Machines and methods in the tobacco processing industry for manufacturing rods or paper filters and the use of the machines

Abstract

The present invention relates to a machine (2) for the tobacco processing industry, a method for manufacturing a paper filter, and the use of the machine (2). The machine (2) comprises, arranged one behind the other in the material flow direction, a flat web providing device (8), a flat web structuring device (12), a flat web preforming device (26), and a rod forming device (28). A conveying roll (24) is arranged between the flat web structuring device (12) and the flat web preforming device (26), and a coating device (18) is arranged between the flat web structuring device (12) and the flat web preforming device (26). The coating device (18) is designed to apply an additional material (22) to at least the upper surface (20) of the flat web (4), and the coating device (18) has a wide slit nozzle (94) for applying the additional material (22).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine in the tobacco processing industry for manufacturing rods from flat webs, comprising the following devices arranged one behind the other in the material flow direction: a flat web providing device for providing a flat web, a flat web structuring device, in particular a crimping device, capable of imparting a structure into the flat web such that the flat web obtains a modified cross-section in at least some sections in the unfolded state, a flat web preforming device for enabling the flat web to transition into a preformed state, and a rod forming device for enabling a rod to be manufactured from the preformed flat web. The present invention also relates to the use of such a machine.

[0002] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a paper filter using a machine in the tobacco processing industry for manufacturing rods from flat webs, the machine comprising the following devices arranged one behind the other in the material flow direction: a flat web providing device for providing a flat web, a flat web structuring device for imparting a structure into the flat web such that the flat web obtains a modified cross-section in at least some sections in the unfolded state, in particular a crimping device, a flat web preforming device for transitioning the flat web into a preformed state, and a rod forming device for manufacturing a rod from the preformed flat web.

Background Art

[0003] Flat webs are used for a variety of purposes in the tobacco processing industry and are often processed in a continuous process into endless rods. From such rods, rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry, such as filters or filter segments, can be manufactured. Another application example where rod-shaped articles of the tobacco processing industry are manufactured from rods is articles made from a flat web of reconstituted tobacco material (RECON) or from a PLA sheet. This type of rod-shaped segment can be used in so-called HNB articles ("Heat-Not-Burn") (also referred to as THP articles ("Tobacco-Heated-Product")). Such products of the tobacco processing industry are heated and not burned, and as a result, due to the heating, the content substances of the tobacco material are released and carried by an air flow to be provided to consumption.

[0004] When a paper web is used as the flat web, paper filters or paper filter segments, for example, can be manufactured from the paper web. Compared to conventionally used filter segments, paper filters or paper filter segments are advantageously biodegradable.

[0005] One important process step when processing a flat web into one of the above-mentioned rod-shaped articles, for example, is to deform the flat web from a flat and spread state into a folded or entangled intermediate state and then further into a rod having a substantially circular cross-section. For this purpose, the flat web is, for example, entangled transversely to the longitudinal direction of the flat web by a deformation unit and subsequently formed into a rod within a formatting unit, and the rod can subsequently be enveloped.

[0006] There are not a few cases where it is desirable to apply an additive, such as a flavorant, to the filter material. Such additives are often applied in a flat and spread state on the flat web. However, the application of such additives may also be carried out on a web that is entangled transversely to the longitudinal direction of the flat web.

[0007] In Patent Document 1, it is known to partially spread out the intertwined flat web again in a fan shape, whereby an additional material can be applied onto the flat web in this state. In the case of the apparatus known from this document, a plurality of individual nozzles are used. The nozzles are arranged within the recesses of the coating apparatus, and as a result, the additional material is applied locally limited by the spraying method onto the flat web.

[0008] One apparatus capable of applying an additional material onto a conventional filter material made of fibers is known, for example, from Patent Document 2. In the case of the apparatus known from this document, a pneumatic solid injector nozzle sprays a powdery material with an extremely small particle size onto the fiber material.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] The problem of the present invention is to present a tobacco processing industry machine for manufacturing a rod in which the application of an additional material onto a flat web is improved, the use of such a machine, and a method for manufacturing a paper filter from a flat web.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0011] A tobacco processing industry machine for manufacturing a rod from a flat web, comprising the following devices arranged one behind the other in the material flow direction: a flat web providing device for providing a flat web, a flat web structuring device, in particular a crimping device, capable of imparting a structure into the flat web such that the flat web obtains a modified cross-section in at least some sections in the unfolded state, a flat web preforming device for enabling the flat web to transition into a preformed state, and a rod forming device for enabling a rod to be manufactured from the preformed flat web. In this machine, a conveying roll is arranged between the flat web structuring device and the flat web preforming device, and the flat web is guided by and / or along the conveying roll in the material flow direction, and the conveying roll is tailored and configured to guide the unfolded flat web and / or adjust the web tension of the flat web over the conveying section between the flat web structuring device and the flat web preforming device. a coating device is arranged between the flat web structuring device and the flat web preforming device, in particular between the flat web structuring device and the conveying roll. The coating device is tailored to coat an additional material, in particular a liquid, onto at least the upper surface of the flat web, which is located on the side opposite to the lower surface of the flat web in contact with the conveying roll. The coating device has a wide slit nozzle for coating the additional material. is solved by a tobacco processing industry machine for manufacturing a rod from a flat web, which has been developed thereby.

[0012] Advantageously, the wide slit nozzle included in the coating device enables the additional material to be applied quickly and efficiently and, when desired, planar over the entire width of the flat web, i.e., not only locally but, for example, along the coating path. Thus, it is possible to apply a sufficiently large amount of additional material uniformly onto the flat web even for a high process speed.

[0013] The wide slit nozzle has a nozzle gap, through which the additive material flows out. The longitudinal extension direction of the nozzle gap is oriented at least approximately perpendicular to the transport direction of the flat web. Further, in particular, the wide slit nozzle has a nozzle gap having a longitudinal extension direction corresponding at least approximately to the width of the flat web. If the length of the nozzle gap as seen in the longitudinal extension direction of the nozzle gap is selected to be slightly smaller than the width of the flat web, it is possible to prevent the additive material from passing through the flat web and reaching, for example, a collection area provided for this purpose. So-called "overspray" does not occur. In the case of overspray, the material is inevitably lost. At least the overspray is significantly reduced. When the length of the nozzle gap is selected to be equal to or even slightly larger than the width of the flat web, a certain amount of overspray is tolerated. For this reason, it is possible to wet the flat web with the additive material without edges. By wetting the flat web without edges, in particular, a large amount of additive material can be applied onto the flat web.

[0014] The wide slit nozzle further enables flexible coating of various different materials that can be used as additive materials. The additive materials range from liquids to highly viscous materials and, in some cases, materials that are solid at room temperature. The additive material can be a liquid, a solid, a mixture, such as a dispersion, a suspension, a gel, or the like.

[0015] Machines in the tobacco processing industry further comprise transport rolls, which are designed to guide the flat web and / or maintain the web tension of the flat web, and to perform open-loop control and / or closed-loop control. The application of the additive material using the wide slit nozzle can advantageously be improved by this means. If the position and the web tension of the flat web are kept within a predefined limit range, this improves the application of the additive material made possible by the wide slit nozzle.

[0016] Both of the above means, i.e., on the one hand, the action of the conveying roll and, on the other hand, the function of the wide slit nozzle with respect to the application of the additional material, interact synergistically with each other.

