WO2005096851A1

WO2005096851A1 - Method for producing a smokable article

Info

Publication number: WO2005096851A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/002355
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jörg Tobias; Franz-Peter Koch; Joachim Kreidelmeyer; Andreas Mieszala
Original assignee: Hauni Maschinenbau Ag
Priority date: 2004-04-07
Filing date: 2005-03-05
Publication date: 2005-10-20
Also published as: ATE430494T1; DE102004017618A1; CN1942113B; EP1732408B1; EP1732408A1; DE502005007239D1; US20070017536A1; CN1942113A; JP2007529208A

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for operating a cordon machine using in the tobacco-processing industry. In order to insert additives (17), such as flavouring substances, into a cigarette, in a certain position, a tobacco cake or web (11) is formed from scattered tobacco. An extrudate (12) is also formed, and applied to the scattered tobacco (11). Said extrudate contains a base constituent (16) to which an additive (17) is discontinuously supplied. The invention also relates to a device for producing a tobacco cordon (11) containing an extrudate (12).

Description

Process for making a smokable article

description

The invention relates to a method for producing a smokable article, in which tobacco is piled up and an extrudate is formed, the extrudate being applied to the battered tobacco.

The invention further relates to a device for producing a tobacco rod containing an extrudate with a suction line conveyor for sucking in tobacco, an extruding device for forming the extrudate and for applying the extrudate to the expanded tobacco.

DE 33 11 886 C2 discloses a method for producing a cigarette, in which an admixture of expanded tobacco pulp is added to a tobacco layer. It is also disclosed that the expandable tobacco pulp can also be provided with a flavoring agent, for example menthol. From GB 2 070 409 A a method for producing a cigarette is known, in which a thread loaded with flavorings, which can also consist of tobacco foil, is drawn off from a bobbin and is introduced into the tobacco rod before the format entry.

It is known to add flavorings to cigarettes. These flavors are released during smoking. Since the burning temperature during the lighting of the cigarette is higher than during smoking, it is desirable not to release the flavors when the cigarette is lit.

It is also important that the introduction of a flavoring into a cigarette does not noticeably change the consistency of the tobacco in the cigarette and that the burning properties of the cigarette and the formation of ash are not adversely affected.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for operating a rod machine, which makes it possible to place an additive in a cigarette depending on the location. It is also an object of the invention to provide a device for producing a tobacco rod with which an additive can be placed in a smokable article in a location-dependent manner.

This object is achieved by a method for operating a rod machine in the tobacco processing industry with the following method steps, Flare of tobacco forming an extrudate;

Applying the extrudate to the expanded tobacco, the extrudate containing a base component; and - an additive being fed intermittently to the base component.

This object is further achieved by a device for producing a tobacco rod containing an extrudate, the device comprising a suction line conveyor for sucking in tobacco and an extruding device for forming the extrudate and applying the extrudate to expanded tobacco, the extruding device being a device for the discontinuous feeding of a tobacco Additive to a base component which can be introduced into the extrusion device.

The solutions according to the invention allow a location-dependent positioning of an additive in a tobacco rod and also in the cigarette subsequently formed from the tobacco rod. This can avoid the disadvantage of the prior art that if an additive is continuously added to an extrudate, the additive is released even when the cigarette is lit. As the speed at which the tobacco rod or tobacco is conveyed, as well as the speed at which the extrudate is poured onto the

Tobacco is applied, are known from a process technology point of view, by means of a discontinuous feed of the additive exact positioning of the additive in the extrudate and thus later in the cigarette. This provides a location-dependent placement or positioning of the additive in the finished cigarette, which ensures that the time of release or burning of the

Additive can be influenced by the discontinuously controllable admixture of the additive to the base component. For example, it may be necessary to place an additive over the entire length of a cigarette, but it may be necessary to only release another additive when it is lit, so that this additive should only be placed in a very short area at the beginning of the cigarette , These different requirements can be achieved with the method according to the invention.

Within the scope of the invention, tobacco can also be or contain other smokable material. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the additive of the base component is supplied via a switchable device. This enables the discontinuous supply of the additive to be influenced.

