JP6016364B2 - Smoking product and method for manufacturing smoking product - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for producing a smoking article, and more specifically to a method for producing a smoking article having a reduced flammability by applying a combustion inhibiting additive to the wrapping paper before the wrapping paper is wrapped around the tobacco material.

  Many methods have been proposed for the production of smoking articles such as cigarettes that have low ignitability, that is, self-extinguishing when the smoker is not inhaling. Its purpose is to self extinguish such cigarettes before they are burned or burned when dropped or left behind. It has been recognized that the composition of a cigarette's cigarette has a significant effect on the burning rate of the cigarette, and that the cigarette can be made to self-extinguish by modifying it in various ways.

  As one of the methods for producing a low-combustible smoking article wrapping paper, there is a method of adding a plurality of bands made of paper to the wrapping paper as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below. And band paper is selected to obtain a composite having the desired burning rate.

As another method, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 3 below, paper is calendered to provide a band having a low air permeability and a large band.

  There is also a type in which a paper is chemically treated by applying a combustion inhibitor to cigarette paper. The fire suppression additive is typically applied in a pattern, such as a band, that extends around the cigarette in the final assembled cigarette. A suitable method for producing such band-shaped paper is disclosed in Patent Document 4 below. Such banded paper has many defects. First, the cost of such paper is usually four to five times that of standard cigarette paper. This is a series of treatments for the cost of the additive, providing a separate device for making it, applying the additive in bands before the cigarette is produced in the usual way, and drying the paper This is due to cost. Furthermore, when this paper is used for the manufacture of cigarettes, the bands are randomly arranged along the length of the cigarette. Most preferred is that the band is present only in the portion of the cigarette close to the filter, and it is undesirable for the band to be present at the other end of the cigarette that is initially smoked. This is because it is desirable for the cigarette to self-extinguish at the end of smoking, and it is not desirable for the cigarette to self-extinguish during the first few millimeters of smoking. When using paper with a band, there is no way to reliably position the band at a specific position along the cigarette.

Another method for producing a low-flammability cigarette is to use paper with ultra-low air permeability, usually about 5 core units (CU) and no bands. This bandless paper is less expensive than the paper with the band, but it also has many defects. First, unlike paper with a band, the self-extinguishing function is constant along the entire length of the paper, so the cigarette may self-extinguish everywhere. Furthermore, very low air permeability means that the smoldering rate is slow during smoking, so there is less tar per puff to send the overall amount of tar produced. The low natural air permeability of the paper means that almost no carbon monoxide diffusion occurs from the rod and the smoke carbon monoxide / tar ratio is generally higher. For example, adding a ventilation hole by electroporation (Electrostatic Performance (EP)) does not significantly increase the combustion rate, but dilutes the smoke generated for each puff. In addition, it affects the performance of passing the ignition ignition test (LIPT) with relatively slight changes in the physical and chemical properties of the paper, and thus the specification of the low air permeability paper CU. Must be set to a value lower than the optimum value to ensure that the LIPT passes.

  Several attempts have been made to add bands during the manufacture of cigarettes. This makes it possible to place the band in a desired position by synchronizing the band and the cutting of the rod formed when the cigarette is wrapped with the paper provided with the band. This method can overcome the band positioning problems found in pre-manufactured banded paper. The provision of the band online is disclosed in Patent Documents 5 and 6 below. However, these processes have another problem in the sense that such a system has not yet been produced commercially. One problem lies in the drying of the paper at the time when the combustion inhibiting liquid is applied. First the liquid must be dried before the garniture section of the machine where the cigarette is wrapped in the paper. This is because if the paper is wet at this stage in contact with tobacco, the paper will change color. In addition, machines used to wind cigarettes that have been modified to include a section for applying a fire suppression liquid will pull the paper with a very large force, and when the paper is wet, its tension will be significantly reduced. Will be easily broken. Various heaters can be incorporated into the machine to assist in drying the paper, but some time is required to properly dry the paper and the machine must be slowed down. Reducing the machine speed alleviates the problem of paper breakage, but reduces production efficiency.

