A roll forming device and forming system for aerosol-forming substrate

Abstract

The application provides a rolling forming device and a forming system of an aerosol forming substrate, the device comprising: two first rolling components for obtaining a first aerosol forming sheet and a second aerosol forming sheet; a perfuming component for attaching flavoring substances to the first aerosol forming sheet and / or the second aerosol forming sheet; and a second rolling component for rolling the first aerosol forming sheet and the second aerosol forming sheet into the aerosol forming substrate, wherein at least part of the flavoring substances are located between the first aerosol forming sheet and the second aerosol forming sheet. The device can effectively avoid the loss of flavoring substances during the preparation of the aerosol forming substrate, and the prepared aerosol forming substrate can also release the flavoring substances slowly when used for heating cigarettes, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the release of the flavoring substances during the smoking process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tobacco technology, and more specifically to a roll forming apparatus and forming system for aerosol forming substrates. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, with increasing public awareness of health, people have become aware of the health hazards of traditional cigarettes, and the health and environmental impacts of traditional cigarettes have gradually gained attention worldwide. Tobacco manufacturers are committed to providing consumers with less harmful tobacco products. In recent years, heated cigarettes, as a new form of tobacco consumption, have gradually gained market popularity and are increasingly accepted by cigarette consumers in most countries.

[0003] In heated cigarettes, tobacco materials are generally used in the form of reconstituted tobacco leaves. Due to the limited volume of heated cigarette sticks, the tobacco material filling mass is relatively small, necessitating flavoring to increase the aroma. When using flavorings to enhance aroma, two methods are generally used to add flavorings to the reconstituted tobacco leaves: one is to mix the flavorings during raw material preparation, and the other is to spray the flavorings onto the finished reconstituted tobacco leaves or shredded tobacco after processing. The advantage of the first method is uniform flavoring, but the disadvantage is that significant loss of aroma substances occurs during the drying process at the end of the manufacturing process, resulting in a degree of uneven release of aroma substances when the cigarette is smoked. The advantage of the second flavoring method is that the equipment is simple and the operation is convenient. However, it is difficult to control the uniformity and it is easy to cause the reconstituted tobacco leaves to break and break, resulting in a decrease in the whole tobacco leaf rate, which is not conducive to rolling. In addition, after flavoring, the flavoring substances generally only adhere to the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. When making heated cigarettes, since the heated cigarettes are heated as a whole at the same time, it is easy to cause the flavoring substances added to the surface to be released quickly, resulting in uneven distribution of the smoke aroma before and after smoking.

[0004] Therefore, how to provide a smoking product suitable for heated cigarette devices has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a roll forming device and forming system for aerosol forming substrate suitable for heated cigarette smoking devices. The use of this device can effectively avoid the loss of aroma substances during the preparation of aerosol forming substrate, and the aerosol forming substrate obtained can also slow down the release of aroma substances when used for heated cigarettes, ensuring the uniformity of aroma substance release during smoking.

[0006] To address the above problems, the present invention provides a roll forming apparatus for an aerosol-forming substrate, comprising:

[0007] Two first roll forming assemblies are used to obtain a first aerosol forming sheet and a second aerosol forming sheet;

[0008] A fragrance-adding component for attaching fragrance substances to a first aerosol forming sheet and / or a second aerosol forming sheet;

[0009] The second roll forming assembly is used to roll the first aerosol forming sheet and the second aerosol forming sheet into an aerosol forming substrate, wherein at least a portion of the fragrance substance is located between the first aerosol forming sheet and the second aerosol forming sheet.

[0010] In the molding device of this technical solution, the fragrance substance is placed in the internal area of ​​the aerosol forming substrate. When the aerosol forming substrate obtained by roller pressing enters the subsequent drying stage, at a drying temperature of about 100°C, the fragrance substance is far away from the surface of the aerosol forming substrate. When the moisture in the aerosol forming substrate gradually evaporates in the oven, the fragrance substance is blocked by the upper and lower layers of material, and the evaporation rate and degree are greatly reduced. The loss of fragrance substance is greatly reduced, thereby ensuring the effective utilization rate of fragrance and flavor in the production process and reducing production costs.

