Flat web processing device and machine for the tobacco processing industry with a self-stabilizing roller frame and method for operating the flat web processing device and the machine

Abstract

Flat web processing device (2) of the tobacco processing industry, comprising a first roller (41) rotatably mounted about a first axis (A1) and a second roller (42) rotatably mounted about a second axis (A2) cooperating with it, which are arranged to process a provided flat web (114) in a roller gap (6) located between the first and the second roller (41, 42), characterized by a mechanically self-stabilizing roller frame (10) in which the two rollers (41, 42) are each received on both sides in a traverse (81, 82) at their ends opposite each other in the respective axial direction.

Description

The invention relates to a flat web processing device for the tobacco processing industry, comprising a first roller rotatably mounted about a first axis and a second roller rotatably mounted about a second axis, which interacts with the first roller and is configured to process a supplied flat web in a roller gap located between the first and second rollers. The invention further relates to a machine for the tobacco processing industry, comprising a flat web supply device, such a flat web processing device, and a strand forming device. The invention relates to a system for the tobacco processing industry, comprising such a flat web processing device and an adjustment device separate from the flat web processing device. The invention further relates to a method for operating such a flat web processing device for the tobacco processing industry.The invention also relates to the use of such a machine and a rod-shaped article for the tobacco processing industry. Flat webs are used and processed for various purposes in the tobacco processing industry. For example, flat webs are processed in a continuous process into an infinitely long strand, from which rod-shaped articles or segments for the tobacco processing industry are manufactured. A paper web can be processed into a strand from which paper filters or paper filter segments are cut. Reconstituted tobacco material (Recon) or PLA film can be supplied and processed as a flat web. Rod-shaped segments can be cut from such a strand and used, for example, as tobacco segments or cooling segments in so-called HnB ("heat-not-burn") articles, also known as THP ("tobacco-heated product"). HnB articles in the tobacco processing industry are heated, not burned.As a result of the heating, the ingredients of the tobacco material are released and made available for consumption by an airflow. An important process step in the processing of flat webs into strands in the tobacco industry is the transformation of the web from a flat, spread-out state into a folded or gathered intermediate state before the pretreated web is further processed under compression into a strand with a substantially round cross-section. Gathering the web is facilitated by prior crimping. During crimping, the material of the web is selectively weakened, deformed, or even sectionally cut along crimp lines. This pretreatment facilitates the gathering of the web, creating crimp lines running lengthwise along the web, which are produced by so-called longitudinal crimping. For this purpose, the web is processed in an area of ​​action between a pair of interlocking crimping rollers. A crimping device is known, for example, from US 4,047,536. Flat sheets used in the tobacco processing industry can not only be crimped, but can also be pretreated by embossing or cutting. During the embossing process, local deformations are introduced into the flat sheet. Embossing can, for example, increase the material's filling power or surface-to-volume ratio. Another option for pretreating the flat web before it is processed into a strand is to cut it into individual, separate strips, or strips connected by cross-ribs. These strips can then be formed into a strand, which is subsequently coated. For example, a reconing material can be cut into individual strips and processed into a segment similar to a tobacco stick or a segment of an HnB article. To produce a high-quality strand or article, it is crucial that the processing of the flat web—whether by crimping, embossing, or cutting into individual strips—runs as smoothly and consistently as possible. This means that the rollers used for processing the flat webs must be inspected and, if necessary, cleaned periodically. However, this is always a considerable undertaking. After production has stopped, the rollers must be removed from the machine. During removal, the rollers lose their alignment. The rollers are then inspected and, if necessary, cleaned. After this maintenance, the rollers are reinstalled and must be correctly aligned with each other in the machine. This alignment process, like the inspection and cleaning, also takes time.The faster such maintenance can be carried out, the shorter the machine's downtime and the more efficient the manufacturing process. It is an object of the invention to provide a flat web processing device and machine for the tobacco processing industry, a method for operating such a flat web processing device and machine, a system comprising such a flat web processing device, the use of such a machine, and a rod-shaped article for the tobacco processing industry, wherein the flat web processing device and machine, the method, and their use are intended to enable efficient and high-quality processing of a flat web for the tobacco processing industry, and the rod-shaped article is intended to be of better quality tobacco. The problem is solved by a flat web processing device for the tobacco processing industry, comprising a first roller rotatably mounted about a first axis and a second roller rotatably mounted about a second axis, which cooperates with the first roller and is configured to process a provided flat web in a roller gap located between the first and second rollers, wherein the flat web processing device is further developed by a roller frame, preferably mechanically self-stabilizing, in which the two rollers, preferably each in a traverse, are received, mounted, mechanically fixed and / or force-transmittingly connected at their ends opposite each other in the respective axial direction. The flat web processing device is structurally independent of the tobacco processing machine in which it is used. Structurally independent in this context means that the mechanical stability of the flat web processing device does not require the forces occurring during processing to be transferred to or from the machine in which it is used. The flat web processing device is designed so that its roller assembly, in particular, can absorb these forces itself. This makes it possible to integrate the flat web processing device as a module into a tobacco processing machine, even into an existing machine, for example, as part of a retrofit.No modifications to the machine's design are required; only a suitable feed for the flat web and a discharge system for the processed flat web are needed, and the machine must provide the necessary installation space for the flat web processing device. This structural independence can be achieved, for example, by designing the roller stand to be mechanically self-supporting. A roller stand is mechanically self-supporting if it can absorb the forces occurring during flat web processing in the flat web processing device, i.e., if it is designed to absorb these forces. A mechanically self-supporting roller stand does not need to transfer these forces into or out of components of the machine in which it is used. Therefore, it is structurally independent of the tobacco processing machine. The double-sided mounting of the rollers ensures a high degree of parallelism of the roller axes. This parallelism is essential for a uniformly wide roller gap, viewed perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flat web. A uniform roller gap allows for high-quality processing of the flat web. Forces occurring during processing are absorbed by the double-sided mounting. Unlike conventional flat web processing equipment, this prevents the uneven roller gap caused by processing forces. In conventional machines, the rollers used for processing are often only supported on one side, for example, against a machine back panel.If high machining forces occur in the roll gap, the free ends of the rolls can be forced apart, leading to an asymmetrical change in the roll gap width. In many cases, this effect results in a loss of quality in the processing of the flat web. Conventional machines avoid such quality losses by ensuring a consistently wide roll gap through correspondingly robust and mechanically stable roll supports. However, such designs require considerable installation space and are also expensive. These technical disadvantages can be avoided in the flat web processing device by mounting the rolls on both sides. The rolls are preferably mounted on a crossbeam of the roll stand. Alternatively, the rolls can be mounted on a vertical support or on the side walls of the roll stand. The rollers are mounted via a receptacle, for example, a suitably designed bracket. In this sense, the rollers are held within the roller stand. The rollers can also be supported within the roller stand, i.e., mounted via a suitable bearing. Furthermore, the rollers can be mechanically fixed within the roller stand. This means that the rollers are held or supported within the roller stand in such a way that the axes around which the rollers are rotatably mounted are in a fixed spatial relationship to the roller stand. Finally, the rollers can be connected to the roller stand in a force-transmitting manner. The mounting or support of the rollers is thus designed and configured so that the forces occurring during the processing of the flat web can be transferred from the rollers into the roller stand via the mounting or support. The flat web processing device can therefore be used flexibly as an independent module. In terms of its mechanical design, it is independent of any machine in which it may be used, particularly due to its inherently stable roller frame. It requires only a small installation space and can be designed with less complexity compared to conventional devices. According to one embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed in that the roller stand has an upper first traverse in which the first roller is received and a lower second traverse in which the second roller is received, wherein the first and second traverses are held via a rear vertical support, so that the roller stand, viewed perpendicular to an axial plane in which the first and second axes extend, is C-shaped. A C-shaped roller stand represents a mechanically stable construction, and the rollers are also easily accessible from the open side of the C-shaped structure. According to an alternative embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed in that the roller stand has an upper first traverse in which the first roller is received and a lower second traverse in which the second roller is received, wherein the first and second traverses are each held on a rear vertical