Method and apparatus for stationary splicing of material strips

Abstract

The invention relates to a splice head for splicing two strips of material, comprising: a process direction extending from an upstream end to a downstream end; an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the processing direction; a first channel for guiding a first strip of material and a second channel for guiding a second strip of material, the first channel and the second channel being arranged in parallel along the processing direction; an upstream cutting plate and a downstream cutting plate, the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate being arranged between the first channel and the second channel along the orthogonal direction; an upstream cutting blade and a downstream cutting blade, the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade are arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction such that the upstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the second channel and the downstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the first channel; and a welding station arranged between the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade in the process direction, the welding station comprising at least one welding electrode and a welding plate, the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate are arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction. The invention also relates to a method for splicing two strips of material and to a device for splicing two strips of material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a splice for splicing two strips of material. The present disclosure also relates to a method for splicing two strips of material. The present disclosure also relates to an apparatus for splicing two strips of material. Background Art

[0002] In manufacturing operations where a strip of material arranged to be wound on a reel is processed, it may be desirable to unwind the strip from the reel at high speed so that the strip can also be processed at high speed. For example, in the production of aerosol-generating articles, the strip may be a strip of susceptor material, such as a metal strip.

[0003] When a reel is empty, the manufacturing or production process must be slowed down or stopped in order to replace the empty reel with a new reel. Similarly, when a strip is defective, the manufacturing or production process must be slowed down or stopped in order to replace the defective strip with a new strip. In order to avoid stopping production completely, two strips wound on two different reels (an "old" reel and a "new" reel) can be provided. The strips can be spliced ​​so that a new reel with a non-defective strip replaces an old reel with a defective strip or an old reel on which the strip is about to be exhausted. However, the joint portion of the strip where the old strip is spliced ​​with the new strip may exhibit reduced stability and may be more susceptible to cracking due to physical stress when being further processed downstream of the splice. Summary of the invention

[0004] It would be desirable to provide a splicing mechanism that can allow the splicing of two metal strips without removing the strips from the manufacturing line during splicing. It would be desirable to provide a splicing mechanism that reduces or avoids downtime of the manufacturing line due to splicing. It would be desirable to provide a splicing mechanism that can reduce the mean time to restart the equipment. It would be desirable to provide a splicing mechanism that can avoid stopping the machine during splicing. It would be desirable to provide a more robust splicing mechanism. It would be desirable to provide a splicing mechanism that has a high mechanical stability of the spliced ​​strips. It would be desirable to provide a splicing mechanism that reduces the risk of defects or breakage of the spliced ​​strips. It would be desirable to provide a splicing mechanism that can reduce the waste of strip material. It would be desirable to provide a more economically advantageous splicing mechanism. It would be desirable to provide a more ecologically advantageous splicing mechanism.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a splicing head for splicing two strips of material is provided. The splicing head may include a processing direction extending from an upstream end to a downstream end. The splicing head may include an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the processing direction. The splicing head may include a first channel for guiding a first strip of material and a second channel for guiding a second strip of material. The first channel and the second channel may be arranged in parallel along the processing direction. The splicing head may include an upstream cutting plate and a downstream cutting plate. The upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate may be arranged between the first channel and the second channel along the orthogonal direction. The splicing head may include an upstream cutting blade. The splicing head may include a downstream cutting blade. The upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade may be arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction, so that the upstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the second channel, and the downstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the first channel. The splicing head may include a welding station arranged between the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade along the processing direction. The welding station may include at least one welding electrode and a welding plate. At least one welding electrode and a welding plate may be arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a splicing head for splicing two strips of material is provided. The splicing head includes a processing direction extending from an upstream end to a downstream end. The splicing head includes an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the processing direction. The splicing head includes a first channel for guiding a first strip of material and a second channel for guiding a second strip of material. The first channel and the second channel are arranged in parallel along the processing direction. The splicing head includes an upstream cutting plate and a downstream cutting plate. The upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate are arranged between the first channel and the second channel along the orthogonal direction. The splicing head includes an upstream cutting blade and a downstream cutting blade. The upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade are arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction, so that the upstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the second channel, and the downstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the first channel. The splicing head includes a welding station arranged between the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade along the processing direction. The welding station includes at least one welding electrode and a welding plate. At least one welding electrode and a welding plate are arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction.

[0007] A splicing mechanism is provided which can reduce the mean time to restart the equipment. A splicing mechanism is provided which can avoid stopping the machine during splicing. A more robust splicing mechanism is provided. A splicing mechanism is provided which has a high mechanical stability of the spliced ​​strip. A splicing mechanism is provided which reduces the risk of defects or breaks in the spliced ​​strip. Defects or breaks in the spliced ​​strip may result in defective strip parts downstream of the splice or defective goods that need to be discarded. Therefore, a splicing mechanism is provided which can reduce the waste of strip material. A splicing mechanism that may be more economically advantageous is provided. A splicing mechanism that may be more ecologically advantageous is provided.

[0008] The upstream cutting blade may be located directly downstream of the upstream cutting plate. The downstream cutting blade may be located directly upstream of the downstream cutting plate. The upstream cutting blade may be located directly downstream of the upstream cutting plate, and the downstream cutting blade may be located directly upstream of the downstream cutting plate.

[0009] The at least one welding electrode may include an upstream welding electrode and a downstream welding electrode. The welding station may be configured to apply a current pulse between the upstream welding electrode and the downstream welding electrode.

