predicated on experiments conducted in view of the problems noted above and with an aim of increasing the durability of the cutting blade of the cutter, and its object is to provide a cork paper cutter, in which the durability of the cutting blade is extremely improved.

Brief description of the drawings Figure 1 is a schematic side elevation view showing a filter attaching machine including a cutter according to the invention; Figure 2 is a front view, partly in section, showing an embodiment of the cutter according to the invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a roller with a blade and a back roller shown in Figure 2; and Figure 4 is an axial mid-section taken substantially on line A-A of Figure 2 to an enlarged scale, showing an essential part of the cutter shown in Figure 3.

Detailed description of the embodiments An embodiment of the cutting apparatus according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Cigarettes cut to a predetermined length from a continuous rod-like form by a cigarette manufacturing machine are delivered to a filter attaching machine where filters are attached to the cigarettes.

Figure 1 shows an example of the filter attaching machine.

Cigarettes transferred from a cigarette manufacturing machine not shown are received by a receiving drum 1. The receiving drum has peripheral recesses, in which the delivered cigarettes are set and transported. Following drums have similar peripheral recesses, in which to receive and transport cigarettes for given processes.

From the receiving drum 1, the cigarettes are transferred in a staggered fashion to two arranging drums 2. The arranging drums 2 break orientation of the row of the staggered cigarettes to arrange the transferred same into respective rows and transfer these cigarette rows with a predetermined span spaced between them to an assembling drum 3.

Cigarettes in like positions in the two rows constitute respective pairs.

Filter rods are supplied from a hopper 4 to a cutting drum 5 and are cut by two round cutting blades 6 to filter pieces having double length of the filter to be used. Filter pieces are successively supplied in a staggered fashion back and forth from the cutting drum 5 to an arranging drum 7 consisting of three rings. Then they are transferred through a displacement drum 8, a first intermediate drum 9 and a second intermediate drum 10 into a gap between two parallel rows of cigarettes held by the assembling drum 3.

The resultant row of ciga rette-filter pieces sets each consisting of two cigarettes and a filter piece therebetween, are transferred from the assembling drum 3 to a transfer drum 17, where the cigarettes and filter pieces in each set are forced in one axial direction so that they are brought into close end-toend contact with one another.

A continuous cork paper tape is fed out from a supply reel 11 by feed rollers 12 and 13. As it passes through a glueing unit 14, glue is applied to it. Then, it is transported by a suction roller 16. During this time, it is cut to a predetermined length by a cutter 15. The cutter 15 will be described later in detail.

Each cut cork paper piece is applied to a set of cigarette and filter piece, which is held by the transfer drum 17, and then on a winding drum 18 it is wound on the set by a roller hand 19. The cork paper piece has a length greater than the length of the filter piece. The filter piece of the set is set on a central portion of the cork paper piece in the length direction thereof, and end portions of the pair cigarettes are set on the opposite end portions of the cork paper piece. In this state, the cork paper piece is wound on the set to obtain a rod having double the length of the product cigarette with filter.

The double length of cigarette rod with a filter is inspected for gas tightness by an inspecting drum 20, and then it is cut by a cutting drum 21 at the center of the filter piece to obtain two cigarettes with filters. Since the two cigareetes with filters obtained on the cutting drum 21 are oppositely directed with the filters facing each other, one of them is turned over by a turn-over drum 22 to the same orientation as the other cigarette with filter. The cigarettes with filters which are obtained progressively in the above way are brought along as a row.

These cigarettes with filters are transferred through an intermediate drum 23 and an inspecting drum 24to be discharged through a discharge drum 25 onto a conveyor belt 26.

Figures 2 through 4 show the cutter according to the invention in detail. Aframe 51 supporting the cutter is secured together with a transmission means (not shown) to the frame of the filter attaching machine.

A first roller 54 with cutting member, for example, a kind of blade is secured to a shaft 52 rotatably supported in a bearing 53.

The roller 54 with the blade includes a roller portion 54a supporting a blade 56 projecting therefrom in the axial direction thereof and cylindrical collars 55,55 provided at the opposite ends of the roller portion 54a. The shaft 52 has a gear 59 and also has a handle 57 provided at one end thereof.

And the shaft 52 is connected to a driving source (not shown).

A second roller, for example a back roller 66 as a suction roller faces the roller 54 with the blade. Its shaft 58 is rotatably supported in a bearings 62 which are accommodated in a housings 61. The shaft 58 has a gear 60 which is in mesh with the gear 59 provided on the shaft 52 of the roller 54 with the blade so that these gears 59 and 60 rotate in opposite directions. The back roller 66 has a length corresponding to the length of the roller 54 with the blade inclusive of the cylindrical collars 55. The back roller 66 is in rolling contact with the cylindrical collars 55 so as to keep a favourable running condition between the roller 54 and the backing roller 66.

