Casting apparatus and method to check a thickness of a cast sheet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11312044-B2
Application number	US-201716302729-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2017
Priority date	May 31, 2016
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to a casting apparatus (1) for the production of a cast sheet (10) of homogenized tobacco material, said casting system comprising: ⋅a casting box (4) adapted to contain a slurry of the homogenized tobacco material; ⋅a movable support (7); ⋅a casting system adapted to deposit the slurry contained in the casting box (4) onto the movable support (7) so as to form the cast sheet (10); ⋅a sensor (30) to detect a thickness of the cast sheet (10); ⋅wherein the sensor (30) includes a slider (33) comprising a planar surface (36) adapted to be in contact to a top surface of the cast sheet and a height detector (38) adapted to measure the height of the planar surface (36) so as to derive the thickness of the cast sheet (10). The invention also relates to a method to measure the thickness of a homogenized tobacco sheet (10).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Casting apparatus for the production of a cast sheet of homogenized tobacco material, said casting apparatus comprising
a casting box adapted to contain a slurry of the homogenized tobacco material;
a movable support;
a casting system adapted to deposit the slurry contained in the casting box onto the movable support so as to form the cast sheet;
a sensor to detect a thickness of the cast sheet,
wherein the sensor includes:
a slider comprising a planar surface adapted to be in contact to a top surface of the cast sheet; and
a height detector adapted to measure the height of the planar surface so as to derive the thickness of the cast sheet; and

a drying unit, the slider being positioned downstream the drying unit, in the direction of motion of the movable support.

2. The casting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the casting system includes a casting blade adapted to cast the slurry onto the movable support, a distance separating said casting blade from said support.

3. The casting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the casting system includes two casting rollers forming a gap therebetween, said gap being positioned below said casting box.

4. The casting apparatus according to claim 1 , including a pressing device adapted to press said planar surface towards the cast sheet.

5. The casting apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said pressing device includes an air pressure generator and a nozzle, said nozzle being adapted to eject compressed air towards the slider so as to press said planar surface towards the movable support.

6. The casting apparatus according to claim 5 , including an air pressure regulator to vary a pressure value of the compressed air exiting the nozzle.

7. The casting apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising a plurality of sliders positioned one parallel to the other.

8. The casting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the plurality of sliders is positioned in a row formed perpendicularly to a direction of motion of the movable support.

9. The casting apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein a distance between two adjacent sliders perpendicularly to the direction of motion of the movable support is comprised between about 0 centimeters and about 200 centimeters.

10. The casting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the planar surface includes a rectangular surface.

11. The casting apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein a side of the rectangular surface is positioned perpendicular to a direction of motion of the movable support.

12. The casting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said height detector is adapted to measure the height of the planar surface with reference to the movable support.

13. The casting apparatus according to claim 1 , including a control unit connected to the sensor, the control unit being adapted to determine variations in height of said slider on the basis of signals sent by the sensor.

Assignees

• Philip Morris Products Sa

Inventors

• Borloz Michel
• Richard Yann

Classifications

• A24B3/14 Primary

  Forming reconstituted tobacco products, e.g. wrapper materials, sheets, imitation leaves, rods, cakes; Forms of such products (delustering A24C1/40) · CPC title

• A24C5/01

  Making cigarettes for simulated smoking devices · CPC title

• B29C41/52 Primary

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title

• G01B5/068

  of objects while moving (G01B5/066 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C41/28 Primary

  by depositing flowable material on an endless belt · CPC title