Rod manufacturing device for flavor inhalation article, and rod manufacturing method for flavor inhalation article

Abstract

This rod manufacturing device for a flavor inhalation article includes: a rod body supply unit which supplies a rod body; a wrapper supply unit which supplies a sheet-like wrapper covering the outer circumference of the rod body; a conveyance unit which conveys the rod body and the wrapper in a prescribed conveyance direction; an adhesive supply unit which supplies an aqueous adhesive to the wrapper so as to fix overlapped section of the ends of the wrapper; a rod formation unit which is provided on the downstream side of the adhesive supply unit along the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit, winds the wrapper supplied from the wrapper supply unit to the outer circumference of the rod body supplied from the rod body supply unit, and overlaps the ends of the wrapper to form a rod-like shape; and a heater which is provided on the downstream side of the rod formation unit along the conveyance direction of the conveyance unit, and heats and fixes the overlapped section of the ends of the wrapper so as to be used as a rod. A hot-melt adhesive which melts by heating, is not used as the adhesive supplied from the adhesive supply unit, at the overlapped section of the ends of the wrapper.

Description

Rod manufacturing device for flavor inhalation article and rod manufacturing method for flavor inhalation article

[0001] The present invention relates to, for example, a rod manufacturing apparatus for a flavor inhalation article and a rod manufacturing method for a flavor inhalation article.

[0002] For example, when manufacturing a rod such as a filter segment, a hot melt adhesive and a water-based adhesive are placed adjacent to each other as a seam at the overlapping portion of the end of the wrapper around the rod-shaped filler.

[0003] Generally, in rod manufacturing equipment for manufacturing rods using a hot melt adhesive, the hot melt adhesive is first melted and applied to the end of the wrapper, and the end of the wrapper is then overlapped, and the hot melt adhesive is then rapidly cooled. Therefore, the rod manufacturing equipment fixes (temporarily fixes) the overlapping portion of the end of the wrapper at an appropriate bonding speed by hardening the hot melt adhesive, and waits for the adhesive strength of the water-based adhesive to increase.

[0004] A water-based adhesive is an adhesive that hardens when the water in the adhesive evaporates, and as the water evaporates, the water-based adhesive can obtain an appropriate fixing strength (peel strength) that is better than that of a hot melt adhesive.

[0005] However, in non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation articles, etc., when a region containing a hot-melt adhesive is heated to a predetermined temperature and the hot-melt adhesive melts, it is believed that the smoking taste may be deteriorated compared to before the hot-melt adhesive melted. For this reason, there is a demand for fixing or temporarily fixing the overlapping portions of the wrapper ends at an appropriate bonding speed using, for example, only a water-based adhesive, without using a hot-melt adhesive.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a rod manufacturing apparatus for a flavor inhalation article, and a rod manufacturing method for a flavor inhalation article, which are capable of manufacturing rods for flavor inhalation articles at an appropriate speed without using a hot-melt adhesive.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a rod manufacturing apparatus for flavor inhalation articles includes a rod body supply unit that supplies rod bodies, a wrapper supply unit that supplies a sheet-like wrapper that covers the outer periphery of the rod body, a conveying unit that conveys the rod bodies and the wrapper in a predetermined conveying direction, an adhesive supply unit that supplies a water-based adhesive to the wrapper so as to fix the overlapping portions of the wrapper, a rod forming unit that is provided downstream of the adhesive supply unit along the conveying direction of the conveying unit and that wraps the wrapper supplied from the wrapper supply unit around the outer periphery of the rod body supplied from the rod body supply unit and overlaps the ends of the wrapper to form a rod, and a heater that is provided downstream of the rod forming unit along the conveying direction of the conveying unit and that heats and fixes the overlapping portions of the wrapper to form a rod. The adhesive supplied from the adhesive supply unit does not use a hot-melt adhesive that melts when heated at the overlapping portions of the wrapper ends.

[0008] Schematic longitudinal sectional view of the fragrance attracting article. Schematic perspective view of the tip rod of the rod portion shown in FIG. 1. Schematic view of the tip rod as seen from the direction indicated by arrow III in FIG. 2. Schematic view showing a part of the wrapper of the tip rod as seen from the direction indicated by arrow IV in FIG. 3. Schematic perspective view of the tobacco rod of the rod portion shown in FIG. 1. Schematic view of the tobacco rod as seen from the direction indicated by arrow VI in FIG. 5. Schematic view showing a part of the wrapper of the tobacco rod as seen from the direction indicated by arrow VII in FIG. 6. Schematic view showing the state in which a wrapper is wound around the outer peripheries of the tip rod, tobacco rod, and cooling portion shown in FIG. 1. Schematic view of the rod portion and cooling portion as seen from the direction indicated by arrow IX in FIG. 8. Schematic view showing a part of the outer wrapper as seen from the direction indicated by arrow X in FIG. 9. Schematic view showing a rod manufacturing apparatus for the tip rod of a non-combustion heating type fragrance attracting article. Schematic block diagram of a rod manufacturing apparatus for the tip rod of a fragrance attracting article. Schematic view showing the state in which a sheet material is disposed between the crepe rollers of the crepe portion (crimping portion) of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 11. Schematic view showing the state in which the distance between the rotation axes of the crepe rollers of the crepe portion is narrowed with respect to the state shown in FIG. 13A. Schematic view showing the focusing guide, lap paste gun, and fixing portion of the rod forming portion of the rod manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 11, and the rod cutting portion. View of the focusing guide, lap paste gun, and fixing portion of the rod forming portion of the rod manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 14A, and the rod cutting portion, as seen from the direction indicated by arrow XIVB. Schematic view showing the temperature of the heater with respect to the position of the heater in the fixing portion of the rod manufacturing apparatus shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B. Table showing the amount of aqueous adhesive, conveyance speed during manufacturing, peel strength, and evaluation of peel strength of the first seam portion of the tip rod shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. Graph showing the relationship between the amount of aqueous adhesive per unit length of the first seam portion or the like and the peel strength. Schematic view showing the temperature of the heater with respect to the position of the heater regarding a first modification of the heater in the fixing portion of the rod manufacturing apparatus. Schematic view showing the temperature of the heater with respect to the position of the heater regarding a second modification of the heater in the fixing portion of the rod manufacturing apparatus. Schematic view showing the focusing guide, lap paste gun, and fixing portion of the rod manufacturing apparatus, and modifications of the first removal portion and the second removal portion of the fixing portion. Schematic view showing a rod manufacturing apparatus for a tobacco rod. Schematic view showing a manufacturing apparatus (rod manufacturing apparatus) for a fragrance attracting article. Schematic view showing a part of the manufacturing process when manufacturing a fragrance attracting article using the manufacturing apparatus in FIG. 21.Fig. 23A is a schematic diagram showing a part of a production flow when producing flavor inhalation articles following the production flow shown in Fig. 22A. Fig. 23B is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the wrapper supplying / winding device in Fig. 21. Fig. 23A is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged view of the rolling drum and rolling hand of the wrapper supplying / winding device in Fig. 23A.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] 1 will be described as a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article 10 according to the present embodiment, in which a tobacco rod 24 (described later) is heated from the outside by a heating device (not shown). The flavor inhalation article 10 has a rod portion 12, a cooling portion 14, and a mouthpiece portion 16.

[0011] The rod portion 12 is disposed at or near the portion to be heated by the heating device. The rod portion 12 has a tip rod 22 and a tobacco rod (aerosol source) 24 adjacent to the tip rod 22 on the downstream side.

[0012] The axial lengths and outer diameters of the tip rod 22 and the tobacco rod 24 may be appropriately changed depending on the product of the non-combustion flavor inhalation article 10. The axial length of the tip rod 22 is preferably about 5 mm, for example. The axial length of the tobacco rod 24 is preferably about 15 mm, for example.

[0013] The tip rod 22 is formed as a so-called tip plug that serves to, for example, cap the tip side of the tobacco rod 24. The tip rod 22 has a filler material 32 and an inner plug wrapper (segment wrapper) 34 that covers the outer periphery of the filler material 32.

[0014] The filler 32 of the distal rod 22 is formed by creping (crimping) a paper sheet, a nonwoven fabric sheet, or a resin sheet, for example, in a creping unit 164 (see FIG. 11 ) described below, folding the sheet in a converging guide 174 (see FIG. 11 ) serving as a rod forming unit, and bonding the ends together with an adhesive to form a generally cylindrical rod of an appropriate length. The paper sheet can be anything that those skilled in the art would consider suitable for paper filters. Glassine paper, for example, can also be used as the paper sheet. In this embodiment, the width of the base paper in the filler 32 is preferably, for example, 100 mm or more and 250 mm or less, more preferably 150 mm or more and 200 mm or less, e.g., 180 mm. The basis weight is, for example, typically 20 gsm or more and typically 65 gsm or less. The basis weight of the base paper in the filler 32 according to this embodiment is 35 gsm. The thickness of the filler 32 is not limited, but is usually 10 μm or more and usually 100 μm or less from the viewpoints of rigidity, breathability, and ease of adjustment during papermaking. In this embodiment, the thickness of the filler 32 is, for example, 88 μm.

[0015] The air permeability of the paper sheet material (raw sheet) after creping is, for example, 0 CU (CORESTA units) to 30,000 CU. In this embodiment, the air permeability of the sheet material of the filler 32 of the distal rod 22 is, for example, 3,000 CU.

[0016] The airflow resistance of the distal rod 22 is, for example, 0 mmH ２ O / mm~12mmH ２ O / mm, preferably 4 mmH ２ O / mm to 8mmH ２ O / mm.

[0017] The crimp depth (crepe depth) of the filler 32 is defined as D1 and D2 of the crepe portion 164 shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, and is preferably in the range of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, and is 0.33 mm, for example.

[0018] In addition, for example, a plasticizer such as triacetin, an adsorbent such as activated carbon, or a flavoring agent such as menthol may be added as an additive to the filler 32. It is preferable that these additives are dispersed approximately uniformly in the filler 32.

[0019] The inner plug wrapper (hereinafter, referred to mainly as the wrapper) 34 is a sheet material for wrapping the outer periphery of the filler 32. Its configuration is not particularly limited, and a common one can be used. For example, cellulose fiber paper can be used as the base paper used for the wrapper 34. More specifically, the base paper used for the wrapper 34 can be hemp, wood, or a mixture thereof. The basis weight of the base paper in the wrapper 34 is, for example, typically 20 gsm or more and typically 100 gsm or less, more preferably 30 gsm or more and 80 gsm or less, and even more preferably 40 gsm or more and 60 gsm or less. The basis weight of the base paper in the wrapper 34 according to this embodiment is 43 gsm. The thickness of the wrapper 34 is not limited, and is typically 10 μm or more and typically 100 μm or less from the viewpoints of rigidity, breathability, and ease of adjustment during papermaking. In this embodiment, the thickness of the wrapper 34 is, for example, 45 μm. The air permeability of the wrapper 34 is preferably 0.

[0020] The shape of the wrapper 34 of the distal rod 22 can be, for example, square or rectangular. When the wrapper 34 is used to wrap the filler 32, the length of one side of the wrapper 34 can be approximately 5 mm, which defines the length along the axial direction of the distal rod 22. The length of the other side of the wrapper 34 defines the diameter of the distal rod 22. The length of the other side of the wrapper 34 is approximately 24 mm. In this embodiment, the length of the other side of the wrapper 34 is 23.7 mm.

[0021] The wrapper 34 may contain a filler. The filler content may be 10% by weight or more and less than 60% by weight, based on the total weight of the wrapper 34. In the wrapper 34, the filler content is preferably 15% by weight or more and 45% by weight or less within a preferred basis weight range (25 gsm or more and 45 gsm or less). Examples of fillers that can be used include calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, and kaolin. However, calcium carbonate is preferred from the viewpoint of enhancing flavor and whiteness.

[0022] The wrapper 34 may contain various additives other than the base paper and fillers. For example, a water resistance improver may be added to improve water resistance.

[0023] A coating agent may be applied to at least one of the two surfaces, the front surface (outer surface) and the back surface (inner peripheral surface), of the wrapper 34. There are no particular restrictions on the coating agent, but a coating agent that can form a film on the surface of the paper and reduce liquid permeability is preferred.

[0024] The overlapping portions 34a of the wrappers 34 are fixed to each other by a water-based adhesive AG, which will be described later.

[0025] A description will now be given of the fixing structure of the overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34 of the distal end rod 22. The circumferential width of the overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34 is preferably about 2.4 mm to 2.7 mm.

[0026] Here, the wrapper 34 of the distal rod 22 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the state in which the wrapper 34 is wrapped around the distal rod 22. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the distal rod 22 as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow II in Figure 2. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing the overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34 of the distal rod 22, and in particular showing the state in which the overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34 is joined at multiple regions 36a, 36b using a water-based adhesive AG.

[0027] 2 and 3 , the wrapper 34 is wound around the outer periphery of the filler 32, which is formed, for example, from a sheet material into a generally cylindrical rod shape. The wrapper 34 is provided with a first seam 36, which is formed by overlapping and gluing together the ends of the generally rectangular sheet material to fix an overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34. The first seam 36 is provided along the axial direction of the rod portion 12 in the overlapping portion 34a of the ends of the wrapper 34.

[0028] The first seam 36 does not use a hot-melt adhesive (including a hot-melt glue) that melts when heated to an appropriate temperature (e.g., a temperature suitable for generating an aerosol with the tobacco rod 24) as a fastening member for fastening the overlapping portion 34a. In other words, the first seam 36 uses, as a fastening member for fastening the overlapping portion 34a, only a glue that prevents the fastening strength from decreasing to a desired level when heated to an appropriate temperature, or a glue or adhesive that prevents the fastening strength from decreasing to a desired level when heated to an appropriate temperature, i.e., a water-based adhesive. In other words, the first seam 36 uses a glue or adhesive that maintains the fastening strength of the fastening member for fastening the overlapping portion 34a when heated to an appropriate temperature and that is deemed safe for consumption by users under the food laws of each country.