The present invention provides a method for producing a plurality of smoking articles, the method comprising:
Providing a paper with a permeability of less than 15 coresta units;
Applying a combustion suppressing additive material to the wrapping paper in a predetermined pattern;
A step of wrapping tobacco material with wrapping paper to form a rod;
Cutting a rod wound with the wrapping paper to form a plurality of smoking articles.

The present invention also provides a smoking article, the smoking article comprising:
A rod made of tobacco,
A wrapping paper wrapped around a tobacco rod, the wrapping paper comprising a pattern of combustion inhibiting additive applied thereto, and the air permeability of the wrapping paper is 15 CU in the region where the combustion inhibiting additive is not applied. The air permeability is low in the region where the additive is applied.

  The low air permeability of the paper means that a small amount of the combustion suppressing additive is required to obtain a desired self-extinguishing effect. This alleviates the problems associated with applying large amounts of combustion inhibitors, such as tearing when the paper is wet. This means that the application of the combustion inhibiting additive can be done more easily in a single continuous process on a cigarette making machine. This reduces the need for a heating / drying step, but a heating step may optionally be added before or after application of the combustion inhibiting additive. In addition, the combination of low air permeability paper and reducing the amount of combustion inhibiting additive makes it possible to maintain constant on-line control while being aware of, for example, changes in paper specifications and tobacco density.

  The wrapping paper preferably has an air permeability of 5 to 10 CU.

  In the method of the present invention, the combustion-suppressing additive is applied in synchronism with the cutting of the rod wound with the wrapping paper so that the pattern of the combustion-suppressing additive is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the end of each smoking article. It is preferable to do so. The rod wound with wrapping paper is preferably cut so that the pattern of the combustion inhibiting additive is substantially located at the same location on each smoking article. Also, the rod is preferably cut so that the combustion inhibiting additive pattern covers 25 to 50% of the length of the smoking article at one end of the smoking article. Preferably, a filter is attached to the end of the smoking article on which the pattern is formed.

  The pattern of combustion inhibiting additive preferably comprises a plurality of bands extending around the smoking article.

  In the area of the paper to which the pattern of burn suppression additive is applied, it is preferred that the burn suppression additive add less than 10%, preferably less than 8%, by weight of the paper. More preferably the combustion inhibiting additive is added from 0 to 5%, most preferably from 2 to 5%, based on the weight of the paper.

  Combustion inhibiting additives include one or more of the following: gums such as guar gum, gum arabic, starch, hot melt adhesives, adhesives such as PVA, organic salts such as alginate and citrate, chlorides Inorganic salts such as (eg potassium chloride) and oxides (eg magnesium oxide).

  The pattern of flame retardant additive may be applied by printing or spraying.

  The combustion inhibiting additive is preferably a liquid that is applied to the inner surface of the paper and applied at the viscosity, type, temperature and amount of the additive so that no additional heating is required to dry the paper. In such cases, changes in the machine are minimal and additives can be applied directly in front of the area where the tobacco is added to the pile of paper so that production efficiency is not compromised.

  Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 schematically illustrates a cigarette making machine suitable for carrying out the method of the present invention. 2 shows a smoking article according to an embodiment of the invention.

  FIG. 1 shows a cigarette making machine 10 known in the art, modified to apply a combustion inhibiting additive to the cigarette before forming the cigarette into a cigarette. The cigarette maker 10 includes a tobacco material source 20 provided in the chimney area 16 where the tobacco material is blown upward by the air system 22 onto the lower outer surface of the endless transport system 28. The endless transport system 28 includes a porous belt 32 having a low pressure region 41 where tobacco material 20 is aspirated, the porous belt 32 holds tobacco material against the bottom of the transport system 28, and garni A stream of tobacco material that is conveyed toward the char section 45 is formed.

