US3471901A - Tow processing - Google Patents

Tow processing Download PDF

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Publication number
US3471901A
US3471901A US578641A US3471901DA US3471901A US 3471901 A US3471901 A US 3471901A US 578641 A US578641 A US 578641A US 3471901D A US3471901D A US 3471901DA US 3471901 A US3471901 A US 3471901A
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United States
Prior art keywords
tow
roll
rolls
filaments
gripping
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Expired - Lifetime
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US578641A
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English (en)
Inventor
Donald D Grey
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Celanese Corp
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Celanese Corp
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Publication date
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Publication of US3471901A publication Critical patent/US3471901A/en
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24D—CIGARS; CIGARETTES; TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS; MOUTHPIECES FOR CIGARS OR CIGARETTES; MANUFACTURE OF TOBACCO SMOKE FILTERS OR MOUTHPIECES
    • A24D3/00—Tobacco smoke filters, e.g. filter-tips, filtering inserts; Filters specially adapted for simulated smoking devices; Mouthpieces for cigars or cigarettes
    • A24D3/02—Manufacture of tobacco smoke filters
    • A24D3/0204—Preliminary operations before the filter rod forming process, e.g. crimping, blooming

Definitions

  • Cigarette filter tips are usually made from crimped continuous artificial filaments combined into a tow or bundle consisting or several thousands of such filaments.
  • the filaments are produced by dry-spinning a solution of cellulose acetate into an evaporative atmosphere to form a relatively small bundle of a number substantially parallel filaments and a number of these smaller bundles are combined to make a tow, which may contain, for example, about 5,000 to 30,000 filaments of about 1 to 20 denier per filament.
  • the tow is then generally mechanically crimped to the extent desired so that the filaments are more or less adhered to each other in a wavy band or ribbon-like form, with the crests and vales of the crimp in adjacent filaments being in registry.
  • This ribbon is then packed as a bale (usually by traversing it back and forth in a carton) which is shipped to the cigarette manufacturer, or to a manufacturer of filter rods who reships the rods to the cigarette maker.
  • the tow band is drawn from the bale through a banding jet where it is subjected across its width to one or more streams of air which help to spread the tow into a flattened band.
  • the flattened tow then passes to a driven differential gripping device whose driven rolls serve, inter alia, to deregister the crirnped filaments of the tow, as well as to draw the tow through the banding jet.
  • the resulting opened tow then preferably passes through a second banding jet to a plasticizerapplying device, then to driven delivery rolls, and from there to a rod-making machine, which typically includes a stationary, circular funnel-like trumpet (where the tow band is shaped to a circular cross-section) and a garniture at which the circular bundle is then covered with a wrapping (e.g. cigarette paper) and cut to the desired length, for example to a length of 4 inches.
  • the resulting rods are later cut transversely to form the shorter lengths (e.g. inch lengths) used in cigarette filter tips.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the overall operation
  • FIG. 2 is an end View of the tow-gripping mechanism looking in the direction of movement of the tow;
  • FIG. 3 is a side view of the tow-gripping mechanism
  • FIG. 4 is a top view
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a ball bushing used in the tow-gripping mechanism and FIG. 6 is a detailed view of a ball circuit of the bushing of FIG. 5.
  • the tow band 1 is drawn from the bale 2 over a stationary guide rod 3, through a banding jet 4 where it is subjected across its width to one or more streams of air which help to spread the tow into a flattened band.
  • the tow band may have a width of about 34 inches before entering the banding jet 4 and a width of 6 inches on leaving that jet.
  • the flattened tow then passes around stationary guide rods 6 and 7, and under stationary guide rod 8, to the tow-gripping mechanism 9. From there, it passes to a driven differential gripping device 16 whose driven rolls serve to draw the tow through the tow-gripping mechanism 9 and banding jet 4 as well as to deregister the crimped filaments of the tow, as more fully described below.
  • the resulting opened tow then preferably passes through a second banding jet 17 (being thereby spread, for example, from a width of about six inches, on leaving the differential gripping device 16, to a final width of about 12 inches), to a plasticizer-applying device 18, then to driven delivery rolls 19, 21 and from there to a rod-making machine 22, which may be of conventional construction having a trumpet 23 and garniture 24.
  • a second banding jet 17 being thereby spread, for example, from a width of about six inches, on leaving the differential gripping device 16, to a final width of about 12 inches
  • a plasticizer-applying device 18 then to driven delivery rolls 19, 21 and from there to a rod-making machine 22, which may be of conventional construction having a trumpet 23 and garniture 24.
  • the plasticizer need not be applied before the tow reaches the delivery rolls; instead, a film of plasticizer may be placed on these rolls for application thereby to the tow passing over them.