[0029] 3 and 4, the first seam portion 36 has a first region 36a formed with a water-based adhesive AG and a second region 36b formed with the water-based adhesive AG and disposed adjacent to the outer side of the first region 36a in the circumferential direction. The circumferential width of each of the first region 36a and the second region 36b is, for example, 0.1 mm to 1 mm, and preferably 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm.

[0030] The water-based adhesive AG is an adhesive that hardens upon evaporation of water. The water-based adhesive AG contains one of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin (EVA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and starch paste, or a mixture of at least two of EVA, PVA, CMC, and starch paste. That is, the water-based adhesive AG contains a water-based adhesive that hardens upon evaporation of water. In this embodiment, the water-based adhesive AG is an example that uses ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin (EVA). The composition of the water-based adhesive AG is 54% EVA and 46% water and the remainder. An example viscosity of the water-based adhesive AG during manufacturing of the tip rod 22 is 1100 mPa·s. This is also the same as the water-based adhesive AG used for the wrappers 44, 54, 74, etc., described below.

[0031] The first region 36a and the second region 36b are each provided along the axial direction of the rod portion 12. In the present embodiment, the water-based adhesive AG is continuously applied to the first region 36a and the second region 36b along the axial direction of the rod portion 12. In the present embodiment, the water-based adhesive AG is preferably applied solidly in the first region 36a, and the water-based adhesive AG is preferably applied solidly in the second region 36b. Note that the water-based adhesive AG may be applied to the filler 32 discretely, rather than solidly, using wrap glue guns 176a and 176b (see FIG. 11 ) described below.

[0032] Between the first region 36a and the second region 36b, a region 38a free of water-based adhesive (adhesive-free region) is provided along the axial direction of the rod portion 12. The circumferential width of the region 38a free of water-based adhesive between the first region 36a and the second region 36b, which intersects with the axial direction of the rod portion 12, is preferably 0.1 mm to 2 mm.

[0033] Furthermore, a region 38b free of water-based adhesive (adhesive-free region) is formed between the second region 36b and the circumferentially outer end face 34b of the wrapper 34. The circumferential width of the water-based adhesive-free region 38b, which intersects with the axial direction of the rod portion 12, i.e., the distance between the first-second region 36b of the wrapper 34 and the circumferentially outer end face 34b of the overlapping portion 34a, is preferably greater than 0 mm and less than 2 mm. It is more preferable that this circumferential width be, for example, 0.1 mm to 1 mm.

[0034] Furthermore, a region 38c where there is no water-based adhesive (adhesive-free region) is formed between the first region 36a and the opposite end face 34c of the wrapper 34. The circumferential width of the region 38c where there is no water-based adhesive, which intersects with the axial direction of the rod portion 12, is preferably 0.1 mm to 1 mm. Note that the region 38c does not have to be present, and the water-based adhesive AG may be applied up to the end face 34c, or may be applied to the filler 32 beyond the end face 34c. In other words, the filler 32 and the wrapper 34 may be bonded together by the water-based adhesive AG.

[0035] The total amount of the water-based adhesive AG in the first region 36a and the second region 36b is, for example, 1 mg / 120 mm to 5 mg / 120 mm. The amount of the water-based adhesive AG in the first region 36a is preferably greater than the amount of the water-based adhesive AG in the second region 36b, but may be the same.

[0036] It is preferable that 70% or more of the overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34 is fixed with the water-based adhesive AG. By ensuring adhesion over an appropriate area, it is possible to stably maintain peel strength.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, the tobacco rod 24 has a filler material (tobacco filler material) 42 as an aerosol-generating base material, and a wrapper (wrapping paper) 44 .

[0038] The filler 42 may be a tobacco sheet and / or cut tobacco. The material of the tobacco shreds contained in the filler 42 is not particularly limited, and known materials such as lamina or ribs can be used. Alternatively, dried tobacco leaves may be crushed to an average particle size of 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less to obtain tobacco shreds, which are then homogenized and processed into a sheet (hereinafter also referred to as a homogenized sheet) and then shredded. Furthermore, the filler 42 may be a so-called strand type, in which a homogenized sheet having a length approximately equal to the longitudinal direction of the tobacco rod 24 is shredded approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tobacco rod 24. The width of the tobacco shreds is preferably 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less for filling the tobacco rod 24. The content of dried tobacco leaves contained in the filler 42 of the tobacco rod 24 is not particularly limited, but may be 200 mg / (tobacco rod) or more and 800 mg / (tobacco rod) or less.

[0039] Various types of tobacco can be used for the tobacco leaves used in producing the shredded tobacco and homogenized sheets. Examples include flue-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, oriental tobacco, native tobacco, other Nicotiana tabacum varieties, Nicotiana rustica varieties, and mixtures thereof. Mixtures can be made by appropriately blending the aforementioned varieties to achieve the desired flavor.

[0040] The moisture content of the tobacco filler 42 can be, for example, 10% by weight or more and 15% by weight or less, based on the total weight of the tobacco filler 42. This moisture content suppresses the occurrence of stains on the wrapper 44 after wrapping, improving the suitability for wrapping during the production of the tobacco rod 24. There are no particular restrictions on the size or preparation method of the tobacco shreds contained in the tobacco filler 42. For example, dried tobacco leaves shredded to a width of 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less may be used. Furthermore, when using a ground homogenized sheet, dried tobacco leaves may be ground to an average particle size of approximately 20 μm to 200 μm, homogenized, and then processed into a sheet, which may then be shredded to a width of 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

[0041] The tobacco filler 42 may contain an aerosol-generating substrate that generates an aerosol. The type of the aerosol-generating substrate is not particularly limited, and extracts from various natural products and / or their constituent components can be selected depending on the application. Examples of the aerosol-generating substrate include glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and mixtures thereof. The content of the aerosol-generating substrate in the tobacco filler 42 is not particularly limited, and is preferably typically 5% by weight or more and typically 50% by weight or less of the total amount of the tobacco filler 42, from the viewpoints of generating sufficient aerosol and imparting a good flavor.

[0042] The tobacco filler 42 may contain a flavoring. The type of flavoring is not particularly limited. The flavoring may be used alone or in combination of two or more types.

[0043] The content of the flavoring material in the tobacco filler 42 is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of imparting a good flavor, it is usually 10,000 ppm or more and preferably 70,000 ppm or less.

[0044] The wrapper (wrapping paper) 44 is a sheet material for wrapping the tobacco filler 42. The configuration of the wrapper 44 is not particularly limited, and a general wrapper can be used. The base paper for the wrapper 44 of the tobacco rod 24 can be, for example, the same as the wrapper 34 of the tip rod 22.

[0045] In this embodiment, the length of the tobacco rod 24 along the axial direction is, for example, 15 mm. The length of one side of the wrapper 44 may be approximately 15 mm, which defines the length of the tobacco rod 24 along the axial direction. The length of the other side of the wrapper 44 defines the diameter of the tobacco rod 24. The length of the other side of the wrapper 44 is approximately 24 mm.

[0046] The overlapping portions 44a of the wrapper 44 are fixed to each other by a water-based adhesive AG, which will be described later.

[0047] The structure for fixing the wrapper 44 of the tobacco rod 24 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. FIG.

[0048] Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the tobacco rod 24 in a wrapped state with the wrapper 44. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the tobacco rod 24 as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow VI in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the overlapping portion 44a of the wrapper 44 of the tobacco rod 24, and in particular showing the overlapping portion 44a of the wrapper 44 joined in one region 46a using a water-based adhesive AG.

[0049] 5 and 6, the wrapper 44 is wound around the outer periphery of the filler 42, which is formed in a generally cylindrical rod shape. The wrapper 44 is provided with a second seam portion 46, in which the ends of a generally rectangular sheet material are overlapped and glued together to fix an overlapping portion 44a of the wrapper 44. The second seam portion 46 preferably uses a water-based adhesive AG similar to the water-based adhesive AG used in the first seam portion 36, and does not use a hot-melt adhesive that melts when heated.

[0050] 6 and 7, the second seam portion 46 is provided along the axial direction of the rod portion 12 in an overlapping portion 44a between the ends of the wrapper 44. The second seam portion 46 has a region 46a formed with the water-based adhesive AG.

[0051] The water-based adhesive AG, like the water-based adhesive AG, contains one of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin (EVA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and starch paste, or a mixture of at least two of EVA, PVA, CMC, and starch paste.

[0052] The region 46a is provided along the axial direction of the rod portion 12. In the region 46a, in this embodiment, the water-based adhesive AG is continuous along the axial direction of the rod portion 12.

[0053] Furthermore, a region 48b where there is no water-based adhesive (adhesive-free region) is formed between the region 46a and the end surface 44b of the wrapper 44. The circumferential width of the region 48b where there is no water-based adhesive, which intersects with the axial direction of the rod portion 12, is preferably 0.1 mm to 2 mm.

[0054] Furthermore, a region 48c without the water-based adhesive (adhesive-free region) is formed between the region 46a and the opposite end face 44c of the wrapper 44. The circumferential width of the region 48c without the water-based adhesive, which intersects with the axial direction of the rod portion 12, is preferably 0.1 mm to 1 mm. Note that the region 48c does not have to be present, and the water-based adhesive AG may be applied up to the end face 44c, or may be applied to the filler 42 beyond the end face 44c. In other words, the filler 42 and the wrapper 44 may be bonded together by the water-based adhesive AG.

[0055] The amount of the water-based adhesive AG in the region 46a is, for example, 1 mg / 120 mm to 5 mg / 120 mm.

[0056] Therefore, like the first seam portion 36, the second seam portion 46 can maintain the fixed state of the overlapping portion 44a even when heated to an appropriate temperature such that aerosols are generated from the filler material 42 of the tobacco rod 24.

[0057] The second seam portion 46 of the tobacco rod 24 may be formed in the same manner as the first seam portion 36 of the tip rod 22. Furthermore, the first seam portion 36 of the tip rod 22 may be formed in the same manner as the second seam portion 46 of the tobacco rod 24.

[0058] The cooling section (paper tube) 14 is not particularly limited as long as it has the function of cooling the vapor generated by heating the tobacco rod 24, and an example thereof is a cylindrical piece of cardboard (sheet material). In this case, the inside of the cylinder is hollow, and the vapor containing the aerosol-generating base material and tobacco flavor components is cooled by contact with the air in the hollow.

[0059] One embodiment of the cooling section 14 may be a paper tube formed by processing a single sheet of paper or multiple sheets of paper into a cylindrical shape. Furthermore, in order to increase the cooling effect by bringing room-temperature external air into contact with high-temperature steam, the cooling section 14 is provided with openings 14a for introducing air from the outside. The number of openings 14a in the cooling section 14 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, multiple openings 14a are arranged at regular intervals around the circumferential direction of the cooling section 14. Furthermore, the openings 14a arranged around the circumferential direction of the cooling section 14 may be formed in multiple stages along the axial direction of the cooling section 14. By providing the openings 14a in the cooling section 14, low-temperature air can flow into the cooling section 14 from the outside when the flavor inhalation article 10 is inhaled, thereby lowering the temperature of the volatile components and air flowing in from the tobacco rod 24. Furthermore, the vapor containing the aerosol-generating substrate and tobacco flavor components is condensed by being cooled by the low-temperature air introduced into the cooling section 14 through the openings 14a. This promotes the generation of aerosols and also makes it possible to control the size of the aerosol particles. Furthermore, by applying a polymer coating such as polyvinyl alcohol or a polysaccharide coating such as pectin to the inner surface of the paper tube, the cooling effect can be increased by utilizing the heat of dissolution that accompanies the heat absorption and phase change of the coating. The airflow resistance of this cylindrical cooling segment is zero mmH. ２ It becomes O.

[0060] When the cooling section 14 is filled with a sheet or the like for cooling the volatile components and air flowing from the tobacco rod 24 into the cooling section 14, the total surface area of ​​the cooling section 14 is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, 300 mm ２ / mm or more, 1000mm ２ This surface area is the surface area per length (mm) of the cooling section 14 in the air flow direction. The total surface area of ​​the cooling section 14 is 400 mm ２ / mm or more, and ２ / mm or less is preferable.

[0061] It is desirable for the cooling portion 14 to have a structure with a large surface area on its inner periphery. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the cooling portion 14 may be formed from a thin sheet of material that is wrinkled to form channels, and then pleated, gathered, and folded. The more folds or pleats within a given volume of the element, the greater the total surface area of ​​the cooling portion 14. The thickness of the constituent material of the cooling portion 14 is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 5 μm or more and 500 μm or less.

[0062] From the viewpoint of reducing the environmental impact, it is desirable to use paper as the material for the cooling sheet member of the cooling unit 14. The paper as the material for the cooling sheet desirably has a basis weight of 30 to 100 gsm and a thickness of 20 to 100 μm. From the viewpoint of reducing the removal of flavor source components and aerosol-generating base components in the cooling unit 14, it is desirable for the paper as the material for the cooling sheet to have low air permeability, preferably 10 CU or less. By applying a polymer porting such as polyvinyl alcohol or a coating of a polysaccharide such as pectin to the paper as the material for the cooling sheet, the cooling effect can be increased by utilizing the heat of solution associated with the endothermic heat of the coating or the phase change.

[0063] The opening 14a in the cooling part 14 is preferably positioned at a distance of 1 mm or more, and more preferably 2 mm or more, from the boundary between the cooling part 14 and the mouthpiece part 16. This not only improves the cooling capacity of the cooling part 14, but also prevents components generated by heating from remaining in the cooling part 14, thereby improving the delivery amount of the components.

