WO2016207847A1

WO2016207847A1 - An apparatus for cutting cigarettes and a method of cutting cigarettes

Info

Publication number: WO2016207847A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/053775
Authority: WO
Inventors: Wojciech Jerzy Chojnacki
Original assignee: International Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp. Z O.O.
Priority date: 2015-06-26
Filing date: 2016-06-24
Publication date: 2016-12-29
Also published as: EP3313210A1; PL412866A1; PL230026B1; WO2016207847A4

Abstract

An apparatus for cutting cigarettes comprising a feeder adapted to transport the cigarettes, the feeder comprises at least one guiding groove arranged along the feeder and at least one revolving disc knife, and the guiding groove is provided with at least two walls, and the revolving disc knife for cutting the cigarettes along the axis of the cigarettes is arranged on a rotating shaft arranged above the feeder, and a ring for pressing the cigarettes against the walls of the groove is arranged next to each disc knife on the same shaft, wherein the ring being loosely movable around said shaft. Each disc knife (7) is positioned in a plane (C) spaced from the axis (k) of the cigarette (6) to be cut open, whereas arrangement of the walls (13, 14; 23, 24; 33, 34) of the guiding groove (5) related to each other provides, before cutting each cigarette (6), blocking the cigarette by means of the pressing ring (10, 20, 30) by pushing the cigarette (6) between the walls (13, 14; 23, 24; 33, 34) of the groove (5) with simultaneous deformation of the cigarette (6). The pressing ring (10, 20, 30) and the disc knife (7) are located above a straight section of the feeder (2). A method of cutting the cigarettes by means of the apparatus according to the invention.

Description

An apparatus for cutting cigarettes and a method of cutting cigarettes

The invention relates to the field of manufacturing cigarettes, in particular the field of recovering tobacco from defective or substandard cigarettes.

The object of the invention is an apparatus for cutting cigarettes, which may be a subassembly of a machine for recovering tobacco from defective or substandard cigarettes and a method of cutting the cigarettes using this apparatus.

In machines for recovering tobacco from cigarettes, revolving disc knives are used to cut or perforate a wrapper. After performing cutting, the wrapper and all parts or components of filtering material must be separated from tobacco.

In case of cutting non-filter cigarettes, a wrapper is cut along the entire length of the cigarette. In case of filter cigarettes, a wrapper should be cut along a tobacco portion, while over a filter portion, a wrapper covering the filter must remain intact. The tobacco recovered from the cigarettes is added to shredded tobacco which is supplied to a cigarette manufacturing machine. The quality of cigarettes will be seriously reduced if tobacco used for manufacturing cigarettes comprises parts of the filtering material, since smoke from burnt filtering material can be harmful to a smoker. Currently there are produced cigarettes provided with multi-segment filters containing filtering materials of various kinds. The filtering materials in the form of granules such as e.g. activated carbon placed in a multi-segment filter between other fragments, such as, e.g. acetate filter forming a chamber for loose material are also used. Cutting such a filter is particularly disadvantageous since separation of granules that are significantly smaller than tobacco shreds requires the application of special purifying assemblies. Considering the above reasons, it is important that wrapper of the recyclable cigarettes, after being cut, can be easily and efficiently separated from the remaining components of the cigarette.

US 3,665,931 discloses an exemplary device for cutting cigarette wrapper.

US 3, 665, 931 discloses a device where cigarettes are supplied by the feeder through a first linear vibrating conveyor and are arranged parallel to the conveying direction, they are transported through a second vibrating conveyor towards a moisturising and cutting unit. A disc knife with a plurality of small blades which cut moisturized cigarettes along their length are placed in a cutting apparatus over each groove. The distance of the knife from the vibrating conveyor is selected such that the tipping material on the mouthpiece is not cut.