  • the tow-gripping mechanism 9 includes a pair of elongated freely rotatable upper and lower rolls 31 and 32, each having a uniform smooth cylindrical outer surface for contacting the flattened tow 1 which, in passing 'between these rolls, is squeezed between them, the upper roll 31 being pressed resiliently downward as by the action of a pneumatic diaphragm device 33, while the lower roll 32 is mounted with its axis stationary. More particularly, the end shafts 34, 36 of the rolls 31, 32, respectively, are supported on roller bearing 37 and 38. The two lower bearings 38 are fixed (as by-screws 39) to a stationary vertical foundation plate 41, while each of the two upper bearings 37 is mounted at the ends of a vertical guide bar 42.
  • These guide bars 42 extend through and are adjustably fixed to the ends of a rigid cross bar 43 which is, in turn, engaged at its center portion by a stem 44 extending downward from the pneumatic diaphragm device 33.
  • the vertical guide bars 42 may be fixed to the cross bar 43 by means of nuts 46 engaging screw threads 47 on the lower ends of the guide bars; a similar nut and screw arrangement 48 may be used for adjustably fixing the stem 44 to the cross bar.
  • the foundation plate 41 has a long slot 51, aligned with the nip of the rolls 31, 32 for. the passage of the tow through the plate.
  • This slot 51 is open at one end 52 to permit easy insertion of the tow band, through said open end 52, into the desired position between the rolls 31, 32.
  • the lower roll 32 is mounted on an arm 53 extending from the lower part of the plate 41.
  • the smooth circular upper portions of the guide bars 42 are laterally supported and aligned (so that these bars, and the upper roll 31 carried thereby, move in a precise vertical path) by means of ball bushings 56 fixed (as by screws 57) to the foundation plate 41.
  • Each of these ball bushings (see FIGS. and 6) comprises a generally cylindrical sleeve 58 carrying a large number of recirculating bearing balls 59 which are in rolling contact with the inner wall of the sleeve and with the outer surface of the guide rod 42 which passes through the sleeve.
  • a retainer 61 within the sleeves holds the balls in place and separates them into three or more sets, establishing a corresponding number of oblong circuits for the balls.
  • the balls roll freely in a straight line path parallel to the axis of the sleeve (and to the axis of the guide rod).
  • the balls do not make contact with the guide rod but, instead, roll freely between the inner surface of the sleeve and a runway 64 provided by the retainer 61.
  • an adjustable ball bushing is used; in one form of adjustable bushing, the sleeve 58 is not a complete cylinder but has a slot 66 running its full length parallel to the axis and is housed in a split pillow block 56 (FIGS. 2 and 4) having an adjusting screw 68, which generally is tightened only enough to make the balls just grip the guide rod 42, to give a line-to-line or slight preload fit.
  • the apparatus may include means for returning the upper roll 31 to its upper position, such as helical springs 71 which are compressed between collars 72 (at the tops of the guide rods 42) and spring retainers 73 resting on the ball bushings 56.
  • the air supply to the pneumatic diaphragm device 33 may be shut off or vented (e.g. from a suitable valve 76 leading to the air supply tube 77 of the diaphragm device) so that the upper rod can rise under the influence of the springs 71 to a position permitting free passage of the tow between the rolls 31, 32.
  • the rolls 31, 32 have a relatively small mass and, therefore, a low inertia, so that they will respond quickly to changes in the tension in the tow and will permit start up without so loading the tow as to cause undesirable stretching or breaking of the tow.
  • the upper and lower rolls are each 8 inches long (plus the stub shafts, at each end, which are each about inch long) and are each less than 2 (e.g. 1 /2) inches in diameter; the upper roll is of solid steel while the lower roll is similar but includes a rubber surface layer 78 (e.g. of Shore 8O hardness, A; inch thick); each roll weighs less than 5 pounds (e.g. about 3 to 4 pounds).
  • the pneumatic diaphragm device 33 is of known type having an air chamber, one wall of which is a flexible diaphragm (not shown) attached to the stem 44; air under adjustably controlled pressure is supplied to the air chamber through the tube 77.
  • the diaphragm device is rigidly supported on the foundation plate 41 by means of a mounting bracket 79.
  • the tow is threaded through the apparatus while the upper roll 31 is in its upper, inactive, position and, with all the driven rolls in operation, the pressure in the diaphragm device is gradually increased so as to force the upper roll down against the tow thus increasing the tension in the tow band running between the nip of rolls 31, 32 and the differential gripping device 16 until that tension is just below that which would cause breakage of individual filaments; undesirably high tensions which can result from the use of too high a pressure at the nip, evidence themselves by the appearance of broken filament ends projecting slightly from the tow, like little hairs, so that the tow leaving the pretensioning device has a rough, unshaven appearance.
  • the air pressure is adjusted to the most desirable level for the particular tow, the tow band leaving the nip of the rolls 31, 32 has no visible broken filament ends and the crimp in its individual filaments is clearly visible.
  • differential gripping devices 16 are described in Dunlap et al., US. Patent 3,156,- 016, whose disclosure is incorporated herein by reference, in which the tow is opened by subjecting it, while moving in a predetermined path, to a differential gripping action between a plurality of points spaced from one another both longitudinally and transversely of the path, so that certain laterally spaced sections of the tow are positively gripped relative to other laterally spaced sections of the tow, alternating with the said gripped sections, which are not gripped at all or are gripped at different relative points.
  • the differential gripping action is such that a relative lateral displacement between adjacent filaments of the tow is also effected, so that the combination of two transverse filament movements brings about the complete opening of the tow.