[0011] Furthermore, the fact that the aroma substances are located in the internal region of the aerosol forming substrate can not only reduce the cost of using such raw materials, but also slow down the release rate of the aroma substances after the aerosol forming substrate is rolled into a heated cigarette, thus achieving the slow release of the aroma substances.

[0012] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the fragrance substance is attached to one surface of the first aerosol forming sheet and / or the second aerosol forming sheet.

[0013] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first aerosol forming sheet and the second aerosol forming sheet are rolled together to form an aerosol forming substrate.

[0014] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first rolling assembly is a multi-stage rolling assembly.

[0015] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first rolling assembly is a three-stage rolling assembly or a four-stage rolling assembly.

[0016] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the second rolling assembly is a primary rolling assembly or a secondary rolling assembly.

[0017] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the axial directions of the pressure rollers of the two first roller pressing assemblies and the second roller pressing assembly are aligned.

[0018] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, the fragrance-adding component is disposed in the triangular area formed by the final pressure roller of the two first pressure roller components and the first pressure roller of the second pressure roller component.

[0019] According to another specific embodiment of the invention, the fragrance application component includes a nozzle or a coating roller.

[0020] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, a roll forming system for an aerosol-forming substrate includes:

[0021] Drying apparatus and roll forming apparatus for any of the aforementioned aerosol-forming substrates. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0023] Figure 1 This invention provides a roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate;

[0024] Figure 2 This invention provides another roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate;

[0025] Figure 3 This invention provides another roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrates.

[0026] Icon labels:

[0027] First roller pressing assembly 11, 11'

[0028] Second roller pressing assembly 20

[0029] Fragrance Components 30

[0030] Triangle area 40

[0031] First aerosol forming sheet 41

[0032] Second aerosol forming sheet 42

[0033] Aerosol forming substrate 43 Detailed Implementation

[0034] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification. Although the description of the present invention is presented in conjunction with preferred embodiments, this does not mean that the features of the invention are limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the purpose of describing the invention in conjunction with embodiments is to cover other options or modifications that may be derived based on the claims of the present invention. To provide a deep understanding of the invention, many specific details will be included in the following description. The invention may also be implemented without using these details. Furthermore, to avoid confusion or obscuring the focus of the invention, some specific details will be omitted in the description. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0035] It should be noted that in this specification, similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0036] In the description of this embodiment, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "bottom", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship that the product of the invention is usually placed in during use. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0037] The terms “first”, “second”, etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0038] In the description of this embodiment, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set up," "connected," and "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this embodiment based on the specific circumstances.

[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the present invention provides a roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate, comprising:

[0041] Two first roll forming assemblies 11, 11' are used to obtain a first aerosol forming sheet 41 and a second aerosol forming sheet 42;

[0042] Fragrance component 30 is used to attach fragrance substances to the first aerosol forming sheet 41 and / or the second aerosol forming sheet 42;

[0043] The second roll forming assembly 20 is used to roll the first aerosol forming sheet 41 and the second aerosol forming sheet 42 into an aerosol forming substrate 43, wherein at least a portion of the fragrance substance is located between the first aerosol forming sheet 41 and the second aerosol forming sheet 42.

[0044] The principle of this device is as follows: two pairs of parallel first roller pressing components 11, 11' form a continuous, wet first aerosol forming sheet 41 and a second aerosol forming sheet 42 with approximately the same thickness, width, and material density. The first aerosol forming sheet 41 and the second aerosol forming sheet 42, on which fragrance substances are deposited, enter the second roller pressing component 20 and are rolled into a continuous wet aerosol forming substrate 43. In this way, the fragrance substances can be distributed in the middle layer of the aerosol forming substrate 43, forming a sandwich layer. During the rolling process, the fragrance substances are somewhat dispersed. After rolling, the concentration of the first fragrance substance is highest at approximately half the thickness of the aerosol forming substrate 43, and decreases along the thickness direction from the half-thickness point to the two surfaces perpendicular to the thickness direction.

[0045] Using the molding device in this technical solution, the fragrance substance is placed in the internal area of ​​the aerosol forming substrate 43. When the aerosol forming substrate 43 obtained by lamination and rolling enters the subsequent drying stage, at a drying temperature of about 100°C, the fragrance substance is far from the surface of the aerosol forming substrate 43. When the moisture in the aerosol forming substrate 43 gradually evaporates in the oven, the fragrance substance is blocked by the upper and lower layers of material, and the evaporation rate and degree are greatly reduced, thus greatly reducing the loss of fragrance substance. This ensures the effective utilization rate of fragrance substance in the production process and reduces production costs.

