Method and device for producing a blank from a packaging material
By applying weakening lines in the longitudinal and transverse directions using a cutting unit and magnetic roller with perforation knives, the manufacturing process efficiently integrates a lifting strip for easy removal of cigarettes from packaging, maintaining structural integrity and ensuring smooth extraction.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2018755790
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2017-08-22
- Filing Date
- 2018-08-13
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-13
- Estimated Expiration
- 2038-08-13
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods and devices for producing packaging materials with lifting strips for tobacco products do not effectively address the efficient application of weakening lines to facilitate easy removal of package contents, particularly cigarettes, during the manufacturing process.
A cutting unit is positioned upstream of the embossing unit to apply weakening lines for the lifting strip in the longitudinal direction of the continuous material web, and a magnetic roller with perforation knives is used to create transverse weakening lines, ensuring the lifting strip is connected to the blank via residual connections for orderly movement and easy removal.
The method ensures the lifting strip is easily actuated and removes the package contents without tearing, maintaining structural integrity until the end, facilitating smooth extraction of cigarettes from the package.
Smart Images
Figure IMGF0001 
Figure IMGF0002 
Figure IMGF0003
Abstract
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a method for producing a blank from a packaging material, in particular tin foil, paper, film or the like, for wrapping the contents of a package for tobacco products, wherein the blank has a lifting strip as a removal aid for removing at least a part of the package contents, and wherein the lifting strip is limited by weakening lines in the blank, according to the preamble of claim 1. The invention further relates to a corresponding device according to the preamble of claim 6.
[0002] Lifting strips of the aforementioned type are known, for example, from WO 2017 / 076481 A1 of the applicant. There, the lifting strip, as part of an inner blank, serves to facilitate the removal of at least one cigarette from an inner pack. Advantageous variants regarding the design of lifting strips are disclosed in that document. The present application, however, deals with the issue of manufacturing such blanks.
[0003] A method and a device according to the preamble of claims 1 and 6 are known from DE 10 2008 047773 A1.
[0004] Based on this, the invention aims to propose methods and devices for producing corresponding cutouts.
[0005] To solve this problem, a method according to the invention has the features of claim 1.
[0006] Accordingly, it is provided that a cutting unit is located upstream of the embossing unit, in which weakening lines for the lifting strip are applied to the continuous material web for the blanks, running in the longitudinal direction of the continuous material web. In this case, it is provided that weakening lines for the lifting strip are applied in the cutting unit downstream of the embossing unit, running in the transverse direction of the continuous material web.
[0007] A device according to the invention has the features of claim 6.
[0008] Further details and special features of the invention are described below with reference to the drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a spatial representation of an opened pack of cigarettes, Fig. 2 the pack according to Fig. 1 When a pull flap is actuated, Fig. 3, an expanded blank for an inner packing of the package according to Fig. 1 , Fig. 4 a schematic representation of a first device for producing the blank according to Fig. 3 , Fig. 5 a schematic representation of a second device for producing the blank according to Fig. 3 Fig. 6 shows a cylindrical surface of an embossing roller, Fig. 7 shows a cylindrical surface of a variant of the embossing roller, Fig. 8 shows a section through an embossing roller along section line VIII - VIII in Fig. 6 Fig. 9 shows a cylindrical surface of a cutting roller, Fig. 10 shows a section through the cutting roller along section line X - X in Fig. 9 , Fig. 11 a schematic representation of a third device for producing the blank according to Fig. 3 , Fig. 12 an alternative solution to the cutting roller, and Fig. 13 another alternative solution to the cutting roller.
[0009] The drawings show, as an example, a cigarette pack of the hinged-box type as outer packaging 10. It is understood that the invention is also applicable to other types or shapes of packaging.
[0010] The outer packaging 10 comprises a (lower) box part 11, a lid 12, and a collar 13. The box part 11 has a front wall 14, a back wall 15, and side walls 16. Similarly, the lid 12 has a front wall 17, a back wall 18, and side walls 19. The box part 11 and the lid 12 are pivotally connected to each other, in this case by means of a linear hinge 20 in the area of the back wall 15, 18.
[0011] The package contents are a formed group of cigarettes 37, i.e., a cigarette group 21. The cigarettes 37 are arranged in rows with a front row and preferably at least one further row.