[0017] According to one embodiment, to assist in the application of the additional material onto the flat web, the coating device is adapted to have a wide slit nozzle assisted by compressed air. Assisted by compressed air, the wide slit nozzle realizes a uniform application of the additional material by a uniform lateral distribution of the additional material in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the flat web. Furthermore, by using compressed air, the application of the additional material can be controlled more precisely in open-loop control and / or closed-loop control. For example, the application amount and the application speed can be adapted to the type of material of the flat web, such as the porosity or air permeability of the material of the flat web. The adaptation of the application of the additional material enables the realization of a high process speed by the machines in the tobacco processing industry.

[0018] According to an advantageous embodiment, furthermore, the wide slit nozzle has a nozzle gap provided for the additional material and at least one gap extending at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap on one side of the nozzle gap, and in particular, is adapted to have a pair of gaps extending at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap on both sides of the nozzle gap.

[0019] Preferably, at least one gap is oriented parallel to the nozzle gap of the wide slit nozzle. This applies both to the pair of gaps arranged on both sides of the nozzle gap and to the single gap arranged on one side of the nozzle gap. The gap has a length that is smaller than or equal to the length of the nozzle gap as seen in the longitudinal extension direction of the gap. According to another embodiment, similarly, the gap is adapted to have a length greater than the length of the nozzle gap. Thus, the additional material flowing out of the nozzle gap can be confined within a completely covering air flow when two gaps are provided on both sides of the nozzle gap, and as a result, the overspray can be significantly reduced.

[0020] According to another embodiment, a machine in the tobacco processing industry has been developed in that the wide slit nozzle has a substrate provided with a heater, and in particular the substrate has a storage chamber for the additional material in fluid communication with the nozzle gap.

[0021] The heatable wide slit nozzle enables adjustment of the suitable viscosity range of the additional material, so that optimal coating of the additional material onto the flat web is possible. The heatability of the wide slit nozzle thereby enables influencing this process parameter. This is particularly advantageous when the viscosity cannot be adjusted by suitable additives added to the additional material.

[0022] The heated wide slit nozzle also enables coating of very highly viscous additional materials which, without heating, could neither be conveyed nor coated. In particular, the additional material is already supplied to the machine in the tobacco processing industry in a preheated state. According to another embodiment, such an additional material heating device is to be formed as part of a machine in the tobacco processing industry. The additional material is taken out of, for example, a storage container, supplied to the additional material heating device and brought to the desired temperature. The heater of the wide slit nozzle then enables the additional material to be applied at the desired temperature and thus at the desired viscosity. In other words, it is prevented that the additional material cools down in an undesired manner within the wide slit nozzle. The cooling of the additional material can affect the coating of the additional material. This is because, for example, if the temperature drops, the viscosity of the additional material decreases. The heated wide slit nozzle enables compliance with the desired process window and at the same time optimizes the coating of the additional material. A further positive effect is that the wide slit nozzle can be prevented from clogging due to cold additional material residues.

[0023] Furthermore, in particular, not only the wide slit nozzle itself but also the entire coating head is heated or can be heated by a provided heater. Thus, advantageously, it is possible to regulate the temperature of all media guided through the coating head in a desired manner and method. This applies in particular to the additional materials but also to the compressed air, which will be referred to in more detail below.

[0024] According to another advantageous embodiment, machines in the tobacco processing industry have been developed such that the nozzle gap and / or at least one gap can be adjusted. This adjustability can be achieved, for example, by means of a suitable intermediate piece. More particularly, the length and / or width of the nozzle gap and / or at least one gap can be adjusted. The length of the nozzle gap and the length of the gap are measured in the direction of the longitudinal extension of the respective nozzle gap and gap. The length of the nozzle gap or the gap generally extends at least approximately parallel to the width of the flat web. The width of the nozzle gap or the gap is measured transversely to the width of the flat web, i.e., in the direction of the transport direction of the flat web. The width of the nozzle gap or the gap extends transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the longitudinal extension direction of the respective nozzle gap or gap, i.e., transversely to the length of the nozzle gap or the gap. More particularly, the width of the nozzle gap and / or the gap is between 5 μm and 1 mm (1000 μm). More particularly, this width is between 10 μm and 500 μm, more particularly between 50 μm and 250 μm, more particularly between 100 μm and 300 μm.

[0025] According to another advantageous embodiment, machines in the tobacco processing industry with a wide slit nozzle assisted by compressed air have been developed such that the machine is equipped with a compressed air heater designed to provide heated compressed air to the wide slit nozzle. This measure is advantageous because it is inevitable that the compressed air flow guided through the wide slit nozzle will cool the wide slit nozzle. This undesirable cooling effect can be prevented or at least significantly reduced by supplying heated compressed air to the wide slit nozzle.

[0026] According to another advantageous embodiment, the machine in the tobacco processing industry has been developed by configuring the wide slit nozzle as a contact wide slit nozzle or as a wide slit nozzle operating non - contact. In particular, the wide slit nozzle operating non - contact is arranged such that the distance between the flat web and the nozzle gap of the wide slit nozzle is between 3 mm and 60 mm.

[0027] The working intervals within the described range have been found to be advantageous in actual use. The described working intervals make it possible to find a good compromise between, on the one hand, a slight overspray and, on the other hand, a uniform distribution of the additional material. According to another advantageous embodiment, the described intervals are between 30 mm and 50 mm, and more particularly between 35 mm and 45 mm.

[0028] According to another advantageous embodiment, the wide slit nozzle is designed to process an additional material having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 1600 mPa·s (mPa·s = millipascal - second).

[0029] In particular, the machine in the tobacco processing industry is equipped with a control device, which is designed to open - loop control and / or closed - loop control a heater present in the body of the wide slit nozzle so that the additional material is temperature - regulated such that the viscosity of the additional material assumes a desired value within the described range.

[0030] In actual use, it has been found that a viscosity of the additional material within the indicated range enables good and reliable processing of the additional material within the wide slit nozzle. In other words, when the viscosity of the additional material is within the described range, the additional material is processed by the wide slit nozzle in the desired form and manner.

[0031] According to another advantageous embodiment, the viscosity of the additional material is in the range of 100 mPa·s to 1000 mPa·s, and more particularly in the range of 300 mPa·s to 600 mPa·s. Again, the control unit of the machine is adapted to correspondingly adjust the temperature of the wide slit nozzle via a heater, so that the additional material has the desired viscosity.

[0032] According to another advantageous embodiment, a coating device is arranged between the flat web structuring device and the flat web preforming device, in particular between the flat web structuring device and the transport roll, and the coating device is adapted to coat the upper and lower surfaces of the flat web with an additional material, in particular a liquid. In other words, the coating device is configured to be able to apply an additional material to both sides of the flat web.

[0033] According to another advantageous embodiment, the machine for the tobacco processing industry further The flat web preforming device has or is formed in the form of a forming shoulder, and the forming shoulder has a deformation section extending substantially transversely to the material flow direction and having a contour substantially formed in a convex shape, and a cylindrical section extending substantially transversely to the material flow direction and having a contour substantially formed in a concave shape, or has them. In particular, the deformation section and the cylindrical section preferably transition along a three-dimensional deformation edge, and the deformation section and the cylindrical section of the forming shoulder are arranged such that the flat web departs from the transport roll and first comes into contact with the deformation section in at least an approximately flat state in the first transport direction, and then, after overcoming the deformation edge, comes into contact with the cylindrical section in at least a partially wound state in the second transport direction. Furthermore, the first transport direction and the second transport direction form an angle between 71° and 120° (71 to 120 degrees), in particular between 71° and 90° (71 to 90 degrees), and more particularly at least approximately 90° (90 degrees). In particular, the forming shoulders have right front and left front shoulder elements and right rear and left rear shoulder elements, and the shoulder elements are arranged relative to one another such that the flat web departs from the conveying roll and, as seen in the material flow direction, first comes into contact with the front shoulder element and subsequently comes into contact with the rear shoulder element, and the shoulder elements are, in particular, individually adjustable, and furthermore, in particular, the shoulder elements are adjustable such that the length of the forming edge can be changed, and have been developed thereby.