EP10157723.7 which is earlier application of the applicant of the present invention, discloses a method and an apparatus for opening a wrapper, i.e. the cigarette covering material. The invention provides a method and an apparatus which effectively separate the cut wrappers and all parts and components of the filtering material from the recoverable tobacco. The method of opening the wrapper is disclosed, wherein the cigarette transported in a groove of the feeder of the machine for recovering tobacco is cut with at least one revolving disc knife located above the feeder, blocking the possibility of rotation of the cigarette around its axis in the groove of the feeder in which the cigarette is guided, what causes that tensile stress is applied to the wrapper facilitating its opening. However, a disadvantage of this solution is that some of the cigarettes are not effectively blocked in the groove during the cutting and rotation. The rotation of the cigarette during cutting causes the formation of a helical cutting line, which does not reach the mouthpiece, which makes recovering the tobacco out from this part of the cigarette difficult. Therefore, in order to effectively take the tobacco out of the cigarettes, the cigarettes must be subjected to vibration for a long time. An object of this invention is to improve the earlier solution in order to provide straight cutting line on each cigarette .

According to the invention there is provided an apparatus for cutting cigarettes comprising a feeder adapted to transport the cigarettes, the feeder comprising at least one guiding groove arranged along the feeder and at least one revolving disc knife, the guiding groove being provided with at least two walls, the revolving disc knife for cutting the consecutive cigarettes along the axis thereof being disposed on a rotating shaft arranged above the feeder, and a ring for pressing consecutive cigarettes against the walls of the groove, the ring being arranged next to each disc knife on the same shaft, wherein the ring is loosely movable around said shaft.

An apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that each disc knife is positioned in a plane spaced from the axis of the cigarette to be cut open, the arrangement of the walls of the guiding groove related to each other enables to block the cigarette by means of the pressing ring, before cutting of the cigarette is performed, by pushing the cigarette between the walls of the groove with simultaneous deformation of the cigarette, and the pressing ring and the disc knife are located above a straight section of the feeder.

Preferably, the guiding groove is provided with walls arranged relative to each other at an angle of 20° to 60°.

Preferably, the guiding groove is provided with two walls and a bottom, the first wall is arranged perpendicular to the bottom and the second wall being arranged at an obtuse angle with respect to the bottom, and the disc knife is arranged near the wall which is perpendicular to the bottom.

Preferably, said second wall is arranged at an angle of about 110° to about 150° with respect to the bottom.

The position of the pressing ring related to the shaft of the disc knife can be determined by a limiting element oriented parallel to the axis of the shaft of the disc knife, and the limiting element being arranged in front of the shaft of the knife viewed in the direction of the movement of the feeder.

Preferably, the location of the limiting element is adjustable in a direction parallel to the direction of the movement of the feeder.

The position of the limiting element is preferably such that the distance travelled by the cigarette starting from the point of the cigarette getting in contact with the pressing ring to the point of the cigarette getting in contact with the disc knife is in the range from 0.2 to 5 times of the cigarette diameter, preferably from 0.25 to 1.5 times of the cigarette diameter .

Preferably, an outside diameter of the pressing ring is larger than a diameter of the disc knife.

Preferably, a part of peripheral surface of the pressing ring is formed as a truncated cone, the larger base of which faces the disc knife.

Preferably, a peripheral surface of the pressing ring is formed as a truncated cone, the smaller base of which faces the disc knife.

According to the invention, a method of cutting the cigarettes transported by the feeder in at least one guiding groove directed along the feeder is provided, and the guiding groove is provided with at least two walls, and the cutting being performed by means of a disc knife mounted on a rotating shaft arranged above each guiding groove, said method comprising cutting the cigarettes along their axis, and each cigarette is pressed against the walls of the groove by means of the pressing ring placed next to each disc knife on the same shaft, and the ring is loosely movable around said shaft.

A method according to the invention is characterized in that before cutting each cigarette, the cigarette is blocked by means of a pressing ring for pressing the cigarette between the walls of the groove with simultaneous deformation of the cigarette and further, each cigarette is cut open in a plane spaced from the axis of the cigarette, wherein blocking and cutting is carried out over a straight section of the feeder.