support and a front vertical support, respectively, so that the traverses are received in the roller stand at their two ends opposite each other in the respective axial direction of the rollers. The roll stand according to this embodiment forms a compact and enclosed housing. The roll stand's design is simplified; for example, the front and rear vertical supports are wall or frame elements. These frame or wall elements can also be provided with a central opening, allowing axial access to the rolls. The symmetrical design of the roll stand, utilizing front and rear vertical supports, further offers the advantage that any deformations of the roll stand that may occur, such as those caused by machining forces in the roll gap during processing, will be symmetrical. Due to the uniform deformation of the roll stand, no asymmetrical change in the roll gap width occurs transversely to the longitudinal direction of the flat web.In other words, the structure deforms due to the forces occurring during operation in such a way that uniform and high-quality processing of the flat surface is still possible. According to a further embodiment, it is provided that the second traverse is pivotably mounted in the roller stand via at least one rocker arm, whereby a pivoting movement of the rocker arm allows the clear dimension of the roller gap to be changed. This embodiment can be further developed by the fact that at least one rocker arm is pivotable in a plane that is oriented at least approximately perpendicular to an axial plane in which the first and second axes extend. According to the aforementioned embodiments, the adjustability of the lower second crossbeam is achieved by a pivoting movement of the rocker arm. Compared to conventionally used linear drives, this design allows for a smaller or shorter tolerance chain, thus enabling more precise positioning of the rollers. According to a further embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed in that the second traverse is pivotably mounted in the roller stand via a front rocker arm and a rear rocker arm, wherein the rockers are adjustable independently of each other. The individual adjustability of the rocker arms allows for precise alignment of the axes of the two rollers with each other. In other words, a high degree of axial parallelism can be achieved, enabling very precise adjustment of the roller gap's clear width across its entire width, i.e., perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flat web being processed. According to a further embodiment, it is further provided that the at least one rocker arm is L-shaped, wherein a leg of the rocker arm extending from top to bottom is pivotably attached to the roller stand at its upper end and a lower leg of the rocker arm is coupled to the second crossbeam. The L-shaped rocker arm can also be advantageously manufactured as a single piece, which gives it high inherent stability while keeping its weight low. The number of components required to adjust the second roller can be reduced to a minimum, which in turn shortens the tolerance range of the mechanical components used to adjust the second roller relative to the first. As a result, all the aforementioned measures contribute to ensuring that the first and second rollers can be precisely aligned parallel to each other with low tolerance, resulting in a very uniform roller gap when viewed in the axial direction of the rollers. A precisely adjustable and consistently wide roller gap enables high-quality processing of the flat web. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed in that the front rocker arm can be pivoted with a front drive and the rear rocker arm can be pivoted with a rear drive, wherein the drives can be controlled and / or regulated independently of each other, so that the front and rear rocker arms can be pivoted independently of each other. With the aid of the drives located on the swing arms (the second crossbeam is mounted on the swing arms), the width of the roll gap can be actively controlled and / or regulated. This makes it possible to change the width of the roll gap even during ongoing production and thus flexibly influence the machining process taking place on the flat web within the roll gap. Feedback can be provided, for example, based on parameters determined further downstream in the process during quality control, to control and / or regulate the machining process on the flat web. According to a further development of the flat web processing device, it is further provided that the lower leg of the front L-shaped rocker arm is coupled to a front connecting rod which can be driven by a front eccentric, wherein the front connecting rod and the front eccentric act together as a front drive, and the lower leg of the rear L-shaped rocker arm is coupled to a rear connecting rod which can be driven by a rear eccentric, wherein the rear connecting rod and the rear eccentric act together as a rear drive. This type of drive, an eccentric drive in conjunction with a connecting rod, is compact and allows for precise adjustment of the width of the roller gap with a low or short error tolerance chain. According to a further embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed in that the front drive has a front flat web processing force measuring device and the rear drive has a rear flat web processing force measuring device, wherein a processing force acting on the flat web in the roller gap in the front area of ​​the rollers can be measured with the front flat web processing force measuring device and a processing force acting on the flat web in the roller gap in the rear area of ​​the rollers can be measured with the rear flat web processing force measuring device. The flat web processing force measuring device enables online monitoring of the processing forces occurring in the roll gap. This allows for continuous monitoring of processing quality during the ongoing process. The quality of the flat web processing can then be improved. Furthermore, inhomogeneities in the flat web, such as variations in material thickness, can be detected. Excessive or insufficient material thickness can result in products manufactured from that section of the flat web not meeting the required quality criteria. If inhomogeneities are detected, products manufactured from this section can be rejected. Additionally, monitoring the web processing force can protect the rolls from overload.An overload situation can be detected, for example, by a sudden or abrupt increase in the processing force. If an overload situation is detected, appropriate countermeasures can be initiated, such as moving the rollers apart. The eccentric drive can therefore limit the flat web processing force and prevent damage to the rollers. The flat web processing force measuring device provides a measurement of the processing force applied in the roll gap. Based on this value, the processing of the flat web can be controlled and / or regulated. Conventionally, control and / or regulation is based solely on a measurement of the distance by which the rolls are adjusted relative to each other. From this value, and taking into account the relevant tolerance chains, a roll gap width is indirectly derived. However, this conventional control and / or regulation does not consider the properties of the processed flat webs or the forces actually occurring during processing. For example, a control system based solely on displacement does not take into account the type of flat web being processed or changes in its properties that can occur during operation, such as changes in material thickness.Furthermore, the control system, which is based solely on the measured distance traveled, does not take into account changes in the rollers, such as those that may occur due to wear or contamination. Based on the measured values ​​from the flat web processing force measuring device, process control and / or monitoring can be implemented that takes into account not only the adjustment travel of the rollers but also the force acting on them. It is also possible to implement control and / or regulation solely based on the measured forces. According to one embodiment, it is further provided that the flat track machining force measuring device is configured to measure the machining force on the connecting rod, wherein in particular the flat track machining force measuring device is a strain measuring device present on the connecting rod. Designing the flat web machining force measuring device as a strain gauge integrated into the connecting rod, for example, a strain gauge, is a precise and technically efficient way to achieve the desired force measurement. In this context, the drive design using an eccentric and a connecting rod is particularly advantageous. The forces acting in the roll gap cause deformation almost exclusively in the connecting rod, so that precise force measurement is possible with the strain gauge integrated into the connecting rod, given its mechanical properties. According to a further development of the flat web processing device, it is characterized by a processing unit which is set up to process measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas of the rollers and to control the front and rear drives in such a way that the processing force is in a predetermined or predefinable processing force interval. According to this embodiment, process monitoring can be implemented, whereby the processing force interval can be selected to suit the specific material being processed on the flat web. If the measured processing force lies outside the predefined processing force interval, this can be interpreted as an indication of contamination or adhesion to the rollers, thus generating a corresponding maintenance recommendation message. According to a further embodiment, the flat web processing device is characterized by a processing unit which is configured to process measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas of the rollers and, if the measured value exceeds a predetermined or predefinable limit value, to generate and output a warning message and, in response to the warning message, to activate a safety function, in particular to control at least one of the two drives in such a way that the roller gap is increased. This embodiment implements an overload protection system, whereby, in order to prevent damage to the rollers, they can be actively moved apart in such a way that the roller gap increases. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed in that the second traverse has a spring arrangement, in particular a leaf spring arrangement, with which the second roller is resiliently mounted relative to the roller stand, wherein in particular the spring arrangement, and furthermore in particular the leaf spring arrangement, is designed to be stiff in directions which lie in a plane perpendicular to the second axis and less stiff in directions which do not lie in this plane. The spring arrangement, which may be a leaf spring arrangement, allows the roller axes to be automatically adjusted parallel to each other. A zero position of the rollers relative to each other can be found in an automatic adjustment and / or alignment process. The operation of a flat web processing device according to such an embodiment will be explained using the following example: First, it is assumed that the two axes of the rollers are aligned at an angle to each other. The rollers are initially moved towards each other, while the measured values ​​of the flat web processing force measuring devices are continuously monitored at the front and rear drives. A sudden increase in the measured value of one of the two flat web processing force measuring devices indicates that the two rollers are coming into contact with each other.If an increase in the measured values ​​occurs at the rear flat web processing force measuring device, it is clear that the two rollers first make contact in the rear area. Conversely, if the increase in the measured values ​​occurs at the front flat web processing force measuring device, it is clear that the two rollers first make contact in the front area of ​​the roller gap. It is important that this process is carried out with an empty roller gap, i.e., no flat web material is present in the roller gap. The moment the rollers make initial mechanical contact, the spring arrangement, for example, the leaf spring arrangement, allows the lower roller or the lower crossbeam to deflect slightly due to elastic deformation of the spring arrangement. Therefore, the measured force does not increase as sharply upon contact as it would in an unsprung contact, i.e., in a flat web processing device without a spring arrangement. In the flat web processing device according to the aforementioned embodiment, a certain increase in the measured force is also observed on the connecting rod whose side does not make initial contact between the two rollers.In fact, this force is not caused by contact between the rollers, but rather is transmitted from the other drive to the drive under consideration via the spring assembly and is caused by the spring-loaded deflection of the lower roller. To further align the two rollers, only this drive is moved until both drives are subjected to a force that is exactly the same, within a predetermined tolerance. The moment the two forces measured at the two drives are equal, it can be assumed that the spring assembly is evenly loaded and that the two roller axes are precisely parallel to each other. Using the procedure described above, a very precise adjustment of the roller axes can be achieved. Advantageously, the roller axes can be aligned parallel to each other using only measurements from the flat web processing force measuring devices. Additional aids for parallel alignment of the roller axes can be advantageously dispensed with. For example, it is no longer necessary to align the rollers using a feeler gauge or with the aid of optical measurements, such as the evaluation of camera images or the like. In other words, only those sensors are required for aligning the axes that are also used in operation for process monitoring or control. According to one embodiment, such a flat web processing device is further developed in that the spring arrangement, in particular the leaf spring arrangement, is designed to allow a pivoting movement of the second roller about a pivot axis, wherein the pivot axis lies in the roller gap, in particular in the middle of the roller gap, furthermore in the axial direction of the rollers in the middle between the opposing axial ends of the rollers and / or furthermore in the middle of the roller gap at half the distance between the first and second axis, and wherein the pivot axis extends at least approximately perpendicular to an axial plane in which the first and the second axis lie. The center of the pivoting movement of the second roller lies in the middle of the roller gap, which allows for precise positioning of the rollers. According to a further embodiment, the second crossbeam has a lower crossbeam body and an upper crossbeam body, which are coupled to each other by the spring arrangement, in particular the leaf spring arrangement, wherein the lower crossbeam body is coupled to the roller stand and the upper crossbeam body is coupled to the second roller, and wherein in particular the leaf spring arrangement has a rear and a front elongated, in particular strip-shaped, leaf spring with two opposing long side edges, which are connected by short side edges, wherein one of the two long side edges of the leaf springs is coupled to the lower crossbeam body and the opposite long side edge is coupled to the upper crossbeam body, in particular directly connected. The design of the leaf spring assembly using two elongated leaf springs represents a structurally efficient and ideally suited technical solution for the given requirements. The leaf springs are specifically oriented such that a cross-section of the large flat sides of the leaf springs with the axial plane results in a straight line, with these two lines intersecting at the position of the pivot axis in the roller gap. Thus, the two leaf springs enable a resilient movement of the second roller around the pivot axis. To align the first and second rollers relative to each other, i.e., to adjust the parallelism of the two roller axes, according to one embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed by a processing unit which is designed to align the first and second axes parallel to each other by moving the rollers towards each other and into contact with each other with an empty roller gap while continuously evaluating the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas of the rollers, wherein the front and rear drives are controlled in such a way that when the rollers are in contact with each other, the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas differ from each other by less than a predetermined or predefinable maximum value. According to a further embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed in that the rollers are each held in a roller cassette and the roller cassettes are each held on the crossbeams via a quick-change system, which makes it possible to remove the roller cassettes from the roller stand or to mount them in the direction of the axis of the rollers. The arrangement of the rollers in roller cassettes allows for quick and easy roller replacement, significantly reducing setup times. The roller cassette comprises, in particular: the roller itself, two bearings on each side (one on each end), a mounting that interacts with the machine-side part of the quick-change system, such as a slide or similar device, a connection, such as a plug-in coupling, with which the roller can be coupled to a suitable drive, thus enabling the roller to be driven, and means for fixing or holding the roller cassette in the machine. Furthermore, the roller cassette may include a cleaning unit, such as a suction device, for removing contaminants from the rollers. According to one embodiment, such a flat web processing device is further developed in that the quick-change system has at least one guide rail coupled to the traverse, which interacts with at least one roller bearing present on the roller cassette. Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the quick-change system has a stop that defines a position of the roller in the axial direction and interacts with another stop present on the roller cassette. The roller cassettes can be removed and the profiles of the rollers can be adjusted or aligned relative to each other. This process takes place outside the flat web processing device. For this purpose, the stop on the cassette or the cassette's quick-change system is adjustable. If the flat web processing device is designed such that the roller stand has a rear vertical support and a front vertical support in which the crossbeams are held, then the front and rear vertical supports are designed in such a way that the roller cassettes can be removed from their position. If the vertical support consists, for example, of walls or frames, then openings are provided in these through which the roller cassettes can be slid into their position within the flat web processing device. According to a further embodiment, the flat web processing device is further developed in that the flat web processing device is a crimping device and the rollers are crimp rollers, the flat web processing device is an embossing device and the rollers are embossing rollers, or the flat web processing device is a cutting device and the rollers are strip-cut rollers. The problem is further solved by a system for the tobacco processing industry comprising a flat web processing device, the rollers of which are each held in a roller cassette, wherein a stop is provided on the quick-change system of the roller cassette, and an adjustment device separate from the flat web processing device. The adjustment device forms a machine-side part of the quick-change system and has adjustment stops whose spatial relationship to each other corresponds to that of the stops in the flat web processing device; the adjustment device is further configured to hold the roller cassettes. As previously described, this adjustment device allows the rollers to be aligned with each other, eliminating the need for adjustment within the flat web processing device itself. Setup times for the flat web processing device can be significantly reduced in such a system. The problem is further solved by a machine for the tobacco processing industry comprising a flat web supply device, a flat web processing device according to one or more of the aforementioned embodiments, and an extrusion device. The roll stand of the flat web processing device is separate from the flat web supply device and the extrusion device and is, in particular, mechanically self-supporting. The flat web processing device is configured to process a flat web supplied by the flat web supply device in the roll gap and to supply it to the extrusion device. The machine, for example, has a rear wall to which the web feed device, such as a reel changer, is attached. Furthermore, additional web guiding devices, such as deflection rollers, a web storage device, or similar components, may be located on the rear wall. The web processing device is inherently stable and therefore mechanically independent of the machine. In particular, the web processing device is not coupled to the rear wall in such a way that forces resulting from the processing performed by the web processing device are transferred to the rear wall. The web processing device can be integrated into the machine modularly without requiring any modifications or adjustments to the machine's design or mechanical configuration or its rear wall.In this sense, the flat web processing device is mechanically stable in relation to the machine and its components. The flat web processing device can be flexibly integrated into the machine, even into existing machines, which can thus be flexibly retrofitted with the flat web processing device. The problem is further solved by a method for operating a flat web supply device for the tobacco processing industry, comprising a first roller rotatably mounted about a first axis and a second roller rotatably mounted about a second axis, cooperating with it, wherein a supplied flat web is processed in a roller gap located