[0010] The splice may include one or more guiding and aligning means for guiding and aligning one or both of the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate relative to the respective upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade. The guiding and aligning means may guide the cutting plate to align directly adjacent to its corresponding cutting blade along the processing direction so as to perform the shear cutting action and avoid any accidental collision of the cutting plate on the respective cutting blade.

[0011] One or both of the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade may include guiding and aligning means. One or both of the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade may have an L-shape, including a horizontal cutting portion for cutting the material strip, and an orthogonal aligning portion, the orthogonal aligning portion being parallel to the orthogonal direction and serving as guiding and aligning means for guiding and aligning the cutting plate relative to the respective cutting blade.

[0012] The splice may include one or more alignment means for aligning the first and second strips on top of each other. The splice may include alignment means comprising one or more pairs of engagement structures, the one or more pairs of engagement structures being arranged at opposite sides of the first and second channels in an orthogonal direction such that the first structure of a pair is positioned adjacent to the second channel and the engaged second structure of the pair is positioned adjacent to the first channel. The first and second strips may be guided along the first and second channels between each pair of engagement structures and thereby may be aligned on top of each other. The engagement structures may be engagement tripods.

[0013] One or both of the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade can be configured to allow only limited movement of the cutting blade along the orthogonal direction. For example, the upstream cutting blade can be configured to orthogonally move only in the orthogonal direction beyond the edge of the upstream cutting plate facing the upstream cutting blade by less than 80%, or less than 75%, or less than 50% of the thickness of the cutting plate. For example, the upstream cutting blade can be configured to orthogonally move only beyond the edge of the upstream cutting plate facing the upstream cutting blade by less than 10 mm, less than 5 mm, or less than 2 mm.

[0014] For example, the downstream cutting blade can be configured to move orthogonally only in an orthogonal direction beyond the edge of the downstream cutting plate facing the downstream cutting blade by less than 80%, or less than 75%, or less than 50% of the thickness of the cutting plate. For example, the downstream cutting blade can be configured to move orthogonally only beyond the edge of the downstream cutting plate facing the downstream cutting blade by less than 10 mm, less than 5 mm, or less than 2 mm.

[0015] By limiting the orthogonal movement of one or both of the upstream and downstream cutting blades, it can be additionally ensured that each cutting blade cuts only one of the strips and that the other strip will not be accidentally cut or weakened by the respective blade.

[0016] One or both of the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate may be configured to be movable along a third direction.The third direction may be perpendicular to both the process direction and the orthogonal direction.

[0017] The present invention also relates to a method for splicing two strips of material. The method may include providing a splice as described herein. The method may include providing a first strip of material and a second strip of material. The method may include guiding the first strip and the second strip along the first channel and the second channel of the splice. The method may include stopping the conveyance of at least one section of the first strip and at least one section of the second strip along the processing direction to provide stationary sections of the first strip and the second strip at the location of the splice. The method may include moving the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate toward each other along the orthogonal direction so that the first strip and the second strip contact each other and are positioned between the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate. The method may include applying an electric current to the welding station to weld the first strip and the second strip to each other. The method may include moving the upstream cutting blade toward the upstream cutting plate along the orthogonal direction to cut off the upstream end of the second strip from the welded first and second strips. The method may include moving the downstream cutting blade toward the downstream cutting plate along the orthogonal direction to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first and second strips.

[0018] The present invention also relates to a method for splicing two strips of material. The method comprises providing a splice as described herein. The method comprises providing a first strip of material and a second strip of material. The method comprises guiding the first strip and the second strip along the first channel and the second channel of the splice. The method comprises stopping the conveyance of at least one section of the first strip and at least one section of the second strip along the processing direction to provide stationary sections of the first strip and the second strip at the location of the splice. The method comprises moving the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate toward each other along the orthogonal direction so that the first strip and the second strip contact each other and are positioned between the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate. The method comprises applying an electric current to the welding station to weld the first strip and the second strip to each other. The method comprises moving the upstream cutting blade toward the upstream cutting plate along the orthogonal direction to cut off the upstream end of the second strip from the welded first strip and the second strip. The method comprises moving the downstream cutting blade toward the downstream cutting plate along the orthogonal direction to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first strip and the second strip.

[0019] The method steps can be performed successively according to the order mentioned above.

[0020] One or more of the method steps may be performed simultaneously. For example, the method may include moving an upstream cutting blade toward an upstream cutting plate along an orthogonal direction to cut off an upstream end of the second strip from the welded first and second strips, and simultaneously moving a downstream cutting blade toward a downstream cutting plate along an orthogonal direction to cut off a downstream end of the first strip from the welded first and second strips. For example, the steps of moving the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate toward each other along an orthogonal direction so that the first strip and the second strip contact each other and are positioned between the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate, moving the upstream cutting blade toward the upstream cutting plate along the orthogonal direction, and moving the downstream cutting blade toward the downstream cutting plate along the orthogonal direction may be performed simultaneously or may be performed partially simultaneously.

[0021] With the static splicing mechanism of the present invention, there may be less mechanical friction between the electrode and the metal strip compared to a dynamic splicing mechanism, in which the delivery of the strip is not stopped during splicing. As a result, the electrode wear may be less and the electrode may last longer. An economically more advantageous splicing mechanism may be provided.