  A paper feed section 8 is provided for feeding a continuous web of web 55 from a roll of web 58 to a garniture section 45 through a series of rollers and guide posts 60, 61. In the char section, the wrapping paper 55 is wound around the tobacco material 20 to form a rod wound around the continuous wrapping paper. Normally, the paper supply section 8 includes a printing device 65 for printing serial numbers or indicia on paper at predetermined intervals. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the paper supply section 8 is further modified to supply the combustion suppressing additive to the web 55 in a predetermined pattern. The combustion inhibiting additive is applied by an applicator section 70 that includes a container 85 for LIP liquid, a pick-up roller 78 and a transfer roller 82. The pick-up roller has a series of grooves cut into the pattern applied to the paper 55 and picks up the LIP liquid from 85 from the container. The transfer roller 82 transfers the pattern liquid to the paper 55. This pattern is typically a series of band-like shapes spaced between them. These bands preferably extend substantially across the entire width of the paper (there may be a small gap for subsequent adhesive sealing) and have a width of 1 mm or more (preferably 2 to 5 mm). The LIP liquid contained in the container 85 is made of rubber such as guar gum or gum arabic, starch, hot melt adhesive, adhesive such as PVA, organic salt such as alginate and citrate, chloride (such as potassium chloride) or It may be a liquid or paste containing a combustion inhibiting additive such as an inorganic salt such as an oxide (magnesium oxide or the like). Optionally, the combustion inhibiting additive may be maintained at a temperature above ambient temperature by heating the container and / or coating system.

  Optionally, the paper 55 may be heated before it passes through the applicator section 70 to assist in drying the paper. The paper may be heated with another heater 120, such as an infrared heater, after the pattern of combustion suppression additive is applied.

  The applicator section 70 is arranged to apply a combustion inhibiting additive to the inside of the wrapping paper, i.e., the side of the paper 50 facing the tobacco when the wrapping paper is wound on the tobacco material 20 in the garniture section 45. .

  The garniture section 45 includes a garment transport belt 130 that is driven by rollers 132.

  In the present invention, the wrapping paper 55 is paper having an initial air permeability of less than 15 CU, preferably 5 to 10 CU. Using low air permeability paper means that the finished cigarette is more prone to self-extinguishing without the combustion-inhibiting additive, but self-extinguishing without the use of a combustion-inhibiting additive Is not sufficient to pass the ignition and ignition characteristics test. However, low air permeability paper reduces the amount of flame retardant additive required to be added to the paper, and the flame retardant additive in the final paper is less than 8% of the paper weight, preferably It can be reduced to a level adding 0-5%, more preferably 2-5%.

  By reducing the amount of combustion inhibiting additive, the drying of the paper 55 is improved and the heater 120 is not required. If the heater 120 is not required, the applicator section 70 should be as close as possible to the entrance of the garniture section 45, as the paper 55 passes further through the rollers before being formed into a rod wound with the garniture section 45. It is preferable to prevent accumulation or loss of the LIP liquid.

  In the garniture section 45, the garment transport belt 130 transports the paper 55 under the rail assembly 140 via the garniture entrance cone 144. The tobacco material 20 is carried by the conveyor belt 32 and deposited on the paper web 55, and the finger rail assembly 140 and the garnish entrance cone 144 are removed from the porous conveyor belt 32 into the garniture section 45. Guide 20 The garniture section 45 further includes a tongue 160 located on the path of the garniture transport belt 132. The tongue 160 tightens the tobacco material 20 on the wrapping paper 55, and the tongue 160 and the conveyor belt 130 form a path with a small cross section so that the tobacco material rod 170 is formed by compressing the tobacco material. A folding mechanism 180 located downstream from the tongue 160 further compresses the tobacco material 20 and bends the paper web 55 around the rod 170. An adhesive applicator 184 applies adhesive to the edge of the paper web and secures the edge to the overlapping portion of the paper web 55. A continuous rod 170 is fed to the cutting section 186 where it is cut into a plurality of smoking articles 190, 191 by a knife. The knife is located in the knife support 192.