Preferably, the position of the pressing ring related to the shaft of the disc knife is determined by a limiting element arranged parallel to the axis of the shaft of the disc knife and arranged in front of the knife shaft viewed in the direction of the movement of the feeder.

The position of the limiting element is preferably adjustable in a direction parallel to the direction of the movement of the feeder.

An advantage of the cutting apparatus according to the invention is that the cigarette is cut open linearly along a generating line of a cylinder which is a cigarette. Due to the cutting provided by means of an apparatus according to the invention, tobacco is recovered in a shorter time, since the portion of the cigarette comprising tobacco is opened along the entire length.

Advantages of the apparatus of the invention are also apparent in cutting "slim" cigarettes provided with mouthpieces comprising capsules. Cutting of the cigarettes by means of a knife positioned off-center related to the axis of the cigarette eliminates the risk of cutting or crushing the capsule.

A method and an apparatus according to the invention will be now described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which :

Fig. 1 schematically shows a fragment of a machine for recovering tobacco provided with an apparatus for cutting the cigarettes according to the invention in a perspective view,

Fig. 2 schematically shows a fragment of the machine for recovering tobacco with another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention, Fig. 3 is an enlarged apparatus of the invention in a perspective view,

Fig. 4 is a partially sectional view of an embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 5 is a partially sectional view of another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 6 is a partially sectional view of yet another embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention,

Fig. 7 is a side view of an apparatus according to invention, at the time of first contact of the pressing ring with a cigarette,

Fig. 8 is a side view of an apparatus according to invention, when cutting the cigarette by a disc knife has started.

A machine for recovering tobacco shown in Fig. 1 comprises a supply unit 1 for feeding defective or substandard cigarettes to the feeder 2 at the end of which a cutting apparatus 3 for opening the cigarettes is located. Below the cutting apparatus 3 the feeder is arranged, e.g. a drum feeder, below which there is a receiving device 4 for receiving the cut cigarettes, whereas the receiving device 4 is shaped in the form of a vibrating conveyor for example, which transports the cigarettes to an apparatus (not shown) for taking tobacco out of the cigarettes or the receiving device can be an apparatus for taking the tobacco out of the cut cigarettes. The feeder 2 is provided with longitudinal grooves 5 arranged in the conveying direction, for orientating the cigarettes 6 so that the axes k of the cigarettes 6 are set in accordance with the conveying direction before feeding them to the cutting apparatus 3. The axes k of the cigarettes 6 moving along the grooves 5, are arranged in a plane A during orienting the cigarettes along the grooves 5, before feeding the cigarettes to the cutting apparatus 3. The opening apparatus 3 may have a set of disc knives 7 mounted on a common axis m lying on a plane B located in parallel to the plane A. In an embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 2, the cutting apparatus 3 for cutting the cigarettes is arranged over a linear conveyor belt 12 provided with grooves 5.

Fig. 3 is a perspective enlarged view of the apparatus according to the invention. The revolving disc knife 7 for cutting the cigarettes 6 is mounted on a shaft 8, wherein the rotation axis m of the knife 7 lies in a plane B parallel to the plane A which is a plane in which the axes k of the cigarettes 6 move along the grooves 5. Plane C, perpendicular to the axis m, in which the disc knife 7 lies, is perpendicular to the plane A, wherein the plane C does not pass through the axis k of the cigarette 6 and is spaced from it. The distance e (Fig. 4), over which the plane C is offset, is such that the knife reaches the cigarette in the vicinity of the side wall of the groove 5. A disc knife may be formed as a multi-tooth knife or may have one cutting edge. Parallel to the plane C of the knife 7, loosely mounted rotating pressing ring 10 is located. The axis of rotation of the pressing ring 10 is movable but the axis is always parallel to the axis m of the knife 7. In order to determine a movement of a loosely mounted pressing ring 10, a movement limiter of the ring 10 is provided, the movement limiter is in the form of a limiting rod 18, which position might be adjustable in direction 18B (fig. 7) parallel to the direction of transport of the cigarettes. The limiting rod 18 may be formed as rotating or non-rotating. The rolling movement 10D of the ring 10 related to the belt 12 forced by the movement of the belt 12 in the direction T can cause a rotational movement 18A of a limiting rod 18 designed as a rotating element.