[0022] With the static splicing mechanism of the present invention, there may be less misalignment of metal strips on top of each other than with a dynamic splicing mechanism, as a moving strip is more likely to be inadvertently deflected than a static strip. A more robust splicing strip may be provided.

[0023] The step of applying electric current to the welding station to weld the first strip and the second strip to each other may be performed in different ways.

[0024] For example, the at least one welding electrode may be a single electrode and a current may be applied between the single electrode and the welding plate.

[0025] For example, at least one welding electrode may be a first electrode and a second electrode, and current may be applied between the first electrode and the welding plate in a first pulse, and then between the second electrode and the welding plate in a second pulse.

[0026] For example, at least one welding electrode may be a first electrode and a second electrode, and current may be applied between the first electrode and the welding plate with a first pulse and simultaneously applied between the second electrode and the welding plate with a second pulse.

[0027] For example, the at least one welding electrode may be a first electrode and a second electrode, and the current may be applied between the first electrode and the welding plate and between the second electrode and the welding plate in a single pulse.

[0028] For example, the at least one welding electrode may be a first electrode and a second electrode, and a current may be applied between the first electrode and the second electrode.

[0029] The first electrode may be located upstream of the second electrode along the process direction.The first electrode may be located downstream of the second electrode along the process direction.

[0030] After the step of moving the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first and second strips, the method may include the step of retracting the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate along the orthogonal direction. After the step of moving the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first and second strips, the method may include the step of retracting the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate along the orthogonal direction, and then including the step of retracting the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction. After the step of moving the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first and second strips, the method may include the step of retracting the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate along the orthogonal direction, and simultaneously including the step of retracting the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction.

[0031] The method may include the step of aligning the first strip of material and the second strip of material on top of each other. The aligning step may be performed before welding the strips and / or during welding the strips. The aligning step may be performed by one or more alignment devices as described herein.

[0032] The method may include the steps of guiding and aligning one or both of the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate relative to the respective upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade. The guiding and aligning steps may be performed before welding the strip and / or during welding the strip. The guiding and aligning steps may be performed by one or more guiding and aligning devices as described herein.

[0033] After the step of moving the downstream cutting blade in the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first and second strips, the method may include the step of retracting the upstream and downstream cutting plates in a third direction.

[0034] Preferably, the first strip of material and the second strip of material are not pre-weakened prior to splicing.

[0035] The first strip of material and the second strip of material may include a susceptor material. The susceptor material may include one or more metals. The susceptor material may include aluminum. The first strip of material and the second strip of material may be configured for use as a susceptor in an aerosol-generating article. The first strip and the second strip may be susceptor strips for use in an aerosol-generating article.

[0036] As used herein, a "susceptor" or "susceptor element" refers to an element that becomes hot when subjected to an alternating magnetic field. This may be the result of eddy currents, hysteresis losses, or both eddy currents and hysteresis losses induced in the susceptor element. During use, the susceptor element is positioned in thermal contact or close thermal proximity to an aerosol-forming substrate received in an aerosol generating device or cartridge. In this way, the aerosol-forming substrate is heated by the susceptor such that an aerosol is formed.

[0037] The susceptor element may be formed from any material that is capable of being inductively heated to a temperature sufficient to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-forming substrate.Preferably the susceptor element comprises metal or carbon.

[0038] Preferred susceptor elements may comprise or consist of a ferromagnetic material, such as a ferromagnetic alloy, ferritic iron, or a ferromagnetic steel or stainless steel. Suitable susceptor elements may be or comprise aluminium.

[0039] Suitable susceptor elements may include a non-metallic core having a metal layer disposed on the non-metallic core, such as a metal track formed on the surface of a ceramic core. The susceptor element may have an outer protective layer, such as a ceramic protective layer or a glass protective layer encapsulating the susceptor element. The susceptor element may include a protective coating formed of glass, ceramic or an inert metal formed on the core of the susceptor element material.

[0040] The susceptor element may be arranged in thermal contact with the aerosol-forming substrate of the aerosol-forming substrate portion of which the susceptor element is included. Thus, when the susceptor element heats up, the aerosol-forming substrate heats up and an aerosol is formed. Preferably, the susceptor element is arranged in direct physical contact with the aerosol-forming substrate, for example within the aerosol-forming substrate.

[0041] The first strip of material and the second strip of material may have a width of at least about 1 mm, more preferably at least about 2 mm. Typically, the susceptor may have a width of up to 8 mm, preferably less than or equal to about 6 mm. The first strip of material and the second strip of material may have a substantially rectangular cross-section having a width of preferably about 2 mm to about 8 mm, more preferably about 3 mm to about 6 mm. The first strip of material and the second strip of material may have a width of about 4 mm.

[0042] The first strip of material and the second strip of material may have a thickness of about 10 microns to about 1,000 microns, preferably about 20 microns to about 500 microns, more preferably about 25 microns to about 250 microns, more preferably about 30 microns to about 100 microns, more preferably about 40 microns to about 80 microns. The first strip of material and the second strip of material may have a thickness of about 57 microns to about 63 microns. Even more preferably, the first strip of material and the second strip of material may have a thickness of about 58 microns to about 62 microns. Most preferably, the first strip of material and the second strip of material have a thickness of about 60 microns.

[0043] Preferably, the first strip and the second strip are made of the same material and have the same dimensions.

[0044] The conveying of the material web may be performed at a web speed of between about 50 m / min and about 400 m / min.