Reconstituted tobacco with a paste-like consistency is suitable as a basic component. Reconstituted tobacco usually consists of water, tobacco dust and a binder. The consistency of the mass is influenced by the water content. Z. B. methyl cellulose, dextrin glue, starch,

Polyvinyl acetate glue, polyvinyl alcohol or modified starch in question. In a further embodiment of the invention, it is possible for the extrudate to be formed from a number of different base components which are then brought together with one or, if appropriate, also a number of additives. If the extrudate is to be foamed, it is advantageous to mix it from two basic components, one of which is e.g. B. with calcium carbonate and others are added with citric acid.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the additive is added to the base component in a mixing device. By designing the mixing device, a uniform admixture of the additive to the base component to form the extrudate mixture is thus made possible. It is also advantageously provided that the extrudate consisting of the base component and additive is introduced onto the heaped tobacco via a nozzle device. In this case, the nozzle device is connected downstream of the mixing device or integrated into it, so that the finished extrudate, which is applied to the showered tobacco, can emerge from the nozzle device.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the

Intermittently spray additive onto the extrudate.

The additive which is added to the base component is in particular a flavoring agent, for example sugar, menthol, liquorice, amino acid, cocoa or another substance which influences the taste or the burning behavior.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the extrudate is fed to the tobacco at a speed which corresponds approximately to the speed at which the tobacco is conveyed on the suction line conveyor. The control of the position of the additive in the extrudate and later in the tobacco rod is carried out using suitable devices which are connected downstream of the suction rod conveyor, for. B. on the cutting apparatus of a strand machine.

The extrusion device preferably comprises a mixing device, the additive being able to be introduced into the mixing device. In a special embodiment of the invention, the device for producing the tobacco rod with the extrudate comprises a switchable valve with which the additive of the basic component can be fed in batchwise. This valve is designed in particular as a fast-switching valve in order to precisely position the additive in the extrudate. A piezo element is particularly suitable for this purpose, which is switched by a control system in such a way that the addition of the additive is carried out precisely for the section of the extrudate which is to contain the additive in the subsequent cigarette. After the extrudate has been applied to the expanded tobacco, further tobacco can be expanded. The tobacco fleece thus formed is then trimmed and coated with a wrapping material in a strand forming device and formed into a shaped tobacco rod.

The invention is described below by way of example without limitation of the general inventive concept by means of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached schematic drawings, to which reference is expressly made with regard to the disclosure of all details according to the invention not explained in detail in the text. Show it:

1 is a schematic representation of a device according to the invention,

2 shows a schematic representation of part of another embodiment of a device according to the invention, Fig. 3 is a process flow diagram.

The schematic representation of the device for producing a tobacco rod, into which an extrudate is or is introduced, shown in FIG. 1, comprises a suction line conveyor 22 which continuously sucks in tobacco 10 and thus forms a growing tobacco shower 11 over its length. The tobacco 10 is fed to the suction line conveyor 22 via a feed device (27). An extrusion device 13 is assigned to the suction strand conveyor 22. The

Extrusion device 13 is responsible for the formation or manufacture of extrudate 12. Furthermore, the extrudate 12 is applied to the expanded tobacco 11 by means of the extrusion device 13. The extrusion device 13 comprises a mixing device 14, to which a base component 16 is fed. The base component 16 is conveyed, for example, via a pump 23 from a storage container 25 to the mixing device 14.

The extrusion device 13 further comprises a storage container 24, in which the additive, for example a flavoring 17, is stored. The additive 17 is fed to a device 20 via a pump 23. The device 20 is switched by a controller 21 so that the additive 17 can be fed to the mixing device 14 discontinuously. The switchable device 20 is designed in particular as a piezo element, since this enables an exact supply of the additive 17. It is also provided that the mixing device 14 is supplied with a further base component 26, which is stored in a further storage container 25 and is also supplied to the mixing device 14 via a pump 23. In the mixing device

14, the base component 16 and the additive 17 are brought together or mixed. In a realization that is not shown, it is also possible that the basic consistency of the extrudate is already formed and the additive is sprayed onto the extrudate in the mixing device. The mixing device 14 is connected to a nozzle device

15 coupled. The nozzle device 15 outputs the finished extrudate 12 at a predetermined extrudate speed V ₂ . The extrudate 12 is fed to the tobacco fleece 11 that is built up on the suction line conveyor 22. In an embodiment which is not shown, it is possible to apply the additive to the extrudate 12 only in the nozzle device 15 or to spray the extrudate 12 with the additive 17 only after it has emerged from the nozzle device 15. After the extrudate 12 has been applied to the expanded tobacco 1 1, further tobacco 1 1 ^{'is expanded} onto the tobacco 11 and the extrudate 12.

