Machine and method for producing substantially cylindrical articles of the tobacco processing industry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10575554-B2
Application number	US-201515532120-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2015
Priority date	Dec 2, 2014
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

A method of producing filter tips for cigarettes, each of which comprises two portions of filter material arranged on opposite ends of a portion of granular material; the first portion of filter material is wrapped in a sheet so as to obtain an intermediate element having a substantially tubular shape and an open end; the granular material and the second portion of filter material are then inserted through the open end, while the intermediate element is kept vertical with the open end facing upwards; in this way it is possible to obtain high quality filter tips at high speed.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of producing cylindrical articles of a tobacco processing industry, each of which articles comprises a respective first portion having a first material of the tobacco processing industry; at least one respective second portion having a second material of the tobacco processing industry; at least one respective third portion having a loose third material different from the first and second materials; and a respective cover comprising at least one sheet wrapped around the respective first portion, the at least one respective second portion, and the at least one respective third portion;
the method comprising a wrapping step, during which the at least one sheet is wrapped around the respective first portion to form a tubular first intermediate element with an open end; a first insertion step, during which the loose third material is inserted through the open end into the first intermediate element to form a second intermediate element; and a second insertion step, during which the second material is inserted through the open end into the second intermediate element, so that the loose third material is located between the respective first portion and the at least one respective second portion and so as to form the cylindrical article; the first and second insertion steps being performed with said open end facing upwards;
wherein during the wrapping step, a strip is wrapped around a plurality of segments comprising the first material in a way such that a respective gap is left between each two successive segments so as to form a rod comprising a plurality of successive connected first intermediate elements; and
wherein the method further comprises a first cutting step, during which the rod is cut crosswise at said segments.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the segments are twice as long as the respective first portion; and wherein, during the first cutting step, the rod is cut crosswise at said segments to form pairs of connected first intermediate elements.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the strip comprises a plurality of said at least one sheet connected together and arranged in succession; and wherein the segments are arranged in succession along a longitudinal extension of the strip so that a respective gap is left between each two successive segments.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one sheet is positioned horizontally during the wrapping step.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein, following the wrapping step, the first intermediate element is obtained with said open end facing sideways; the method also comprising a rotation step, following the wrapping step, in which the first intermediate element is rotated so that said open end is positioned facing upwards.

6. The method according to 2 , further comprising a second cutting step, in which at least one of the pairs of first intermediate elements is cut at said respective gap to form the first intermediate elements.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, during the first insertion step, the first intermediate element is conveyed transversely, through a first insertion station.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the first insertion step, a relative movement is produced between an insertion nozzle and the first intermediate element, so as to insert the insertion nozzle through said open end into the first intermediate element; and wherein said loose third material is inserted into the first intermediate element through said insertion nozzle.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, in the second insertion step, the second intermediate element is conveyed transversely through a second insertion station.

10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive substance application step before the second insertion step and after the first insertion step, in which an adhesive substance is applied to an inside of said open end.

11. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising a positioning step before the second insertion step and after the first insertion step, in which, by means of a relative movement between an insertion outlet and the second intermediate element, said open end is inserted inside the insertion outlet; wherein said second material is inserted into the second intermediate element through said insertion outlet.

12. The method according to claim 1 , wherein, during the second insertion step, a force is exerted on said at least one sheet at said open end to keep the open end open.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the force is exerted by means of aspirators.

14. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second material is at least partly elastically deformable; and wherein the second material is elastically deformed in the second insertion step, so as to reduce its lateral size, and then is inserted in the second intermediate element, so as to expand inside the second intermediate element.

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said second material is pushed into the second intermediate element in the second insertion step.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the rod is conveyed longitudinally during the first cutting step.

17. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first intermediate element is arranged horizontally, following the wrapping step.

18. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first intermediate element and the second intermediate element are oriented vertically during the first and second insertion steps, respectively.

19. The method according to claim 11 , wherein, during the second insertion step, a force is exerted on said at least one sheet at said open end to keep the open end open; and wherein the force is exerted by means of suction openings formed at the insertion outlet and surrounding the open end at an end of the positioning step.

Assignees

• Gd Spa

Inventors

• Esposti Marco
• Baldanza Nicola
• Sartoni Massimo

Classifications

• A24D3/0225 Primary

  with solid additives, e.g. incorporation of a granular product (A24D3/0216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A24D3/0287 Primary

  for composite filters · CPC title

• A24D3/163

  Carbon · CPC title