Unit and method for feeding additive elements and a machine for producing smoking articles

Abstract

On a machine (1) for producing smoking articles, such as cigarette filters, a feed unit (24) for feeding additive elements (25), such as menthol capsules, into fibrous material, such as filtering material, has at least one hopper (26) containing a mass of additive elements (25); and a transfer device (28) which, at the input, withdraws the additive elements (25) successively from an outlet (27) of the hopper (26), and, at the output, deposits the additive elements (25) successively into the fibrous material. Between the input and output, the transfer device (28) increases the spacing between consecutive additive elements (25), so as to withdraw the additive elements (25) from the hopper (26) with a pickup spacing (Pl), and deposit the additive elements (25) into the fibrous material with an out-feed spacing (P2) greater than the pickup spacing (P1).

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates to a unit and a method for supplying an additive element to a fibrous material on a machine for the manufacture of smoking articles. [0002] In the following description, the term "fibrous material" is intended to mean tobacco fibers (tobacco fibers are used to form a continuous rod of tobacco on single- or two-wire machines used in the manufacture of smoking articles, such as cigarettes), or fibers of filter material (for example, acetic acid Cellulose) (fibers of filter material are used to form continuous filter rods, eg, cigarette filters, on single- or double-line machines used in the manufacture of smoking articles). [0003] The invention is particularly advantageous for use on a two-line cigarette filter manufacturing machine which may be known with reference to the following description by way of example only. Background technique [0004] Two examples of two-line cigarette filter making machines are described i...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0008] The additive element supply unit described in patent application GB 1585761 works well at relatively low filter material travel speeds (i.e., the low output speed of the filter making machine), however, it has been found that at high filter material travel speeds (i.e. , high output speeds of filter making machines) the problem arises

More specifically, above and above a certain filter material travel speed, the additive element becomes more difficult to extract from the hopper outlet, and more and more frequently cannot be extracted at all, i.e. said seat on the roller leaves the hopper outlet without extracting any additive elements, resulting in the formation of filter parts without additive elements, which must be ejected

Images