FIG. 2 shows a section of a further embodiment of a device according to the invention, in which in particular the application of the extrudate 12 to the expanded tobacco 11 is shown. The tobacco 11, which can also be designed as a fiber cake or nonwoven, runs along a suction line conveyor 22 at a tobacco conveying speed v1. At a suitable point where the tobacco 11 has a sufficient height, the exiting extrudate 12 is applied to the expanded tobacco 11. By aligning the nozzle device 15, the

Position of the extrudate 12 on the tobacco 11 can be influenced. Likewise, the diameter or the shape of the emerging extrudate 12 can be adjusted by appropriately designing the nozzle device 15. 2 shows the additive 17 to be fed to the nozzle device.

3 shows a process flow chart for the operation of a strand machine of the tobacco processing industry. In step S1 1, finished tobacco is sucked in by the suction strand conveyor 22 and tobacco 11 is shaken up, so that a fleece is formed. The tobacco 11 is transported at a tobacco conveying speed v1 on the suction strand conveyor. In parallel, the base component 16 or a plurality of base components 16, 26 are fed to the mixing device 14 in the extrusion device 13 in step S12. Depending on the desired placement of the additives 17 in the later cigarette, the controller 20 actuates the fast-switching valve 20, as a result of which the additive 17 is added discontinuously to the basic component 16 (S13). In step S14, the finished extrudate 12 is discharged from the nozzle device 15. In step S15, the extrudate 12 emerging from the nozzle device 15 is applied to the tobacco 11. In step S16, further processing steps are carried out on the tobacco rod, comprising the tobacco 11 and 11 ^′ and the extrudate 12, which are connected downstream of the suction rod conveyor 22. This includes, for example, wrapping with a wrapping material. In step S17, the tobacco rod 11 is cut according to the position of the additive 17 in the extrudate 12, so that tobacco sticks covered with wrapping material are produced (S18) in which the additive, in particular a flavoring 17, is positioned depending on the location and thus, for example, when a finished cigarette is lit. is not released but only when the cigarette is smoked. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

10 tobacco 11 bubbled tobacco 11 'bubbled tobacco 12 extrudate 13 extrusion device 14 mixing device 15 nozzle device 1166 basic component 17 additive 20 device / quick-switching valve 21 control 22 suction line conveyor 2233 pump 24, 25 storage container 26 basic component 27 feeding device v1 tobacco conveying speed vv22 extrudate speed S11 suction tobacco; Shake up tobacco S12 Add basic component to mixing device S13 Add batch of additive to basic component SS1144 Dispense extrudate from nozzle device S15 Apply extrudate to tobacco S16 Further processing steps on tobacco rod S17 Separate tobacco rod S18 Blank cigarette with additive placed in a location

Claims

Process for making a smokable item

1. A process for producing a smokable article comprising the following process steps: - tobacco oozing (11)

Forming an Extrudate (12)

Applying the extrudate (12) to the expanded tobacco (11), the extrudate (12) containing a base component (16) and the base component (16) being fed with an additive (17) intermittently.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the additive (17) of the base component (16) via a switchable re device (18) is supplied.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the extrudate (12) contains several different basic components (16, 26).

4. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the base component (16) and the additive (17) are brought together in a mixing device (14) to form an extrudate mixture (12).

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the extrudate is applied via a nozzle device (15) to the expanded tobacco (1 1).

6. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the tobacco (10) to which the extrudate (12) is fed contains short tobacco.

7. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the additive (17) is a flavoring.

8. The method according to one or more of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the extrudate (12) is applied to the tobacco (1 1) at a substantially the same speed (v1) as the tobacco conveying speed (v1).

9. Device for producing a tobacco rod containing an extrudate (12), comprising a suction line conveyor (22) for sucking in tobacco (10) and an extruding device (13) for forming the extrudate (17) and for applying the extrudate (17) to the expanded tobacco (11), characterized in that the extrusion device (13) has a device (14) for the discontinuous supply of an additive (17 ) to a base component (16) which can be introduced into the extrusion device (13).

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the extrusion device (13) comprises a mixing device (14), wherein the additive (17) can be introduced into the mixing device (14).

11. The device according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that a nozzle device (15) for feeding the extrudate (17) to the showered tobacco (11) is provided.

12. The device according to one or more of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the device (18) for discontinuous feeding is designed as a switchable valve (20).

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the valve (20) is designed as a piezo element or comprises a piezo element.