[0045] The buffer unit may be arranged downstream of the splicing joint. The method may include during the step of splicing the first strip and the second strip at the splicing joint one of: stopping, operating at a reduced speed, or operating at a normal speed a portion of the processing line downstream of the buffer unit. The method may include buffering a given length of the first strip in the buffer unit prior to the splicing step.

[0046] The upstream portion of the first strip may be wound on the first reel. The upstream portion of the second strip may be wound on the second reel. The method may include rejecting the first reel after the splicing step. The method may include interchanging the position of the first reel and the position of the second reel after the splicing step.

[0047] The method may comprise providing an aerosol-forming substrate and forming a strip comprising the spliced ​​strip and the aerosol-forming substrate.

[0048] According to an embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of forming an aerosol-generating article, comprising forming one or more strips as described herein, and incorporating the one or more strips into an aerosol-generating article.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for splicing two strips of material. The apparatus comprises a processing line. The processing line comprises an upstream end and a downstream end. The processing line is configured to process one or both of a first strip of material and a second strip of material. The apparatus comprises a splicing head as described herein. The splicing head is located between the upstream end and the downstream end of the processing line.

[0050] The device may include a buffer unit. The buffer unit may be adapted to buffer a variable amount of the first strip or the second strip. The buffer unit is located downstream of the splicing head.

[0051] The device may include a quality sensor configured to detect a value of a quality parameter at a detected portion of the first strip. The device may include a controller connected to the quality sensor. The controller may be configured to evaluate whether the value of the quality parameter falls within a predetermined threshold in order to determine whether a splicing routine is to be initiated. In the event that the value does not fall within the predetermined threshold, the quality at the detected portion of the first strip is acceptable. This means that normal processing of the first strip continues and splicing is not initiated. In the event that the value does fall within the predetermined threshold, the quality at the detected portion of the first strip is outside an acceptable range. This means that a splicing routine is initiated by the controller.

[0052] The quality sensor may comprise an optical sensor, preferably one or more of a light sensor, a camera or a video camera.The optical sensor may comprise a light source.

[0053] The quality sensor may be configured to detect one or more of a width of the first strip, a thickness of the first strip, and the presence or absence of holes or tears in the first strip. The quality sensor may be configured to detect a width of the first strip, and the quality parameter may be the width of the first strip.

[0054] The first strip defines a width. The width of the strip is the dimension of the strip in a direction substantially perpendicular to the processing direction of the strip. The width of the strip is also substantially perpendicular to the thickness of the strip. Where the width is measured as a quality parameter, a width sensor may be used that is adapted to measure the width of the first strip of material and to emit a signal based on the width measurement. The width sensor may be a distance sensor. The width sensor may include a light barrier sensor. The width sensor may include a camera.

[0055] The splicing can be done based on the measurement of the width of the first strip.

[0056] The quality sensor may be or may include a distance sensor adapted to measure the distance between the sensor and the outer surface of the roll holding the strip of material. When the distance is outside a preset range, the quality sensor may indicate that the roll may be almost exhausted.

[0057] Preferably, the evaluation of the one or more quality parameters of the first stripe is performed prior to the buffering of the first stripe.

[0058] The apparatus may include a first holder for holding a first strip of material and a second holder for holding a second strip of material. The first holder may be a first shaft adapted to rotatably hold a first reel of the first strip. The second holder may be a second shaft adapted to rotatably hold a second reel of the second strip.

[0059] The upstream portion of the first strip may be wound on a first reel. The upstream portion of the second strip may be wound on a second reel. The first reel may be formed by a roll of a first strip of material. The first reel may be inserted into a first shaft, the first shaft being adapted to rotate about its axis of rotation. The second reel may be formed by a roll of a second strip of material. The second reel may be inserted into a second shaft, the second shaft being adapted to rotate about its axis of rotation. The method may comprise the step of rejecting the first reel after the splicing step. The method may comprise the step of interchanging the position of the first reel and the position of the second reel after the splicing. Preferably, in the first shaft, a new reel, such as a third reel, is inserted to replace the first reel.

[0060] The apparatus may include a reel holder unit including a first shaft and a second shaft. The reel holder unit may be adapted to interchange the positions of the first shaft and the second shaft. For example, the reel holder unit may include a rotating disk, and the first shaft and the second shaft may extend from the same face of the disk. The rotation of the disk may allow for interchange between the positions of the shafts.

[0061] The apparatus may comprise a rod former.The rod so formed is preferably used as a component of an aerosol-generating article.

[0062] As used herein, the term "strip" refers to a laminar element whose width and length are significantly greater than its thickness. The width of the material strip is preferably between about 1 mm and about 8 mm. The thickness of the material strip is preferably between about 20 microns and about 500 microns, more preferably between about 30 microns and about 80 microns, and even more preferably between about 50 microns and 70 microns.

[0063] As used herein, the term "aerosol-generating article" refers to an article comprising an aerosol-forming substrate capable of releasing volatile compounds that can form an aerosol. An "aerosol-generating article" according to the present invention may be in the form of two articles, in a first article, an alkaloid-containing material (e.g., tobacco material) is heated without combustion to form an aerosol, and in a second article, an alkaloid-containing aerosol is generated from an alkaloid-containing material (e.g., from a tobacco extract) or other nicotine source without combustion or heating. An aerosol-generating article according to the present invention may be an entire assembled aerosol-forming article or a component of an aerosol-generating article that is combined with one or more other components to provide an assembled article for generating an aerosol, such as a consumable part of a heated smoking device. An aerosol-generating article may include a sensor strip defined by an aerosol-forming substrate.