[0046] Furthermore, the fact that the aroma substances are located in the internal region of the aerosol forming substrate 43 not only reduces the cost of using such raw materials, but also slows down the release rate of the aroma substances after the aerosol forming substrate 43 is rolled into a heated cigarette, thus achieving a slow release of the aroma substances. For example, if volatile aroma substances such as menthol are sprayed onto the surface of the finished reconstituted tobacco leaves, the menthol will evaporate rapidly after the cigarette is rolled and heated to 200-300℃. This results in a high menthol content in the first few puffs and a low menthol content in the later puffs, causing an inconsistent smoke sensation before and after smoking a cigarette and affecting the smoking experience.

[0047] Further, the term "aerosol forming substrate" refers to a solid substrate capable of releasing volatile compounds that can form aerosols upon heating or combustion. The aerosol forming substrate can conveniently be a part of an aerosol-generating article. The aerosol forming substrate may include tobacco-containing materials containing volatile tobacco flavor compounds released from the substrate upon heating. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol forming substrate may include non-tobacco materials. The aerosol forming substrate may further include an aerosol forming agent. Examples of suitable aerosol forming agents are glycerol and propylene glycol. The aerosol forming substrate may also include other additives and ingredients, such as nicotine or flavorings.

[0048] Furthermore, the term "aerosol forming sheet" refers to a sheet-like material of a volatile compound capable of forming an aerosol, the width and length of which are greater than its thickness. Aerosol forming sheets may include tobacco materials and may further include aerosol forming agents, with glycerol and propylene glycol being suitable examples of suitable aerosol forming agents. Aerosol forming sheets may also include other additives and ingredients, such as nicotine or flavorings.

[0049] It is understood that the apparatus of the present invention can be used to roll two aerosol forming sheets into an aerosol forming substrate, or it can be used to roll more than two aerosol forming sheets into an aerosol forming substrate by providing a third, fourth, or even more first rolling components. The only requirement is that the fragrance substance is located between any two aerosol forming sheets.

[0050] Furthermore, the fragrance substance is attached to one surface of the first aerosol forming sheet and / or the second aerosol forming sheet, and the first and second aerosol forming sheets are rolled together to form an aerosol forming substrate. The surface of the aerosol forming sheet with the fragrance substance attached is the laminated surface, which ensures that the fragrance substance is located between the first and second aerosol forming sheets.

[0051] Furthermore, it is understood that the present invention may also include a third, a fourth, or even more first rolling components. Multiple aerosol forming sheets can be generated using multiple rolling components, and then these multiple aerosol forming sheets are laminated and rolled together to form an aerosol forming substrate 43. There is no particular limitation on the number of first rolling components. As the number of aerosol forming sheets increases, to ensure that the final thickness of the aerosol forming substrate 43 remains constant, the thickness of each aerosol forming sheet decreases. This results in a shorter distance between the fragrance substance and the surface of the aerosol forming substrate 43, and less obstruction to the evaporation of the fragrance substance by heat. Therefore, if the fragrance substance is not particularly volatile, or if the heating temperature during drying and extraction is low, the number of first rolling components can be appropriately increased, preferably two to five first rolling components, more preferably two to three first rolling components, and most preferably two first rolling components.

[0052] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned aroma substance is preferably a volatile aroma substance. The first roller pressing assembly 11, 11' rolls the tobacco material into an aerosol forming sheet. The tobacco material is obtained by extruding a dry-wet mixture of tobacco particles, a non-volatile aroma substance, adhesive, atomizing agent, and water. This ensures that the non-volatile aroma substance and water are evenly distributed in the aerosol forming substrate 43 sheet. At a drying temperature of around 100°C, because the moisture is evenly distributed throughout the aerosol forming substrate 43, it can evaporate into the air quickly and smoothly, thus drying the aerosol forming substrate 43. The volatile aroma substance will not suffer significant loss at this temperature. Furthermore, because the non-volatile aroma substance is evenly distributed in both the surface and internal areas of the aerosol forming substrate 43, while the volatile aroma substance is only distributed in the internal area, both can be released relatively evenly during inhalation and heating, further ensuring uniform aroma.