[0012] The cigarette group 21 is surrounded by a blank 22 made of packaging material such as tin foil, paper, film or the like. The blank 22 preferably completely surrounds the cigarette group 21 and forms a closed, block-shaped inner pack 23 (so-called tin foil block).
[0013] In the exemplary embodiment, the cutout 22 is in Fig. 1 bis 3 designed according to the longitudinal folding principle. An elongated, especially rectangular, cut ( Fig. 3 ) forms successive areas for a front wall 24, a bottom wall 25 and a back wall 26. The walls are separated from each other by (imaginary) longitudinal and transverse fold lines 27.
[0014] Starting from the closed, single-layer bottom wall 25, the blank 22 is folded in a U-shape around the cigarette group 21. An end wall 28 is formed from folded flaps, in this case in the form of an envelope fold with trapezoidal longitudinal flaps 29, 30. The outer longitudinal flap 30 is connected to the front wall 24 of the blank 22. Side walls 31 of the inner packaging 23 are formed from partially overlapping side flaps 32, 33, with the side flaps 32 connected to the front wall 24 lying on the outside of the folded blank 22, thus partially overlapping the side flap 33 connected to the back wall 26.
[0015] The inner packaging 23 is partially enclosed in an upper area facing the lid 12 by the collar 13, specifically by a front wall 34 and side walls 35 of the collar 13. The front wall 34 is provided with a conventional recess 36, which facilitates access to the packaging contents when the lid 12 is open.
[0016] The subject of the invention is the provision of cigarettes to the consumer, in particular when taking out the first cigarettes, i.e. at least one preferably middle cigarette 37 of the front row ( Fig. 2 The provision refers primarily to the fact that the one or more cigarettes 37, with the lid 12 open, are moved by a lifting device into a raised position and thus freed with respect to their ends. For this purpose, a lifting strip 38 is used, which is pulled out of the outer packaging 10, in this case in the area of the recess 36 of the collar 13, taking with it the at least one cigarette 37.
[0017] The lifting strip 38 is part of the cutout 22, in particular part of the front wall 24 and the bottom wall 25. The lifting strip 38 is bounded by separating or weakening lines 39 ( Fig. 3 ), however, remains part of the cut 22 or connected to it via residual connections 40.
[0018] In the Fig. 3 In the two illustrated embodiments, two weakening lines 39 extend on both sides of the lifting strip 38, with several residual connections 40 in the area of the front wall 24, which are attached at selected positions. Further residual connections 40 are arranged in the area of the bottom wall 25, where the two weakening lines 39 converge. The lifting strip 38 here forms an end piece in the area of the bottom wall 25 that is important for its function, namely an end leg 41. Furthermore, residual connections are distributed particularly in this area. Details can be found in WO 2017 / 076481 A1, to which explicit reference is made.
[0019] The arrangement of the lifting strip 38, its dimensions (width), and the arrangement and dimensions of the remaining connections 40 ensure orderly movement of the lifting strip 38 without cutting, particularly by keeping the bottom end of the lifting strip 38, and especially the end leg 41, connected to the blank 22 until the very end. An end connection 42 at the lower end of the lifting strip 38 is the last to be cut. This causes the end leg 41 to initially move into an inclined position when the lifting strip 38 is actuated, in which the cigarette 37 (or cigarettes) gripped by the lifting strip 38 is moved into the dispensing position. With continued tensile force applied to the lifting strip 38, it is completely released and pulled out of the pack.
[0020] The actuation of the lifting strip 38 is preferably effected by means of a special section of the blank 22. This section is a tab that can be peeled off when the pack is put into use, in particular a pull-flap 43. This is defined as the upper, end-face area of the blank 22 and is delimited from the remaining part of the blank 22 by (transverse or oblique) sections of the weakening line 39. The pull-flap 43 is peeled off the inner pack 23 when the pack is put into use for the first time, so that the cigarettes facing the front are exposed in the upper area.
[0021] Due to the geometric design of the unit consisting of lifting strip 38 and pull-flap 43, this part of the blank 22 is separated from the connection and pulled out of the package while maintaining the unit.
[0022] The in Fig. 3 The variant shown on the left regarding the design of the hub strip 38 is known from the aforementioned WO 2017 / 076481 A1 and described there in detail, so reference is made to that application. The one on the right in Fig. 3 The variant shown differs from this by a different course of the weakening line 39 in an upper area of the front wall 24. There, the weakening line 39 runs at an angle of approximately 45° to the course of the weakening line 39 in a lower area of the front wall 24 near the bottom wall 25.