[0064] The terms "upstream" or "downstream" refer herein to the processing direction of the strip.

[0065] As used herein, the term "vertical" is not necessarily limited to an angle of just 90 degrees, but may include an angle that deviates from a right angle to a certain extent in some embodiments. For example, a deviation of about 15 degrees or less, or about 10 degrees or less, or about 5 degrees or less, or about 2 degrees or less, or about 1 degree or less may be permissible. For example, the angle between the processing direction and the orthogonal direction may be between 75 degrees and 90 degrees, between 80 degrees and 90 degrees, between 85 degrees and 90 degrees, between 88 degrees and 90 degrees, or between 89 degrees and 90 degrees. The term "vertical" may be limited to an angle of about 90 degrees. The term "vertical" may be limited to an angle of 90 degrees.

[0066] As used herein, the term "parallel" is not necessarily limited to the angle of just 0 degree, but can include in some embodiments the angle that deviates from the strict parallel direction to a certain extent.For example, about 15 degree or less, or about 10 degree or less, or about 5 degree or less, or about 2 degree or less, or about 1 degree or less deviation can be allowed.For example, along the angle between the first channel and the second channel of the processing direction can be between 0 degree and 15 degree, between 0 degree and 10 degree, between 0 degree and 5 degree, between 0 degree and 2 degree or between 0 degree and 1 degree.The term "parallel" can be limited to the angle of about 0 degree.The term "parallel" can be limited to the angle of 0 degree.

[0067] A non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples is provided below.Any one or more features of these examples may be combined with any one or more features of another example, embodiment or aspect described herein.

[0068] Example E1: A splice for joining two strips of material, comprising

[0069] a processing direction, the processing direction extending from an upstream end to a downstream end;

[0070] an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the processing direction;

[0071] a first channel for guiding a first strip of material and a second channel for guiding a second strip of material, the first channel and the second channel being arranged in parallel along the process direction;

[0072] an upstream cutting plate and a downstream cutting plate, the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate being arranged between the first channel and the second channel along the orthogonal direction;

[0073] an upstream cutting blade and a downstream cutting blade arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction such that the upstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the second channel and the downstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the first channel; and

[0074] A welding station is arranged between the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade along the processing direction, and the welding station includes at least one welding electrode and a welding plate, and the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate are arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction.

[0075] Example E2: The splice of Example E1, wherein the upstream cutting blade is located directly downstream of the upstream cutting plate, and the downstream cutting blade is located directly upstream of the downstream cutting plate.

[0076] Example E3: The splice of Example E1 or Example E2, wherein the at least one welding electrode comprises an upstream welding electrode and a downstream welding electrode, preferably wherein the welding station is configured to apply a current pulse between the upstream welding electrode and the downstream welding electrode.

[0077] Example E4: The splice of any preceding example, wherein the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate are configured to be movable along a third direction that is perpendicular to both the process direction and the orthogonal direction.

[0078] Example E5: A splice according to any of the preceding examples, comprising one or more guiding and alignment devices, wherein the one or more guiding and alignment devices are used to guide and align one or both of the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate relative to the corresponding upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade.

[0079] Example E6: The splice of Example E5, wherein one or both of the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade include the guiding and aligning means.

[0080] Example E7: A splicing joint according to Example E6, wherein one or both of the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade have an L-shape, including a horizontal cutting portion for cutting the material strip, and an orthogonal alignment portion, which is parallel to the orthogonal direction and serves as a guiding and alignment device, and the guiding and alignment device is used to guide and align the cutting plate relative to the corresponding cutting blade.

[0081] Example E8 The splice of any preceding example, comprising one or more alignment means for aligning the first strip and the second strip on top of each other.

[0082] Example E9: A splice according to Example E8, wherein the alignment means is provided by one or more pairs of engaging structures, the one or more pairs of engaging structures being arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in an orthogonal direction, such that the first structure of a pair is positioned adjacent to the second channel and the engaged second structure of the pair is positioned adjacent to the first channel, and

[0083] Wherein the splice is configured to guide the first strip and the second strip along the first channel and the second channel between respective pairs of engagement structures so that the first strip and the second strip are aligned on top of each other.

[0084] Example E10 The splice of example E9, wherein the engagement structure is configured to engage a tripod.

[0085] Example E11: A method for splicing two strips of material comprising the following steps,

[0086] Providing a splice according to any one of Examples E1 to E10;

[0087] providing a first strip of material and a second strip of material;

[0088] guiding the first strip and the second strip along the first channel and the second channel of the splice;

[0089] stopping conveyance of at least one section of the first strip and at least one section of the second strip along the process direction to provide stationary sections of the first strip and the second strip at the location of the splice;

[0090] moving the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate toward each other along the orthogonal direction such that the first strip and the second strip contact each other and are positioned between the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate;

[0091] applying an electric current to the welding station to weld the first strip and the second strip to each other;

[0092] moving the upstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction toward the upstream cutting plate to cut off an upstream end of the second strip from the welded first and second strips; and

[0093] The downstream cutting blade is moved along the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut off a downstream end of the first strip from the welded first and second strips.

[0094] Example E12: According to the method described in Example E11, after the step of moving the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first strip and the second strip, it also includes the step of retracting the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate along the orthogonal direction, and then optionally includes the step of retracting the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction.

