GB814383A - Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of mouthpiece cigarettes - Google Patents

Abstract

814,383. Cigarette - making machines. MOLINS, D. W., JACKSON, N. W., and MOLINS MACHINE CO. Ltd. Oct. 14, 1955 [July 15, 1954; Oct. 20, 1954; Jan. 28, 1955; Aug. 29, 1955], Nos. 20664/54, 30253/54, 2095/55 and 24736/55. Class 130. Cigarettes C, Fig. 1, cut from a continuous rod R are spaced apart and double length stubs are inserted into the space behind every second cigarette, each group of two cigarettes with a stub therebetween being united whilst moving axially by a uniting band to form an assemblage A which is deflected sideways by a deflector P and subdivided at the mid-point of the stub whilst moving laterally. The cigarettes C are spaced apart equal distances by a conveyer band 1, Fig. 6, moving faster than the rod R and are deflected through an angle of 90 degrees on to a conveyer 4 by an arcuate guide G co-operating with a disc D provided with cam-operated fingers 10 which accelerate alternate cigarettes to provide alternate large and small gaps between the cigarettes, and fingers 11 which engage the remaining cigarettes to move them without acceleration over the guide G. Double length stubs from a drum 19, Fig. 2, are inserted into the large gaps behind every second cigarette by a stub wheel 17 provided with stubinserting fingers 18 and with cam-actuated pivotal fingers 21 which engage the rear of the cigarette behind each stub to close up any gaps in each group of two cigarettes C, C<SP>1</SP>, with a stub S therebetween. A uniting band B is applied to each group by a suction drum 28 having a compressed air compartment 34 which facilitates removal of the bands from the drum, the group passing from the drum 28 to a conveyer 35 which carries it through a folding mechanism 36, in which the uniting band is wrapped around the group to form an assemblage A, and past a heater 37 which partly dries the adhesive. The assemblages A are then deflected sideways off the belt 35 by a pusher P, Fig. 3, actuated by two cranks 38, on to a stationary plate 40 along which they are rolled by a band 39 into the grooves of a drum 41, a rotary knife 42 bisecting each assemblage to produce two mouthpiece cigarettes which roll in two streams down a ramp 44 on to a catcher band C.B. The plate 40 is heated along a central portion to complete the drying of the adhesive on the uniting bands and its surface may be faced with silicon rubber to ensure rollirg of the assemblages. In a modification, Fig. 8, multi-length stubs on a grooved wheel 104 are cut into three double length stubs and transferred into successive grooves of a fluted drum 105 by a stepped rocking lever 106, as described in Specification 770,173. As each stub S is carried opposite a guide channel 108 it is blown therealong by an air blast from a jet 199 and arrested by a brush 112 until inserted by a wheel 113 into the space behind every second cigarette in a stream of spaced cigarettes coming from a cut-off mechanism C.O. on a band 101. A brush 120, Fig. 10 (not shown), arrests the cigarette L2 in front of each stub and a finger 116 on a chain 117 engages the cigarette L1 behind each stub S1 to ensure that no gaps exist between the stub and its pair of associated cigarettes forming a group and to push the group past the brush 120 over a stationary plate 121 and a uniting-band applying drum on to a conveyer belt 131 which is folded to U-shape by a guide 133 and carries the group past freely journalled discs 135, 136, Fig. 13, with concave rims which complete the folding over of the uniting band. The belt 131 is then folded tightly around the assemblage in a cylindrical passage 137, the top of which is formed by a heater 140 with a concave surface which presses on the overlapped edge of the uniting band and dries the adhesive whilst the band is pressed lightly on to the stub and cigarettes. Each assemblage A is then deflected sideways off the belt 131 by a pusher 141 on to a plate 144 along which it is rolled by a roller 143, coated with soft sponge rubber, into a groove of a drum 145 on which it is bisected by a knife 146 to form two mouthpiece cigarettes which roll down strippers 150, situated in slots 149, on to a catcher band 151. In a modification of Fig. 8 described in the third Provisional Specification the brush 120 is replaced by leaf-springs and the passage 137 is omitted, the heater 140 being formed by two wheels with heating segments on their circumference of a length equal to that of a uniting band. The cigarettes from the drum 145 are deposited in two streams with mouthpieces pointing in opposite directions on a belt moving parallel to the axis of the drum. One of the streams is deposited on to a catcher band whilst the other stream is passed through a reversing device which turns the cigarettes round before depositing them on the catcher band so that the two streams on the catcher band have their mouthpieces pointing in the same direction. Specifications 430,742, 664,690, 778,044, 781,907, 814,385 and 814,386 also are referred to.