[0034] The flat web structuring device is, in particular, designed to impart a three-dimensional structure into the flat web. In particular, the flat web structuring device is designed to emboss the structure into the flat web. The structure imparted into the flat web by the flat web structuring device changes the cross-section of the flat web as seen in a plane that is oriented at least approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the flat web. In the initial state, i.e., before the flat web enters the flat web structuring device, the cross-section of the flat web is at least approximately rectangular. This shape is changed, at least locally, by the deformation process. For example, the deformation may involve a local reduction in the cross-section of the flat web, and also the deformation may, as seen in the cross-section, also cause local warping, bulging, etc. of the flat web, and additionally a local reduction or local enlargement of the material thickness may occur.

[0035] Advantageously, the flat web is guided by the conveying roll, via the conveying roll and / or along the conveying roll, so that the web tension of the flat web is maintained at a desired value. Alternatively or additionally, the flat web can be guided by the conveying roll, via the conveying roll or with the aid of the conveying roll. As a guide, the conveying roll acts for a flat web that is spread out, i.e., not yet wound up or compressed. The conveyance of the flat web by the conveying roll prevents a reduction in wear in the flat web as compared to a solution in which the flat web is deflected via a deflection edge or the like, and thus the web tension is maintained. Such web guiding is advantageous especially for flat webs to which additional material is applied. This relates in particular to the case where the additional material is applied to the flat web only on one side. By means of the described flat web preforming device, the flat web comes into contact with the flat web preforming device on only one of the two sides of the flat web, i.e..

[0036] The described angular range enables the flat web preforming device to be constructed particularly compactly.

[0037] According to another advantageous embodiment, the shoulder elements are each adjustable in a linear motion. Furthermore, in particular, the previous shoulder element is located in a plane that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical section in the previous sliding direction and faces the direction of the center of the cylindrical section, and is slidable along the previous sliding direction, and the subsequent shoulder element is slidable along the subsequent sliding direction, and the subsequent sliding direction extends obliquely with respect to the plane and intersects at least approximately within a straight line defined by the longitudinal axis, and this intersection point is located outside the cylindrical section.

[0038] According to another embodiment, the profiling edge extends three-dimensionally, which means that the profiling edge does not extend completely within a plane.

[0039] The shoulder elements may be adjustable individually and independently of each other. However, this is not necessarily the case. According to another embodiment, the shoulder elements are, for example, adjustable in pairs.

[0040] According to another advantageous embodiment, the length of the profiling edge of the profiled shoulder is between 100 mm and 400 mm, particularly between 100 mm and 300 mm, and more particularly between 100 mm and 180 mm or between 180 mm and 300 mm.

[0041] The adjustability of the shoulder elements enables the profiled shoulder to be flexibly adjusted to various requirements regarding rod forming. On the one hand, the profiled shoulder can be adjusted to flat webs of different widths. On the other hand, the profiled shoulder can be adjusted to different desired diameters of the material rod to be manufactured.

[0042] The cylindrical section of the profiled shoulder is not necessarily configured in the form of a closed cylinder. In particular, the cylindrical section is not designed to have a completely closed circumferential surface. For example, the cylindrical section has a groove extending along the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical section. The cylindrical section is, for example, in the form of a cylinder jacket, but may also be configured to taper slightly conically, for example.

[0043] While the above-described embodiments perform the profiling or preforming of the flat web by means of the profiled shoulder, according to another embodiment, the profiling of the flat web is carried out by means of a crowned roll.

[0044] According to this, according to another advantageous embodiment of the machine of the tobacco processing industry, the conveying roll is a crowned roll, and the flat web preforming device has at least one wedge-shaped groove roll. In particular, the wedge-shaped groove roll has a joe forming the wedge-shaped groove, and the joes are connected to each other by a connecting shaft. On the connecting shaft, in particular in the center between the joes, there is a support, and the cross-section of the support is larger than that of the connecting shaft.

[0045] The conveying roll configured as a crowned roll is also used in particular as a guide for the flat web, based on the strong convex shape of the conveying roll, albeit with a certain difference. According to another advantageous embodiment, furthermore, the flat web preforming device has a first wedge-shaped groove roll and a second wedge-shaped groove roll, and the first wedge-shaped groove roll and the second wedge-shaped groove roll are such that the first wedge-shaped groove roll interacts with the lower surface of the flat web where the flat web is also guided through or along the conveying roll, and the second wedge-shaped groove roll interacts with the upper surface of the flat web, and in particular is arranged downstream of the first wedge-shaped groove roll.

[0046] In this context, furthermore, in particular, the first wedge-shaped groove roll has a first support, the second wedge-shaped groove roll has a second support, and when viewed in the cross-section taken around the respective connecting shaft, the aspect ratio of the second support with respect to the height width is larger than the aspect ratio of the first support. The second wedge-shaped groove roll thus has a support that is configured to be thinner and taller than the support of the first wedge-shaped groove roll. This assists in the lateral entanglement of the flat web. Thus, the flat web can obtain the final shaping before being introduced into the inlet hopper of the formatting unit.

[0047] According to another embodiment regarding the general configuration of a tobacco processing industry machine, regardless of whether the machine has a forming shoulder or a crowned roll, further, the flat web is adapted to be guided along the conveying roll, preferably in a tangential direction, or via a wrap angle greater than zero and / or less than 95 degrees. In other words, the flat web contacts the conveying roll along a wrap angle greater than zero and less than 95 degrees. Further, according to another embodiment, the conveying roll is adapted to be driven. Preferably, the conveying roll is rotationally driven about its axis of rotation. The conveying roll is driven in particular such that the conveying roll rotates at a peripheral speed equal to, lower than, or higher than the speed of the material flow. Through the drive of the conveying roll, the web tension of the flat web can also be optimized, and the wear occurring on the flat web at the conveying roll can be optimized.

[0048] A tobacco processing industry machine enables the processing of a flat web, and the web tension of the flat web can be advantageously adjusted via the conveying roll also from the perspective of the desired coating of the additional material. By means of a wide slit nozzle, various different additional materials, such as gels, flavors, hot melts, etc., can be coated onto the web-shaped material of the flat web. In order to achieve the correct viscosity range for the optimal coating of the additional material, the wide slit nozzle can be configured to be heatable. Thus, the viscosity of the additional material is adjusted when the viscosity cannot be changed by appropriate additives. Some additional materials are present in a solid form at room temperature, for example as granules, or are highly viscous. Such additional materials cannot be conveyed or coated without being heated. For this reason, a tobacco processing industry machine may be provided with an additional material heating device. Further, in particular, the wide slit nozzle is adapted to be heatable so that the additional material can be coated onto the flat web with the desired viscosity.