[0095] Example E13: The method according to Example E11 or Example E12 includes providing the splicing joint according to Example E4, and after the step of moving the downstream cutting blade toward the downstream cutting plate along the orthogonal direction to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first strip and the second strip, also includes the step of retracting the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate along the third direction.

[0096] Example E14: A method for splicing two strips of material comprising the following steps,

[0097] providing a processing line for conveying a strip of material from an upstream end toward a downstream end of the processing line;

[0098] providing a splice positioned between the upstream and downstream ends of the processing line;

[0099] providing a first strip of material and a second strip of material in the processing line;

[0100] stopping the conveyance of at least one section of the first strip and at least one section of the second strip to provide stationary sections of the first strip and the second strip at the location of the splice; and

[0101] The stationary segment of the first strip and the stationary segment of the second strip are spliced ​​at the splicing joint.

[0102] Example E15: The method of Example E14, wherein the splice comprises a welding station, and wherein splicing the stationary segment of the first strip and the stationary segment of the second strip at the splice comprises welding the first strip to the second strip.

[0103] Example E16: A method according to Example E14 or Example E15, wherein the splicing station includes an upstream cutting blade and a downstream cutting blade, and wherein the step of splicing the stationary segment of the first strip and the stationary segment of the second strip at the splicing joint includes cutting off the upstream portion of the second strip by the upstream cutting blade and cutting off the downstream portion of the first strip by the downstream cutting blade.

[0104] Example E17 The method of any of Examples E11 to E16, wherein the first strip of material and the second strip of material are not pre-weakened prior to splicing.

[0105] Example E18: The method of any of Examples E11 to E17, wherein the first strip of material and the second strip of material comprise a susceptor material, preferably wherein the susceptor material comprises one or more metals, more preferably wherein the susceptor material comprises aluminum.

[0106] Example E19: The method of Example E18, wherein the first strip and the second strip are susceptor strips for use in an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-forming substrate.

[0107] Example E20: The method of any one of Examples E11 to E19, further comprising a buffer unit disposed downstream of the splicing head.

[0108] Example E21: The method of Example E20, wherein during the step of splicing the first strip and the second strip at the splice joint, a portion of the processing line downstream of the buffer unit is stopped or operated at a reduced speed or at a normal speed.

[0109] Example E22: The method of Example E20 or Example E21, comprising buffering a given length of the first strip in the buffer unit before the splicing step.

[0110] Example E23: The method of any of Examples E11 to E22, wherein the upstream portion of the first strip is wound on a first reel and the upstream portion of the second strip is wound on a second reel.

[0111] Example E24: The method of example E23, further comprising the step of rejecting the first roll after the splicing step.

[0112] Example E25: The method of example E23 or example E24, further comprising the step of interchanging the position of the first roll and the position of the second roll after splicing.

[0113] Example E26: The method of any one of Examples E11 to E25, further comprising providing an aerosol-forming substrate; and forming a strip comprising the spliced ​​strip and the aerosol-forming substrate.

[0114] Example E27: A method of forming an aerosol-generating article, comprising forming one or more strips according to the method of Example E26; and incorporating the one or more strips into an aerosol-generating article.

[0115] Example E28: An apparatus for joining two strips of material, comprising

[0116] a processing line comprising an upstream end and a downstream end and configured for processing the first strip of material and the second strip of material; and

[0117] The splice of any of Examples E1 to E10, wherein the splice is located between an upstream end and a downstream end of the processing line.

[0118] Example E29: The apparatus of Example E28, comprising a buffer unit adapted to buffer a variable amount of the first strip or the second strip, the buffer unit being located downstream of the splice.

[0119] Example E30: The apparatus of Example E28 or Example E29, comprising a quality sensor configured to detect a value of a quality parameter at the detected portion of the first strip.

[0120] Example E31: The apparatus of any of Examples E28 to E30, comprising a strip former.

[0121] Features described with respect to one embodiment may be equally applicable to other embodiments of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0122] The present invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0123] Figure 1 a and 1b show the splice;

[0124] Figure 2 a to 2c show the steps of the splicing method; and

[0125] Figure 3 a to 3c show splices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0126] Figure 1 a schematically shows a splice for splicing two strips of material. The splice comprises a process direction 10 extending from an upstream end 12 to a downstream end 14. The splice comprises an orthogonal direction 16 perpendicular to the process direction 10. The splice comprises a first strip 20 (see Figure 1 b) a first channel 18 and a second strip 24 for guiding the material (see Figure 1b) a second channel 22. The first channel 18 and the second channel 22 are arranged in parallel along the process direction 10. The splice comprises an upstream cutting plate 26 and a downstream cutting plate 28. The upstream cutting plate 26 and the downstream cutting plate 28 are arranged between the first channel 18 and the second channel 22 along the orthogonal direction 16. The splice comprises an upstream cutting blade 30 located directly downstream of the upstream cutting plate 26 and a downstream cutting blade 32 located directly upstream of the downstream cutting plate 28. The upstream cutting blade 30 and the downstream cutting blade 32 are arranged at opposite sides of the first channel 18 and the second channel 22 in the orthogonal direction 16, such that the upstream cutting blade 30 is positioned adjacent to the second channel 22 and the downstream cutting blade 32 is positioned adjacent to the first channel 18. The splice comprises a welding station arranged between the upstream cutting blade 30 and the downstream cutting blade 32 along the process direction 10. The welding station comprises an upstream welding electrode 34, a downstream welding electrode 36 and a welding plate 38. The welding electrodes 34 , 36 and the welding plate 38 are arranged at opposite sides of the first channel 18 and the second channel 22 in the orthogonal direction 16 .