[0064] The axial length (airflow direction) of the cooling section 14 is not particularly limited, but is usually 10 mm or more, and preferably 40 mm or less. It is particularly preferable that the axial length of the cooling section 14 be 20 mm. By setting the axial length of the cooling section 14 to be equal to or greater than the above-mentioned lower limit, a sufficient cooling effect can be ensured and a good flavor can be obtained. Furthermore, by setting the axial length of the cooling section 14 to be equal to or less than the above-mentioned upper limit, loss due to adhesion of steam and aerosols generated during use to the inner wall of the cooling section 14 can be suppressed.

[0065] The fixing structure of the cooling unit 14 can be appropriately selected from structures similar to the fixing structure of the wrapper 34 of the distal end rod 22 and the fixing structure of the wrapper 44 of the tobacco rod 24 .

[0066] When the cooling unit 14 is disposed in the non-heated region A2, which is not heated, in relation to the heating device, a water-based adhesive and a hot-melt adhesive may be disposed side by side. In this case, it is preferable to dispose the water-based adhesive that can be used in the wrappers 34, 44 on the inner side in the circumferential direction of the overlapping portion, and the hot-melt adhesive on the outer side in the circumferential direction of the overlapping portion.

[0067] The wrapper 34 of the tip rod 22, the wrapper 44 of the tobacco rod 24, and the outer periphery of the cooling unit 14 are fixed by an outer wrapper 54 that connects the tip rod 22, the tobacco rod 24, and the cooling unit 14. It is preferable that the tip of the outer wrapper 54 is aligned with the tip of the tip rod 22. The rear end of the outer wrapper 54 is located at an appropriate position between the front and rear ends of the cooling unit 14.

[0068] The fixing structure of the outer wrapper 54 will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG.

[0069] Here, Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the wrapper 54 is wound around the outer periphery of the tip rod 22, the tobacco rod 24, and the cooling unit 14. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the rod unit 12 and the cooling unit 14 as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow IX in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the outer wrapper as viewed from the direction indicated by arrow X in Fig. 9.

[0070] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the wrapper 54 is formed in the shape of a cylindrical rod, with the tip rod 22, tobacco rod 24, and cooling section 14 all having approximately the same diameter, and the tobacco rod 24 is adjacent to the downstream side of the tip rod 22, and the cooling section 14 is adjacent to the downstream side of the tobacco rod 24, and the wrapper 54 wraps around the outer periphery.

[0071] 9 and 10 , the wrapper 54 is provided with a third seam 56 that overlaps and glues together the ends of the substantially rectangular sheet material to fix an overlapping portion 54 a of the wrapper 54. The third seam 56 does not use a hot-melt adhesive that melts when heated.

[0072] The third seam portion 56 is provided along the axial direction of the rod portion 12 in the overlapping portion 54a between the ends of the wrapper 54. The third seam portion 56 has a 3-1 region 56a to which a water-based adhesive 57a is applied, and a 3-2 region 56b to which a water-based adhesive 57b is applied, the 3-1 region 56a being provided adjacent to the circumferential outside of the 3-1 region 56a of the overlapping portion 54a of the wrapper 54. The 3-1 region 56a and the 3-2 region 56b are each substantially rectangular.

[0073] The water-based adhesives 57a and 57b include one of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer resin (EVA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and starch paste, or a mixture of at least two of EVA, PVA, CMC, and starch paste.

[0074] The 3-1 region 56a and the 3-2 region 56b are each provided along the axial direction of the rod portion 12. In the present embodiment, the 3-1 region 56a and the 3-2 region 56b each have water-based adhesives 57a, 57b continuing along the axial direction of the rod portion 12.

[0075] Between the 3-1 region 56a and the 3-2 region 56b, a region (adhesive-free region) 58a free of water-based adhesive is provided along the axial direction of the rod portion 12. The circumferential width of the region 58a free of water-based adhesive between the 3-1 region 56a and the 3-2 region 56b, which intersects with the axial direction of the rod portion 12, is preferably 0.1 mm to 2 mm.

[0076] Furthermore, a region 58b free of the water-based adhesive (adhesive-free region) is formed between the 3-2 region 56b and the end surface 54b of the wrapper 54. The circumferential width of the water-based adhesive-free region 58b, which intersects with the axial direction of the rod portion 12, is preferably 0.1 mm to 2 mm.

[0077] Furthermore, between the 3-1 region 56a and the opposite end face 54c of the wrapper 54, a water-based adhesive 57a is applied beyond the end face 54c onto the outer periphery of the tip rod 22, the tobacco rod 24, and the cooling section 14. In other words, the water-based adhesive 57a bonds the tip rod 22, the tobacco rod 24, and the cooling section 14 to the wrapper 54.

[0078] The sum of the amount of the water-based adhesive 57a in the 3-1 region 56a and the amount of the water-based adhesive 57b in the 3-2 region 56b is, for example, 1 mg / 120 mm to 5 mg / 120 mm. The amount of the water-based adhesive 57a in the 3-1 region 56a is preferably greater than the amount of the water-based adhesive 57b in the 3-2 region 56b, but they may be the same amount.

[0079] Therefore, like the first seam portion 36 and the second seam portion 46, the third seam portion 56 can maintain a fixed state at the overlapping portion 54a even when heated to an appropriate temperature at which aerosols are generated from the filler material 42 of the tobacco rod 24, for example.

[0080] The configuration of the mouthpiece portion 16 is not particularly limited as long as it has the function of a general filter.

[0081] 1 , in this embodiment, the mouthpiece section 16 has a first mouthpiece segment 62 and a second mouthpiece segment 64. Here, the first mouthpiece segment 62 includes the mouth end Me, and the second mouthpiece segment 64 is adjacent to the distal end of the first mouthpiece segment 62. The distal end of the second mouthpiece segment 64 is adjacent to the rear end of the cooling section 14.

[0082] Typical functions of the mouthpiece 16 include, for example, adjusting the amount of air mixed in when inhaling aerosols, reducing flavor, and reducing nicotine and tar, but it is not necessary for the mouthpiece 16 to have all of these functions. Furthermore, in electrically heated tobacco products, which tend to produce fewer components and have a lower tobacco filler filling rate than cigarette products, another important function is to suppress the filtering function while preventing the filler 42 from falling out of the tobacco rod 24.

[0083] The cross section of the mouthpiece portion 16 is substantially circular. The diameter of the mouthpiece portion 16 can be changed as needed to suit the size of the product, but is preferably about the same as that of the rod portion 12. If the cross section is not circular, the above diameter applies to a circle having the same area as the cross section, assuming that the circle has the same area. The axial length of the mouthpiece portion 16 can be changed as needed to suit the size of the product, but is usually preferably 5 mm or more and 35 mm or less. The shape and dimensions of the filter material can be adjusted as needed so that the shape and dimensions of the mouthpiece portion 16 fall within the above range.

[0084] The airflow resistance per 120 mm of the axial length of the mouthpiece portion 16 is not particularly limited, but is usually 40 mmH ２ O or more, 300mmH ２ It is preferable that the resistance to airflow of the mouthpiece portion 16 is equal to or less than 0. It is known that the relationship between the airflow resistance of the mouthpiece portion 16 and the length of the mouthpiece portion 16 is proportional within the length range typically used (5 mm to 200 mm), and if the length of the mouthpiece portion 16 is doubled, the airflow resistance also doubles.

[0085] The first mouthpiece segment 62 has a filler material 72 and a filter wrapper 74 that wraps the filler material 72 .

[0086] The filler material 72 is formed similarly to the filler material 32 of the distal rod 22. The wrapper 74 is formed similarly to the wrapper 34 of the distal rod 22.

[0087] In this description, the filler 72 is assumed to be the same as the filler 32 of the distal rod 22, but an acetate tow filter may also be used as the filler 72. The density of the acetate tow filter 72 in the mouthpiece portion 16 is not particularly limited, but is usually 0.10 g / cm ３ Above, 0.25g / cm ３ Preferably, the single filament fineness is 5 to 20 g / 9000 m or less. The single filament fineness and total fineness of the cellulose acetate tow filter 72 are not particularly limited. When the circumference of the mouthpiece portion 16 is 22 mm, the single filament fineness is preferably 5 to 20 g / 9000 m and the total fineness is preferably 12,000 to 30,000 g / 9000 m. When the mouthpiece portion 16 is formed by filling the cellulose acetate tow filter 72, triacetin may be added in an amount of 5 to 10 wt % relative to the weight of the cellulose acetate tow filter 72 to improve the filter hardness.

[0088] A flavoring may be added to the filler 72 of the mouthpiece portion 16. By adding a flavoring to the filler 72, the amount of flavoring delivered during use can be increased compared to when the flavoring is added to the tobacco filler 42 that constitutes the tobacco rod 24. The degree of increase in the amount of flavoring delivered can be further increased depending on the position of the openings 14a provided in the cooling section 14. There are no particular restrictions on the method of adding the flavoring to the filler 72, and it is sufficient that the flavoring is added so that it is dispersed approximately uniformly in the filler 72 to which the flavoring is to be added. The amount of flavoring added can be, for example, 10 to 100 volume % of the filler 72. The type of flavoring is not particularly limited.

[0089] Activated carbon may be added to at least a portion of the filler 72 .

[0090] The mouthpiece 16 may contain a capsule having a crushable shell made of gelatin or the like inside the filler 72 of the first mouthpiece 16. The capsule may have any shape, but may be easily crushable by the user's fingers, and preferably has a spherical shape. The capsule may contain any of the additives described above, but preferably contains a flavoring or activated carbon.

[0091] The wrapper 74 may have any shape and form, and may include one or more rows of adhesive-containing seams. As with the distal rod 22, the adhesive may be a water-based adhesive AG alone, or a combination of a water-based adhesive and a hot-melt adhesive. Furthermore, the hot-melt adhesive may include polyvinyl alcohol.

[0092] The thickness of the filter wrapper 74 is not particularly limited, but is typically preferably 20 μm or more and 140 μm or less. The basis weight of the filter wrapper 74 is not particularly limited, but is typically preferably 20 gsm or more and 100 gsm or less. The filter wrapper 74 may be coated or uncoated, but is preferably coated with a desired material to provide functions other than strength and structural rigidity.

[0093] The second mouthpiece segment 64 is formed, for example, as a channel filter (hollow segment). The second mouthpiece segment 64 includes a filling layer 64a having one or more hollow channels. The filling layer 64a is made of, for example, fibers, and because the fiber packing density is high, when a user inhales, air and aerosol flow only through the hollow channels and hardly at all through the filling layer 64a itself. In the flavor inhalation article 10, when it is desired to reduce the loss of aerosol components due to filtration in the mouthpiece portion 16, shortening the length of the first mouthpiece segment 62 and replacing it with the second mouthpiece segment 64 is effective in adjusting the amount of aerosol delivered.

[0094] Furthermore, when the mouthpiece portion 16 has two or more segments 62, 64, it is preferable to wrap a connecting filter wrapper (outer filter wrapper) 66 around these two or more segments 62, 64 to connect the segments 62, 64. That is, the mouthpiece portion 16 has the connecting filter wrapper 66 in addition to these two or more segments 62, 64. The material of the filter wrapper 66 in the mouthpiece portion 16 is not particularly limited, and known materials can be used, and it may also contain a filler such as calcium carbonate. The filter wrapper 66 is made of the same material as the filter wrapper 74 of the first mouthpiece segment 62, and is fixed in the same manner as the filter wrapper 74 of the first mouthpiece segment 62.

[0095] In addition, from the viewpoint of changes in the sensation of drawing and comfort in the mouth, the mouthpiece portion 16 may be configured such that the first mouthpiece segment 62 is located on the upstream side and the second mouthpiece segment 64 is located on the downstream side (towards the mouthpiece end Me).

[0096] As shown in Figure 1, the outer periphery of the mouthpiece portion 16 and the cooling portion 14 is covered with tipping paper (wrapper) 18. The tipping paper 18 is made by overlapping the ends of a substantially rectangular sheet material and gluing them together to secure the overlapping portion of the tipping paper 18. The leading end of the tipping paper 18 covers the rear end of the outer wrapper on the outer periphery of the cooling portion 14. The rear end of the tipping paper 18 is aligned with the rear end of the mouthpiece portion 16.

[0097] The material of the tipping paper 18 is not particularly limited, and can be paper made from general plant fiber (pulp), a sheet made from polymer-based chemical fiber (polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, etc.), a polymer-based sheet, metal foil, or a composite material combining these. For example, the tipping paper 18 may be made from a composite material in which a polymer-based sheet is bonded to a paper base material. Note that the tipping paper 18 referred to here refers to a sheet-like material that connects multiple segments in the flavor inhalation article 10, such as connecting the rod portion 12 and the mouthpiece portion 16.

[0098] The basis weight of the tipping paper 18 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 10 gsm or more and 120 gsm or less. The air permeability of the tipping paper 18 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0 CU or more and 30,000 CU or less. The air permeability is a value measured in accordance with ISO 2965:2009, and is the value at which the tipping paper 18 loses air per minute in an area of ​​1 cm when the differential pressure between both sides of the paper is 1 kPa. ２ Flow rate of gas passing through (cm ３ 1 CU is expressed as cm under 1 kPa. ３ / (min cm ２ )

[0099] In addition to the pulp, the chip paper 18 may contain fillers, such as metal carbonates such as calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, metal oxides such as titanium oxide, titanium dioxide and aluminum oxide, metal sulfates such as barium sulfate and calcium sulfate, metal sulfides such as zinc sulfide, quartz, kaolin, talc, diatomaceous earth, gypsum, etc. In particular, it is preferable that the chip paper 18 contains calcium carbonate from the viewpoints of improving whiteness and opacity and increasing the heating rate. Furthermore, these fillers may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0100] In addition to the pulp and filler, various auxiliary agents may be added to the chip paper 18. For example, the chip paper 18 may contain a water resistance improver to improve water resistance. Water resistance improvers include wet strength agents (WS agents) and sizing agents. Examples of wet strength agents include urea-formaldehyde resin, melamine-formaldehyde resin, polyamide epichlorohydrin (PAE), etc. Examples of sizing agents include rosin soap, alkyl ketene dimer (AKD), alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA), and highly saponified polyvinyl alcohol with a saponification degree of 90% or more.