[0049] The wide slit nozzle can be configured as a contact type wide slit nozzle or as a non-contact working wide slit nozzle. With the contact type wide slit nozzle, additive materials within a large viscosity range can be processed without excess. The wide slit nozzle receives the additive material, holds the additive material at a desired temperature, or raises the temperature of the additive material to the required coating temperature, and feeds the additive material to the nozzle gap, for example, via a storage chamber. The wide slit nozzle enables uniform coating of the additive material by uniform lateral distribution and transfers the additive material onto a flat web. Advantageously, additive materials within a large viscosity range of 100 mPa·s to 1600 mPa·s are processed by the wide slit nozzle. Thus, a large process window for the coating of the additive material can be provided. The contact type wide slit nozzle always has mechanical contact with the flat web and also requires a certain pressing force. Adjustment of the web tension by the transport roll is therefore particularly advantageous for this application case.

[0050] According to another embodiment, the wide slit nozzle is configured to operate in a non-contact manner. According to this embodiment, wear in the flat web is minimized or completely avoided, and dust is not generated or, if generated, is only extremely slight. The coating of the additive material can be assisted by compressed air, and the volume flow rate of the compressed air can be closed-loop controlled and / or open-loop controlled according to the additive material, particularly according to the viscosity of the additive material and / or according to the material of the flat web, for example, according to the porosity or air permeability of the material of the flat web. In any case, the amount of compressed air is adjusted so that the overspray resulting from possible spraying of the additive material is kept as slight as possible. A compressed air heater may be provided to avoid the wide slit nozzle from cooling down.

[0051] The above problem is further solved by a method for manufacturing a paper filter using a tobacco processing industry machine for manufacturing a rod from a flat web, the machine having the following devices arranged one behind the other in the material flow direction: a flat web providing device for providing a flat web, a flat web structuring device for imparting a structure into the flat web such that the flat web obtains a modified cross-section in at least some sections in the unfolded state, in particular a crimping device, a flat web preforming device for transitioning the flat web into a preformed state, and a rod forming device for manufacturing a rod from the preformed flat web. In the method, advantageously, a conveying roll is arranged between the flat web structuring device and the flat web preforming device, and the flat web is guided by and / or along the conveying roll in the material flow direction, and the conveying roll guides the unfolded flat web and / or adjusts the web tension of the flat web in the conveying section between the flat web structuring device and the flat web preforming device, and a coating device is arranged between the flat web structuring device and the flat web preforming device, in particular between the flat web structuring device and the conveying roll, the coating device coating an additional material, in particular a liquid, onto at least the upper surface of the flat web, which is located on the side opposite to the lower surface of the flat web that contacts the conveying roll, and the coating device having a wide slit nozzle for coating the additional material, and the flat web is a paper web, and a paper filter is cut from the manufactured rod. This is achieved by a method for manufacturing a paper filter using a tobacco processing industry machine for manufacturing a rod from a flat web, which has been developed accordingly.

[0052] The method of manufacturing a paper filter using a tobacco processing industry machine has the same or similar advantages as already mentioned from the perspective of the machine itself. The tobacco processing industry machine is particularly suitable for manufacturing paper filters. This is because for paper filters, it is often desired to add additional materials, such as flavor substances or content substances, to the paper filter. Advantageously, a uniform coating of the additional material can be achieved, and furthermore, the amount of additional material that can be coated is within a wide parameter range.

[0053] According to another embodiment, the flat web can be a web made of non-woven fabric, i.e., a flat web for manufacturing a so-called "tissue filter", or it can be a paper web that further contains, in particular in a small proportion, raw materials made of PLA, reconstituted tobacco material (Recon sheet) or other materials in addition to paper. This advantageously applies to all embodiments.

[0054] According to one embodiment, the method advantageously develops such that the coating device has a wide slit nozzle assisted by compressed air, and the additional material is applied to the flat web assisted by compressed air. In particular, the wide slit nozzle is developed by providing heated compressed air.

[0055] According to another embodiment, the coating device itself is heated. Thus, it is possible that all media guided through the coating device having a wide slit nozzle and optionally a storage chamber or supply channel present can be applied at the desired temperature.

[0056] According to another advantageous embodiment, in the method, the wide slit nozzle has a nozzle gap, through which the additional material is applied to the flat web, and the wide slit nozzle has a gap extending at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap on at least one side of the nozzle gap, in particular, has a pair of gaps extending at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap on both sides of the nozzle gap, and for the application of the additional material assisted by compressed air, the method is developed by guiding the compressed air through at least one gap.

[0057] According to another advantageous embodiment, the method is developed by adjusting the nozzle gap and / or at least one gap, in particular, by adjusting the length and / or width of the nozzle gap and / or at least one gap, and more particularly, the width of the nozzle gap is between 5 μm and 1 mm, more particularly between 10 μm and 500 μm. Another value mentioned from the perspective of the device regarding the width of the nozzle gap can also be applied from the perspective of the method according to one embodiment.

[0058] According to another embodiment, the method is developed such that the wide slit nozzle has a substrate provided with a heater, the substrate has a storage chamber in fluid communication with the nozzle gap for the additional material, and the additional material in the storage chamber is temperature-controlled, in particular, the wide slit nozzle is heated to an arbitrary temperature by the heater, and as a result, the additional material has a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 1600 mPa·s (millipascal seconds).

[0059] As already mentioned previously, the additional material is brought to or kept at the desired temperature, and as a result, it exists with the desired viscosity that enables optimal application of the additional material in the nozzle gap of the wide slit nozzle.

[0060] According to another advantageous embodiment, the wide slit nozzle is configured as a contact wide slit nozzle for applying the additional material onto the flat web by a contact method, or the wide slit nozzle is configured as a wide slit nozzle operating non - contact, for applying the additional material onto the flat web in a non - contact manner, in particular during non - contact application, the additional material is applied onto the flat web at a distance between 3 mm and 60 mm. This distance is more particularly between 5 mm and 50 mm, more particularly between 10 mm and 30 mm, more particularly between 15 mm and 50 mm, more particularly between 20 mm and 30 mm.

[0061] The above - mentioned problem is further solved by the use of a machine according to one or more of the aforementioned embodiments for manufacturing a paper filter. The machine is also adapted to be used for manufacturing paper filter segments of the tobacco processing industry or other or similar rod - shaped articles.

[0062] Since the same or similar advantages as previously mentioned from the perspective of machines in the tobacco processing industry and methods for manufacturing paper filters also apply to the use of the machine, repetitive descriptions will be omitted.

[0063] Further features of the present invention are discernible from the description of the embodiments according to the invention in conjunction with the claims and the accompanying drawings. Embodiments according to the invention can be realized by individual features or combinations of more features.

[0064] The present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings based on examples without restricting the general inventive concept. It should be noted that for all features of the present invention not described in detail herein, reference should be made to the drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0065]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0066] Within the scope of the present invention, features described with "in particular" or "preferably" should be construed as optional features.

[0067] In the figures, the same or similar elements and / or members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and thus their repeated description will be omitted each time.

[0068] FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a machine 2 for the tobacco processing industry. By means of this machine 2, rods 6 are manufactured from a flat web 4. The machine 2 comprises a flat web providing device 8 for providing the flat web 4. The flat web 4 is provided, for example, on a bobbin 10. The flat web providing device 8 may be configured as a bobbin changer. According to such an embodiment, the flat web providing device 8 has more than one holder for receiving the bobbin 10 and, for example, a corresponding splicing device, which splicing device is capable of joining the individual flat webs 4 present on the respective bobbins 10 to one another to form one endless flat web 4.