Fig. 4 is a partially sectional view of an embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention. A belt 12 used on the feeder 2 is made of elastic material and is shown in cross- section E-E indicated in fig. 7, whereas the disc knife 7 is shown in a view in a direction parallel to the plane of the disc knife 7. The cigarette 6 pressed into the groove 5 is also schematically shown. The groove 5 of the belt 12 is provided with two walls 13 and 14 orientated at an angle a of 20° to 60°, wherein the connection of the walls 13 and 14 provided at the bottom of the groove 5 may be rounded. In this embodiment a pressing ring 10 consists of a thicker cylindrical part 10A, a truncated cone shaped part 10B and a thinner cylindrical part IOC. The ring 10 may consist only of a cylindrical part 10A and a cone shaped part 10B having the rounded edge at the larger base. The larger base of part 10B is facing the knife 7. The pressing ring 10 may be in contact with the knife 7 or a gap may be provided between the knife 7 and the pressing ring 10.

Fig. 5 shows a view similar to that of Fig. 4. In this embodiment, the belt 22 is provided with many grooves 25, wherein the groove 25 has one wall 23 arranged vertically, parallel to the plane of the knife 7 and the second wall 24 arranged at an angle a to the wall 23. The connection between the walls 23 and 24 may be formed as the bottom 26. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 5 the bottom 26 is perpendicular to the wall 23, that is parallel to the inner surface 27 of the belt 22. The wall 24 is arranged by angle β of 30° to 70° related to the surface 27. Providing the belt 22 with the groove 25 provided with a vertical wall 23 enables positioning of the disc knife 7 very close to the wall 23, which can be used for cutting a "slim" cigarette comprising capsules with an aromatic substance in the mouthpiece of the cigarette. In this embodiment, the pressing ring 20 is made in the form of two cylindrical parts 20A and 20B, the part 20A being a pressing portion, while the part 20B could be used for rolling the pressing ring 20 along the belt 22.

Fig. 6 shows yet another embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention in a partial section view. The belt 32 is provided with many grooves 35, wherein the groove 35 has one wall 33 orientated vertically, parallel to the plane of the knife 7, and the second wall 34 is arc-shaped in cross-section, i.e. viewing on a straight arranged section of the belt, the wall 34 will be a sector of a shaft. Similarly as in the previous embodiment, the connection between the walls 33 and 34 may be formed as a flat or rounded bottom 36, in the embodiment shown in fig. 6 the bottom 26 is flat and perpendicular to the wall 23 and parallel to the surface 37. The pressing ring 30 is provided with a conical peripheral surface 30C for pressing the cigarettes, the smaller base 30B of the cone is facing the knife disc 7.

The walls of the groove may have any other shape ensuring the locking of the cigarette in the groove by any kind of the pressing member, which may also be made as a sliding member.

In all embodiments the capsules 11 contained within the mouthpiece 6 of the cigarette were shown. As it can be seen, by offsetting the plane of the knife 7 so that the plane does not pass through the longitudinal axis k of the cigarette 6, the knife 7 does not crush or cut the capsule 11, which would result in a discharge of an aromatic substance from the capsule 11 and pollution of recovered tobacco.

