Method and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Smoking Articles

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention provides a method and apparatus for manufacturing a smoking article. The apparatus comprises a conveyor (60) for a tobacco rod (65). The direction of conveyance is parallel-to a central longitudinal axis of the tobacco rod (65). The apparatus further comprises an applicator (72) for applying a liquid additive to the tobacco rod (65) on the conveyor (60). The applicator (72) is configured such that liquid additive received into the tobacco rod (65) has a distribution in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the tobacco rod (65) that is substantially symmetrical about the central axis. In one embodiment, the applicator (65) comprises a plurality of dispensing heads (75A, 75B) disposed around the tobacco rod (65). In another embodiment, the applicator (72) includes a plough (91) for creating a furrow within the tobacco rod (65) and a dispensing head (92) for dispensing additive into the furrow.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to smoking articles such as cigarettes and to a method and apparatus for the manufacture thereof.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]It is known to apply an additive to a cigarette or other smoking article. The additive can serve various purposes, for example, it may comprise a flavourant (e.g. menthol), an adhesive (e.g. starch), or some substance for controlling the burn characteristics of a cigarette.[0003]C.B. Kaymich & Co of Sheffield, United Kingdom (see www.kaymich.co.uk) manufacture various systems for the application of additives to the different parts of a cigarette, such as the filter, the wrapping paper and the tobacco. The Kaymich CSS1000 system can be used to apply adhesive to cigarette paper. WO 2006 / 010895 (to Kaymich) discloses one method of applying an additive to the filter material of a cigarette. The Kaymich UFA1000 system is designed for the application of a flavourant, such as menthol, to various component...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010]Known applicators involve dispersing an additive into a tobacco rod from one side. This leads to an asymmetric distribution of additive within the tobacco rod. In contrast, providing a symmetric distribution of additive within the tobacco rod improves uniformity, and so helps to avoid peaks of additive concentration that might lead to spotting. This therefore allows a higher loading of additive to be achieved in the tobacco rod than can be obtained with known applicators (without increasing the risk of spotting). This higher loading in the tobacco rod then avoids having to apply (extra) additive to the filter or packaging, which would increase the cost and complexity of the manufacturing process.

[0012]In one embodiment, the applicator comprises a plough for forming a furrow in the tobacco rod downstream of the plough and a head for dispersing the liquid additive into the tobacco rod. The head is positioned so that in operation it is located within the furrow of the tobacco rod, which may extend to approximately the central longitudinal axis of the tobacco rod. This configuration allows the head to disperse liquid deeper into the tobacco rod, and so helps to reduce the possibility of spotting on the surface of the tobacco rod. Furthermore, dispersing from the centre of the tobacco rod can help to produce a more uniform distribution of liquid within the tobacco rod.

[0013]In one embodiment, the plough is static. Such a plough generally has a pointed head directed upstream to face the oncoming tobacco rod. This allows the plough to cleave into the oncoming tobacco stream, thereby opening up the furrow without completely disrupting the tobacco rod. In another embodiment, the plough may be rotary, for example, some form of cutting wheel that extends into the tobacco rod, where the rotation axis of the cutting wheel is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tobacco rod. The cutting wheel may rotate so that it runs at substantially the same linear speed as the tobacco rod.

[0015]In one embodiment, each head of the applicator is configured to retract from the tobacco rod when the conveyor stops. This helps to reduce the risk of excess additive being dispersed into a fixed location of a stationary tobacco rod.

[0023]The approach described herein achieves a higher loading of flavourant or other additive in tobacco, thereby avoiding adding flavourant to the filter and / or the packaging, and so saves time and resources. This allows easier processing and can help to improve quality (because it involves flavourant at only one stage of the processing), as well as providing easier cleaning and smaller volumes to be processed, leading to reduced waste.

Problems solved by technology

Thus if the loading is too high, excess menthol may accumulate and form (yellow) spots on the paper wrapping of the cigarette.

The presence of spotting unsightly, and significantly degrades the appearance of the product.

However, this can lead to other disadvantages.

This delay can make it more difficult to manage stock control and manufacturing levels.

However, the application of flavourants to bulk tobacco requires bulk processing, and is therefore not always cost-effective, especially for short production runs.

Furthermore, bulk application of flavourant before the tobacco enters the manufacturing apparatus results in contamination by flavourant of the whole production line.

This may cause problems in certain machinery, and also requires considerable time and resources to clean the production line if it is desired to switch to another flavourant (or to no flavourant).

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