[0069] The flat web 4 is, for example, a paper web. However, the flat web 4 may also be a web made of non-woven fabric, a flat web for manufacturing a so-called "tissue filter", or a paper web containing small amounts of raw materials made of PLA, reconstituted tobacco material (Recon sheet) or other materials, in particular in a minor proportion, in addition to paper. The rod produced by the machine 2 is, accordingly, for example, a paper rod, which can be cut into rod-shaped articles 92 by a cutting device 90. The rod-shaped articles 92 are, for example, paper filters or paper filter segments.

[0070] Downstream in the material flow direction, the machine 2 comprises a flat web structuring device 12, which has, for example, two crimp rollers 14. By means of the crimp rollers 14, a three-dimensional structure is imparted into the flat web 4, in particular embossed. The flat web 4 then, further in the material flow direction, reaches a coating device 18 via a dancer 16 used for maintaining web tension, open-loop control or closed-loop control, and various deflection rollers, not shown in detail. By means of the coating device 18, an additional material 22 is applied, for example sprayed, onto the upper side 20 of the flat web 4. The lower side 21 located on the opposite side remains dry. According to another embodiment, the coating device 18 is configured such that both the upper side 20 and the lower side 21 of the flat web 4 can be wetted. The additional material 22 is in particular a liquid. To apply the additional material 22, the coating device 18 has a wide slit nozzle. The design of the wide slit nozzle and the coating device 18 will be explained in more detail in the text below.

[0071] Subsequently, the flat web 4 to which the additional material 22 has been applied further reaches a conveying roller 24 in the material flow direction and is introduced into a flat web preforming device 26 via or along the conveying roller 24.

[0072] The conveying roll 24 keeps the flat web 4 under a suitable preload. Maintaining the desired preload is advantageous for the processing of the flat web 4 using the additional material 22. This is because a uniform coating of the additional material 22 can thus be ensured. Further, maintaining the desired preload is advantageous for shifting the flat web 4 into a preformed state within the flat web preforming device 26. Starting from the flat web preforming device 26, the preformed flat web 32 reaches the rod forming device 28 in a preformed state. For example, the rod forming device 28 is a formatting unit, and within the formatting unit, the preformed flat web 32 reaches via the inlet hopper 30. Within the formatting unit, the rod 6 is formed from the preformed flat web 32. From the rod 6, rod-shaped products 92 of the tobacco processing industry, such as filter rods or filter segments, can be cut by the cutting device 90.

[0073] The lower region of FIG. 1 schematically shows a plan view of the flat web 4. The flat web 4 originally exists with its original width up to the flat web preforming device 26, while within the flat web preforming device 26, it is also deformed by intertwined formations or, for example, by cylinder-shaped formations. A preformed flat web 32 is produced, and this preformed flat web 32 is formed into the rod 6 within the rod forming device 28.

[0074] What is important for the shaping process is the web tension of the flat web 4 at the entry into the flat web preforming device 26. In order to adjust the web tension to a desired value and, for example, to keep it within a predetermined value range, conveying rollers 24 are provided. The conveying rollers 24 are further used, in particular, to guide the flat web 4. The conveying rollers 24 are configured, for example, to be driven. The conveying rollers 24 may also be configured to rotate freely. When the conveying rollers 24 are driven, this drive may be open-loop controlled or closed-loop controlled. For example, the speed of the conveying rollers 24 is adapted to the web speed of the flat web 4, and a corresponding open-loop control or closed-loop control of the speed of the conveying rollers 24 adapted to the web speed of the flat web 4 is carried out. As a result, the relative movement between the surface of the conveying rollers 24 and the flat web 4 does not occur or, if it does occur, is minimal. Both surfaces, that is, in an ideal case, move at the same speed. Thus, wear on the flat web 4 can be largely avoided, and process dust that may occur is avoided or, at least, significantly reduced.

[0075] According to one embodiment, the flat web preforming device 26 is configured as a shaping shoulder 36. This embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. According to another embodiment, the flat web preforming device 26 is configured as a wedge-shaped groove roll 38. This embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9.

[0076] Figure 2 shows the forming shoulder 36 in a simplified perspective view. The forming shoulder 36 has a deformation section 40 and a cylindrical section 42. Both sections are distributed to different components of the forming shoulder 36 as will be described further below. The deformation section 40 and the cylindrical section 42 transition into each other, for example, along a three-dimensional deformation edge 44. The deformation edge 44 is three-dimensional in the sense that it is not located or extended within a single plane. The cylindrical section 42 is, for example, cylindrical, and the circumferential surface or the inner surface of the cylindrical section 42 does not necessarily form a completely closed surface. For example, within the upper region of the cylindrical section 42, there is a gap extending in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical section 42 between shoulder elements 50, 52, which will be described in more detail below.

[0077] The deformation section 40 of the forming shoulder 36 and the cylindrical section 42 are arranged relative to each other such that the flat web 4, in the material flow direction, departs from the transport roll 24 and first comes into contact with the deformation section 40 in at least an approximately flat or planar state and in a first transport direction T1. Subsequently, the flat web 4 crosses the deformation edge 44 and comes into contact with the cylindrical section 42 in a state where it is at least partially wound up and in a second transport direction T2. In the illustrated embodiment, the first transport direction T1 and the second transport direction T2 form an angle of at least approximately 90°.

[0078] The formed shoulder 36 has a right front shoulder element 46 and a left front shoulder element 48. Both of the front shoulder elements 46, 48 have a curved outer surface, and these curved outer surfaces form a part of the deformation section 40 of the formed shoulder 36. The formed shoulder 36 further has a right rear shoulder element 50 and a left rear shoulder element 52. The rear shoulder elements 50, 52 also have a curved outer surface, and these curved outer surfaces also form a part of the deformation section 40 of the formed shoulder 36. Starting from the conveying roll 24, the flat web 4 first comes into contact with the front shoulder elements 46, 48, and more precisely, the deformation section 40 of the front shoulder elements 46, 48, as seen in the material flow direction corresponding to the first conveying direction T1. After crossing the deformation edge 44, first, the central region of the flat web 4 enters into the cylindrical section 42 of the formed shoulder 36. Downstream of the deformation edge 44, the conveyance of the flat web 4 is carried out in the second conveying direction T2 in at least a partially wound state. The side regions or edge regions of the flat web 4 further come into contact with the rear shoulder elements 50, 52, and more precisely, the deformation section 40 of the rear shoulder elements 50, 52, on the upper side. Within this upper region, the flat web 4 is deformed into at least approximately a cylindrical object and is conveyed through the cylindrical section 42 in the direction of the second conveying direction T2. The side edges of the flat web 4 may overlap each other at this time, may be butted against each other, or may have a gap extending in the longitudinal direction of this cylindrical object with respect to each other.

[0079] The shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 are all attached to a single flange 54. There is one guide element 56 between the flange 54 and each of the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52. In FIG. 2, only the right guide element holding the right front shoulder element 46 is visible. Further, a spacer element is provided between the front shoulder elements 46, 48 and the rear shoulder elements 50, 52. The right spacer element 58 extends between the right front shoulder element 46 and the right rear shoulder element 50. By this right spacer element 58, the deformation edge 44 can be continuously continued between the right front shoulder element 46 and the right rear shoulder element 50. On the side located on the opposite side, there is a left spacer element 60. The left spacer element 60 extends between the left front shoulder element 48 and the left rear shoulder element 52 and continuously continues the deformation edge 44 between these two shoulder elements 48, 52. Further, a central spacer element 62 may be provided, and the central spacer element 62 continuously continues the deformation edge 44 between the right front shoulder element 46 and the left front shoulder element 48.