Figs. 7 and 8 are a side views of an apparatus according to the invention. However, a disc knife 7 and pressing ring 10 are shown in a view in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the disc knife, wherein the disc knife 7 and the pressing ring 10 are located on a straight section of the feeder 2. The disc knife 7 rotates in the direction indicated 7A, and a rotational movement is forced by the rotation of the shaft 8 in the direction 8A. The pressing ring 10 is loosely mounted and when the ring 10 does not press the cigarette into the groove, it is supported on the edges of the walls 13 and 14 and rolls in the direction indicated 10D with the movement of the belt 12 in the direction T of the feeder 2. In the examples shown in figs. 4 and 5, the movement is conveyed respectively by the surfaces 10A and 20B.

In the embodiment shown in figs. 7 and 8 the pressing ring has an outer diameter greater than an outer diameter of the disc knife 7, but in each embodiment an inner diameter of the pressing ring 10 is greater than a diameter of the shaft 8. A rotating element 18 for determining the movement of the pressing ring 10 is located in front of the disc knife 7 (viewed in the direction T of cigarettes conveying) ; the rotating element 18 is used to change the position of the pressing ring 10 against the disc knife 7. The limiting element 18 can be driven or can receive the drive from the rolling pressing ring 10 and rotate in the direction 18A.

The rotating limiting element 18 is provided with typical position adjustment means for adjustment in the direction 18B (not shown) . The operation of the pressing ring 10 is also affected by the angle of inclination of the feeder 2. Tests revealed that the arrangement of the feeder 2 and the cutting apparatus 3 at an angle γ to the horizontal direction in the range of 20° to 50° is particularly advantageous. Apart from the adjustment of the position of the limiting ring 18 in the direction 18B parallel to the direction of the movement of the belt 12 and the cigarettes 6 (fig. 7) , it is possible to use an additional limiting element 19 for controlling the force pressing the ring 10 against the cigarettes.

During the operation of the cutting apparatus, the cigarette 6 is moved in the groove 5. At some point, immediately after getting in contact with the pressing ring 10, the tip of the cigarette 6 is pressed against the walls 13 and 14 of the groove 5. For example in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the cigarette is pressed against a truncated cone shaped part of the periphery of the ring 10B and a cylindrical part IOC. This results first in locking the tip of the cigarette 6 relative to the groove 5. Then, during the further movement, the cigarette 6 is gradually locked over its entire length. The operation of the pressing ring 10 is such that when the conveyor moves, it causes the gradual distortion of the cigarette and pressing it between the walls 13 and 14. The cigarette 6 is moved in the direction T and gradually approaches the disc knife 7. Since the pressing ring 10 is arranged in front of the disc knife 7, the cigarette will get in contact with the disc knife 7 (fig. 7) starting from the part which has already been locked between the walls 13 and 14 of the groove 5. As the cigarette is being moved in the groove 5, further pressing and locking in the groove 5 takes place and then cutting of the cigarette is performed. In other words the cigarette after getting in contact with the pressing ring 10 to getting in contact with the disc knife 7 travels a certain distance d, and during travelling this distance d the cigarette is locked relative to the walls of the groove over the increasing length. When the cigarette 6 gets in contact with the disc knife 7, the cigarette 6 is locked at a sufficiently long length to be stable hold by the walls of the groove 5 when cutting the wrapper.