[0127] Figure 1 b shows Figure 1 a and the first strip 20 of material and the second strip 24 of material.

[0128] Figure 2 a shows the first strip 20 of material and the second strip 24 of material after being guided through the first passage 18 and the second passage 22 of the splice, respectively (as shown in FIG. Figure 1 a and Figure 1 b) is the first step of the splicing method. The first strip 20 and the second strip 24 are stopped along the processing direction 10 (see Figure 1 a) after being conveyed to provide a stationary section of the first strip 20 and the second strip 24 at the location of the splice, Figure 2 In the configuration of FIG. 1 , the upstream welding electrode 34 and the downstream welding electrode 36 and the welding plate 38 have been moved toward each other along the orthogonal direction 16, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown by arrows in a. Thus, the first strip 20 and the second strip 24 are in contact with each other and are positioned to be sandwiched between the welding electrodes 34, 36 and the welding plate 38.

[0129] exist Figure 2 In this configuration shown in a, current is applied to the welding station to weld the first strip 20 and the second strip 24 to each other.

[0130] Figure 2 b shows that Figure 2 The second step after the first strip 20 and the second strip 24 shown in a are welded to each other. Figure 2b, the upstream cutting blade 30 has been moved in the orthogonal direction 16 towards the upstream cutting plate 26 to cut off the upstream end 25 of the second strip from the welded first and second strips. Cutting off the upstream end 25 of the second strip is facilitated by the shearing action applied to the second strip 24 between the upstream scissors formed by the upstream cutting blade 30 and the upstream cutting plate 26. The upstream scissors do not apply a shearing action to the first strip 20. The first strip 20 will only be pushed upwards in the orthogonal direction 16 by the moving upstream cutting blade 30, as there is no opposing plate against which to cut.

[0131] At the same time, the downstream cutting blade 32 has been moved in the orthogonal direction 16 towards the downstream cutting plate 28 to cut off the downstream end 21 of the first strip from the welded first and second strips 20, 24. Cutting off the downstream end 21 of the first strip is facilitated by the shearing action applied to the first strip 20 between the downstream shears formed by the downstream cutting blade 32 and the downstream cutting plate 28. The downstream shears do not apply a shearing action to the second strip 24. The second strip 24 will only be pushed downwardly in the orthogonal direction 16 by the moving downstream cutting blade 32, since there is no opposing plate against which to cut.

[0132] The movement of the cutting blades 30, 32 is determined by Figure 2 Indicated by arrows in b.

[0133] Figure 2 c shows that the parts 21, 25 of the first strip and the second strip have been cut away (as shown in FIG. Figure 2 b). Figure 2 c, the welding electrodes 34, 36 and the welding plate 38 have been retracted away from the spliced ​​strip in the orthogonal direction 16. The movement of the welding electrodes 34, 36 and the welding plate 38 is determined by Figure 2 c. In a subsequent fourth step (not shown), the upstream cutting blade 30 and the downstream cutting blade 32 are also retracted away from the spliced ​​strip along the orthogonal direction 16. In another subsequent step (not shown) performed after the third step and before, simultaneously with, or after the fourth step, the upstream cutting plate 26 and the downstream cutting plate 28 are retracted away from the spliced ​​strip along a third direction, which is orthogonal to both the process direction 10 and the orthogonal direction 16.

[0134] Figure 3 The perspective view shows a device for use in three different configurations ( Figure 3 a to 3c) A splice of two strips of spliced ​​material. Figure 3 The processing direction 10 and the orthogonal direction 16 are indicated in c. Figure 3 c also indicates a third direction 17 which is perpendicular to both the process direction 10 and the orthogonal direction 16. The third direction 17 is thus from Figure 3The image planes of a to 3c point outward.

[0135] Figure 3 a indicates the first channel 18 and the second channel 22 for guiding the splice of the material strip, the upstream cutting plate 26 and the downstream cutting plate 28, the upstream cutting blade 30 and the downstream cutting blade 32, and the upstream welding electrode 34 and the downstream welding electrode 36. The upstream cutting blade 30 is mounted on the first movable module 40. The downstream cutting blade 32 is mounted on the second movable module 42. Figure 3 In the sequence of a to 3c, the movable modules 40, 42 are moved towards each other so that Figure 3 In the configuration shown in c, the upstream cutting blade 30 has been moved along the orthogonal direction 16 towards the upstream cutting plate 26 to cut off the upstream end of the second strip ( Figure 3 ), and the downstream cutting blade 32 has been moved along the orthogonal direction 16 toward the downstream cutting plate 28 to cut off the downstream end of the first strip ( Figure 3 The welding electrodes 34, 36 move together with the movable module 40 and simultaneously.

[0136] Figure 3 a to Figure 3 The upstream cutting blade 30 and the downstream cutting blade 32 of the splicing joint c fulfill a dual function, namely a cutting function of cutting the corresponding strips and a guiding and aligning function of guiding the corresponding cutting plates 26, 28 to align with the cutting blades 30, 32 so as to perform a shear cutting action and avoid any accidental collision of the cutting plates 26, 28 on the corresponding cutting blades 30, 32. Figure 3 b indicates that the upstream cutting blade 30 comprises a horizontal cutting portion 30a for cutting the second strip 20 ( Figure 3 and an orthogonal alignment portion 30b which serves as a guide and alignment device for guiding the cutting plate 26 and aligning the cutting plate with the horizontal cutting portion 30a of the cutting blade 30 to perform a shear cutting action. The downstream cutting blade 32 also includes a corresponding horizontal cutting portion and an orthogonal alignment portion.