[0080] The spacer elements 58, 60, 62 are advantageously provided because the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 are individually adjustable. The shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 are each adjustable in a linear motion. For this purpose, the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 are attached to the corresponding guide elements, for example, via corresponding slot joints 64. The scale can realize the adjustability of the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 along an accurately defined adjustment stroke. The shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 are adjustable so that the length of the deformation edge 44 can be changed. Accordingly, various sizes of spacer elements 58, 60, 62 may be provided to realize a corresponding adjustment of the formed shoulder 36.

[0081] The front shoulder elements 46, 48 are slidable along a front sliding direction which is in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction L of the cylindrical section 42.

[0082] To adjust the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52, in particular, to adjust all the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52, there may be one motor-driven drive unit, or there may be more motor-driven drive units. These not-shown drive units are realized at a foreseeable technical effort or cost based on the existing linear adjustability of the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52. The shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 may be adjusted individually independently of each other, whether they are driven in a motorized manner or manually adjustable. Similarly, connected adjustability may be provided.

[0083] FIG. 3 shows a simplified front view of the molded shoulder 36, schematically showing a right front sliding direction 66 along which the right front shoulder element 46 is slidable, and a left front sliding direction 68 along which the left front shoulder element 48 is slidable. Both sliding directions 66, 68 are directed in the direction of a single axis that coincides with the longitudinal axis direction L of the cylindrical section 42. Both sliding directions 66, 68, that is, are directed towards the center of the cylindrical section 42.

[0084] The rear shoulder elements 50, 52 are slidable along rear sliding directions 70, 72, and these rear sliding directions 70, 72 extend obliquely with respect to the aforementioned plane. FIG. 3 schematically shows a right rear sliding direction 70 along which the right rear shoulder element 50 is slidable in that direction, and a left rear sliding direction 72 along which the left rear shoulder element 52 is slidable. The rear sliding directions 70, 72 intersect at least approximately within a straight line defined by the longitudinal axis direction L, and this intersection point is located outside the cylindrical section 42.

[0085] By the sliding of the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52, the length of the forming edge 44 can be changed. In FIG. 3, the forming edge 44 is relatively large, whereas in the illustration of FIG. 4 showing another simplified front view of the forming shoulder 36, the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 are slid such that the length of the forming edge 44 is smaller. When the forming shoulder 36 is in the state shown in FIG. 4 for example, the flat web 4 can be preformed more strongly as compared to the situation where the flat web 4 passes through the forming shoulder 36 in the state shown in FIG. 3. Further, it is possible to process flat webs 4 of different widths. Thus, for example, by the adjustment shown in FIG. 3 of the forming shoulder 36, a flat web 4 that is much wider than when the forming shoulder 36 is in the state shown in FIG. 4 is processed. The forming shoulder 36 can thus be adjusted flexibly according to flat webs 4 of different widths.

[0086] FIG. 5 shows a simplified side view of the forming shoulder 36. The first and second transport directions T1, T2 are shown, and the first and second transport directions T1, T2 form an angle of at least approximately 90°. The shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52 are in the state shown in FIG. 4, that is, they are run to such an extent that the spacer elements 58, 60, 62 are not provided between the shoulder elements 46, 48, 50, 52. Further, the right front sliding direction 66 of the right front shoulder element 46 and the right rear sliding direction 70 of the right rear shoulder element 50 are shown.

[0087] According to another embodiment, instead of using the forming shoulder 36 described above in relation to FIGS. 2 to 4 as the flat web preforming device 26, a wedge-shaped groove roll 38 is used.

[0088] FIG. 6 shows a simplified perspective view of a part of a machine 2 having a wedge-shaped groove roll 38 as a preforming device 26. The flat web 4 passes through a crimp roll pair 14 as a flat web structuring device 12 and then reaches a conveying roll 24 along a first conveying direction T1. The conveying roll 24 provides the web tension necessary for subsequent preforming of the flat web 4. A coating device 18 is arranged between the flat web structuring device 12 and the conveying roll 24, and by means of the coating device 18, an additional material 22 is applied to the upper surface 20 of the flat web 4. This coating device 18 may also be configured such that the additional material 22 can be applied to both the upper surface 20 and the lower surface 21 of the flat web 4.

[0089] In the illustrated embodiment, the conveying roll 24 is configured as a crowned roll 74. The flat web 4 travels over the conveying roll 24 and towards the wedge-shaped groove roll 38, and the flat web 4 is then conveyed in the direction of a second conveying direction T2. The wedge-shaped groove roll 38 forms a flat web preforming device 26 by folding or intertwining the flat web 4 transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the flat web 4. Subsequently, the preformed flat web 32 enters an inlet hopper 30 of a format unit as a rod forming device 28 for further processing. The wedge-shaped groove roll 38 has left and right jaws 76, 78 that form wedge-shaped grooves. The left and right jaws 76, 78 are connected and / or coupled to each other via a coupling shaft 80.

[0090] The first conveying direction T1 is the direction in which the flat web 4 is supplied to the conveying roll 24. The second conveying direction T2 is the direction in which the at least partially intertwined flat web 32 is conveyed downstream of the conveying roll 24. The second conveying direction T2 coincides, for example, with the longitudinal extension direction of the cylindrical section 42 of the forming shoulder 36. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the second conveying direction T2 may coincide with the conveying direction of the intertwined flat web 32 within the rod forming device 28. However, the second conveying direction T2 and the conveying direction of the rod forming device 28 following downstream of the inlet hopper 30 may also deviate slightly from each other.

[0091] The angle between the first transport direction T1 and the second transport direction T2 is always defined within one common plane. When the two transport directions are arranged side by side like vectors, that is, for example, when the tip of the vector regarding the first transport direction T1 is arranged side by side with the end of the vector regarding the second transport direction T2, the angle between the two directions is always the smaller one of the two possible angles.

[0092] According to one embodiment, it is excluded that the vector of the first transport direction T1 hits the vector of the second transport direction T2 from above. In other words, in the machines of the tobacco processing industry, according to the embodiment, it is desirable that it is excluded that the web guide is carried out from above.

[0093] FIG. 7 is another simplified perspective view showing the region of the machine 2 in the region of the wedge-shaped groove roll 38. FIG. 8 shows this situation as seen from the lower surface 21 of the flat web 4. At the center of the connecting shaft 80 connecting the jaws 76, 78, there is a support 82. The support 82 is arranged in the center between the jaws 76, 78 and is enlarged with respect to the connecting shaft 80 in a cross-sectional view. The support 82 assists in intertwining the flat web 4.

[0094] FIG. 9 is another simplified perspective detailed view showing the machine 2 of the tobacco processing industry. The flat web preforming device 26 of the machine 2 has a first wedge-shaped groove roll 38a and a second wedge-shaped groove roll 38b. According to this principle, both wedge-shaped groove rolls 38a, 38b are configured like the aforementioned wedge-shaped groove roll 38. The first wedge-shaped groove roll 38a interacts with the lower surface 21 of the flat web 4, and with the lower surface 21, the flat web 4 is also guided via or along the transport roll 24. Exemplarily, the transport roll 24 is also the crowned roll 74. The second wedge-shaped groove roll 38b interacts with the upper surface 20 of the flat web 4 and is arranged, for example, downstream of the first wedge-shaped groove roll 38a.