  The knife is synchronized with the applicator section 70, which cuts the rod 170 so that the pattern of combustion inhibiting additive on the wrapper is in place in each of the plurality of smoking articles 190,191. In particular, the pattern is applied to one end of each rod and preferably extends over 25 to 50% at the beginning of the length of the rod. The filter is then attached to the end having the pattern of combustion inhibiting additive and secured with tipping paper in a manner known in the art.

  Synchronization of the knife and band arrangement for cutting the rod into sections is performed by mechanical or electrical means. In the mechanical method, a gearing that moves the knife is joined directly to the additive applicator via a series of linking means. In electrical methods, an electrical pulse timed by a knife is used to time the applicator mechanism.

FIG. 2 shows a smoking article 1 according to the present invention, which is produced by the method described above. The smoking article 1 includes a rod 2 made of tobacco material wrapped in a wrapping paper having a filter 3 at one end. The filter is attached to this rod 2 with chipping paper, which includes a core made of tobacco surrounded by a wrapping paper. The wrapping paper has a pattern of combustion inhibiting additive applied thereto, which pattern includes a plurality of bands 4 spaced apart. The pattern is located at the first end of the rod 2. The band 4 has a width of 1 mm or more (preferably 2 to 5 mm), and the length L ₂ of the rod ₂ to which the band 4 is applied is preferably 25 to 50% of the entire length L ₁ of the rod. .

  The wrapping paper has a ventilation of less than 15 CU in the region without the combustion inhibiting additive and has a low air permeability in the region where the additive is applied. The wrapping paper preferably has an air permeability of 5 to 10 CU in the region where there is no combustion inhibiting additive.

European Patent No. 0483998 European Patent No. 0262550 U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,932 International Publication No. 98/01233 International Publication No. 2004/057986 US Patent Application No. 2004/0261805

Claims (12)

A method of manufacturing a plurality of smoking articles with a smoking article manufacturing machine,
Providing a continuous web of wrapping paper having an air permeability of less than 15 cholesterol units from the wrapping paper source to the applicator section of the machine;
In the applicator section, a flame suppression additive solution is applied on-line in a predetermined pattern to the continuous web of the wrapping paper, and the applied combustion suppression additive has a final wrapping paper weight of 2 to 5 in the pattern application region. % Increase step,
Supplying a continuous web of wrapping paper coated with the combustion inhibiting additive to the garniture section of the manufacturing machine;
In the garniture section, wrapping a continuous web of wrapping paper coated with the combustion inhibiting additive around tobacco material to form a wrapping rod;
A method for producing a smoking article, comprising a step of forming a plurality of smoking articles by cutting a rod wound with a wrapping paper obtained in a previous step with a cutter of the production machine. The method of claim 1 wherein the wrapping paper has an air permeability of 5 to 10 cholesterol units .   And further comprising synchronizing the step of applying the combustion-suppressing additive liquid online and the step of cutting the wrapping rod so as to be placed at a predetermined position with respect to one end of each smoking article. The method according to claim 1 or 2.   4. A method as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the wrapping rod is cut so that the pattern of combustion-suppressing additive is placed at the same location on the individual smoking article.   5. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the pattern comprises a plurality of bands extending around the smoking article. Said pattern is positioned at one end of each rod material after cutting which is formed by cutting a rod wound in the winding paper, 25 to 50% of the length of the individual rods material after the cut 6. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it occupies. One end of each rod material after the cutting of the pattern is formed, the method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of attaching the filter.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the combustion inhibiting additive liquid contains rubber, an adhesive, an organic salt or an inorganic salt.   9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pattern is applied by printing.   10. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pattern is applied by spraying.   The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising heating the combustion-suppressing additive liquid and applying the heated combustion-suppressing additive liquid to a wrapping paper.   The method according to claim 1, further comprising: heating the wrapping paper after applying the pattern to the wrapping paper.

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