GB959345A - Method and apparatus for forming tipped cigarettes - Google Patents

Abstract

959,345. Cigarette-making machines. R. J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO CO. June 1, 1962, No. 21190/62. Heading A2C. A method of manufacturing filter-tipped cigarettes of the kind in which the filter tip includes an outer element and an inner element positioned between the outer element and the adjacent end of the cigarette, comprises the steps of supplying pairs of inner elements 20a, 20b, single sections of double length outer elements 35, and cigarette bodies 19a, 19b to each of successive transfers pockets 146 of a carrier drum 25 to form an axially aligned assembly of cigarette body, inner element, double outer element, inner element and cigarette body, joining the assembly with wrapping material and severing it at its mid point to form a pair of tipped cigarettes. Sextuple lengths of inner filter plugs 32 are fed from a hopper by a belt 40 past a knife wheel 66 having a pair of knives as 64 spaced apart by 120‹ making two cuts in each plug 32 to sever it into three double length plugs 33. After cutting, the plugs 33 are deposited in successive grooves 50 of a wheel 22a. As the wheel 22a rotates each double length plug is severed in two by a rotary knife 74, the two single filter elements 20a, 20b being then spaced apart by a guide 78. Outer filter plug elements 34 equal to nine double length plugs are fed from a hopper to a drum 90 where they are severed into three pieces 86, each equal to three double length plugs, by rotary knives 95, 96. The plug lengths 86 are then fed past a second knife wheel, having knives at 116 similar to the wheel 66, where each plug length 86 is cut into three double length plugs 35, to successive grooves 122 of a wheel 22b. Spaced cigarette bodies 19 are fed by a belt 23 to a transfer device 24 which transfers two bodies 19 to the two outside notched rings of a wheel 27, the double length outer filter plugs 35 being delivered to the inner ring of the wheel 27 by the wheel 22b. From the wheel 27 the assembly of two cigarette bodies and a double outer filter plug is transferred to an assembly drum 25. The assembly drum 25 also co-operates with the wheel 22a so that the spaced inner filter plugs 20a, 20b are transferred from the wheel 22a to the drum 25 between each cigarette body 19a, 19b and the outer plug element 35. Guides are provided adjacent the periphery of the wheel 25 to push each assembly into axially abutting relationship and each assembly is transferred to a further wheel 30, the assembly then being joined together by a wrapping strip and severed at its mid point to produce a pair of double filter cigarettes.