[0101] A coating agent may be added to at least one of the two surfaces, the front and back surfaces, of the tipping paper 18. There are no particular restrictions on the coating agent, but a coating agent that can form a film on the surface of the paper and reduce liquid permeability is preferred.

[0102] In order to increase the cooling effect by bringing room temperature external air into contact with high-temperature steam, the tipping paper 18 is provided with openings 18a for taking in air from the outside. The openings 18a in the tipping paper 18 are made together with the openings 14a in the cooling section 14. Therefore, the openings 18a in the tipping paper 18 communicate with the openings 14a in the cooling section 14.

[0103] It is preferable that the tipping paper 18 has an opening 18a directly above (at a position where they are vertically overlapping) the opening 14a provided in the cooling section 14. For this reason, after the tobacco rod 24, the cooling section 14, and the mouthpiece section 16 are wrapped and connected with the tipping paper 18, laser light may be irradiated from above the tipping paper 18 so as to penetrate the tipping paper 18 and the cooling section 14, thereby forming the openings 14a, 18a.

[0104] In addition to the wrapper 34 of the tip rod 22, the wrapper 44 of the tobacco rod 24, the tip rod 22, the tobacco rod 24, and the wrapper 54 of the cooling section 14 are also similarly formed as rods using only a water-based adhesive.

[0105] Furthermore, if the filler 72 of the first mouthpiece segment 62 of the mouthpiece portion 16 is a paper filter, it is expected that the overlapping portions of the wrapper 74 can be secured with only a water-based adhesive, making it easier to form a seam. If an acetate tow filter is used as the filler 72, and the peel strength of the seam during manufacturing can be made greater than the expansion force of the acetate tow filter, then only a water-based adhesive can be used as the adhesive for securing the wrapper 74 of the first mouthpiece segment 62.

[0106] <Rod Manufacturing Apparatus 150 for Tip Rod 22> A rod manufacturing apparatus 150 for the non-combustion heating-type flavor inhalation article 10 will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 15. The rod manufacturing apparatus 150 will be described here as an example of an apparatus for manufacturing a rod 100 that can be ultimately used as the tip rod 22 by cutting to an appropriate length. The rod 100 may be used to manufacture, for example, a first mouthpiece segment (filter rod) 62 by appropriately selecting the sheet material 130 and the sheet-like member (wrapper) 124 and adjusting the creping depth of the sheet material 130 by the creping unit 164 (described later) and the cutting position at the rod cutting unit 158, etc. That is, the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 can be used to manufacture, in addition to the tip rod 22, the first mouthpiece segment (filter rod) 62, for example.

[0107] FIG. 11 defines an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system for the rod manufacturing apparatus 150. The X-axis direction is the direction in which the sheet material 130 is transported from the feed section 162 (described later) toward the rod cutting section 158. The X-axis direction defines the transport direction of the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 and the rod 100 manufactured thereby. The Z-axis direction is the direction from bottom to top. The Y-axis direction is perpendicular to the X-axis and Z-axis directions and is the direction toward the back of the paper in FIG. 11. The Y-axis direction defines the width direction of the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 and the rod 100 manufactured thereby. In this specification, the front side along the flow direction of the transport path of the rod 100 is defined as "downstream" and the rear side as "upstream."

[0108] The XYZ Cartesian coordinate system of rod manufacturing apparatus 150 is similarly defined for rod manufacturing apparatus 500 (see FIG. 20) and rod manufacturing apparatus 600 (see FIGS. 21 to 23B), which will be described later. Also, upstream and downstream are similarly defined for rod manufacturing apparatuses 500 and 600, which will be described later.

[0109] 11, the manufacturing apparatus 150 for rods for the flavor inhalation article 10 includes a supply unit (filler supply unit) 152 for the sheet material (filler) 130, a processing unit (filler forming unit) 154 for the sheet material 130, a rod winding unit 156, and a rod cutting unit 158. The supply unit 152, the processing unit 154, the rod winding unit 156, and the rod cutting unit 158 ​​are controlled by a control unit 150a shown in FIG.

[0110] The control unit 150a appropriately controls and operates the supply unit (filler supply unit) 152, feed unit 162, creping unit 164, addition unit 168, conveying unit 184, heater (heater bar) 186, pump 188a, roll paper supply mechanism 172, wrap glue guns 176a, 176b, etc.

[0111] The control unit 150a is configured, for example, by a computer or the like, and includes a processor (processing circuit) and a storage medium. The processor includes any of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), microcomputer, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc. The storage medium may include a main storage device such as a memory, as well as an auxiliary storage device. Examples of storage media include HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), SSDs (Solid State Drives), magnetic disks, optical disks (CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, DVDs, etc.), magneto-optical disks (MOs, etc.), and non-volatile memories such as semiconductor memories that can be written to and read from at any time.

[0112] The control unit 150a may be provided with only one processor and one storage medium, or may be provided with multiple processors and one storage medium. In the control unit 150a, the processor performs processing by executing programs stored in storage media or the like. The programs executed by the processor of the control unit 150a may be stored in a computer (server) connected to the control unit 150a via a network such as the Internet, or in a server in a cloud environment. In this case, the processor downloads the programs via the network.

[0113] At least a part of the processing by the control unit 150a may be executed by a cloud server configured in a cloud environment, the infrastructure of which is configured by a virtual processor such as a virtual CPU and a cloud memory.

[0114] The supply unit 152 supplies a continuous sheet-like sheet material (filler material) 130 so as to be conveyed in a predetermined direction, and forms the outer shape of the sheet material 130 into a rod shape. The supply unit 152 has a bobbin 152a, a dancer unit 152b, and an auxiliary roller 152c. The sheet material 130 becomes the filler material 32 for the tip rod 22.

[0115] In this embodiment, the sheet material 130 is wound around the bobbin 152a, for example, around the axis of a shaft 152a1 parallel to the Y-axis direction. The original length of the sheet material 130 (the length of the sheet material 130 wound around the bobbin 152a) is formed to an appropriate length, such as 50 m to 100 m or more. The sheet material 130 is unwound in a predetermined direction (dancer unit 152b) from the bobbin (raw paper roll) 152a, which rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the shaft 152a1. The sheet material 130 is unwound in the longitudinal direction of the sheet material 130 while its movement in the longitudinal direction is controlled, for example, at a constant speed or with a constant tension.

[0116] The dancer unit 152b is provided downstream of the bobbin 152a of the supply section 152 and upstream of a feed section 162 (described later) of the processing section 154. The dancer unit 152b adjusts the sheet material 130 to reduce changes in tension of the sheet material 130 due to changes in the diameter of the bobbin 152a, changes in the feed speed of the sheet material 130, etc. The dancer unit 152b has a plurality of upper rollers 152b1 and a plurality of lower rollers 152b2. The sheet material 130 is passed in a zigzag pattern between the upper and lower rollers 152b1, 152b2 of the dancer unit 152b.

[0117] An auxiliary roller 152c is provided downstream of the dancer unit 152b. The auxiliary roller 152c changes the direction of the sheet material 130 that has passed through the dancer unit 152b toward a feed section 162, which will be described later.

[0118] The processing unit 154 forms the sheet material 130 supplied from the supply unit 152 into a rod shape. That is, the processing unit 154 is used as a rod body supply unit that supplies rod bodies 130a downstream. The processing unit 154 has a feed unit 162, a creping unit 164, an auxiliary roller 154a, and an adding unit 168 along the flow of the sheet material 130, which is made of, for example, paper.

[0119] The feed section 162 moves the sheet material 130 downstream while maintaining an appropriate tension in the X-axis direction. The feed section 162 has, for example, a pair of feed rollers 162a and 162b. The upper roller 162a of the feed section 162 is formed, for example, by two rubber rollers aligned left and right, i.e., in the depth direction of the paper in FIG. 11 . The lower roller 162b is formed, for example, by a metal roller with a flat surface. The two rubber rollers of the upper roller 162a have spirals formed on their surfaces. When the feed rollers 162a and 162b rotate, the sheet material 130 is spread in the lateral direction (Y-axis direction) so that both ends in the width direction are separated, preventing the occurrence of unintended wrinkles at this point.

[0120] A creping section (crimping section) 164 is provided downstream of the feed section 162 to crepe the sheet material 130. The creping section 164 crimps the sheet material 130 conveyed from the supply section 152. The creping section 164 has a pair of creping rollers 164a and 164b. The creping rollers 164a and 164b are used to form vertical wrinkles in the sheet material 130 along the X-axis direction, which makes it easier to form the sheet material 130 into a rod body 130a. In other words, the creping section 164 creates creases in the sheet material 130 along the longitudinal direction to make it easier to fold the sheet material 130 when processing it into a rod body 130a.

[0121] As shown in Figures 13A and 13B, the pair of crepe rollers 164a, 164b have rotating shafts 6411, 6421 parallel to each other in the Y-axis direction and multiple convex portions (disk-shaped members) 6412, 6422. The upper rotating shaft 6411 is the first rotating shaft, and the lower rotating shaft 6421 is the second rotating shaft. The first rotating shaft 6411 is provided with multiple first convex portions 6412, and the second rotating shaft 6421 is provided with multiple second convex portions 6422. Preferably, the multiple convex portions 6412, 6422 are each formed as a disk-shaped member of the same diameter. Adjacent convex portions 6412, 6422 are spaced apart, for example, by a predetermined interval in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material 130.

[0122] The first rotation shaft 6411 and the second rotation shaft 6421 can move relatively close to or farther away from each other while maintaining a parallel state in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the sheet material 130. The multiple first protrusions 6412 protrude from the first rotation shaft 6411 by approximately the same amount. The multiple first protrusions 6412 are spaced apart at predetermined intervals in the width direction. The multiple second protrusions 6422 protrude from the second rotation shaft 6421 by approximately the same amount. The multiple second protrusions 6422 are spaced apart at predetermined intervals in the width direction. When the first rotation shaft 6411 and the second rotation shaft 6421 are brought close to each other, the first protrusions 6412 and the second protrusions 6422 are spaced apart from each other. The distance between the apex 6412a of the first convex portion 6412 and the apex 6422a of the second convex portion 6422 along the approaching and separating direction of the first rotation shaft 6411 and the second rotation shaft 6421 (reference symbol D1 in FIG. 13A and reference symbol D2 in FIG. 13B ) is defined as the meshing amount. The distances D1 and D2 are preferably set to, for example, approximately 1 mm or less. Adjusting the meshing amount (distances D1 and D2) of the creping portion 164 allows adjustment of the crepe depth of the paper sheet material 130 when the rod 100 is formed in the rod winding portion 156, which will be described later. The crepe depth can be expressed as the distance in the Z-axis direction between the apexes 6412a and 6422a of the convex portions 6412 and 6422 of the pair of crepe rollers 164a and 164b. Comparing the distance D1 in FIG. 13A with the distance D2 in FIG. 13B , the distance D2 is greater. At this time, the crepe depth of the sheet material 130 in the example shown in Fig. 13B is greater than that in the example shown in Fig. 13A. During the creping process of the sheet material 130, the positional relationship between the first rotating shaft 6411 and the second rotating shaft 6421 of the creping unit 164 is fixed.

[0123] 13A and 13B , adjusting the positional relationship between the rotation axes 6411 and 6421 adjusts the meshing depth (distances D1 and D2) between the protrusions 6412 and 6422, thereby changing the depth of the vertical wrinkles along the X-axis direction formed in the sheet material 130 or the degree of stretching of the sheet material 130. Adjusting the meshing depth between the protrusions 6412 and 6422 makes it possible to adjust the airflow resistance in one segment of the sheet material 130.

[0124] Note that the pair of crepe rollers 164a, 164b do not need to rotate around the rotation shafts 6411, 6421 as long as the sheet material 130 slides between the peaks 6412a of the first convex portions 6412 and the peaks 6422a of the second convex portions 6422 and moves downstream. Therefore, it is sufficient that the pair of crepe rollers 164a, 164b of the creping unit 164 are each formed as a creping tool.

[0125] As shown in FIG. 11 , in this embodiment, an addition section 168 is disposed downstream of the creping section (crimping section) 164. In this embodiment, the addition section 168 has a liquid addition section 168a and a granule addition section 168b. The addition section 168 may add an additive to the rod body 130a when the sheet material 130 is creped, for example, to form the cylindrical rod body 130a. The additive may be a liquid, granules (solid), or both. Note that this embodiment does not use the addition section 168. Therefore, the rod body 130a passes directly through the liquid addition section 168a and the granule addition section 168b of the addition section 168.

[0126] The rod winding unit 156 is disposed downstream of the adding unit 168. That is, the rod winding unit 156 is provided downstream of the creping unit 164. The rod winding unit 156 forms the rod body 130a into a rod shape having a substantially circular cross section, i.e., a substantially cylindrical appearance, while wrapping a sheet-like member (wrapper) 124 around the outer periphery of the rod-shaped rod body 130a to form the rod 100. The rod winding unit 156 has a paper roll supply mechanism (wrapper supply unit) 172, a converging guide 174, wrap glue guns (adhesive supply units) 176a and 176b, and a fixing unit 178.

[0127] The paper roll supply mechanism 172 supplies a sheet-like material (wrapper) 124 that covers the outer periphery of the rod body 130a supplied from the processing section 154. The paper roll supply mechanism 172 supplies the sheet-like material 124, which is supplied from a bobbin 172a around which the sheet-like material 124 is wound, to the focusing guide 174 together with the rod body 130a. The sheet-like material 124 becomes the wrapper 34 that wraps the filler material 32 around the distal end rod 22.