Due to the above-mentioned possibility of adjusting the position of the limiting element 18, the length of the distance d, after travelling of which cutting of the cigarette 6 starts, can be changed (wherein the distance is measured from the point at which the cigarette locking starts) . The distance d travelled by the cigarette from the point of contact of the cigarette with the pressing ring to the point of contact of the cigarette with the disc knife should be within the range from 0.2 to 5 times of the cigarette diameter, preferably within the range from 0.25 to 1.5 times of the cigarette diameter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cutting cigarettes comprising a feeder adapted to transport the cigarettes, the feeder comprising at least one guiding groove arranged along the feeder and at least one revolving disc knife, the guiding groove being provided with at least two walls, the revolving disc knife for cutting the cigarettes along the axis of the cigarettes being disposed on a rotating shaft arranged above the feeder, and a ring for pressing the cigarettes against the walls of the groove, the ring being arranged next to each disc knife on the same shaft, wherein the ring being loosely movable around said shaft, characterized in that each disc knife (7) is positioned in a plane (C) spaced from the axis (k) of the cigarette (6) to be cut open, whereas arrangement of the walls (13, 14; 23, 24; 33, 34) of the guiding groove (5) relative to each other enables, before cutting each cigarette (6), to block the cigarette by means of the pressing ring (10, 20, 30) by pushing the cigarette (6) between the walls (13, 14; 23, 24; 33, 34) of the groove (5) with simultaneous deformation of the cigarette (6), and in that the pressing ring (10, 20, 30) and the disc knife (7) are located above a straight section of the feeder (2) .

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the walls (13, 14; 23, 24; 33, 34) of the guiding groove (5) are arranged relative to each other at an angle of 20° to 60°.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the guiding groove (5) is provided with two walls (23, 24) and a bottom (25) , and the first wall (23) being perpendicular to the bottom (25) and the second wall (24) is oriented at an obtuse angle with respect to the bottom (25), and the disc knife (7) being positioned near the wall (23), the wall being perpendicular to the bottom (25) .

4. An apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that said second wall (24) is arranged at an angle of about 110° to about 150° with respect to the bottom.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the position of the pressing ring (10, 20, 30) related to the shaft (8) of the disc knife (7) is determined by means of a limiting element (18) orientated parallel to the axis of the shaft (8) of the disc knife (7), wherein the limiting element (18) being arranged in front of the shaft (8) of the knife (7) viewed in the direction of the movement of the feeder (2) .

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the position of the limiting element is adjustable in a direction parallel to the direction of the movement of the feeder (2) .

7. An apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the position of the limiting element (18) is such that the distance (d) travelled by the cigarette starting from the point of the cigarette getting in contact with the pressing ring (10, 20, 30) to the point of the cigarette getting in contact with the disc knife (7) is in the range from 0.2 to 5 times the cigarette diameter, preferably a diameter from 0.25 to 1.5 times of the cigarette diameter.

8. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressing ring (10, 20, 30) has an outside diameter larger than the diameter of the disc knife (7) .

9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressing ring (10) has a peripheral truncated cone shaped surface portion, the larger base of which faces the disc knife (7) .

10. An apparatus according to any one of the claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the pressing ring (30) has a peripheral truncated cone shaped surface portion, the smaller base of which faces the disc knife (7) .

11. A method of cutting cigarettes transported by a feeder in at least one guiding groove arranged along the feeder, the guiding groove is provided with at least two walls, and the cutting is being performed by means of a disc knife mounted on a rotating shaft above each guiding groove, said method comprising cutting the cigarettes along their axis, wherein each cigarette is pressed against the walls of the groove by means of the pressing ring arranged next to each disc knife on the same shaft, wherein the ring is loosely movable around said shaft, characterized in that before cutting each cigarette (6), the cigarette (6) is blocked by means of a pressing ring (10) by pushing the cigarette (6) between the walls (13, 14; 23, 24; 33, 34) of the groove (5) with simultaneous deformation of the cigarette (6) and next each cigarette (6) is cut open in a plane (C) spaced from the axis (k) of the cigarette (6), and blocking and cutting is carried out over a straight section of the feeder (2) .

12. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that a position of the pressing ring (10, 20, 30) related to the shaft (8) of the disc knife (7) is determined by a limiting element ( 18 ) arranged parallel to the axis of the shaft (8) of the disc knife (7) and arranged in front of the knife shaft (8) viewed in the direction of the movement of the feeder (2) .

13. A method according to claim 11, characterized in that a position of the limiting element is adjustable in a direction parallel to the direction of the movement of the feeder (2) .