[0137] Figure 3The splice also includes an alignment device for aligning the first strip and the second strip along the third direction 17. The alignment device includes an upstream top tripod 44, an upstream bottom tripod 46, a downstream top tripod 48 and a downstream bottom tripod 50. The bottom tripods 46, 50 are mounted on the first movable module 40, and the top tripods 44, 48 are mounted on the second movable module 42. The top tripods 44, 48 are each oriented inversely relative to their respective bottom tripods 46, 50 so that they can engage when the first movable module 40 and the second movable module 42 are moved toward each other. The first strip and the second strip are guided along the first channel and the second channel between the engaged pairs of tripods 44, 46 and 48, 50 and thereby aligned along the third direction 17.

Claims

1. A splice for joining two strips of material, comprising a processing direction, the processing direction extending from an upstream end to a downstream end; an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the processing direction; a first channel for guiding a first strip of material and a second channel for guiding a second strip of material, the first channel and the second channel being arranged in parallel along the process direction; an upstream cutting plate and a downstream cutting plate, the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate being arranged between the first channel and the second channel along the orthogonal direction; an upstream cutting blade and a downstream cutting blade arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction such that the upstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the second channel and the downstream cutting blade is positioned adjacent to the first channel; as well as A welding station is arranged between the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade along the processing direction, and the welding station includes at least one welding electrode and a welding plate, and the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate are arranged at opposite sides of the first channel and the second channel in the orthogonal direction.

2. The splice of claim 1, wherein the upstream cutting blade is located directly downstream of the upstream cutting plate, and the downstream cutting blade is located directly upstream of the downstream cutting plate.

3. A splice according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the at least one welding electrode comprises an upstream welding electrode and a downstream welding electrode, preferably wherein the welding station is configured to apply a current pulse between the upstream welding electrode and the downstream welding electrode.

4. The splice according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate are configured to be movable along a third direction, the third direction being perpendicular to both the process direction and the orthogonal direction.

5. A splice according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or both of the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade have an L-shape, comprising a horizontal cutting portion for cutting a strip of material, and an orthogonal alignment portion, the orthogonal alignment portion being parallel to the orthogonal direction and serving as a guiding and alignment means for guiding and aligning the cutting plate relative to the respective cutting blade.

6. A splice according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising alignment means for aligning the first and second strips on top of each other, wherein the alignment means is provided by one or more pairs of engaging structures arranged at opposite sides of the first and second channels in the orthogonal direction, such that a first structure of a pair is located adjacent to the second channel and an engaged second structure of the pair is located adjacent to the first channel, and wherein the splice is configured to guide the first and second strips along the first and second channels between respective pairs of engagement structures to align the first and second strips on top of each other, preferably wherein the engagement structures are configured to engage a tripod.

7. A method for splicing two strips of material comprising the following steps, Providing a splice according to any one of claims 1 to 6; providing a first strip of material and a second strip of material; guiding the first strip and the second strip along the first channel and the second channel of the splice; stopping conveyance of at least one section of the first strip and at least one section of the second strip along the process direction to provide stationary sections of the first strip and the second strip at the location of the splice; moving the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate toward each other along the orthogonal direction such that the first strip and the second strip contact each other and are positioned between the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate; applying an electric current to the welding station to weld the first strip and the second strip to each other; moving the upstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction toward the upstream cutting plate to cut off an upstream end of the second strip from the welded first and second strips; as well as The downstream cutting blade is moved along the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut off a downstream end of the first strip from the welded first and second strips.

8. The method according to claim 7, after the step of moving the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first strip and the second strip, also includes the step of retracting the at least one welding electrode and the welding plate along the orthogonal direction, and then optionally includes the step of retracting the upstream cutting blade and the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction.

9. A method according to claim 7 or claim 8, comprising providing a splice according to claim 4, and after the step of moving the downstream cutting blade along the orthogonal direction toward the downstream cutting plate to cut off the downstream end of the first strip from the welded first strip and the second strip, further comprising the step of retracting the upstream cutting plate and the downstream cutting plate along the third direction.

10. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the first strip of material and the second strip of material comprise a susceptor material, preferably wherein the susceptor material comprises one or more metals, more preferably wherein the susceptor material comprises aluminium.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein the first strip and the second strip are susceptor strips for use in an aerosol-generating article comprising an aerosol-forming substrate.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, further comprising a buffer unit arranged downstream of the splicing head, preferably wherein the method comprises the step of buffering a given length of the first strip in the buffer unit before the splicing step.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein during the step of splicing the first strip and the second strip at the splice joint, a portion of the processing line downstream of the buffer unit is stopped or operated at a reduced speed or at a normal speed.

14. An apparatus for joining two strips of material, comprising: a processing line comprising an upstream end and a downstream end and configured for processing the first strip of material and the second strip of material; and A splice according to any one of claims 1 to 6, located between the upstream end and the downstream end of the processing line.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, comprising a buffer unit adapted to buffer a variable amount of the first strip or the second strip, the buffer unit being located downstream of the splicing head.

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