[0128] The focusing guide 174 is formed so that the diameter of the passage narrows from the upstream side to the downstream side. As the rod 130a passes through the focusing guide 174, the focusing guide 174 brings the rod 130a closer to a cylindrical rod. The focusing guide 174 narrows the width through which the rod 130a passes from the upstream side to the downstream side, and deforms the rod 130a into a roughly bellows shape according to the vertical wrinkles (striated patterns) formed by the crepe portion 164. This causes the rod 130a to be regularly narrowed, and the shape of the rod 130a approaches a cylindrical rod shape. As the focusing guide 174 moves from the upstream side to the downstream side, the sheet-like member 124 is wrapped around the outer periphery of the rod 130a, which has been brought closer to a cylindrical rod shape. That is, the focusing guide 174 surrounds the outer periphery of the rod body 130a, which has been squeezed and formed into a cylindrical rod shape, with the sheet-like member 124, and forms the rod body 130a and the sheet-like member 124 into the cylindrical rod 100. Therefore, the focusing guide (rod forming unit) 174 cooperates with the sheet material 130 supply unit 152 and the sheet material 130 processing unit 154 to function as a rod body supply unit that processes the sheet material 130 into a rod body and supplies it downstream.

[0129] Then, for example, glue (water-based adhesive AG) is applied from a first lap glue gun (water-based adhesive supply unit) 176a to the widthwise end face of the sheet-like member 124 that has passed through the focusing guide 174. That is, the lap glue gun (water-based adhesive supply unit) 176a supplies the water-based adhesive AG to a position that will become the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124 so as to fix the overlapping portion 124a (corresponding to the reference numeral 34a in FIGS. 2 and 3 ).

[0130] In this embodiment, the second lap glue gun 176b is disposed upstream of the focusing guide 174 and is capable of applying the water-based adhesive AG to the end surface of the sheet-like member 124. For example, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the second lap glue gun 176b applies the water-based adhesive AG near the end surface of the sheet-like member 124 so as to form one of the multiple regions 36a, 36b with the water-based adhesive AG in the overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34. The first lap glue gun 176a applies the water-based adhesive AG near the end surface of the sheet-like member 124 so as to form the other region.

[0131] That is, the adhesive supply unit has a first adhesive supply unit 176a that applies water-based adhesive AG to a position of the overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34 that is the inner 1-1 region 36a along the circumferential direction, and a second adhesive supply unit 176b that applies water-based adhesive AG to a position of the overlapping portion 34a that is the outer 1-2 region 36b along the circumferential direction.

[0132] The adhesive supplied from the adhesive supply units 176a and 176b is the water-based adhesive AG described above, and no hot-melt adhesive that melts when heated is used in the overlapping portions 124a of the ends of the sheet-like member 124.

[0133] A fixing section 178 and a rod cutting section 158 are provided downstream of the first lap glue gun 176a.

[0134] As shown in Figures 14A and 14B, the fixing unit 178 has a tongue (rod forming unit) 182, a conveying unit (endless garniture belt) 184, a heater 186, and a moisture removing unit (first removing unit) 188.

[0135] In this embodiment, the fixing portion 178 is formed as a cooler-less fixing portion that heats but does not cool the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124. The overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124 is conveyed on the side away from the conveying surface 184a of the conveying portion 184, for example, in an upper position.

[0136] The tongs 182 overlap the end faces of the sheet-like member 124 coated with the water-based adhesive AG, covering the outer periphery of the rod body 130a processed by the processing unit 154. Therefore, the tongs 182 join the end faces of the sheet-like member 124 via the water-based adhesive AG to form the desired overlapping portion 124a. Thus, the rod 100 is formed by the tongs 182. Therefore, the rod winding unit 156 of the manufacturing apparatus 150 can wind up the rod body 130a with the sheet-like member 124 into the cylindrical rod 100. Therefore, the tongs 182 overlap the end faces of the sheet-like member 124 supplied from the wrapper supply unit 172 to form the sheet material 130 supplied from the filler supply unit 152 into a rod shape.

[0137] The conveying unit 184 has a conveying surface 184a formed of, for example, an endless belt conveyor (garniture tape) made of a woven material or a woven web, and by rotating, for example, a plurality of rollers 184b, the conveying surface 184a is caused to travel at, for example, a constant speed in a predetermined conveying direction (X-axis direction). The conveying unit 184 conveys the rod 100 in the predetermined direction.

[0138] A heater 186 and a first removal unit 188 are provided downstream of the tongues 182 along the conveying direction (X-axis direction) of the conveying unit 184. The heater 186 and the first removal unit 188 are preferably provided side by side with the conveying unit 184 in the conveying direction (X-axis direction) of the conveying unit 184.

[0139] The heater 186 is formed, for example, in a bar shape, i.e., as a heater bar. The heater 186 is provided downstream of the tongues 182 along the conveying direction of the conveying section 184, and heats and fixes the overlapping portion 124a of the ends of the sheet-like member 124, thereby maintaining the shape of the rod 100. The heater 186 is provided, for example, above the conveying section 184, and heats the water-based adhesive AG from above the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124 via the sheet-like member 124, evaporating and reducing the moisture in the water-based adhesive AG. Therefore, the heat from the heater 186 contributes to the quick drying of the water-based adhesive AG in the seam portion of the sheet-like member 124 of the rod 100.

[0140] The length of the heater 186 along the conveying direction (X-axis direction) of the conveying unit 184 is approximately the same as the length of the conveying unit 184 along the X-axis direction, and is preferably at least 50 cm or more, and more preferably, for example, 70 cm or more. The width of the heater 186 (width along the Y-axis direction) is formed to be approximately the same as the width of the overlapping portion 34a. Alternatively, the width of the heater 186 may be formed slightly larger. The heater 186 is preferably formed so that the entire overlapping portion 34a can be in close proximity to or in contact with the surface of the heater 186 even if the overlapping portion 34a is slightly misaligned in the circumferential direction of the rod 100. The surface of the heater 186 may be flat or, for example, curved to fit the outer peripheral surface of the desired rod.

[0141] The heater 186 can move toward and away from the conveying unit 184 below the heater 186. That is, the heater 186 can move within a predetermined range in the Z-axis direction. The solid line position in FIG. 14A is the heater 186's position near the conveying surface 184a of the conveying unit 184, and the dashed line position is the heater 186's position away from the conveying surface 184a of the conveying unit 184. In the near position shown by the solid line, the heater 186 can be in direct contact with the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like material 124. In the distant position shown by the dashed line, the heater 186 can be replaced or maintained. The position of the heater 186 can be adjusted to match the diameter of the rod 100.

[0142] The upper diagram of FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the heater 186 as viewed from the bottom of the page in FIG. 14A (the conveying surface 184a side). In this embodiment, the heaters 186 are formed in a continuous line along the X-axis. The lower diagram of FIG. 15 is a graph showing the temperature gradient G depending on the position of the heater 186. The heater 186 has a temperature gradient G that changes from the upstream side of the heater 186 to the downstream side. For example, the heater 186 is formed with a higher temperature upstream than downstream. Therefore, when the conveying unit 184 conveys the rod 100, the heater 186 is more likely to remove moisture from the water-based adhesive AG at the relatively higher upstream side, and more difficult to remove moisture from the water-based adhesive AG at the relatively lower downstream side. Furthermore, by keeping the temperature downstream of the heater 186 relatively low, scorching of the outer peripheral surface of the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124, where moisture has evaporated downstream, is suppressed. The temperature of the portion of the heater 186 that can come into contact with the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124 can be set appropriately within the range of 100°C to 250°C, for example, 200°C to 250°C at the most upstream side and 130°C to 170°C at the most downstream side.

[0143] Furthermore, the distance between the heater 186 and the conveying surface 184a of the conveying unit 184 is adjusted so as not to generate excessive frictional force when the rod 100 is conveyed by the conveying unit 184 and to press down on the overlapping portion 124a of the rod 100. Therefore, during conveyance, the water content of the water-based adhesive AG in the rod 100 between the conveying surface 184a of the conveying unit 184 and the heater 186 is reduced while the shape of the overlapping portion 124a is maintained by the heater 186. The overlapping portion 124a of the rod 100 is fixed with greater peel strength on the downstream side adjacent to the rod cutting unit 158 ​​than on the upstream side adjacent to the tongues 182.

[0144] As described above, the heater 186 evaporates and reduces the water content of the water-based adhesive AG. At this time, the evaporated water collects around the rod 100. The first removal unit 188 removes water that may adhere to the area heated by the heater 186 or its vicinity. In this embodiment, the first removal unit 188 has an opening 188b connected to a pump 188a serving as an air source (air supply unit).

[0145] The openings 188b are arranged at predetermined intervals, such as equal intervals, along the conveying direction of the conveying unit 184, and discharge air supplied from the pump 188a to remove water vapor (moisture) adhering to the rod 100 or present around the rod 100. That is, the openings 188b are used as air discharge holes that discharge air to blow away moisture. The air discharged from the openings 188b blows away and removes moisture that may adhere to the area heated by the heater 186 or its vicinity from the periphery of the rod 100. Note that the amount of air discharged from the openings 188b per unit time may be sufficient as long as it is sufficient to remove water vapor adhering to the rod 100 or present around the rod 100. The amount of air discharged from the openings 188b per unit time can vary depending on the distance between the openings 188b and the rod 100, the opening shape (nozzle shape) of the openings 188b, and the like. That is, the overlapping portion 34a is heated from the outside while the moisture around the rod 100 is removed.

[0146] A rod cutting unit 158 ​​is provided downstream of the heater 186 and the first removing unit 188. The rod cutting unit 158 ​​has a housing 192, a cutter (cutting body) 194, and a second removing unit 196.

[0147] The housing 192 has an opening 192a through which the rod 100 passes after passing through the conveying surface 184a of the conveying section 184, the heater 186, and the first removing section 188.

[0148] A cutter 194 is provided within the housing 192. The cutter 194 operates in accordance with the speed at which the rod 100 is conveyed by the conveying surface 184a of the conveying section 184, and cuts the rod 100 to an appropriate length.

[0149] A second removal section 196 is provided within the housing 192. The second removal section 196 has an opening 196b connected to, for example, a pump 188a common to the first removal section 188.

[0150] The openings 196b are arranged at predetermined intervals, such as equal intervals, along the conveying direction of the conveying unit 184, and discharge air supplied from the pump 188a to remove water vapor adhering to the rod 100 or present around the rod 100. That is, the openings 196b are used as air discharge holes. The air discharged from the openings 188b blows away and removes moisture that may adhere to the area heated by the heater 186 or its vicinity from around the rod 100. The amount of air discharged per unit time from the openings 196b may be sufficient as long as it is sufficient to remove water vapor adhering to the rod 100 or present around the rod 100. The amount of air discharged per unit time from the openings 196b can vary depending on the distance between the openings 196b and the rod 100, the opening shape (nozzle shape) of the openings 196b, and the like.

[0151] For example, the second removal portion 196 prevents moisture from the water-based adhesive AG from accumulating inside the housing 192 of the rod cutting portion 158. This improves the cutting ability of the cutter 194 when cutting the rod 100 to a desired length.

[0152] In this way, by using the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 according to this embodiment, the first removal unit 188 and the second removal unit 196 remove moisture around the rod 100, thereby reducing the amount of moisture in the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124 of the rod 100 more quickly and improving the fixing strength of the overlapping portion 124a.

[0153] It is noted that at least one of the first removed portion 188 and the second removed portion 196 may be present.

[0154] 14A and 14B, an example in which two lap glue guns (adhesive supply units) 176a and 176b are provided is described. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, when forming a seam portion 46 in one region 46a, it is sufficient to use either one of the lap glue guns. Alternatively, two lap glue guns (adhesive supply units) 176a and 176b may be used to form the seam portion 46 in one region 46a.

[0155] If the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 has only one of the lap glue guns 176a, 176b, it is preferable that the gun be located either between the focusing guide 174 and the tongs 182, or between the bobbin 172a of the paper roll supply mechanism 172 and the focusing guide 174. Instead of using the lap glue guns 176a, 176b, the water-based adhesive AG may be applied to a desired position on the end of the sheet-like member 124 using, for example, a transfer roller as an adhesive supply unit.

[0156] As described above, the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 according to this embodiment includes a rod body supply unit 154 that supplies the rod body 130a, a wrapper supply unit 172 that supplies a sheet-like wrapper 34 that covers the outer periphery of the rod body 130a, a conveying unit 184 that conveys the rod body 130a and the wrapper 34 in a predetermined conveying direction, adhesive supply units 176a, 176b that supply a water-based adhesive AG to the wrapper 34 so as to fix the overlapping portions of the ends of the wrapper 34 together, a rod forming unit 174 that is provided downstream of the adhesive supply units 176a, 176b along the conveying direction of the conveying unit 184 and that wraps the wrapper 34 supplied from the wrapper supply unit 172 around the outer periphery of the rod body 130a supplied from the rod body supply unit 154 and overlaps the ends of the wrapper 34 to form a rod shape, and a heater that is provided downstream of the rod forming unit 174 along the conveying direction of the conveying unit 184 and that heats the overlapping portions 34a of the ends of the wrapper 34 to fix them together to form a rod. The adhesive supplied from the adhesive supply units 176a and 176b does not include a hot melt adhesive that melts when heated at the overlapping portion 34a of the ends of the wrapper 34.

[0157] The rod manufacturing device 150 for the flavor inhalation article 10 includes a rod body supply unit 154 that supplies the rod body 130a, a wrapper supply unit 172 that supplies a sheet-like wrapper 34 that covers the outer periphery of the rod body 130a, a conveying unit 184 that conveys the rod body 130a and the wrapper 34 in a predetermined conveying direction, adhesive supply units 176a and 176b that supply a water-based adhesive AG to the wrapper 34 so as to fix the overlapping portions 34a of the ends of the wrapper 34 together, and adhesive supply units 176a and 176b that supply adhesives to the wrapper 34 along the conveying direction of the conveying unit 184. b, and a rod forming section 174 that wraps the wrapper 34 supplied from the wrapper supply section 172 around the outer periphery of the rod body 130a supplied from the rod body supply section 154 and overlaps the ends of the wrapper 34 to form a rod shape; and a cooler-less fixing section 178 that is provided downstream of the rod forming section 174 along the conveying direction of the conveying section 184 and has a heater 186 that heats and fixes the overlapping portion 34a of the ends of the wrapper 34 to form a rod, and does not cool the overlapping portion 34a.