between the first and the second roller, wherein this method is further developed by a roller frame, in particular a mechanically self-stabilizing one, in which the two rollers, in particular each in a crossbeam, are received, mounted, mechanically fixed and / or force-transmittingly connected on both sides at their ends opposite each other in the respective axial direction. The method for operating the flat web supply device offers the same or similar advantages as those already mentioned with regard to the flat web processing device, so repetition is unnecessary. The method is advantageously further developed in that the second crossbeam is pivotably mounted in the roll stand via at least one rocker arm, wherein a clear dimension of the roll gap is changed by a pivoting movement of the rocker arm, wherein the rocker arm is pivoted in a plane that is oriented at least approximately perpendicular to an axial plane in which the first and the second axes extend. According to a further embodiment, the method is further developed in that the second traverse is received in the roller stand via a front rocker arm and a rear rocker arm, wherein the second traverse is pivoted by adjusting the rockers independently of each other, wherein the front rocker arm is pivoted with a front drive and the rear rocker arm with a rear drive, and wherein the drives are controlled and / or regulated independently of each other, so that the front and rear rockers are pivoted independently of each other. According to a further embodiment of the method, the front drive has a front flat web processing force measuring device and the rear drive has a rear flat web processing force measuring device, wherein the front flat web processing force measuring device measures a processing force acting on the flat web in the roll gap in the front area of ​​the rollers and the rear flat web processing force measuring device measures a processing force acting on the flat web in the roll gap in the rear area of ​​the rollers. According to a further embodiment, the method is further developed in that the machine has a processing unit with which the measured values ​​of the machining force in the front and rear areas of the rollers are processed, wherein the front and rear drives are controlled in such a way that the machining force is in a predetermined or predefinable machining force interval. According to an alternative further development of the method, it is further provided that the machine has a processing unit with which the measured values ​​of the machining force in the front and rear areas of the rollers are processed and if the measured value exceeds a predetermined or predeterminable limit value, a warning message is generated and issued, whereby in response to the warning message a safety function is activated and in particular as a safety function at least one of the drives is controlled in such a way that the roller gap is increased. The method is further developed according to one embodiment in that the second crossbeam has a spring arrangement, in particular a leaf spring arrangement, with which the second roll is resiliently mounted relative to the roll stand, wherein the spring arrangement, in particular the leaf spring arrangement, is designed to be rigid in directions that lie in a plane perpendicular to the second axis and less rigid in directions that do not lie in this plane, wherein the spring arrangement, in particular the leaf spring arrangement, is designed to allow a pivoting movement of the second roll about a pivot axis, wherein the pivot axis lies in the roll gap, in particular centrally in the roll gap, and furthermore, in particular, in the axial direction of the rolls centrally between the opposing axial ends of the rolls and / or furthermore, in particular, centrally in the roll gap at half the distance between the first and second axes.and wherein the pivot axis extends at least approximately perpendicular to an axis plane in which the first and second axes lie, wherein a processing unit is provided which aligns the first and second axes parallel to each other by moving the rollers towards each other and into contact with each other with an empty roller gap while continuously evaluating the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas of the rollers, wherein the processing unit controls the front and rear drives in such a way that when the rollers are in contact with each other, the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas differ from each other by less than a predetermined or predefinable maximum value. The problem is further solved by a method for operating a machine in the tobacco processing industry, wherein this machine comprises: a flat web supply device, a flat web processing device according to one or more of the aforementioned embodiments, and a strand forming device. The flat web processing device has a roller stand that is separate from the flat web supply device and the strand forming device, and in particular is mechanically self-supporting. The flat web supply device provides a flat web to the flat web processing device, the flat web processing device processes the flat web in the roller gap, and provides the product of this processing step to the strand forming device. The same or similar advantages apply to the method for operating the machine of the tobacco processing industry as have already been mentioned with regard to the machine of the tobacco processing industry itself, so that repetition is unnecessary. The problem is further solved by using a machine from the tobacco processing industry to produce rod-shaped segments, products and / or articles of the tobacco processing industry, in particular segments in heat-not-burn articles. In this context, the processing device present in such a machine is in particular a crimping device and the rollers are crimp rollers and / or the flat web processing device is an embossing device and the rollers are embossing rollers and / or the flat web processing device is a cutting device and the rollers are strip-cut rollers. In the context of this description, strip-cut rollers are rollers suitable for separating a flat web lengthwise into individual, separate strips, or into strips that are connected to each other transversely by webs or bridges. These webs or bridges connect only the adjacent strips. The separation process can be carried out as a cutting process. It is also possible for the rollers to be strip-cut rollers that do not perform a cutting process, but rather separate the flat web into strips by targeted local overstretching along separation lines. Unlike cutting rollers, the interacting strip-cut rollers of a pair of rollers do not have direct mechanical contact with each other. The problem is also solved by a rod-shaped article of the tobacco processing industry, comprising at least one rod-shaped segment which is produced by cutting a strand to length, wherein the strand is produced using such a machine as previously described. Furthermore, the use of the machine and the articles produced using such a machine in the tobacco processing industry offer the same or similar advantages as those already mentioned with regard to the flat web processing device and the tobacco processing machine. A very consistent and therefore high-quality processing of the flat web can be achieved, which also benefits the quality of the manufactured rod-shaped articles or segments in the tobacco processing industry. Further features of the invention will become apparent from the description of embodiments according to the invention, together with the claims and the accompanying drawings. Embodiments according to the invention may fulfill individual features or a combination of several features. The invention is described below, without limiting the general concept of the invention, with reference to exemplary embodiments and the drawings, whereby for all details of the invention not explained in detail in the text, explicit reference is made to the drawings. The drawings show: Fig. 1 a simplified perspective view of a flat web processing device, Fig. 2 a simplified detail view of the processing device in frontal view, Fig. 3 a simplified detail view of the processing device in side view, Fig. 4 a further simplified detail view of the flat web processing device in frontal view, Fig. 5 a simplified perspective view of a flat web processing device with a roller cassette, Fig. 6 a roller cassette in a simplified perspective view in which a first roller is received, Fig.Fig. 7 a roller cassette in simplified perspective view in which a second roller is included and Fig. 8 a simplified perspective detail view of a machine of the tobacco processing industry, showing a flat web processing device. Within the scope of the invention, features marked with "in particular" or "preferably" are to be understood as optional features. In the drawings, identical or similar elements and / or parts are provided with the same reference numbers, so that a re-presentation is omitted. Fig. 1 shows a simplified perspective view of a flat web processing device 2 for the tobacco processing industry. The flat web processing device 2 comprises: a first roller 41 rotatably mounted about a first axis A1 and a second roller 42 rotatably mounted about a second axis A2, which interacts with the first roller. The rollers 41 and 42 are configured to process a flat web (not shown in Fig. 1) supplied, for example, by a flat web feeding device, in a roller gap 6 located between the first and second rollers 41 and 42. The flat web processing device 2 has a mechanically self-supporting roller frame 10 in which the two rollers 41 and 42 are each mounted in a crossbeam 81 and 82, respectively. The first roller 41 is mounted on or in a first crossbeam 81, and the second roller 42 is mounted on or in a second crossbeam 82.The first and second rollers 41, 42 are each held at their axially opposite ends, i.e., supported on both sides. Specifically, the first roller 41 is held in a first rear support 71R and in a first front support 71V, for example, in a ball bearing. Similarly, the second roller 42 is rotatably mounted on a second rear support 72R and a second front support 72V, for example, using ball bearings. The supports 71R, 71V, 72R, 72V are mechanically coupled to the respective crossbeams 81, 82, i.e., connected directly or indirectly. In the context of this description, front-facing components are designated with the suffix "V". Rear-facing components are designated with the suffix "R". For general reference to the components, the respective reference symbol is used without the suffix "V" or "R". The flat web processing device 2 is, for example, a crimping device. According to this embodiment, the rollers 41, 42 are configured as crimping rollers. For example, the rollers 41, 42 can be configured as described in DE 10 2023 122 163 A1. The flat web processing device 2 can also be an embossing device, and accordingly, according to this embodiment, the rollers 41, 42 are embossing rollers. The flat web processing device 2 can also be a cutting device. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, the rollers 41, 42 can, for example, be configured as cutting rollers, each having a plurality of disc knives. However, the rollers 41, 42 of the cutting device can also be configured as strip-cut rollers.This means that the rollers 41, 42 are designed and configured to separate the flat web processed in the roller gap 6 into individual longitudinal strips, whereby the interacting rollers 41, 42 do not perform a cut in the sense of a shearing operation. The rollers 41, 42 are not in direct mechanical contact with each other. Unlike a shearing operation, the flat web is not separated into individual strips by a shearing process, but by targeted local overstretching along separation lines. The first and second rollers 41, 42 can, for example, be designed as described in DE 10 2018 106 826 A1. Adjacent strips can be connected to each other via or by means of webs. Accordingly, the rollers 41, 42 can be designed as described in document DE 10 2018 121 618 A1. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the roller stand 10 of the flat web processing device 2 comprises the upper first crossbeam 81, in or on which the first roller 41 is mounted, and the lower second crossbeam 82, in or on which the second roller 42 is mounted. The first and second crossbeams 81, 82 are held by a rear vertical support 12R and a front vertical support 12V, respectively. The crossbeams 81, 82 are thus mounted in the roller stand 10 at their two ends opposite each other in the respective axial direction of the axes A1, A2 of the rollers 41, 42, namely at the front vertical support 12V and at the rear vertical support 12R. The crossbeams 81, 82 form part of the roller stand 10 in their upper and lower regions. According to an alternative embodiment not shown, the front vertical support 12V differs from that shown in Fig. 1 in that it is not designed with vertically continuous elements or supports, but rather with supports interrupted in the vertical direction approximately midway between axes A1 and A2. Accordingly, the roll stand 10, viewed from the side, i.e., looking at a plane in which the first and second axes A1 and A2 extend (which shall be referred to as the axis plane), is C-shaped. The axis plane A is indicated in a section in the region of the ends of axes A1 and A2. The roller gap 6 is adjustable, meaning that the clear width of the roller gap 6 can be changed. By changing the width of the roller gap 6, the flat web processing device 2 can, for example, be adjusted to different types, thicknesses, or materials of the flat web being processed. The type and intensity of crimping, such as embossing, can also be adjusted by changing the width of the roller gap 6. While a smaller roller gap 6 results in a more intense embossing or crimping, a larger roller gap 6 will result in a correspondingly less intense embossing or crimping for the same material thickness. The width of the roll gap 6 can be adjusted by pivoting the second crossbeam 82. To enable this movement of the second crossbeam 82, a rocker arm 14 is provided in the roll stand 10, via which the second crossbeam 82 is pivotably mounted in the roll stand 10. The width of the roll gap 6 can be changed by pivoting the rocker arm 14. The rocker arm 14 is pivotable in a plane that is oriented at least approximately perpendicular to the axial plane A in which the first and second axes A1, A2 extend. The flat web processing device 2 has a front rocker arm 14V and a rear rocker arm 14R. In Fig. 1, the front rocker arm 14V is clearly visible, while only a lower end section of the rear rocker arm 14R is visible. In the illustrated embodiment, the second crossbeam 82 is pivotably mounted in the roller stand 10 via the front rocker arm 14V and the rear rocker arm 14R. The two rocker arms 14V and 14R are independently adjustable. The rocker arms 14V and 14R are mounted at their upper free ends, for example, via ball bearings, on the respective vertical supports 12V and 12R. The rear rocker arm 14R is mounted on the rear vertical support 12R, and the front rocker arm 14V is mounted on the front vertical support 12V. The swing arms 14V, 14R are, for example, L-shaped, with a downward-running leg 16, also referred to as the vertical leg, pivotally attached at its upper end to the roller stand 10. A lower leg 18 of the swing arms 14V, 14R is coupled to the second crossbeam 82. The lower leg 18 is not necessarily directly connected to the second crossbeam 82. It can be connected to it via other components and is thus mechanically coupled to the second crossbeam 82 (see Fig. 2 and Fig. 3). The front swing arm 14V is coupled to a front drive 20V (see Fig. 2), and the rear swing arm 14R is coupled to a rear drive 20R. The drives 20V and 20R, for example, comprise electric motors 19V and 19R, which, together with an unspecified gearbox, an eccentric drive (described in detail later), and a connecting rod, form the drive 20V and 20R of the swing arms 14V and 14R. The drives 20V and 20R can be controlled and / or regulated independently of each other, so that the front and rear swing arms 14V and 14R can be pivoted independently. The lower leg 18V of the front L-shaped rocker arm 14V is coupled to a front connecting rod 22V, which is driven by a front eccentric 24V. The front connecting rod 22V and the front eccentric 24V, together with the drive motor 19V, form the front drive 20V. The lower leg 18R of the rear L-shaped rocker arm 14R is coupled to a rear connecting rod 22R, which is driven by a rear eccentric 24R. The rear connecting rod 22R and the rear eccentric 24R, together with the rear drive motor 19R, form the rear drive 20R. The pivoting movement of the lower crossbeam 82 is thus effected via the eccentrics 24V, 24R, which are driven by the respective drive motors 19V, 19R, via the connecting rods 22V, 22R. The drives 20V, 20R cause a pivoting movement of the lower crossbeam 82 or the second roller 42 about the pivot axis AS. Fig. 2 shows a simplified detail view of the flat web processing device 2 in a frontal view. Fig. 3 shows a simplified detail view of the flat web processing device 2 from the side, looking in the direction of the second axis A2. The front drive 20V has a front-mounted flat web processing force measuring device 26V, and the rear drive 20R has a rear-mounted flat web processing force measuring device 26R. The flat web processing force measuring devices 26V and 26R are mounted on the front and rear connecting rods 22V and 22R, respectively. The front-mounted flat web processing force measuring device 26V measures a processing force acting on the flat web in a front area 28V of the rollers 41 and 42 within the roller gap 6. The rear-mounted flat web processing force measuring device 26R measures a processing force acting on the flat web in the rear area 28R of the rollers 41 and 42 within the roller gap 6. The machining force measuring device 26V, 26R is designed, for example, as a strain measuring device, for example as strain gauges.Thus, from an elongation that occurs as a result of an elastic deformation of the connecting rod 22V, 22R, the force acting in the corresponding area 28V, 28R can be deduced, given the mechanical properties of the connecting rod 22. The flat web processing device 2 further comprises a processing unit 30, which is configured to process measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas 28V, 28R of the rollers 41, 42. These measured values ​​can be provided to other devices and used for process control or monitoring. The acquired measured values ​​can also be used to control the front and rear drives 20V, 20R such that the processing force in the respective area of ​​the roller gap 6 lies within a predetermined or predefinable processing force interval. In particular, it is intended that these two processing forces are set or regulated to at least approximately the same value, so that the flat web is processed uniformly across the entire width of the roller gap 6. The processing unit 30 can also be configured, alternatively or additionally, to process the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas 28V, 28R of the rollers 41, 42 and, if the measured value exceeds a predefined or predefinable limit, to generate and output a warning message. The processing force value exceeds a predefined limit, for example, if the processed flat web has a local thickening or if adhesions or contaminants have formed in an area of ​​the rollers 41, 42. In response to this warning message, a safety function can be activated. For example, a warning message can be issued, or the two drives 20V, 20R can be controlled in such a way that the roller gap 6 is increased. Such control of the drives 20V, 20R is shown in Fig.Figure 2 is exemplified by an arrow pointing from the processing unit 30 to the front-mounted drive motor 19V. This motor can be controlled so that the front-mounted drive 20V reacts accordingly. The rear-mounted drive 20R can also be controlled in an analogous manner, which is omitted from Figure 2 for clarity. The processing unit 30 can react to overload situations that occur during the processing of the flat web in the roller gap 6, thus preventing damage to the rollers 41, 42 or to the flat web processing device 2 as a whole. According to one embodiment, the flat web processing device 2 has a spring arrangement on the second crossbeam 82, with which the second roller 42 is resiliently mounted relative to the roller stand 10. The spring arrangement is, for example, a leaf spring arrangement 32. This embodiment of the spring arrangement will be referred to below as an example and will be explained with reference to Figures 2 and 4. The leaf spring assembly 32 allows the second roller 42 to pivot about a pivot axis AW located centrally in the roller gap 6. Specifically, the leaf spring assembly 32 comprises a front leaf spring 34V and a rear leaf spring 34R. The two leaf springs 34 are arranged between a lower crossbeam body 36 and an upper crossbeam body 38. The leaf springs 34 are connected to the lower and upper crossbeam bodies 36 and 38, respectively, via other components not specified in detail. These components can also be considered part of the lower and upper crossbeam bodies 36 and 38, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower crossbeam 82 is constructed from the lower crossbeam body 36 and the upper crossbeam body 38. The leaf springs 34 are elongated, for example, strip-shaped, leaf springs connected at their opposite long edges by short edges, one of which is visible in plan view in Fig. 4. The long edges of the leaf springs 34 are connected to the upper and lower crossbeam bodies 38 and 36, respectively. The coupling of the leaf springs 34 to the crossbeam bodies 36 and 38 via their respective long edges results in a leaf spring assembly 32 whose spring action has a preferred direction. The leaf spring assembly 32 is very stiff in directions lying in a plane perpendicular to the second axis A2. Such a spring action would require deformation of the leaf springs in their plane, which is practically impossible. In directions not lying in this plane, the leaf spring assembly 32 is less stiff.To create a spring effect in this direction, the leaf springs deform out of the plane of their flat sides, providing a more or less stiff spring effect depending on the material thickness