[0023] In Fig. 4 A schematic representation of a first device for producing the blanks 22 is shown. A continuous web of material 44 is first embossed in an embossing device 45. Then, weakening lines 39 are applied in a cutting device 46, and finally, individual blanks 22 are cut out of the continuous web of material 44 in a separating device 47.
[0024] The embossing device 45 has two cooperating embossing rollers 62, 63 between which the continuous web of material 44 is guided and embossed. Accordingly, the two embossing rollers 62, 63 have embossing elements on their circumference or circumferential surface, for example in the form of pyramid-shaped teeth 70, which interlock to emboss the continuous web of material 44.
[0025] The downstream cutting unit 46 has a magnetic roller 48, on the circumference of which one or more perforation knives 49 are held to create weakening lines 39 on the material web 44. The magnetic roller 48 and the perforation knives 49 together form a knife roller 76. The perforation knife(s) 49 work together with a smooth counter roller 50 on the other side of the continuous material web 44. The cutting unit 46 is driven by a servo motor 51, which is coupled to a main shaft 52 of the device or to the drive of the downstream cutting unit 47.
[0026] In the subsequent cutting unit 47, the continuous web of material 44 is first guided over deflection rollers 53 and then enters the area of a cutting roller 54. Weakening lines 39 are applied to the circumference of the cutting roller 54, for which one or more perforation knives 61 are provided, which cooperate with an eccentric counter roller 55. Upstream of the eccentric counter roller 55 are knives 56 for performing a cutting cut through the continuous web of material 44 to separate the blanks 22.
[0027] The individual blanks 22 are transferred to a subsequent transfer roller 57 and held there ready for wrapping the cigarette groups 21. For example, the cigarette groups 21 can be fed along a transport track 58. This can be done by means of a pusher 59, which grips the cigarette groups 21 from the rear and pushes them in the transport direction. In this case, the pushers 59 are driven by a toothed belt 60.
[0028] A special feature is that the perforation knives 49 of the cutting device 46 are designed to apply the weakening lines 30, which run longitudinally along the continuous material web 44. The perforation knives 61 in the area of the cutting device 47, on the other hand, serve to apply the weakening lines 39, which run transversely to the longitudinal direction of the continuous material web 44.
[0029] The in Fig. 5 The second embodiment shown differs from the one in Fig. 4 The first embodiment shown differs in the following respect: The embossing device 45 and the cutting device 46 are fused into a single unit. The second embossing roller 63 of the embossing device 45 works in conjunction with a perforation knife 64, which, as in the first embodiment, can be arranged on a magnetic roller 48. The perforation knife 64 is designed to create weakening lines 39 that run both longitudinally and transversely along the continuous material web 44. Accordingly, the cutting device 47 does not have a separate perforation knife.
[0030] In one variant of the device indicated in the drawings, a cutting device 65 can be arranged upstream of the embossing device 45. This cutting device 65 can serve to apply weakening lines 39 to the continuous material web 44, running in the longitudinal direction of the material web 44. In this case, the perforation knife 64 can then (only) be configured to apply the weakening lines 39, which run in the transverse direction of the material web 44. The corresponding weakening lines are shown in Fig. 3 marked by an "x".
[0031] As another option, the cutting device 65 could be used to apply the weakening lines 39, which run both longitudinally and transversely along the material web 44. In this case, the perforation knife 64 on the magnetic roller 48 can be omitted.
[0032] Fig. 6 shows a jacket of the embossing roller 63 for the two cutting variants according to Fig. 3 It is noticeable that a counter surface 66 for the perforation knife 64 is provided on the embossing roller 63. The counter surface 66 is embedded in the teeth 70 of the embossing roller 63. It is also noticeable that the width of the embossing roller 63 is greater than the width 67 of the continuous material web 44.
[0033] Fig. 7 shows the embossing roller 63 in a version for carrying out part of the weakening lines 39, whereas Fig. 6 an embossing roller 63 is shown, which is set up to produce the weakening lines 39 completely.
[0034] Fig. 9 und 10 The corresponding situation for the magnetic roller 48 is shown. The perforation knife 64 is arranged so that it interacts with the counter surface 66 of the embossing roller 63. Furthermore, an elastic material 69 is preferably arranged around the perforation knife 64 on the magnetic roller 48, which serves to fix the material web 44 during the processing. Fig. 9 The shape of the perforation knife 64 with spaces 68 for the remaining connections 40 is also shown.