[0158] The method for manufacturing a rod for a flavor inhalation article includes supplying a rod body 130a from the rod body supply unit 154, and supplying a sheet-like wrapper 34 that is supplied from the wrapper supply unit 172 and covers the outer periphery of the rod body 130a, overlapping the ends of the wrapper 34 using only the water-based adhesive AG while covering the outer periphery of the rod body 130a with the wrapper 34, and heating the overlapping portion 34a that is overlapped using only the water-based adhesive AG from the outside of the wrapper 34 to evaporate the moisture in the water-based adhesive AG and form a rod.

[0159] The table in Figure 16 shows the amount of water-based adhesive AG in the first-first region 36a, the amount of water-based adhesive AG in the first-second region 36b, the total amount of water-based adhesive AG, the feed speed of the conveying section 184 during production, the peel strength, and the peel strength evaluation for Samples 1 to 3, such as the wrapper 34 shown in Figures 1 to 4, and the amount of water-based adhesive AG in the first-first region 36a, the total amount of water-based adhesive AG, the feed speed of the conveying section 184 during production, the peel strength, and the peel strength evaluation for Samples 4 to 7, such as the wrapper 44 shown in Figures 1, 4, and 5. Note that the "amount of water-based adhesive AG" here refers to the amount at the time the water-based adhesive AG is supplied from the wrap glue guns 176a and 176b.

[0160] Figure 17 shows a correlation diagram of peel strength (g) versus total glue (adhesive) amount (mg) per 120 mm 24 hours after manufacture. In the graph of Figure 17, the horizontal axis represents the glue amount (mg / 120 mm) in the first-2 region 36b (shown in Figure 4) on the circumferential outer side of the overlapping portion 34a, and the vertical axis represents peel strength (g). The graph in Figure 17 does not include the glue amount (mg / 120 mm) in the first-1 region 36a (shown in Figure 4) on the inner side.

[0161] The peel strength of the overlapping portion 34a was measured as follows using a Shimadzu EZ-SX (5N load cell) measuring device at a pulling speed of 100 mm / min. The wrapper sample used for the peel strength measurement test was formed by applying the water-based adhesive AG only to the first-2 region 36b and not to the first-1 region 36a shown in FIG. 4 . The wrapper sample used was a sufficiently long sample before being cut to a predetermined length (e.g., 5 mm). The opposite side of the seam formed by the water-based adhesive AG (the opposite side of the tip rod 22 from the first seam 36 across the central axis of the tip rod 22) of the prepared wrapper sample was cut parallel to the axial direction of the rod portion 12. That is, the cut direction of the wrapper 34 was parallel to the axial directions of the first-1 region 36a and the first-2 region 36b. The tip of the seam of the cut wrapper was manually peeled back approximately 3 mm to create a pair of tabs. The pair of gripping portions was created by peeling the 1-1 region 36a and the 1-2 region 36b approximately 3 mm from one edge perpendicular to the circumferential outer end face 34b and the circumferential inner end face 34c of the wrapper 34. Each of the pair of gripping portions was then attached to the clamps of a peel tester, and a T-type peel test was performed. That is, the overlapping portions of the wrappers bonded with the water-based adhesive AG were peeled at a predetermined speed along the longitudinal axis of the rod portion 12 up to a displacement of 70 mm. The measurement results were expressed as the median value of the load generated from the start of measurement (start of peeling) up to a displacement of 70 mm, and the average value of five repetitions was expressed in grams (g).

[0162] It should be noted that, based on experience, it is sufficient that the peel strength of the overlapping portion be maintained at 10 g or more when the outer periphery of the tip rod 22 and the tobacco rod 24 is heated to an appropriate temperature by a heater while the rod portion 12 of the flavor inhalation article is inserted into the insertion portion (cavity) of a heating device (not shown). Therefore, according to the table shown in Fig. 16 and the graph shown in Fig. 17, it is preferable that the total amount of glue per 120 mm is, for example, 1.1 mg or more.

[0163] The amount of water-based adhesive AG in the first-1 region 36a is preferably greater than the amount of water-based adhesive AG in the first-2 region 36b. By providing a difference in the amount of water-based adhesive AG, the water-based adhesive AG in the first-2 region 36b, which is located on the outer side in the circumferential direction, dries faster than the water-based adhesive AG in the first-1 region 36a, which is located on the inner side in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the overlapping portion 34a can be first fixed (temporarily fixed) in a desired state with the water-based adhesive AG in the first-2 region 36b, which is located on the outer side in the circumferential direction. Furthermore, although the water-based adhesive AG in the first-1 region 36a dries less quickly than the water-based adhesive AG in the first-2 region 36b, the water-based adhesive AG in the first-1 region 36a provides resistance to peeling of the overlapping portion 34a, thereby fixing the overlapping portion 34a in a state with the desired peel strength. Therefore, the first seam portion 36 in this embodiment is fixed so that the peel strength is 10 g or more by the water-based adhesive AG in the 1-2 region 36b, which exerts a fixing force earlier than the water-based adhesive AG in the 1-1 region 36a, and the water-based adhesive AG in the 1-1 region 36a, which ultimately exerts a fixing force greater than the water-based adhesive AG in the 1-2 region 36b.

[0164] As shown in Figure 17, it can be seen that the peel strength increases as the total adhesive amount increases. However, there is no significant difference in peel strength between the example where the total adhesive amount is 2.4 mg / 120 mm and the example where the total adhesive amount is 4.8 mg / 120 mm. Therefore, it is assumed that a total adhesive amount of, for example, approximately 2.4 mg / 120 mm is sufficient. If the total adhesive amount is too large, it is assumed that the water-based adhesive AG may protrude inside the end face 34c or outside the end face 34b. Therefore, the first seam portion 36 of the wrapper 34 of the distal rod 22 is manufactured by adjusting the amount of water-based adhesive AG so that it has an appropriate peel strength.

[0165] 16, the conveying speed of rod 100 on conveying surface 184a of conveying section 184 is 150 mm / min or more. In this manner, rod manufacturing apparatus 150 can form rod 100 at an appropriate speed.

[0166] According to this embodiment, a series of manufacturing operations, from winding the sheet-like member 124 around the outer periphery of the sheet material 130 (rod body 130a) formed into a rod shape to maintaining the rod 100 in a desired shape using only the water-based adhesive AG, can be performed at an appropriate speed without using a hot-melt adhesive. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a rod manufacturing apparatus 150 for a flavor inhalation article 10 and a rod manufacturing method for a flavor inhalation article 10, which can manufacture rods 22, 62 for the flavor inhalation article 10 at an appropriate speed without using a hot-melt adhesive.

[0167] The shape of the heater 186 and the temperature gradient G caused by the heater 186 can be set as appropriate. The upper diagram in FIG. 18A is a schematic diagram of the heater 186 as viewed from the bottom of the page in FIG. 14A (the conveying surface 184a side). In this embodiment, the heater 186 is divided into two parts along the X-axis. The lower diagram in FIG. 18A is a graph showing the temperature of the heaters 186a1 and 186a2 as a function of their positions. For example, the upstream heater 186a1 has a temperature gradient Ga1 in which the temperature is relatively high upstream and decreases downstream. The downstream heater 186a2 has a constant temperature gradient Ga2 from upstream to downstream. For example, the upstream heater 186a1 heats the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124 of the rod 100 to a relatively high temperature, thereby reducing the moisture content of the water-based adhesive AG as the sheet-like member 124 is conveyed downstream along the conveying surface 184a of the conveying section 184. Furthermore, the downstream heater 186a2 can heat the overlapping portion 124a of the sheet-like member 124 of the rod 100 at a constant temperature. In this manner, the temperature gradients Ga1, Ga2 by the heaters 186a1, 186a2 can be set appropriately.

[0168] Although an example in which two heaters 186a1 and 186a2 are used has been described here, the number of heaters can be set appropriately.

[0169] The upper diagram in FIG. 18B is a schematic diagram of the heater 186 as viewed from the lower side of the paper in FIG. 14A (the conveyance surface 184a side). In this embodiment, the heater 186 is divided into two in the Y-axis direction (width direction). The lower diagram in FIG. 18B is a graph showing the temperature depending on the position of the heaters 186b1 and 186b2. The heater (first heater) 186b1 heats the region 1-1 in FIG. 4. The heater (second heater) 186b2 heats the region 1-2 in FIG. 4. In this case, the amount of water-based adhesive AG applied to the region 1-1 on the inner side of the overlapping portion 34a in the circumferential direction is assumed to be greater than the amount of water-based adhesive AG applied to the region 1-2 on the outer side of the overlapping portion 34a in the circumferential direction. The temperature gradient Gb1 of the heater 186b1 that heats the inner circumferential region 36a is higher at each position along the conveyance direction than the temperature gradient Gb2 of the heater 186b2 that heats the outer circumferential region 36b. Therefore, the heater 186b1 that heats the inner circumferential region 36a can reduce the moisture content of the water-based adhesive AG per unit volume that it contacts more quickly than the heater 186b2 that heats the outer circumferential region 36b. Therefore, the water-based adhesive AG in the first-2 region 36b can more quickly seam the overlapping portion 34a at the seam portion 36, and the water-based adhesive AG in the first-1 region 36a can also reduce the moisture content more quickly, for example, at the same rate as the water-based adhesive AG in the first-2 region 36b. Therefore, the temperature gradients Ga1 and Ga2 of the heaters 186b1 and 186b2 can contribute to earlier joining of the seam portion 36 of the overlapping portion 34a.

[0170] Therefore, the amount of moisture in the water-based adhesive AG in the circumferentially inner region 36a and the water-based adhesive AG in the circumferentially outer region 36b at the most downstream position of the heaters 186b1, 186b2 can be made approximately uniform, for example.

[0171] In the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 described above, an example has been described in which first removal section 188 ejects air to blow away and remove water vapor that has adhered to rod 100 or that exists around rod 100 .

[0172] 19 , first removal unit 188 may remove water vapor adhering to rod 100 or present around rod 100 by sucking in water vapor (moisture) along with air. That is, first removal unit 188 is connected to pump 189a as a suction source (suction force generator), and has openings (suction holes) 189b that are applied with suction force by suction from pump 189a and suck in moisture. Openings 189b may be arranged at appropriate intervals, similar to openings 188b.

[0173] By preparing an air supply source and a suction source, the first removal unit 188 can switch between discharging air onto the rod 100 and sucking water vapor around the rod 100 .

[0174] Furthermore, second removal unit 196 may remove water vapor adhering to rod 100 or present around rod 100 by sucking in water vapor together with air. That is, second removal unit 196 has openings (suction holes) 197b connected to pump 189a as a suction source (suction force generating unit). Openings 197b may be arranged at appropriate intervals, similar to openings 196b.

[0175] The second removal unit 196 can switch between discharging air onto the rod 100 and sucking water vapor around the rod 100 by preparing an air supply source and a suction source.

[0176] Such first removal section 188 and second removal section 196 preferably also have rod manufacturing devices 500, 600, which will be described later, and can remove water vapor from around the heater 186 for the water-based adhesive AG.

[0177] The cutting unit 158 ​​then cuts the continuous rod 100 wound up by the tongs 182 into predetermined lengths in sequence. Therefore, in the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 of this embodiment, the cutting unit 158 ​​cuts the rod 100, and it is possible to manufacture rod bodies 682 (see FIG. 22A ), which will be described later, of a predetermined length, such as twice the length of the desired tip rod 22.

[0178] <Rod manufacturing apparatus 500 for tobacco rod 24> In the above example, the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 for manufacturing, for example, the tip rod 22 and the first mouthpiece segment 62 when a sheet material is used as the filler material 72 has been described. Here, a rod manufacturing apparatus 500 for manufacturing the tobacco rod 24 will be described.

[0179] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an apparatus 500 for manufacturing the tobacco rod 24 (hereinafter referred to as the "rod manufacturing apparatus").

[0180] The rod manufacturing apparatus 500 includes a supply section 502 , a processing section (cutting section) 504 , a rod winding section (forming section) 156 , and a rod cutting section (cutting section) 158 .

[0181] The supply unit 502 has a first bobbin 502a on which a tobacco raw material sheet 430 is wound into a roll. The tobacco raw material sheet 430 wound on the first bobbin 502a is a sheet material obtained by forming a tobacco raw material containing an aerosol-generating base material into a sheet. Examples of tobacco raw materials include tobacco shreds, tobacco granules, and reconstituted tobacco material. In this embodiment, an example is described in which the tobacco raw material sheet 430 is obtained by forming reconstituted tobacco into a sheet. The tobacco raw material sheet 430 is cut in the processing unit 504 and then cut in the rod cutting unit 158 ​​to become the filler material 42 of the tobacco rod 24 described above. For this reason, the processing unit 504 is used as a rod body supply unit that supplies a tobacco strand continuous body 440 in the form of a rod body.

[0182] In the rod-making apparatus 500, the first bobbin 502a is rotatably held by a bobbin holder 502a1. The tobacco raw material sheet 430 wound around the first bobbin 502a is continuously unwound by a feed roller disposed at an appropriate location and sent out along the conveyance path. As shown in FIG. 20 , the processing unit 504 in the rod-making apparatus 500 is disposed midway along the conveyance path P. In the exemplary arrangement shown in FIG. 20 , the rod winding unit 156 is disposed downstream (after) of the processing unit 504, and the rod cutting unit 158 ​​is disposed further downstream (after) of the rod winding unit 156. Note that, in the sheet-like tobacco raw material sheet 430, the direction along the conveyance path is referred to as the "sheet length direction (longitudinal direction)," and the direction perpendicular to the conveyance path is referred to as the "sheet width direction." Furthermore, in the rod-making apparatus 500, the direction perpendicular to the conveyance path is referred to as the "apparatus width direction." Reference numeral 550 in FIG. 20 denotes a conveyance tray extending along the conveyance path. The sheet-like tobacco raw material sheet 430 is introduced into the processing section 504 while traveling on a transport tray 550 along a transport path.