[0053] Furthermore, both the first roll forming assembly 11, 11' and the second roll forming assembly 20 can be multi-stage roll forming assemblies. Figures 1 to 3 Only the final pressure roller of the first roller pressing assembly 11, 11' is shown in the diagram; the preceding pressure rollers are not shown. The total number of stages of the first roller pressing assembly 11, 11' and the second roller pressing assembly 20 can be determined based on the actual conditions of the tobacco wet-dry mixture, i.e., the total number of roller presses the aerosol forming sheet passes through. As the number of stages of the second roller pressing assembly 20 increases, the aroma substances are more evenly distributed in the aerosol forming substrate 43 and are more easily released during drying and smoking heating. Therefore, it is preferable that the second roller pressing assembly 20 is a single-stage or two-stage roller pressing assembly, i.e., the second roller pressing assembly 20 consists of one or two pairs of pressure rollers connected in series, and the laminated aerosol forming sheet needs to continuously pass through one or two pairs of pressure rollers. The first roller pressing assembly 11, 11' can be a three-stage or four-stage roller pressing assembly, i.e., the first roller pressing assembly 11, 11' consists of three or four pairs of pressure rollers connected in series, and the unlaminated aerosol forming sheet needs to continuously pass through three or four pairs of pressure rollers.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the tobacco dry and wet mixture undergoes five stages of rolling. Specifically, the tobacco dry and wet mixture first undergoes four stages of rolling by two first rolling components 11, 11' to ensure thorough mixing, resulting in a first aerosol forming sheet 41 and a second aerosol forming sheet 42. After the flavoring substance is attached to one surface of either aerosol forming sheet, it undergoes a first-stage bonding rolling process by the second rolling component 20 to bond the two aerosol forming sheets together into an aerosol forming substrate 43, with the flavoring substance located in the central region of the aerosol forming substrate 43.

[0055] Furthermore, the aerosol-formed sheet produced by the first roller pressing assembly 11, 11' can be stored in a warehouse first, and then taken out and fed into the second roller pressing assembly for bonding and rolling later. This discontinuous processing technology does not have any special requirements on the position and orientation of the first roller pressing assembly and the second roller pressing assembly.

[0056] Furthermore, after the aerosol is formed into a sheet by the first roller pressing assembly 11, 11', it can be directly and continuously fed into the second roller pressing assembly 20 for bonding and pressing. When the device is running, the output speed of the two first roller pressing assemblies 11, 11' should be the same, that is, the first sheet and the second sheet should have the same running speed, which should match the running speed of the second roller pressing assembly 20.

[0057] Furthermore, the axial directions of the two first roller pressing assemblies 11, 11' and the second roller pressing assembly 20 are aligned to ensure that the discharge directions of the two first roller pressing assemblies 11, 11' and the second roller pressing assembly 20 are aligned. Specifically, this can be achieved as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the axes of the pressure rollers of all the roller pressing assemblies are perpendicular to the paper surface, and the discharge direction of all the roller pressing assemblies is vertical. The fragrance-adding assembly 30 is located within the triangular region 40, and can simultaneously spray fragrance substances onto the opposite side (i.e., the bonding surface) of the first aerosol forming sheet 41 and the second aerosol forming sheet 42; it can also be used as... Figure 2 As shown, the axes of all the roller pressing components are perpendicular to the paper surface, and the discharge direction of all the roller pressing components is horizontal. The fragrance component 30 is located within the triangular region 40, and only sprays fragrance material onto the side of the first aerosol forming sheet 41 opposite to the second aerosol forming sheet 42 (i.e., the bonding surface); it can also be used as follows: Figure 3 As shown, the axes of all the roller pressing components are perpendicular to the paper surface, and the discharge direction of all the roller pressing components is vertical. The fragrance component 30 is located within the triangular region 40. The coating roller of the fragrance component 30 can be selected to coat the fragrance substance onto the opposite side (i.e., the bonding side) of the first aerosol forming sheet 41 and / or the second aerosol forming sheet 42.