[0035] Finally, it may also be provided that instead of the elastic material, 69 teeth 70 are provided for embossing the material web 44.
[0036] Fig. 11 Figure 3 shows a third embodiment in which, similar to the second embodiment, the two embossing rollers 62, 63 and the magnetic roller 48 are linked to form a single apparatus. However, this embodiment lacks the separate cutting device 47, as the weakening lines 39 and the cutting edge are applied to the magnetic roller 48. For this purpose, one or more perforation knives 61 are provided on the magnetic roller 48, as well as a knife 56 which works in conjunction with an eccentric roller 55. The perforation knife 61 works in conjunction with the embossing roller 63, as in the second embodiment, to apply the weakening lines 39.
[0037] Fig. 12 und 13 show alternative solutions for the design of the separating device 47. In the solution according to Fig. 12 The cutting device 47 is formed by a creasing roller 71 and a counter roller 72, between which the continuous material web 44 is guided. To cut the material web 44, the creasing roller 71 has a projection 73 directed transversely to the continuous material web 44, which enters a corresponding groove-like recess 74 and thereby cuts the material web 44. In the solution according to Fig. 13In contrast, knife blades 75 are arranged on the opposing rollers 71, 72, which cut the material web 44 as if with scissors. Alternatively or in addition to the arrangement of the creasing roller 71 with counter roller 72 or the knife blades 75, the cutting device 47 can also be designed analogously on the cutting device 46, or the described methods can be implemented accordingly on the cutting device 46 and / or the cutting device 47.
Claims
1. Method for producing a blank (22) from a packaging material, in particular from tin foil, paper, film or the like, in order to wrap pack contents of a pack for tobacco products, wherein the blank (22) has a lifting strip (38) as a removal aid for removing at least a part of the pack contents, and wherein the lifting strip (38) is delimited by weakening lines (39) in the blank (22), wherein a continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22) is fed to a stamping device (45) with a stamped formation being applied to the continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22), and that, by means of a cutting device (46), weakening lines (39) for the lifting strip (38) are applied to the continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22), and that, by means of a severing device (47), individual blanks (22) are severed out of the continuous material web (44), wherein each blank (22) has weakening lines (39) for a lifting strip (38), characterized in that upstream of the stamping device (45) there is arranged a cutting device (65) in which weakening lines (39) for the lifting strip (38) are applied to the continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22), said weakening lines extending in the longitudinal direction of the continuous material web (44).
2. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that drives of the cutting device (46) and of the severing device (47) are coupled together.
3. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that, in the cutting device (46), following the stamping device (45), weakening lines (39) for the lifting strip (38) are applied to the continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22), said weakening lines extending in the transverse direction of the continuous material web (22).
4. Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that, in the cutting device (65) arranged upstream of the stamping device (45), weakening lines (39) for the lifting strip (38) are also applied to the continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22), said weakening lines extending in the transverse direction of the continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22).
5. Method according to Claim 1 or any of the other preceding claims, characterized in that the weakening lines (39) are applied to the continuous material web (44) by means of one or more perforation knives (49, 61, 64) which are retained (magnetically) on the circumference of a magnetic roller (48).
6. Apparatus for producing a blank (22) from a packaging material, in particular from tin foil, paper, film or the like, in order to wrap pack contents of a pack for tobacco products, wherein the blank (22) has a lifting strip (38) as a removal aid for removing at least a part of the pack contents, and wherein the lifting strip (38) is delimited by weakening lines (39) in the blank (22), wherein the apparatus has the following features: a) a stamping device (45) for applying a stamped formation to a continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22), b) a cutting device (46) for applying weakening lines (39) for the lifting strip (38) to the continuous material web (44), and c) a severing device (47) for severing individual blanks (22) out of the continuous material web (44), wherein each blank (22) has weakening lines (39) for a lifting strip (38), characterized in that upstream of the stamping device (45) there is arranged a cutting device (65) which is designed to apply weakening lines (39) for the lifting strip (38) to the continuous material web (44) for the blanks (22), said weakening lines extending in the longitudinal direction of the continuous material web (44).
7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, characterized in that the apparatus is designed to apply the weakening lines (39) to the continuous material web (44) by means of one or more perforation knives (49, 61, 64) which are retained (magnetically) on the circumference of a magnetic roller (48).