  • the differential gripping action may be achieved by the provision of at least one pair of rolls, one of which is smooth-surfaced and the other of which is grooved over its entire periphery; if desired, there may be a plurality of such pairs of rolls arranged in tandem. On each grooved roll, the grooves and the ridges alternating therewith may extend obliquely or helically in opposite senses from its center to its opposite ends.
  • each set of rolls comprises an upper patterned-surface roll 81, 82 and a lower positively driven rubber-surfaced roll 83, 84, each upper roll being mounted for free rotation and being driven by the rotation of the corresponding driven lower roll.
  • the rolls 81, 82, 83, 84 are each about 6 /2 inches in diameter and the upper rolls are of steel helically threaded with about 14 threads per inch, the thread being about & inch deep; the upper delivery roll 19 is about 3 inches in diameter, the lower delivery roll 21 is about 8 inches in diameter, both delivery rolls being of steel and the lower one being positively driven, the tow making an S-wrap about the rolls 19, 21; the roll 84 is driven at a surface speed greater than that of the roll 83 while the delivery roll 21 is driven about the same speed as the roll 83; thus when rolls 83 and 21 are driven at a surface speed of about 1000 feet per minute, the surface speed of roll 84 is, for example, about 1600 feet per minute.
  • the rolls 81, 82, 83, 84 are each about 6 /2 inches in diameter and the upper rolls are of steel helically threaded with about 14 threads per inch, the thread being about & inch deep; the upper delivery roll 19 is about 3 inches in diameter, the lower delivery roll 21 is
  • distance between the nip of rolls 81, 83 and the-nip of rolls 31, 32 is typically about one foot.
  • the roll 31 is maintained in parallel alignment with roll 32 at all times despite vibrations and stresses resulting from high speed operation; its axis can move freely (in a fixed path in such parallel alignment), against the pressure exerted by the diaphragm device, in response to the forces accompanying such operation.
  • this ball bearing slide arrangement is used with rolls of low inertia, which respond quickly to changes in the tension in the tow, particularly good results are obtained.
  • the banding jets 4 and 17 may be of well known type, in which the tow passes between a pair of spaced parallel plates (placed, for example, inch apart), one or both ofwhich have a plurality of slots leading from a compressed air plenum chamber, so that streams of air are blown at the tow through the slots.
  • the degree of uniformity of the filter rod may be gauged, as the machine is running, by observing the variability of the width of the tow band leaving the second banding jet; this variability is much lower when the tow-gripping mechanism of the present invention is used.
  • the plasticizer may be delivered by means of a conventional spray head, but more preferably by means of a plurality of rapidly whirling disks which centrifugally project fine droplets of the plasticizer onto both sides of the tow band.
  • a plasticizer when employed, will be selected, of course, according to the nature of the filaments.
  • the plasticizer may be triethyl citrate, dimethoxy ethyl phthalate, or methyl phthalyl ethyl glycoate among others; desirably, however, glycerol triacetate (triacetin) is employed.
  • glycerol triacetate triacetin
  • the denier per filament will range from about 1 to 50 and preferably from about 1%. to 16, and the total denier of the tow supplied will range from about 20,000 to 160,000, and preferably from about 20,000 to 80,000.
  • the number of crimps per inch will generally be in the range of about 4 to 20, e.g. about 12 to 16.
  • a deregistered tow of, say, polyethylene terephthalate filaments is spread to a wide width (e.g. 3 or 4 feet or more) and then cross-lapped to form a batting material which may be used, for example, for the stufling of pillows.
  • the filaments of the tow may be made of an organic derivative of cellulose including, particularly, cellulose esters such as the preferred secondary cellulose acetate (e.g. containing about 2 /2 acetyl groups per anhydroglucose unit), as well as cellulose triacetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose acetate propionate, and other cellulose organic acid esters or ethers.
  • cellulose esters such as the preferred secondary cellulose acetate (e.g. containing about 2 /2 acetyl groups per anhydroglucose unit), as well as cellulose triacetate, cellulose propionate, cellulose acetate propionate, and other cellulose organic acid esters or ethers.
  • Other filamentary materials which may be used include rayon (regenerated cellulose), and filaments of linear superpolyamides such as nylon-6 and nylon-66, linear polyesters (e.g. polyethylene terephthalate), polyolefins (e.g. polypropylene or polyethylene), acrylics (
  • polyacrylonitrile and known acrylic fibers comprising copolymers of high acrylonitrile content), oxymethylene polymers, polyvinyl chloride (including vinyl chloride copolymers), polyvinylidene chloride (including vinylidene chloride copolymers), nitrile fibers (e.g. vinylidene cyanide-vinyl acetate copolymers), etc.
  • tow-gripping means in the path of the tow just upstream of the differential gripping device, said tow-gripping means having a first elongated low inertia rolland a second elongated low inertia roll, said first and second rolls being mounted for free rotation, being adapted to engage opposite sides of said tow and to be rotated by the movement of said tow, and having smooth, cylindrical tow-engaging surfaces, a stationary mounting for the first roll, a movable rigid mounting for the second roll, said movable mounting comprising a membercarrying spaced bearings at its ends for rotatably supporting said second roll, means for resiliently urging said