and type. The leaf spring arrangement 32 thus allows a pivoting movement of the second roller 42 about the pivot axis AW. This pivoting movement is an out-of-plane movement perpendicular to the second axis A2. The pivot axis AW of this movement is located, in particular, centrally in the roller gap 6. Specifically, the pivot axis AW is positioned such that, viewed in the axial direction of the rollers 41, 42, it lies centrally between the opposing axial ends of the rollers 41, 42. Furthermore, the pivot axis AW is arranged such that it lies centrally in the roller gap 6 at midpoint between the first and second axes A1, A2.The pivot axis AW extends at least approximately perpendicular to the axis plane A in which the first and second axes A1, A2 of the rollers 41, 42 lie. The leaf springs 34V, 34R each intersect the axial plane A along a line parallel to the short front edge of the leaf springs 34V, 34R visible in Fig. 4. This line can be extended to the point in the roller gap 6 where the pivot axis AW of the second roller 42 is located. Thus, the leaf spring arrangement 32 enables the second roller 42 to pivot along a circular arc K and around the pivot axis AW. The pivotability of the second roller 42 achieved by means of the leaf spring arrangement 32 allows for precise positioning of the first and second rollers 41, 42 in order to align the roller axes A1, A2 as ideally parallel to each other as possible and thus to find a zero position of the rollers 41, 42 in an automated adjustment and / or alignment process. The processing unit 30 can be configured to align the first and second axes A1, A2 parallel to each other. For this purpose, the two rollers 41, 42 are moved towards each other with an empty roller gap 6, while continuously evaluating the measured values ​​for the processing force in the front and rear areas 28V, 28R of the rollers 41, 42. Specifically, the processing unit 30 controls the front and rear drives 20V, 20R to perform this movement and continuously monitors the measured values ​​of the front and rear flat web processing force measuring device 26V, 26R. For the purposes of explanation, it is assumed that the first and second axes A1, A2 are not aligned parallel to each other. As a result of this non-parallel alignment of the axes A1, A2, the rollers 41, 42 will first make contact with each other either in the front area 28V or in the rear area 28R.For example, let us assume that the two rollers 41, 42 first come into contact with each other in the front area 28V. This contact is detected based on the measured values ​​of the front-side flat web processing force measuring device 26V. As a result of the contact between the two rollers 41, 42, the measured processing force increases abruptly or suddenly. At the same moment, the leaf spring arrangement 32 allows the lower roller 42 to deflect minimally by pivoting about the pivot axis AW on the circular path K. If, according to an exemplary embodiment, the rollers 41, 42 are designed as crimp rollers, this deflection allowed by the spring-loaded mounting can also lead to the rollers 41, 42 coming into complete contact with each other, possibly with a fully positive locking action, for example, the crimp profiles of the two rollers 41, 42 interlocking.Simultaneously, a portion of the contact force, caused by the described pivoting movement, is also measurable on the rear side, i.e., at the rear flat web processing force measuring device 26R, where the initial contact did not occur. The processing unit 30 can now, for example, stop the front drive 20V and continue moving only the rear drive 20R. The processing unit 30 can move both drives 20V and 20R in such a way that the direction of travel is not limited to the two rollers 41 and 42 moving towards each other, but the rollers 41 and 42 can also be moved apart, even temporarily, until the same force is applied to both flat web processing force measuring devices 26V and 26R. The measured forces can differ from each other up to a predetermined limit value and thus be equal.If equal forces are applied to both flat web processing force measuring devices 26V and 26R, the axes A1 and A2 of the rollers 41 and 42 are aligned parallel to each other, and the zero point position of the rollers 41 and 42 is found. The parameters determined in this adjustment and / or alignment process can be used for the subsequent control of the width of the roller gap 6. An automated process was used to find a setting that ensures a uniformly wide roller gap 6. Fig. 5 shows a further simplified perspective view of a flat web processing device 2, in which the rollers 41, 42, of which only the first roller 41 is relevant in the context of this figure, are each held in roller cassettes 51, 52. The figure primarily serves to illustrate the first roller cassette 51, but places it in the spatial context of the flat web processing device 2 as a whole. The first roller 41 is held in a first roller cassette 51, and the second roller 42 is held in a second roller cassette 52. The roller cassettes 51, 52 are each held on the crossbeams 81, 82 via a quick-change system 54. Thus, the first roller cassette 51 is held on the first crossbeam 81 via a quick-change system 54, and the second roller cassette 52 is held on the second crossbeam 82 via a quick-change system 54. The quick-change system 54 allows the roll cassettes 51, 52 to be removed from or installed in the roll stand 10 in the direction of the axes A1, A2 of the respective rolls 41, 42. The quick-change system 54 is designed such that the rolls 41, 42 can be pushed into or removed from the roll stand 10 in the direction of their respective axes A1, A2 (Fig. 1). The quick-change system 54 has a guide rail 61, 62 coupled to the crossbeam 81, 82, which interacts with at least one roller bearing 91, 92 present on the respective roll cassette 51, 52. The quick-change system 54 of the first roll cassette 51 has a first guide rail 61 that interacts with a first roller bearing 91. The first guide rail 61 is coupled to the first crossbeam 81. The first roller bearing 91 is coupled to the first roll cassette 51. The first roll cassette 51 is guided in the first guide rail 61 along the first axis A1 via the first roller bearing 91 and can thus be inserted into the roll stand. A stop 63 is also provided in the first guide rail 61, which, together with a further stop 65 located on the side of the roll cassette 51, defines a position of the roll 41 in the axial direction.The stop 63 and the further stop 65 and their function will be discussed in more detail later in the text. Corresponding stops are also provided for the second roller 42 and the second roller cassette 52. Fig. 6 shows a simplified perspective view of the first roller cassette 51. The first roller bearing 91, which also serves as a stop 65, has, by way of example, four ball-bearing rollers which are inserted into the double L-shaped first guide rail 61 and roll along it. Furthermore, a first guide groove 101 is provided. A sprint or the like can be inserted into the guide groove 101, with which the first roller cassette 51 can be aligned with respect to the first crossbeam 81 so that the roller axis A1 extends in the intended direction. A coupling 56 is provided for driving the first roller 41, which couples the roller 41 to one of the roller drives 74 (Fig. 1). To position the roller cassette 51 in the correct position within the roller stand 10, pneumatic connectors 58 can also be provided on the end face of the first roller cassette 51 where the coupling 56 is located. These pull the roller cassette 51 into the correct axial position, so that a force-fit and form-fit connection can be established via the coupling 56 and the roller cassette 51 is correctly aligned in the roller stand 10. The roller cassette 51 can then be detachably fixed to the first crossbeam 81 by means of fasteners 64. The detachable fasteners 64 are, for example, captive screws. An extraction hood 66 (Fig. 1) can also be attached to the first roller cassette 51.5) be present, with which dust particles or contaminants present on the roller 41 can be extracted. The extraction hood 66 is also mounted on the first roller cassette 51, so that it is not necessary to adjust it when the roller 41 is mounted in the flat web processing device 2. Fig. 7 shows a schematic detail view of the second roller cassette 52, which also has an extraction hood 66 for the same purpose. As part of the quick-change system 54, the second roller cassette 52 has a second roller bearing 92. This second roller bearing 92 comprises several rollers 94 whose axes run horizontally and which primarily absorb the weight of the second roller cassette 52 against a flat top surface of the second crossbeam 82. The second roller bearing 92 also comprises several rollers 94 whose axes run vertically. These rollers 94 run in a guide groove recessed into the second crossbeam 82, which serves as a second guide rail 62 and is schematically indicated in Fig. 5. These rollers 94 guide the second roller cassette 52 laterally.A second guide groove 102, into which a sprint or similar component can also be inserted, further serves to precisely position the second roller cassette 52 so that the second axis A2 extends in the desired orientation. To fix the second roller cassette 52 to the second crossbeam 82, it also has releasable fasteners 64, which, like those of the first roller cassette 51, can be captive screws. The quick-change system 54 has a stop 63 (Fig. 5) that defines the axial position of the rollers 41, 42 and interacts with a further stop 65 located on the roller cassette 51, 52. In other words, the quick-change system 54 has a stop 63 that is coupled to the respective crossbeam 81, 82, and on the side of the roller cassettes 51, 52, the quick-change system 54 has a further stop 65 that is coupled to the rollers 41, 42. Thus, the axial position of the rollers 41, 42 can be defined in the roller stand 10 via the stop 63 and the further stop 65. Furthermore, a system for the tobacco processing industry is provided, which includes a flat web processing device 2, the rollers 41, 42 of which are housed in roller cassettes 51, 52. This system also includes an adjustment device separate from the flat web processing device 2. The adjustment device forms the machine-side part of the quick-change system 54. The adjustment device thus includes, for example, the first guide rail 61 and the second guide rail 62, so that these can interact with the corresponding roller bearings 91, 92 of the cassettes 51, 52. The roller cassettes 51, 52 can be inserted into the adjustment device in the same way as they are inserted into the roller stand 10.The adjustment device also maps the machine-side stops 63 used for adjustment, specifically for both the first roll cassette 51 and the second roll cassette 52 (i.e., two stops), in their spatial relationship to each other, as they also have to each other in the roll stand 10. This applies in particular to the distance or position of the stops 63 viewed in the axial direction. Thus, within the adjustment device, provided the corresponding roller cassettes 51, 52 are inserted into it, the additional stops 65 located on the side of the roller cassettes 51, 