[0095] The first and second wedge-shaped groove rolls 38a, 38b may each have a differently shaped support 82. For example, the second support 82b is configured such that, when viewed in a plane in which the coupling shaft 80 extends, the aspect ratio of the second support 82b with respect to the height width is larger than the aspect ratio of the first support 82a. In other words, that is, the second support 82b is higher than the first support 82a and is thus configured to be thinner. Shaping the supports 82a, 82b differently in this way contributes to the flat web 4 being preformed in an improved shape.

[0096] FIG. 10 is a schematically simplified side view of details of a machine 2 in the tobacco processing industry. The machine 2 comprises a forming shoulder 36 as a flat web preforming device 26. For example, the flat web 4, which is a paper web, is deflected in a first transport direction T1 via a deflection roll (not shown in detail). The flat web 4 is guided to pass along the transport roll 24 before entering the flat web preforming device 26. Downstream of the transport roll 24, a coating device 18 is arranged, and the coating device 18 has a wide slit nozzle 94 for coating the additional material 22. The additional material 22 is supplied to the wide slit nozzle 94 or the coating device 18 via an additional material connection 96. Further, the coating device 18 has a compressed air connection 98 through which compressed air can be supplied to the coating device 18.

[0097] The coating device 18 is assembled such that the additional material 22 is applied onto the flat web 4 in an additional material application direction 100. The additional material application direction 100 forms an arbitrary angle with a perpendicular 102 standing perpendicular to the plane in which the flat web 4 extends. This angle between the additional material application direction 100 and the perpendicular 102 may also be referred to as the coating angle. The coating device 18 is assembled such that the coating angle is adjustable. Further, the distance D between the wide slit nozzle 94 and the flat web 4 is adjustable.

[0098] Furthermore, the coating device 18 has a wide slit nozzle 94 having a substrate 104 with a storage chamber 106 therein. The storage chamber 106 is used to accommodate the additive material 22 supplied to the wide slit nozzle 94 via the additive material connection 96. Further, a heater 108 present within the substrate 104 enables the temperature of the additive material 22 to be adjusted or maintained at a desired temperature.

[0099] FIG. 11 shows a schematically simplified side view of the coating device 18. The wide slit nozzle 94 has a substrate 104, within which there is a storage chamber 106 for the additive material 22 and which incorporates a heater 108, for example an electric resistance heater. The heater 108 is used to heat the additive material 22 but is also used to heat the compressed air supplied via the compressed air connection 98. For further heating of the compressed air, a compressed air heater (not shown) may also be included in the machine 2. The additive material 22 may also be preheated before being supplied to the coating device 18 via the additive material connection 96. The heater 108 incorporated within the substrate 106 of the wide slit nozzle 94 is thus preferably used to maintain a pre-set temperature or, in some cases, to effect some additional control of the temperature.

[0100] The wide slit nozzle 94 is, for example, a contact wide slit nozzle or a wide slit nozzle operating non-contact. One contact wide slit nozzle 94 is shown in the schematically simplified detailed view of FIG. 12. This wide slit nozzle 94 is placed directly on the upper surface 20 of the flat web 4, i.e., in direct contact with the upper surface 20. By using a contact wide slit nozzle, overspray can be prevented.

[0101] FIG. 13 shows a schematically simplified detailed view of the wide slit nozzle 94 as seen from the front. This wide slit nozzle 94 is a wide slit nozzle assisted by compressed air. The wide slit nozzle 94 has a nozzle gap 110 provided for the additional material 22, and in the illustrated embodiment, the nozzle gap 110 extends over the entire length of the wide slit nozzle 94 by way of example. On both sides of the nozzle gap 110, there are gaps 112 extending at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap 110, and compressed air flows out from the gaps 112 to assist in the coating of the additional material 22.

[0102] The distance D (see FIG. 10) between the nozzle gap 110 of the wide slit nozzle 94 and the upper surface 20 of the flat web 4 is, for example, from 3 mm to 60 mm. The heater 108 is designed to heat the additional material to any desired temperature or to maintain it at this temperature, so that the additional material 22 has a viscosity of from 50 mPa·s to 1600 mPa·s.

[0103] All the features described, or features visible only in the drawings, and even individual features disclosed in combination with other features, are considered to be essential to the invention, either alone or in combination. Embodiments according to the invention may be realized by individual features or by combinations of a greater number of features.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0104] 2 Machine 4 Flat web 6 Rod 8 Flat web providing device 10 Bobbin 12 Flat web structuring device 14 Crimp roller 16 Dancer 18 Coating device 20 Upper surface 21 Lower surface 22 Additional material 24 Conveyor roll 26 Flat Web Preforming Device 28 Rod Forming Device 30 Inlet Hopper 32 Preformed Flat Web 36 Forming Shoulder 38 Wedge-shaped Groove Roll 38a First Wedge-shaped Groove Roll 38b Second Wedge-shaped Groove Roll 40 Deformation Processing Section 42 Cylindrical Section 44 Deformation Processing Edge 46 Right Front Shoulder Element 48 Left Front Shoulder Element 50 Right Rear Shoulder Element 52 Left Rear Shoulder Element 54 Flange 56 Guide Element 58 Right Spacer Element 60 Left Spacer Element 62 Central Spacer Element 64 Slot Joint 66 Right Front Sliding Direction 68 Left Front Sliding Direction 70 Right Rear Sliding Direction 72 Left Rear Sliding Direction 74 Roll with Crown 76 Left Joe 78 Right Joe 80 Coupling Shaft 82 Support 82a First Support 82b Second Support 90 Cutting Device 92 Rod-shaped Product 94 Wide Slit Nozzle 96 Additional Material Connection 98 Compressed Air Connection 100 Additional Material Coating Direction 102 Vertical Line 104 Substrate 106 Storage Chamber 108 Heater 110 Nozzle Gap 112 Gap D interval L longitudinal axis direction T1 first transport direction T2 second transport direction

Claims

1. A tobacco processing industry machine (2) for manufacturing a rod (6) from a flat web (4), comprising the following devices arranged one after the other in the material flow direction: A flat web providing device (8) for providing a flat web (4); A flat web structuring device (12), in particular a crimpling device, capable of imparting a structure into the flat web (4) such that the flat web (4) obtains a modified cross-section in at least some sections in the unfolded state; A flat web preforming device (26) enabling the flat web (4) to transition to a preformed state; A rod forming device (28) enabling a rod (6) to be manufactured from the preformed flat web (4); In the machine (2) comprising: A conveying roll (24) is arranged between the flat web structuring device (12) and the flat web preforming device (26); The flat web (4) is guided by and / or along the conveying roll (24) in the material flow direction; The conveying roll (24) is tailored and configured to guide the unfolded flat web (4) and / or adjust the web tension of the flat web (4) in the conveying section between the flat web structuring device (12) and the flat web preforming device (26); A coating device (18) is arranged between the flat web structuring device (12) and the flat web preforming device (26), in particular between the flat web structuring device (12) and the conveying roll (24); The coating device (18) is tailored to apply an additional material (22) to at least the upper surface (20) of the flat web (4) located on the side opposite to the lower surface (21) of the flat web (4) in contact with the conveying roll (24), and the coating device (18) has a wide slit nozzle (94) for applying the additional material (22); A tobacco processing industry machine (2) for manufacturing a rod (6) from a flat web (4), characterized in that.