[0058] Furthermore, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the fragrance-adding component 30 is disposed within the triangular region 40 formed by the final pressure rollers of the two first roller pressing components 11, 11' and the first pressure roller of the second roller pressing component 20. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the fragrance-adding component 30 can be a nozzle. A fragrance nozzle is positioned within this area, and high-pressure atomization forms tiny droplets of fragrance substance, which are then uniformly deposited onto the surfaces of the first aerosol-forming sheet 41 and the second aerosol-forming sheet 42. To prevent the fragrance substance from diffusing outside the fragrance-adding area, a baffle can be used to enclose the open perimeter of this area, making it relatively sealed. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the fragrance component 30 can be a coating roller, which coats the fragrance substance onto the side of the first aerosol forming sheet 41 opposite to the side of the second aerosol forming sheet 42, or onto the side of the second aerosol forming sheet 42 opposite to the side of the first aerosol forming sheet 41, or onto both the side of the first aerosol forming sheet 41 and the side of the second aerosol forming sheet 42 opposite to each other.

[0059] According to another specific embodiment of the present invention, an aerosol forming substrate 43 roll forming system is also disclosed, comprising:

[0060] Drying apparatus and roll forming apparatus for any of the aforementioned aerosol-forming substrates.

[0061] The drying device is used to dry the wet aerosol forming substrate produced by the roll forming device of the aerosol forming substrate.

[0062] Furthermore, the roll forming system provided by this invention can achieve the following processing steps:

[0063] Aerosol forming sheet roll forming: The extruded material F is quantitatively distributed into the first material F1 and the second material F2, which enter the two first roll forming equipment channels in equal amounts and at equal speeds, and are rolled to obtain the first sheet G1 and the second sheet G2. The first sheet G1 and the second sheet G2 can be obtained through multi-stage roll forming according to the design of the equipment.

[0064] Applying volatile fragrance substances: Spray volatile fragrance substance E onto one side of the first sheet G1 and the second sheet G2, so that a certain amount of volatile fragrance substance is applied to one side of the G1 and G2 sheets, resulting in the first sheet H1 and the second sheet H2 respectively.

[0065] Lamination and Rolling: The two sheets, H1 and H2, with the sides of the first sheet and the second sheet having the volatile aroma substance attached, are laminated and overlapped, and then rolled to obtain an aerosol forming substrate J1. Thus, the volatile aroma substance is located in the middle area of ​​the aerosol forming substrate J1 sheet.

[0066] Drying: The aerosol forming substrate J1 sheet is a sheet with a high moisture content. It is then dried in an oven to obtain the finished aerosol forming substrate.

[0067] While the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the above description is a further detailed explanation of the invention in conjunction with specific embodiments, and should not be construed as limiting the specific implementation of the invention to these descriptions. Various changes in form and detail can be made by those skilled in the art, including several simple deductions or substitutions, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A roll forming apparatus for heating an aerosol forming substrate for cigarettes, characterized in that, include: Two first roller pressing assemblies are used to roll tobacco material into a first aerosol forming sheet and a second aerosol forming sheet; A fragrance application component for spraying or coating a fragrance substance onto one side of the first aerosol forming sheet and / or the opposite side of the second aerosol forming sheet; The second roller pressing assembly includes one or more pairs of rollers connected in series, used to press the first aerosol forming sheet and the second aerosol forming sheet after the fragrance component has been processed to form the aerosol forming substrate, wherein at least a portion of the fragrance substance is located between the first aerosol forming sheet and the second aerosol forming sheet, and the rollers are not provided with sealing heads.

2. The roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first aerosol forming sheet and the second aerosol forming sheet are rolled together to form an aerosol forming substrate.

3. The roll forming apparatus for aerosol-forming substrates according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first rolling assembly is a multi-stage rolling assembly.

4. The roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first rolling assembly is a three-stage rolling assembly or a four-stage rolling assembly.

5. The roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second roller pressing assembly is either a primary roller pressing assembly or a secondary roller pressing assembly.

6. The roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The axial directions of the pressure rollers of the two first roller pressing assemblies and the second roller pressing assembly are consistent.

7. The roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The fragrance-adding component is disposed within the triangular area formed by the last pressure roller of the two first roller pressing components and the first pressure roller of the second roller pressing component.

8. The roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The fragrance-adding component includes a nozzle or a coating roller.

9. A roll forming system for an aerosol-formed substrate, characterized in that, include: Drying apparatus and roll forming apparatus for aerosol forming substrate according to any one of claims 1-8.

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