Spacing means, for example includes housing 61, frames 51, bolts 64, and brackets 63, for spacing the second roller to be in a favourable position. The housings 61 are slidably mounted for vertical move ment in the frames 51. A contact condition of the distance to have contact pressure between the roller 54 with the blade and the back roller 66 through the cork paper is adjustable by the bolts 64 screwed in the brackets 63, and the contact condition can be kept in the adjusted state by nuts 65.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the roller 54 with the blade has the cylindrical collars 55 provided at the opposite ends of the roller portion 54a supporting the blade 56 extending in the axial direction. The edge of the blade 56 is located slightly radially inwardly of the periphery of the cylindrical collars 55.

As shown in Figure 4, the blade 56 projecting from the roller portion 54a has a trapezoidal sectional profile with the opposite sides 56b thereof defining an angle 71. It has an edge face 56a having a slight width. The level of the edge face 56a is slightly lower than the periphery of the cylindrical collars 55, so that a gap 74 is defined between the edge face 56a and back roller 66. Edge lines 73 are clearly defined by the edge face 56a and opposite sides 56b of the trapezoid. It is desired that the edge lines 73 are defined sharply.

According to an embodiment of the invention for cutting cork paper, as for the shape of the blade 56, satisfactory results could be obtained in the cutting of cork paper tape when the angle between the two sides 56b is set to 30 , the width 72 of the edge face 56a is set to 2/100 to 5/100 mm and the gap 74 between the edge face 56a and back roller 66 is set to 3/1,000 to 5/1,000. The blade 56 and back roller 66 are desirably made of steel of high hardness. In the above embodiment, satisfactory cutting performance and durability could be obtained by using HRC 60 to 65.

When the cut edge of cork paper piece obtained by the cutter as described was observed on an enlarged scale, a fine nap was recognized. The nap was not disorderly but in a regularly arranged form. This nap is more than that when cork paper is cut by the conventional cutting blade in a sharply polished state with a contact pressure against the back roller.

However, the sharp cutting blade is soon worn out, and the nap that results according to the invention is far superior to the nap resulting in case of the conventional cutting blade until re-polishing thereof is necessary. In addition, the blade according to the invention has superior durability. Further, the nap resulting with the cutter according to the invention is not visually recognizable. Thus, with the cutter according to the invention satisfactory cutting performance can be maintained for a long time.

As has been described in the foregoing, with the cutter according to the invention the edge of the blade does not strike the back roller, but cork paper is cut by the wedging effect ofthetrapezoidal shape of the blade edge. Thus, excellent durability of the blade edge can be obtained, and neat cutting edge can be obtained. The cutter according to the invention is thus suited for high speed operation and never gives rise to such problems as noise and vibrations.

In summary, it will be seen that the present invention provides the cork paper cutter which comprises a roller with a blade and a back roller, said roller with a blade including a cutting blade having a substantially trapezoidal sectional profile and with the edge thereof constituted by edge lines defined by an edge face and opposite side faces of the trapezoidal edge, a roller portion supporting said cutting edge in the axial direction and cylindrical collars provided at the opposite ends of said roller portion, said back roller being disposed such that it faces said roller with the blade and is in contact with said cylindrical collars, the edge of said cutting blade being not adapted to be in contact with said receiving roller but define a slight gap therewith, said roller with the blade and back roller being rotated at the same peripheral speed.

According to the invention, the trapezoidal blade edge substantially does not touch the back roller, but the cork paper is cut by a wedging effect of edge lines defined by the edge face having a slight width and opposite side faces of the trapezoidal edge. The cutterthus has a long life, precludes the problems of noise and vibrations and permits high speed cutting operation.

Claims (8)

1. A cork paper cutter for cutting cork paper tape used in the manufacture of filtered cigarettes comprising a first roller supported in a predetermined position; a pair of collars attached to opposite ends of said first roller; at least one cutting member extending in an axial direction of said first roller to be attached thereto by said pair of collars, said at least one cutting member being defined by first and second side faces and a top edge face to form a pair of edge lines therebetween such that said at least one cutting member has a trapezoidal cross section as taken laterally, said cutting member having a height slightly smaller than said pair of collars to define a gap therebetween;; a second roller in the form of a suction roller for drawing said cork paper tape thereto, said second roller being in rolling contact with said pair of collars such that said cork paper tape is subjected to a cutting operation on the second roller; means for rotating said first roller and said second roller at an identical peripheral speed thereof in opposite directions respectively; and means for locating the second roller at a position to give a favourable cutting pressure against the cork paper tape.

2. A cork paper cutter according to claim 1, wherein said rotating means includes first gear, second gear, and driving source, said first gear and said second gear being mounted on the first roller and second roller at predetermined portion thereof respectively in cooperating therewith to rotate said first roller and said second roller at an identical peripheral speed thereof in opposite directions re spectively through said driving source.

3. A cork paper cutter according to claim 2, wherein said first gear and said second gear have an identical diameter.

4. A cork paper cutter according to claim 1, wherein said top edge face has a width of 2/100 to 5/100 mm.

5. A cork paper cutter according to claim 1, wherein said top edge face is spaced apart from the second roller by a distance of 3/1,000 to 5/1,000 mm so as to obtain said cutting pressure.

6. A cork paper cutter according to claim 1, wherein said first and second side faces define an angle substantially therebetween.

7. A cork paper cutter according to claim 6, wherein said angle is set at 30 .

8. A cork paper cutter substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying d rawings.