Landscapes

  • Cigarettes, Filters, And Manufacturing Of Filters (AREA)
  • Nonwoven Fabrics (AREA)
  • Treatment Of Fiber Materials (AREA)
  • Yarns And Mechanical Finishing Of Yarns Or Ropes (AREA)
US578641A 1966-09-12 1966-09-12 Tow processing Expired - Lifetime US3471901A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US57864166A 1966-09-12 1966-09-12

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3471901A true US3471901A (en) 1969-10-14

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ID=24313691

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US578641A Expired - Lifetime US3471901A (en) 1966-09-12 1966-09-12 Tow processing

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US (1) US3471901A (xx)
AT (1) AT272172B (xx)
BE (1) BE703175A (xx)
CH (1) CH497141A (xx)
CS (1) CS154577B2 (xx)
DE (2) DE1632184B1 (xx)
FI (1) FI45618C (xx)
GB (1) GB1183987A (xx)
IL (1) IL28418A (xx)
NL (1) NL6712476A (xx)
YU (1) YU36093B (xx)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0654224A2 (de) * 1993-11-24 1995-05-24 Hauni Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft Anordnung zum Aufbereiten eines Streifens aus Filtermaterial
US20130115452A1 (en) * 2011-11-03 2013-05-09 Celanese Acetate Llc High Denier Per Filament and Low Total Denier Tow Bands
WO2013123163A3 (en) * 2012-02-16 2013-10-31 R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Apparatus and associated method for forming a filter component of a smoking article