2. The machine (2) according to claim 1, characterized in that the coating device (18) has a wide slit nozzle (94) assisted by compressed air.

3. The wide slit nozzle (94) has a nozzle gap (110) provided for the additional material (22), and at least one gap (112) that extends at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap (110) on one side of the nozzle gap (110). In particular, the machine (2) according to claim 2 is characterized by having a pair of gaps (112) that extend at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap (110) on both sides of the nozzle gap (110).

4. The wide slit nozzle (94) has a substrate (104) provided with a heater (108). In particular, the substrate (104) has a storage chamber (106) that is in fluid communication with the nozzle gap (110) for the additional material (22). The machine (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is characterized by this.

5. The nozzle gap (110) and / or at least one of the gaps (112) is adjustable. In particular, the length and / or width of the nozzle gap (110) and / or at least one of the gaps (112) is adjustable. More particularly, the width of the nozzle gap is between 5 μm and 1 mm, and more particularly between 10 μm and 500 μm. The machine (2) according to claim 3 or 4 is characterized by this.

6. A compressed air heater that is tailored to provide heated compressed air to the wide slit nozzle (94). The machine (2) according to any one of claims 2 to 5 is characterized by this.

7. The wide slit nozzle (94) is configured as a contact wide slit nozzle or as a wide slit nozzle that operates non - contact. In particular, for the wide slit nozzle (94) that operates non - contact, the distance (D) between the flat web (4) and the nozzle gap (110) of the wide slit nozzle (94) is arranged to be between 3 mm and 60 mm. The machine (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is characterized by this.

8. The wide slit nozzle (94) is tailored to process the additional material (22) having a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 1600 mPa·s. The machine (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is characterized by this.

9. The flat web pre - forming device (26) has a forming shoulder (36) or is formed in the form of a forming shoulder (36). The forming shoulder (36) has a deformation section (40) that extends substantially transversely to the material flow direction and has a substantially convexly shaped contour, and a cylindrical section (42) that extends substantially transversely to the material flow direction and has a substantially concavely shaped contour, or includes them. In particular, the deformation section (40) and the cylindrical section (42) preferably transition along a three-dimensional deformation edge (44). The deformation section (40) of the forming shoulder (36) and the cylindrical section (42) are arranged such that, in the material flow direction, the flat web departs from the conveying roll (24) and first comes into contact with the deformation section (40) in at least an approximately flat state in a first conveying direction (T1), and then, after crossing the deformation edge (44) and being at least partially wound, comes into contact with the cylindrical section (42) in a second conveying direction (T2). Furthermore, the first conveying direction (T1) and the second conveying direction (T2) form an angle located between 71° and 120°, particularly between 71° and 90°, and more particularly at least approximately 90°. In particular, the forming shoulder (36) has right front and left front shoulder elements (46, 48) and right rear and left rear shoulder elements (50, 52). The shoulder elements (46, 48, 50, 52) are arranged such that the flat web (4) departs from the conveying roll (24) and first comes into contact with the front shoulder elements (46, 48) and then comes into contact with the rear shoulder elements (50, 52) when viewed in the material flow direction. The shoulder elements (46, 48, 50, 52) are particularly individually adjustable. Furthermore, in particular, the shoulder elements (46, 48, 50, 52) are adjustable such that the length of the deformation edge (44) can be changed. A machine (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that.

10. The conveying roll (24) is a crowned roll (74). The flat web preforming device (26) has at least one wedge-shaped groove roll (38). In particular, the wedge-shaped groove roll (38) has jaws (76, 78) forming wedge-shaped grooves, and the jaws (76, 78) are connected to each other by a connecting shaft (80), and a support (82) is present on the connecting shaft (80), in particular centrally between the jaws (76, 78), and the cross-section of the support (82) is larger than that of the connecting shaft (80). Machine (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that.

11. A method for manufacturing a paper filter using a tobacco processing industry machine (2) for manufacturing a rod (6) from a flat web (4), the machine (2) comprising the following devices arranged one after the other in the material flow direction: A flat web providing device (8) for providing the flat web (4); A flat web structuring device (12), in particular a crimping device, for imparting a structure into the flat web (4) such that the flat web (4) obtains a changed cross-section in at least some sections in the expanded state; A flat web preforming device (26) for transferring the flat web (4) to a preformed state; A rod forming device (28) for manufacturing the rod (6) from the preformed flat web (4); having In the method, a conveying roll (24) is arranged between the flat web structuring device (12) and the flat web preforming device (26), the flat web (4) is guided by and / or along the conveying roll (24) in the material flow direction, the conveying roll (24) guides the expanded flat web (4) and / or adjusts the web tension of the flat web (4) in the conveying section between the flat web structuring device (12) and the flat web preforming device (26), a coating device (18) is arranged between the flat web structuring device (12) and the flat web preforming device (26), in particular between the flat web structuring device (12) and the conveying roll (24). The coating device (18) applies the additional material (22) to at least the upper surface (20) of the flat web (4) that is located on the side opposite to the lower surface (21) where the flat web (4) contacts the transport roll (24), and the coating device (18) has a wide slit nozzle (94) for applying the additional material (22). The flat web (4) is a paper web, and a paper filter is cut from the produced rod (6). A method for manufacturing a paper filter using a tobacco processing industry machine (2) for manufacturing a rod (6) from a flat web (4), characterized by the above.

12. The coating device (18) has a wide slit nozzle (94) assisted by compressed air, and the additional material (22) is applied to the flat web (4) assisted by compressed air. In particular, the wide slit nozzle (94) is provided with heated compressed air. The method according to claim 11, characterized by this.

13. The wide slit nozzle (94) has a nozzle gap (110), and through the nozzle gap (110), the additional material (22) is applied to the flat web (4). The wide slit nozzle (94) has a gap (112) that extends at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap (110) on at least one side of the nozzle gap (110). In particular, on both sides of the nozzle gap (110), it has a pair of gaps (112) that extend at least approximately parallel to the nozzle gap (110). For the coating of the additional material (22) assisted by compressed air, compressed air is guided through at least one of the gaps. The method according to claim 12, characterized by this.

14. Adjusting the nozzle gap (110) and / or at least one of the gaps (112). In particular, adjusting the length and / or width of the nozzle gap (110) and / or at least one of the gaps (112). More particularly, the width of the nozzle gap is between 5 μm and 1 mm, and more particularly between 10 μm and 500 μm. The method according to claim 13, characterized by this.

15. The wide slit nozzle (94) has a base (104) provided with a heater (108), and the base (104) has a storage chamber (106) that is in fluid communication with the nozzle gap (110) for the additional material (22). The additional material (22) in the storage chamber (106) is temperature-controlled. In particular, the wide slit nozzle (94) is heated to an arbitrary temperature by the heater (108). As a result, the additional material (22) has a viscosity of 50 mPa·s to 1600 mPa·s. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that.

16. The wide slit nozzle (94) is configured as a contact type wide slit nozzle, and the additional material (22) is applied onto the flat web (4) by a contact method. Or The wide slit nozzle (94) is configured as a wide slit nozzle that operates non-contact, and the additional material (22) is applied onto the flat web (4) in a non-contact manner. In particular, during non-contact coating, the additional material (22) is applied onto the flat web (4) at an interval of 3 mm to 60 mm. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, characterized in that.

17. Use of the machine (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 11 for manufacturing a paper filter.

Images