[0183] The processing unit 504 is a unit that continuously cuts the tobacco raw material sheet 430 along the conveying path into multiple tobacco strand continuous bodies (rod bodies) 440. The processing unit 504 has multiple circular cutter discs 504a. The multiple circular cutter discs 504a are connected at their centers by a rotating shaft member 504b and are aligned in the width direction of the rod-making apparatus 500. The rotating shaft member 504b is rotatably supported on the base of the rod-making apparatus 500, and rotates each cutter disc 504a integrally around the rotating shaft member 504b. Here, the rotating shaft member 504b extends in a direction perpendicular to the conveying path in the rod-making apparatus 500, i.e., horizontally along the width direction of the apparatus 500. Each cutter disc 504a is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the rotating shaft member 504b and parallel to the conveying path. The cutter disks 504a are arranged at regular intervals along a direction perpendicular to the conveying path P (the width direction of the device 500).

[0184] In the method for manufacturing the tobacco rod 24 in this embodiment, a tobacco raw material sheet 430, obtained by forming a tobacco raw material containing an aerosol-generating base material into a sheet, is transported from a first bobbin 502a along a transport path P, and in a cutting step, the tobacco raw material sheet 430 is continuously cut along the transport path P into a plurality of continuous tobacco strands 440 in the form of strands. That is, the tobacco raw material sheet 430 passes along the transport path P through a processing section 504 (each cutter disk 504a arranged parallel to the transport path P), and the tobacco raw material sheet 430 is continuously cut into a plurality of continuous tobacco strands 440 by each cutter disk 504a.

[0185] The processing section 504 has a number of cutter disks 504a arranged at regular intervals along a direction perpendicular to the conveying path P. Therefore, in the processing section 504, the tobacco raw material sheet 430 is cut into a plurality of continuous tobacco strands 440, each having a constant width. The continuous tobacco strands 440 are long tobacco materials extending along the conveying path P. Note that the processing section 504 only needs to be able to cut the tobacco raw material sheet 430 continuously along the conveying path P into a plurality of continuous tobacco strands 440 in the form of strands, and the tobacco raw material sheet 430 may be cut using a member other than the cutter disks 504a. For example, the processing section 504 may have a roll cutter with comb blades arranged at regular intervals along the width direction of the device.

[0186] The plurality of tobacco strand continuous bodies 440 cut from the tobacco raw material sheet 430 in the processing section 504 are sent along the conveying path P in a state aligned in the width direction of the conveying tray 550 to the rod winding section 156 at the subsequent stage.

[0187] 14A and 14B can be used as is for the rod winding portion 156. Note that the wrapper 44 can be a sheet-like member (wrapper) 124.

[0188] For this reason, the tobacco rod 24 manufacturing apparatus 500 is provided downstream of the rod winding section 156 along the conveying direction of the conveying section 184, and includes a heater 186 that heats and fixes the overlapping portion 124a of the ends of the sheet-like member 124 used as the wrapper 44 for the tobacco rod 24 to form a rod, and the adhesive supplied from one of the adhesive supply sections 176a, 176b is not a hot-melt adhesive that melts when heated to the overlapping portion 124a of the ends of the sheet-like member 124. In other words, the tobacco rod 24 manufacturing apparatus 500 is provided downstream of the rod winding section 156 along the conveying direction of the conveying section 184, and includes a heater 186 that heats and fixes the overlapping portion 124a of the ends of the sheet-like member 124 to form a rod 100, and includes a cooler-less fixing section 178 that does not cool the overlapping portion 124a.

[0189] Therefore, for example, the rod manufacturing apparatus 500 can manufacture a rod body 680 (see FIG. 22A) described below having a predetermined length, such as twice the length of the desired tobacco rod 24 .

[0190] a conveying section 184 that conveys the rod body 440 and the wrapper 124 in a predetermined conveying direction; adhesive supplying sections 176a, 176b that supply a water-based adhesive AG to the wrapper 124 so as to fix the overlapping portions 44a of the ends of the wrapper 44; a rod forming section 174 that is provided downstream of the adhesive supplying sections 176a, 176b along the conveying direction of the conveying section 184 and that wraps the wrapper 124 supplied from the wrapper supplying section 172 around the outer periphery of the rod body 440 supplied from the rod body supplying section 504 and overlaps the ends of the wrapper 124 to form a rod; and a heater that is provided downstream of the rod forming section 174 along the conveying direction of the conveying section 184 and that heats the overlapping portions 44a of the ends of the wrapper 124 to fix them to form a rod. The adhesive supplied from the adhesive supply units 176a and 176b is not a hot melt adhesive that melts when heated at the overlapping portion 44a of the ends of the wrapper 124.

[0191] The rod manufacturing apparatus 500 for the flavor inhalation article 10 includes a rod body supply unit 504 that supplies the rod body 440, a wrapper supply unit 172 that supplies a sheet-like wrapper 124 that covers the outer periphery of the rod body 440, a conveying unit 184 that conveys the rod body 440 and the wrapper 124 in a predetermined conveying direction, adhesive supply units 176a and 176b that supply a water-based adhesive AG to the wrapper 124 so as to fix the overlapping portions 44a of the ends of the wrapper 44, and adhesive supply units 176a and 176b that supply a water-based adhesive AG to the wrapper 124 in a manner that the overlapping portions 44a of the ends of the wrapper 44 are fixed. b, and a rod forming section 174 that wraps the wrapper 124 supplied from the wrapper supply section 172 around the outer periphery of the rod body 440 supplied from the rod body supply section 504 and overlaps the ends of the wrapper 44 to form a rod shape; and a cooler-less fixing section 178 that is provided downstream of the rod forming section 174 along the conveying direction of the conveying section 184 and has a heater 186 that heats and fixes the overlapping portions 44a of the ends of the wrapper 124 to form a rod, and does not cool the overlapping portions 44a.

[0192] The method for manufacturing a rod for a flavor inhalation article includes supplying a rod body 440 from a rod body supply unit 504, and supplying a sheet-like wrapper 124 that is supplied from a wrapper supply unit 172 and covers the outer periphery of the rod body 440, overlapping the ends of the wrapper 124 using only the water-based adhesive AG while covering the outer periphery of the rod body 440 with the wrapper 124, and heating the overlapping portion 44a that is overlapped using only the water-based adhesive AG from the outside of the wrapper 124 to evaporate the moisture in the water-based adhesive AG and form a rod.

[0193] Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a rod manufacturing device 500 for a flavor inhalation article 10 and a rod manufacturing method for a flavor inhalation article 10 that can manufacture rods (tobacco rods 24) for the flavor inhalation article 10 at an appropriate speed without using a hot melt adhesive.

[0194] 21 to 23B , a manufacturing apparatus (rod manufacturing apparatus) 600 for the flavor inhalation article 10 will be described. Here, a rod manufacturing apparatus 600 for a rod body 686 will be described, in which a supply / winding apparatus 640 for the wrapper 54, described later, is mainly used to cover the outer periphery of a rod body 684 including the tip rod 22, the tobacco rod 24, and the cooling section 14 with the wrapper 54 and fix it using only the water-based adhesive AG. A supply / winding apparatus 665 for the tipping paper 18, described later, of the rod manufacturing apparatus 600 can also produce a rod body 694 in which the outer periphery of a rod body 692 is covered and fixed with the tipping paper 18 using only the water-based adhesive AG, similar to the supply / winding apparatus 640 for the wrapper 54.

[0195] Figure 21 is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of a feeding device 615 for rod bodies 680 of tobacco rods 24, a cutting device 620 for rod bodies 680 of tobacco rods 24, a separating device 625 for tobacco rods 24, a feeding / inserting device 630 for rod bodies 682 of tip rods 22, a feeding / positioning device 635 for the cooling section 14, a feeding / winding device 640 for wrappers 54, a cutting device 650 for rod bodies 688, an inverting / separating device 655 for rod bodies 688, a feeding / inserting device 660 for segments 690 of the mouthpiece section 16, a feeding / winding device 665 for sheet material 641b of tipping paper 18, a cutting device 670 for rod bodies 694, and an inverting / aligning device 675 for flavor inhalation articles 10, relative to a conveying device 610. Fig. 22A is a schematic diagram showing a part of a series of operations for manufacturing a rod body 688 using a manufacturing apparatus (rod manufacturing apparatus) 600, and Fig. 22B is a schematic diagram showing a part of a series of operations for manufacturing a flavor inhalation article 10 via a rod body 694, subsequent to Fig. 22A. The order of operations in Fig. 22A and Fig. 22B subsequent to Fig. 22A corresponds to the order in which the devices of the rod manufacturing apparatus 600 shown in Fig. 21 perform processing. Fig. 23A is a schematic diagram showing a supply / winding device 640 for the wrapper 54. Fig. 23B is a schematic diagram showing an enlarged portion of the supply / winding device 640 for the wrapper 54.

[0196] As shown in Figures 21 to 22B, the rod manufacturing apparatus 600 includes a conveying device 610, a supplying device 615 for a rod body 680 of the tobacco rod 24, a cutting device 620 for the rod body 680 of the tobacco rod 24, a separating device 625 for the tobacco rod 24, a supplying / inserting device 630 for a rod body 682 of the tip rod 22, a supplying / arranging device 635 for the cooling section 14, a supplying / winding device 640 for the wrapper 54, a cutting device 650 for a rod body 688, an inverting / separating device 655 for the rod body 688, a supplying / inserting device 660 for a segment 690 of the mouthpiece section 16, a supplying / winding device 665 for a sheet material 641b of the tipping paper 18, a cutting device 670 for a rod body 694, and an inverting / aligning device 675 for the flavor inhalation article 10. The devices 615, 620, 625, 630, 635, 640, 650, 655, 660, 665, 670, and 675 are provided in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side of the rod-making device 600. The conveying device 610 conveys the rod bodies 680, 684, 686, 688, 692, and 694 processed in each of the devices 615, 620, 625, 630, 635, 640, 650, 655, 660, 665, 670, and 675 in order to manufacture the flavor inhalation article 10.

[0197] As shown in Fig. 22A, the tobacco rod 24 supplying device 615 shown in Fig. 21 can supply a rod body 680 (which will become the tobacco rod 24) having a length twice the predetermined length, which has been manufactured using the tobacco rod manufacturing device 500 described in Fig. 20, to the rod manufacturing device 600 (step S1). At this time, the supplying device 615 orients the rod body 680 in a desired direction and supplies the rod body 680 to a predetermined position.

[0198] 21, a rotating cutter or a laser processing device is used as the cutting device 620 for the tobacco rod 24. Then, as shown in FIG. 22A, the cutting device 620 cuts the rod body 680 transported by the transport device 610 into a predetermined length of the tobacco rod 24 of the flavor inhalation article 10 (step S2).

[0199] 22A , the tobacco rod 24 separation device 625 shown in Fig. 21 separates the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 transported by the transport device 610 so that they are spaced apart by a predetermined distance (step S3). The predetermined distance here is twice the length of the tip rod 22. The separation device 625 separates the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 by separating the rod holders while rotating and transporting the tobacco rods 24 held in the rod holders of the transport drum. The separation device 625 may have a substantially Y-shaped path, and may separate the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 while rolling the tobacco rods 24 along that path. Alternatively, the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 may be separated using, for example, a robot hand or the like.

[0200] The rod manufacturing apparatus 150 manufactures rod bodies 682 twice as long as a predetermined tip rod 22 in advance and supplies them to the rod manufacturing apparatus 600. As shown in FIG. 22A , the tip rod 22 supply / insertion device 630 shown in FIG. 21 places rod bodies 682 twice as long as the tip rod 22 in the spaces between the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 transported by the transport device 610, with the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 spaced a predetermined distance apart (step S4). The tip rod 22 supply / insertion device 630 places the rod bodies 682 between the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 using a rotating drum that inserts the tip rods 22 onto a transport drum that rotates and transports the tobacco rods 24. The tip rod 22 supply / insertion device 630 may place the rod bodies 682 between the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 by timing it using, for example, a robot hand, or the rod bodies 682 may be placed in the spaces between the end faces of the tobacco rods 24 while being rolled, for example.

[0201] The cooling units 14 are formed in advance as cardboard tubes of a predetermined length. As shown in FIG. 22A , the cooling unit 14 supply / positioning device 635 shown in FIG. 21 positions each cooling unit 14 so that it faces the end face of the tobacco rod 24 on the side opposite the space between the end faces (step S5). The cooling unit 14 supply / positioning device 635 uses a rotating drum on which the cooling units 14 are placed on a conveying drum that rotates and conveys the tobacco rod 24, and positions the cooling units 14 on the side opposite the rod body 682. The cooling unit 14 supply / positioning device 635 may use, for example, a robot hand or the like to timely position the cooling units 14 on the side opposite the rod body 682. Alternatively, the cooling units 14 may be positioned on the side opposite the space between the end faces of the tobacco rod 24 while being rolled, for example. The rod body (rod assembly) 684 formed in this manner is conveyed by a conveying device 610 to a wrapper 54 supply / winding device 640 shown in FIG. 21 . That is, the supply / placement device 635 of the cooling section 14 or the devices 615 , 620 , 625 , 630 , 635 constitute a rod body supply section that supplies the rod body 686 .

[0202] 23A and 23B, the supply / winding device 640 for the wrapper 54 shown in Fig. 21 includes a supply device 641 that supplies a sheet material 641a that is twice as long as the wrapper 54, an adhesive supply device 642 that supplies a water-based adhesive AG to the sheet material 641a, a transfer drum (conveyor unit) 643, and a fixing unit 644 that fixes the rod body 686 so as to maintain its shape. The fixing unit 644 includes a rolling drum 645, an opening 646 in a suction unit (first removal unit), a rolling hand 647, and a heater 648.