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE102004038775A1 (de) * 2004-08-09 2006-03-02 Hauni Maschinenbau Ag Anordnung zur Herstellung wenigstens eines Filterstrangs
CN110520002B (zh) * 2017-05-18 2022-06-07 菲利普莫里斯生产公司 从材料片材形成用于气溶胶生成制品的条的方法和装置
CN107805847A (zh) * 2017-11-23 2018-03-16 武汉汉麻生物科技有限公司 一种防磨损栉梳机夹麻器

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2188009A (en) * 1934-12-20 1940-01-23 Maytag Co Safety release for wringers
US2683291A (en) * 1950-11-24 1954-07-13 Terrell Mach Co Draw box roll weighting mechanism
US2734233A (en) * 1956-02-14 Drawing rolls
US3156016A (en) * 1961-11-13 1964-11-10 Celanese Corp Tow opening
US3161449A (en) * 1962-06-01 1964-12-15 Gen Electric Combined rolling and sliding bearing
US3328093A (en) * 1964-11-05 1967-06-27 Automatic Motor Base Co Machinery supports with slidable carriage

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3032829A (en) * 1958-02-11 1962-05-08 Celanese Corp Processing tow
NL289200A (xx) * 1962-02-20
US3254373A (en) * 1963-10-10 1966-06-07 Eastman Kodak Co Tow blooming

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2734233A (en) * 1956-02-14 Drawing rolls
US2188009A (en) * 1934-12-20 1940-01-23 Maytag Co Safety release for wringers
US2683291A (en) * 1950-11-24 1954-07-13 Terrell Mach Co Draw box roll weighting mechanism
US3156016A (en) * 1961-11-13 1964-11-10 Celanese Corp Tow opening
US3161449A (en) * 1962-06-01 1964-12-15 Gen Electric Combined rolling and sliding bearing
US3328093A (en) * 1964-11-05 1967-06-27 Automatic Motor Base Co Machinery supports with slidable carriage

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0654224A2 (de) * 1993-11-24 1995-05-24 Hauni Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft Anordnung zum Aufbereiten eines Streifens aus Filtermaterial
EP0654224A3 (de) * 1993-11-24 1999-10-27 Hauni Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft Anordnung zum Aufbereiten eines Streifens aus Filtermaterial
US20130115452A1 (en) * 2011-11-03 2013-05-09 Celanese Acetate Llc High Denier Per Filament and Low Total Denier Tow Bands
WO2013123163A3 (en) * 2012-02-16 2013-10-31 R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Apparatus and associated method for forming a filter component of a smoking article
JP2015506717A (ja) * 2012-02-16 2015-03-05 アール・ジエイ・レイノルズ・タバコ・カンパニー 喫煙物品のフィルタ構成要素を形成するための装置および関連する方法
CN104427891A (zh) * 2012-02-16 2015-03-18 R.J.雷诺兹烟草公司 用于形成吸烟制品的过滤嘴部件的设备和有关的方法
US9854833B2 (en) 2012-02-16 2018-01-02 R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Apparatus and associated method for forming a filter component of a smoking article
CN104427891B (zh) * 2012-02-16 2018-04-10 R.J.雷诺兹烟草公司 用于形成吸烟制品的过滤嘴部件的设备和有关的方法

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FI45618C (fi) 1972-08-10
CH497141A (fr) 1970-10-15
NL6712476A (xx) 1968-03-13
GB1183987A (en) 1970-03-11
CS154577B2 (xx) 1974-04-30
DE6802028U (de) 1969-07-10
FI45618B (xx) 1972-05-02
BE703175A (xx) 1968-02-28
YU36093B (en) 1982-02-25
AT272172B (de) 1969-06-25
IL28418A (en) 1971-02-25
DE1632184B1 (de) 1971-07-01
YU177067A (en) 1981-06-30

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