52, which are designed to be movable, can be aligned so that the first and second rollers 41, 42 are correctly aligned with each other. The first and second rollers 41, 42 are therefore correctly adjusted relative to each other in the adjustment device, their additional stops 65 are fixed, and when the corresponding roller cassettes 51, 52 are inserted into the roller stand 10, the rollers 41, 42 are already correctly aligned relative to each other when the additional stop 65 on the cassette side abuts the stop 63 on the machine side. Fig. 8 shows a machine of the tobacco processing industry 110, which has a flat web processing device 2 according to one or more of the previously mentioned embodiments. The machine 110 has a flat web supply device 112, for example, a reel changer. The flat web 114 is supplied on a reel 116. It passes through a splicer 118, which joins the trailing end of a first flat web 114, unwound from a first reel 116, with the starting end of a second flat web 114, unwound from another reel 116, to form an endless flat web 114. The flat web 114 passes over various, unspecified deflection rollers and the web tensioning device 124, for example, dancers, which are provided for controlling and / or regulating the web tension, to a flat web storage unit 120. Flat web transport devices 122 are also provided, with which the flat web 114 is transported. In the individual sections, the web tensioning devices 124 ensure that the desired web tension is maintained.The flat web 114 then passes through a web edge control 126, which adjusts the position of the flat web 114 in a plane parallel to its surface, to the flat web processing device 2. The processed flat web 114 then passes through a web tensioning device 124 before proceeding further downstream to a strand forming device 128. In the strand forming device 128, a strand 132 is formed. Rod-shaped articles or segments 134 can be cut from the strand 132, for example, using a knife attachment. The roll stand 10 of the flat web processing device 2 is separate from the flat web supply device 112 and the extrusion device 128 and is mechanically self-supporting. The flat web processing device 2 is configured to process the flat web 114 supplied by the flat web supply device 112 in the roll gap 6 and to supply the processed flat web to the extrusion device 128. The flat web processing device 2 is mechanically stable to such an extent that it does not transmit any mechanical forces into the rear wall 130 of the machine 110 while performing its tasks, i.e., processing the flat web 114. For example, the rollers 41, 42 are mounted in the roller stand 10, and the roller stand 10 absorbs the forces exerted by the rollers 41, 42 during the processing of the flat web 114. No processing forces are transmitted into the rear wall 130, as would be the case, for example, if the rollers 41, 42 were mounted on the rear wall 130. The rear wall 130 only bears the weight of the processing device 2. All features mentioned, including those discernible from the drawings alone as well as individual features disclosed in combination with other features, are considered essential to the invention, both individually and in combination. Inventive embodiments may be fulfilled by individual features or by a combination of several features. Reference symbol list 2 Flat web processing device 41 First roller 42 Second roller 6 Roller gap 81 First crossbeam 82 Second crossbeam 71R First rear support 71V First front support 72R Second rear support 72V Second front support 10 Roller stand 12R Rear vertical support 12V Front vertical support 14V Front rocker arm 14R Rear rocker arm 16V Front vertical arm 16R Rear vertical arm 18V Front lower arm 18R Rear lower arm 19V Front drive motor 19R Rear drive motor 20V Front drive 20R Rear drive 22V Front connecting rod 22R Rear connecting rod 24V Front eccentric 24R Rear eccentric 26V Front Flat web processing force measuring device 26R rear flat web processing force measuring device 28V front area 28R rear area 30 processing unit 32 leaf spring arrangement 34V frontLeaf spring 34R rear leaf spring 36 lower crossbeam body 38 upper crossbeam body 51 first roller cassette 52 second roller cassette 54 quick-change system 56 coupling 58 pneumatic connector 61 first guide rail 62 second guide rail 63 stop 64 fastening device 65 further stop 66 extraction hood 74 roller drive 91 first roller bearing 92 second roller bearing 94 roller 101 first guide groove 102 second guide groove 110 Tobacco processing machine 112 flat web supply device 114 flat web 116 bobbin 118 splicer 120 flat web storage 122 flat web transport device 124 web tensioning device 126 web edge control 128 strand forming device 130 machine rear wall 132 strand 134 rod-shaped article / segment A1 first axis A2 second axis A axis plane AS Swivel axis AW Swivel axis of the second roller K Circular arc QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature US 4,047,536

[0003] DE 10 2023 122 163 A1

[0081] DE 10 2018 106 826 A1

[0081] DE 10 2018 121 618 A1

[0081]

Claims

Flat web processing device (2) of the tobacco processing industry, comprising a first roller (41) rotatably mounted about a first axis (A1) and a second roller (42) rotatably mounted about a second axis (A2) cooperating with it, which are configured to process a provided flat web (114) in a roller gap (6) located between the first and the second roller (41, 42), characterized by a roller frame (10), preferably mechanically self-stabilizing, in which the two rollers (41, 42), preferably each in a traverse (81, 82), are received, mounted, mechanically fixed and / or force-transmittingly connected at their ends opposite each other in the respective axial direction. Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the roller stand (10) has an upper first traverse (81) in which the first roller (41) is received, and a lower second traverse (82) in which the second roller (42) is received, wherein the first and second traverses (81, 82) are held via a rear vertical support (12R), so that the roller stand (10), viewed perpendicular to an axial plane (A) in which the first and second axes (A1, A2) extend, is C-shaped. Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the roller stand (10) has an upper first crossbeam (81) in which the first roller (41) is received, and a lower second crossbeam (82) in which the second roller (42) is received, wherein the first and second crossbeams (81, 82) are each held on a rear vertical support (12R) and a front vertical support (12V), so that the crossbeams (81, 82) are received in the roller stand (10) at their two ends opposite each other in the respective axial direction of the rollers (41, 42). Flat web processing device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second traverse (82) is pivotably received in the roller stand (10) via at least one rocker arm (14), wherein a clear dimension of the roller gap (6) can be changed by a pivoting movement of the rocker arm (14). Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 4, characterized in that the at least one rocker arm (14) is pivotable in a plane which is oriented at least approximately perpendicular to an axial plane (A) in which the first and the second axis (A1, A2) extend. Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the second traverse (82) is pivotably received in the roller stand (10) via a front rocker arm (14V) and a rear rocker arm (14R), wherein the rocker arms (14V, 14R) are independently adjustable from each other. Flat web processing device (2) according to one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that the at least one rocker arm (14V, 14R) is L-shaped, wherein a leg (16V) extending from top to bottom of the rocker arm (14V, 14R) is pivotably attached at its upper end to the roller stand (10) and a lower leg (18) of the rocker arm (14V, 14R) is coupled to the second crossbeam (82). Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the front rocker arm (14V) is pivotable with a front drive (20V) and the rear rocker arm (14R) is pivotable with a rear drive (20R), wherein the drives (20V, 20R) are independently controllable and / or adjustable, so that the front and rear rocker arms (14V, 14R) are pivotable independently of each other. Flat web processing device (2) according to claims 7 and 8, characterized in that the lower leg (18V) of the front L-shaped rocker arm (14V) is coupled to a front connecting rod (22V) which can be driven by a front eccentric (24V), wherein the front connecting rod (22V) and the front eccentric (24V) together act as a front drive (20V), and the lower leg (18R) of the rear L-shaped rocker arm (14R) is coupled to a rear connecting rod (22R) which can be driven by a rear eccentric (24R), wherein the rear connecting rod (22R) and the rear eccentric (24R) together act as a rear drive. Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the front drive (20V) has a front flat web processing force measuring device (26V) and the rear drive (20R) has a rear flat web processing force measuring device (26R), wherein the front flat web processing force measuring device (26V) can measure a processing force acting on the flat web (114) in the roller gap (6) in the front area (28V) of the rollers (41, 42) and the rear flat web processing force measuring device (26R) can measure a processing force acting on the flat web (114) in the roller gap (6) in the rear area (28R) of the rollers (41, 42). Flat web machining device (2) according to claim 10, characterized in that the flat web machining force measuring device (26V, 26R) is each configured to measure the machining force on the connecting rod (22V, 22R), wherein in particular the flat web machining force measuring device (26V, 26R) is a strain measuring device present on the connecting rod (22V, 22R). Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized by a processing unit (30) which is configured to process measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear area (28V, 28R) of the rollers (41, 42) and to control the front and rear drive (20V, 20R) such that the processing force is in each case within a predetermined or predefinable processing force interval. Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 10 or 11, characterized by a processing unit (30) which is configured to process measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas (28V, 28R) of the rollers (41, 42) and, if the measured value exceeds a predetermined or predefinable limit value, to generate and output a warning message and, in response to the warning message, to activate a safety function, in particular to control at least one of the two drives (20V, 20R) in such a way that the roller gap (6) is increased. Flat web processing device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the second traverse (82) has a spring arrangement, in particular a leaf spring arrangement (32), with which the second roller (42) is resiliently mounted relative to the roller stand (10), wherein in particular the spring arrangement, and furthermore in particular the leaf spring arrangement (32), is designed to be stiff in directions which lie in a plane perpendicular to the second axis (A2) and less stiff in directions which do not lie in this plane. Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 14, characterized in that the spring arrangement, in particular the leaf spring arrangement (32), is designed to permit a pivoting movement of the second roller about a pivot axis (AW), wherein the pivot axis (AW) is located in the roller gap (6), in particular centrally in the roller gap (6), furthermore in particular in the axial direction of the rollers (41, 42) centrally between the opposing axial ends of the rollers (41, 42) and / or furthermore in particular centrally in the roller gap (6) at half the distance between the first and second axis (A1, A2), and wherein the pivot axis (AW) extends at least approximately perpendicular to an axis plane (A) in which the first and the second axis (A1, A2) lie. Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that the second crossbeam (82) has a lower crossbeam body (36) and an upper crossbeam body (38) which are coupled to each other by the spring arrangement, in particular the leaf spring arrangement (32), wherein the lower crossbeam body (36) is coupled to the roller stand (10) and the upper crossbeam body (38) is coupled to the second roller (42), and wherein in particular the leaf spring arrangement (32) has a rear and a front elongated, in particular strip-shaped, leaf spring (34R, 34V) with two opposing long side edges which are connected by short side edges, wherein one of the two long side edges of the leaf springs (34R, 34V) is coupled to the lower crossbeam body (38) and the opposite long side edge is coupled to the upper crossbeam body (36), in particular directly connected. Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 10 or 11, in conjunction with one of claims 14 to 16, characterized by a processing unit (30) which is configured to align the first and the second axis (A1, A2) parallel to each other by moving the rollers (41, 42) towards each other and into contact with each other with an empty roller gap (6) while continuously evaluating the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas (28V, 28R) of the rollers (41, 42), wherein the front and rear drives (20V, 20R) are controlled such that when the rollers (41, 42) are in contact with each other, the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas (26V, 26R) deviate from each other by less than a predetermined or predefinable maximum value. Flat web processing device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 17, characterized in that the rollers (41, 42) are each received in a roller cassette (51, 52) and the roller cassettes (51, 52) are each received on the crossbeams (81, 82) via a quick-change system (54), which allows the roller cassettes (51, 52) to be removed from or mounted in the roller stand preferably in the direction of the axis (A1, A2) of the rollers (41, 42). Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 18, characterized in that the quick-change system (54) has at least one guide rail (61, 62) coupled to the traverse (81, 82), which interacts with at least one roller bearing (91, 92) present on the roller cassette (51, 52). Flat web processing device (2) according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the quick-change system (54) has a stop which defines a position of the roller (41, 42) in the axial direction and interacts with a further stop present on the roller cassette (51, 52). Flat web processing device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 20, characterized in that the flat web processing device (2) is a crimping device and the rollers (41, 42) are crimp rollers, the flat web processing device (2) is an embossing device and the rollers (41, 42) are embossing rollers, or the flat web processing device (2) is a cutting device and the rollers (41, 42) are strip-cut rollers. System of the tobacco processing industry comprising a flat web processing device (2) according to claim 20 and an adjustment device separate from the flat web processing device (2), wherein the adjustment device represents a machine-side part of the quick-change system (54) and has adjustment stops whose spatial relationship to each other corresponds to that of the stops in the flat web processing device (2), wherein the adjustment device is configured to accommodate the roller cassettes (51, 52). Machine of the tobacco processing industry, comprising a flat web supply device (112), a flat web processing device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 21 and a strand forming device (128), wherein the roller stand (10) of the flat web processing device (2) is separate from the flat web supply device (112) and the strand forming device (128) and is in particular mechanically self-stabilizing, and the flat web processing device (2) is configured to process a flat web (114) provided by the flat web supply device (112) in the roller gap (6) and to provide it to the strand forming device (128). Method for operating a flat web processing device (2) for the tobacco processing industry, comprising a first roller (41) rotatably mounted about a first axis (A1) and a second roller (42) rotatably mounted about a second axis (A2) cooperating with it, wherein a provided flat web (114) is processed in a roller gap (6) located between the first and the second roller (41, 42), characterized by a roller frame (10), in particular mechanically self-stabilizing, in which the two rollers (41, 42), in particular each in a traverse (81, 82), are received, mounted, mechanically fixed and / or force-transmittingly connected on both sides at their ends opposite each other in the respective axial direction. Method according to claim 24, characterized in that the second traverse (82) is pivotably received in the roll stand (10) via at least one rocker arm (14), wherein a clear dimension of the roll gap (6) is changed by a pivoting movement of the rocker arm (14), wherein the rocker arm (14) is pivoted in a plane which is oriented at least approximately perpendicular to an axial plane (A) in which the first and the second axes (A1, A2) extend. Method according to claim 25, characterized in that the second traverse (82) is received in the roller stand (10) via a front rocker arm (14V) and a rear rocker arm (14R), wherein the second traverse (82) is pivoted by adjusting the rockers (14V, 14R) independently of each other, wherein the front rocker arm (14V) is pivoted by a front drive (20V) and the rear rocker arm (14R) by a rear drive (20R), and wherein the drives (20V, 20R) are controlled and / or regulated independently of each other, so that the front and rear rockers (14V, 14R) are pivoted independently of each other. Method according to claim 26, characterized in that the front drive (20V) has a front flat web processing force measuring device (26V) and the rear drive (20R) has a rear flat web processing force measuring device (26R), wherein the front flat web processing force measuring device (26V) measures a processing force acting on the flat web (114) in the roller gap (6) in the front area (28V) of the rollers (41, 42) and the rear flat web processing force measuring device (26R) measures a processing force acting on the flat web (114) in the roller gap (6) in the rear area (28R) of the rollers (41, 42). Method according to claim 27, characterized in that the flat web processing device (2) has a processing unit (30) with which the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear area (28V, 28R) of the rollers (41, 42) are processed, wherein the front and rear drive (20V, 20R) are controlled such that the processing force is in each case within a predetermined or predefinable processing force interval. Method according to claim 27, characterized in that the flat web processing device (2) has a processing unit (30) with which the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas (28V, 28R) of the rollers (41, 42) are processed and if the measured value exceeds a predetermined or predefinable limit value, a warning message is generated and output, wherein in response to the warning message a safety function is activated and in particular as a safety function at least one of the drives (20V, 20R) is controlled in such a way that the roller gap (6) is increased. A method according to any one of claims 24 to 29, characterized in that the second crossbeam (82) has a spring arrangement, in particular a leaf spring arrangement (32), with which the second roll (42) is resiliently mounted relative to the roll stand (10), wherein the spring arrangement, in particular the leaf spring arrangement (32), is designed to be stiff in directions that lie in a plane perpendicular to the second axis (A2) and less stiff in directions that do not lie in this plane, wherein the spring arrangement, in particular the leaf spring arrangement (32), is designed to allow a pivoting movement of the second roll (42) about a pivot axis (AW), wherein the pivot axis (AW) lies in the roll gap (6), in particular centrally in the roll gap (6), furthermore, in particular in the axial direction of the rolls (41, 42) centrally between the opposing axial ends of the rolls and / or furthermore, in particular centrally in the roll gap at half the distance between the first and second axes (A1, 42).A2), and wherein the pivot axis (AW) extends at least approximately perpendicular to an axis plane (A) in which the first and second axes (A1, A2) lie, wherein the processing unit (30) is configured to align the first and second axes (A1, A2) parallel to each other by moving the rollers (41, 42) towards each other and into contact with each other while the roller gap is empty and the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas (28V, 28R) of the rollers (41, 42) are continuously evaluated, wherein the processing unit (30) controls the front and rear drives (20V, 20R) such that when the rollers (41, 42) are in contact with each other, the measured values ​​of the processing force in the front and rear areas (28V, 28R) differ from each other by less than a predetermined or predefinable maximum value. Method for operating a machine (110) of the tobacco processing industry, wherein the machine (110) comprises: a flat web supply device (112), a flat web processing device (2) according to one of claims 1 to 21 and a strand forming device (128), wherein the flat web processing device (2) comprises a roller stand (10) separate from the flat web supply device (112) and the strand forming device (128) and, in particular, mechanically self-stabilizing, wherein the flat web supply device (112) provides a flat web (114) to the flat web processing device (2), the flat web processing device (2) processes the flat web (114) in the roller gap (6) and provides the product of this processing step to the strand forming device (128). Use of a machine (110) according to claim 23 for the production of rod-shaped segments, products and / or articles (134) of the tobacco processing industry, in particular segments in heat-not-burn articles. Rod-shaped article (134) of the tobacco processing industry, comprising at least one rod-shaped segment which is produced by cutting a strand (132) to length, wherein the strand (132) is produced using a machine (110) according to claim 23.

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