[0203] The supply device 641 supplies a predetermined length of sheet material 641a for winding the rod body (rod assembly) 682. The supply device 641 may cut the roll-shaped sheet material 641a using, for example, a cutter when winding the rod body (rod assembly) 682, and supply the cut sheet material 641a. Alternatively, the supply device 641 may supply the sheet material 641a that has been cut to a predetermined length in advance so as to wind the rod body 684.

[0204] The transfer drum 643 is formed as, for example, a cylindrical body and rotates around the central axis (Y axis) of the cylindrical body. The transfer drum 643 receives the rod body 684 transferred by the transfer device 610 and transfers it toward the rolling drum 645.

[0205] The rolling drum 645 is formed as, for example, a cylindrical body and rotates around the central axis (Y-axis) of the cylindrical body. The rolling drum 645 holds the rod body 684 on, for example, the outer circumferential surface and rotates the rod body 684 around the central axis (Y-axis) along the longitudinal direction.

[0206] Therefore, the rod body 684 is transferred from the transport device 610 to the transfer drum 643 and then to the rolling drum 645 .

[0207] Here, the rolling drum 645 moves relative to the rolling hand 647. The rod body 684 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the rolling drum 645 by the openings 646 of the suction unit, and is transferred into the gap formed between the rolling drum 645 and the rolling hand 647. When the rod body 684 is transferred into the gap formed between the rolling drum 645 and the rolling hand 647, the friction between the rod body 684 and the rolling hand 647 causes the rod body 684 to rotate about its axial axis (Y-axis) while moving in the rotation direction of the rolling drum 645 (downstream of the rod manufacturing apparatus 600). It is preferable that the openings 646 of the suction unit are arranged at predetermined intervals along the conveying direction of the conveying unit, i.e., at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction of the rolling drum 645.

[0208] Meanwhile, a sheet material 641a supplied from a supply device 641 is wound around the outer circumferential surface of the rod body 684 on the rolling drum 645. A water-based adhesive AG is applied to the sheet material 641a supplied to the outer circumferential surface of the rod body 684 on the rolling drum 645. When the rod body 684 passes through the gap between the rolling drum 645 and the rolling hand 647, the sheet material 641a is rolled up, and the sheet material 641a is wrapped around the entire outer circumferential surface of the rod body 684, thereby forming a rod body 686 (see Figures 22A, 23A, and 23B). In other words, the rod body 684 is connected by the sheet material 641a that becomes the outer plug wrapper 54.

[0209] The width of the rolling drum 645 (width along the Y-axis) is preferably greater than the length of the rod 684. The rod 684 is delivered from the transfer drum 643 to the cutting device 650 for the rod 688 through the rolling drum 645 while it is within the width of the rolling drum 645. The width of the rolling hand 647 may be greater than the length of the rod 684. The width of the rolling hand 647 is preferably greater than the width of the sheet material 641a that will become the wrapper 54. The sheet material 641a is delivered from the transfer drum 643 to the cutting device 650 for the rod 688 through the rolling drum 645 while it is within the width of the rolling hand 647.

[0210] For example, the rolling hand 647 is provided with a heater 648, which heats the rod body 686 as it moves between the rolling drum 645 and the rolling hand 647 while rotating. The width of the heater 648 is preferably the same as or slightly smaller than the width of the rolling hand 647. The width of the heater 648 is preferably formed to be the same as or larger than the width of the sheet material 641a that will become the wrapper 54. This removes moisture from the water-based adhesive AG in the overlapping portion 54a of the wrapper 54 (see FIGS. 8 to 10), forming the seam portion 56.

[0211] Here, unlike the heater 186 of the rod manufacturing apparatus 150, which heats only the vicinity of the overlapping portion 34a of the wrapper 34, the heater 648 of the rod manufacturing apparatus 600 heats the outer circumferential surface of the rod 686 as the rod 686 rotates about its axis. As a result, the entire outer circumferential surface of the sheet material 641a of the rod 686 is heated. In this way, moisture is reduced from the water-based adhesive AG applied to the sheet material 641a of the rod 686, and the water-based adhesive AG hardens. Note that the heater 648 at this time is heated to a temperature within the above-mentioned temperature range of the heater 186, for example.

[0212] It is preferable that the temperature gradient of the heater 648 is higher on the upstream side and lower on the downstream side, as shown in Fig. 15. Therefore, the temperature of the heater 648 is higher on the upstream side on the right side in Fig. 23B, so that the moisture content of the water-based adhesive AG is reduced more quickly, and the temperature decreases toward the downstream side on the left side in Fig. 23B, thereby preventing scorching of the outer peripheral surface of the sheet material 641a.

[0213] Furthermore, water vapor generated from the water-based adhesive AG between the rolling drum 645 and the rolling hand 647 is sucked through the opening 646 of the suction section. The water may be removed by ejecting air or the like as described above with reference to the rod manufacturing apparatus 150 (see FIGS. 14A and 14B).

[0214] 22A, the cutting device 650 for the rod body 686 shown in Fig. 21 uses, for example, a rotating cutter or a laser processing device, similar to the cutting device 620 for the tobacco rod 24. The cutting device 650 cuts the rod body 686 transported by the transport device 610 to a length corresponding to the combined length of the predetermined rod portion 12 and cooling portion 14 of the flavor inhalation article 10, thereby obtaining two rod bodies 688 from the rod body 686 (step S7).

[0215] Immediately after the cutting device 650 cuts the rod body 686, the end faces of the distal rods 22 face each other. The inversion / separation device 655 for the rod body 688 shown in FIG. 21 inverts the positional relationship of the rod body 688 as shown in FIG. 22A . That is, the inversion / separation device 655 for the rod body 688 separates the end faces of the distal rods 22 so that the open ends of the cooling sections 14 face each other. The inversion / separation device 655 for the rod body 688 also separates the open ends of the cooling sections 14 so that a segment 690 twice the length of the mouthpiece section 16 is disposed (step S8). This segment 690 includes a first mouthpiece segment 62 that is twice as long and second mouthpiece segments 64 at both ends of the first mouthpiece segment 62.

[0216] A rod manufacturing apparatus preliminarily manufactures a segment 690 twice as long as a predetermined mouthpiece portion 16 and supplies it to the rod manufacturing apparatus 600. With the open ends of the cooling section 14 spaced a predetermined distance apart from a pair of rod bodies 688 transported by the transport apparatus 610, a supply / insertion device 660 for the segment 690 of the mouthpiece portion 16 shown in FIG. 21 places the segment 690, twice as long as the mouthpiece portion 16, in the space between the open ends of the cooling section 14, as shown in FIG. 22B (step S9). Similar to the supply / insertion device 630 for the distal rod 22, the supply / insertion device 660 for the segment 690 of the mouthpiece portion 16 uses a rotating drum that inserts the segment 690 onto a transport drum on which the rod body 688 is rotated and transported, and places the segment 690 between the end faces of the rod body 688. The supply / insertion device 630 for the segment 690 of the mouthpiece portion 16 may use, for example, a robotic hand or the like to place the segment 690 between the open ends of the cooling portion 14 in a timely manner, or the segment 690 may be placed in the space between the open ends of the cooling portion 14 while being rolled, for example. Then, a rod body 692 is formed.

[0217] 22B, the tipping paper 18 sheet material 641b supply / winding device 665 shown in FIG. 21 winds a sheet material 641b twice as long as the tipping paper 18 around a rod 692, similar to the wrapper 54 supply / winding device 640, to form a rod 694 (step S10). At this time, similar to the overlapping portion 54a of the wrapper 54 wound by the wrapper 54 supply / winding device 640, the overlapping portion of the tipping paper 18 is wound and fixed by adhesive using only the water-based adhesive AG. Alternatively, the overlapping portion of the tipping paper 18 may be preferably fixed by adhesive application of both the water-based adhesive AG and a hot-melt adhesive.

[0218] The cutting device 670 for the rod body 694 shown in Fig. 21 is formed in the same manner as the cutting device 650 for the rod body 688 as shown in Fig. 22B. Then, the rod body 694 is cut in the middle to obtain two flavor inhalation articles 10 (step S11).

[0219] The inversion / alignment device 675 for the flavor inhalation article 10 shown in FIG. 21 turns one of a pair of flavor inhalation articles 10 formed by cutting the rod body 694 with the cutting device 670, and aligns them, as shown in FIG. 22B (step S12).

[0220] In this manner, the rod manufacturing apparatus 600 manufactures the flavor inhalation article 10 .

[0221] Therefore, the rod manufacturing apparatus 600 includes a rod body supply unit 635 that supplies a rod body 684, a wrapper supply unit (supply device) 641 that supplies a sheet-like wrapper 54 that covers the outer periphery of the rod body 684, a conveying unit 643 that conveys the rod body 684 and the wrapper 54 in a predetermined conveying direction, an adhesive supply unit 642 that supplies a water-based adhesive AG to the wrapper 54 so as to fix the overlapping portions 54a of the ends of the wrapper 54, a rod forming unit (rolling hand) 647 that is provided downstream of the adhesive supply unit 642 along the conveying direction of the conveying unit 643 and that forms the rod body 684 supplied from the rod body supply unit 635 into a rod shape by overlapping the ends of the wrapper 54 supplied from the wrapper supply unit 641, and a heater 648 that is provided in the rod forming unit 647 and that heats and fixes the overlapping portions 54a of the ends of the wrapper 54 to form a rod body 686. The adhesive supplied from the adhesive supply unit 642 does not include a hot melt adhesive that melts when heated at the overlapping portion 54 a between the ends of the wrapper 54 .

[0222] The rod manufacturing apparatus 600 also includes a rod body supply unit 635 that supplies a rod body 684, a wrapper supply unit 641 that supplies a sheet-like wrapper 54 that covers the outer periphery of the rod body 684, a conveying unit 643 that conveys the rod body 684 and the wrapper 54 in a predetermined conveying direction, an adhesive supply unit 642 that supplies a water-based adhesive AG to the wrapper 54 so as to fix the overlapping portions of the ends of the wrapper 54, a rod forming unit 647 that is provided downstream of the adhesive supply unit 642 along the conveying direction of the conveying unit 643 and that forms the rod body 684 supplied from the rod body supply unit 635 into a rod shape by overlapping the ends of the wrapper 54 supplied from the wrapper supply unit 641, and a heater 648 that is provided in the rod forming unit 647 and that heats and fixes the overlapping portions 54 a of the ends of the wrappers 54 to form a rod body 686, and a cooler-less fixing unit 644 that does not cool the overlapping portions 54 a.

[0223] The method for manufacturing a rod for a flavor inhalation article includes supplying a rod body 684 from a rod body supply unit 635, and supplying a sheet-like wrapper 54 supplied from a wrapper supply unit 641 to cover the outer periphery of the rod body 684; overlapping the ends of the wrapper 54 using only the water-based adhesive AG while covering the outer periphery of the rod body 684 with the wrapper 54; heating the overlapping portion 54a, which is overlapped using only the water-based adhesive AG, from the outside of the wrapper 54 to evaporate the moisture in the water-based adhesive AG and form a rod.

[0224] As described above, in the rod manufacturing apparatus 600 according to the present embodiment, the water-based adhesive AG can be dried more quickly using the heater 648. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the series of manufacturing steps from wrapping the sheet material 641a around the outer periphery of the rod body 684 to maintaining the rod body 686 in a desired shape using only the water-based adhesive AG can be performed at an appropriate speed without using a hot-melt adhesive. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a rod manufacturing apparatus 600 for a flavor inhalation article 10 and a rod manufacturing method for a flavor inhalation article 10 that can manufacture the rod body 686 for the flavor inhalation article 10 at an appropriate speed without using a hot-melt adhesive.

[0225] Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide rod manufacturing devices 150, 500, 600 for the flavor inhalation article 10 and a rod manufacturing method for the flavor inhalation article 10, which can manufacture rods for the flavor inhalation article 10 at an appropriate speed without using a hot melt adhesive.

[0226] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made in the implementation stage without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments may be implemented in appropriate combinations, in which case the combined effects can be obtained. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments include various inventions, and various inventions can be extracted by combining selected elements from the disclosed elements. For example, if the problem can be solved and the desired effect can be obtained even if some elements are deleted from all elements shown in the embodiments, the configuration from which these elements are deleted can be extracted as an invention.

[0227] a conveying section that conveys the rod body and the wrapper in a predetermined conveying direction; an adhesive supplying section that supplies a water-based adhesive to the wrapper so as to fix the overlapping portions of the wrappers; a rod forming section that is provided downstream of the adhesive supplying section along the conveying direction of the conveying section and that wraps the wrapper supplied from the wrapper supplying section around the outer periphery of the rod body supplied from the rod body supplying section and overlaps the ends of the wrapper to form a rod; and a heater that is provided downstream of the rod forming section along the conveying direction of the conveying section and that heats and fixes the overlapping portions of the wrappers to form a rod, wherein the adhesive supplied from the adhesive supplying section is not a hot-melt adhesive that melts when heated at the overlapping portions of the wrappers.

[0228] a conveying section that conveys the rod body and the wrapper in a predetermined conveying direction; an adhesive supplying section that supplies a water-based adhesive to the wrapper so as to fix the overlapping portions of the wrapper ends; a rod forming section that is provided downstream of the adhesive supplying section along the conveying direction of the conveying section and that wraps the wrapper supplied from the wrapper supplying section around the outer periphery of the rod body supplied from the rod body supplying section and overlaps the ends of the wrapper to form a rod; and a cooler-less fixing section that is provided downstream of the rod forming section along the conveying direction of the conveying section and has a heater that heats and fixes the overlapping portions of the wrapper ends to form a rod, and does not cool the overlapping portions.

[0229] [3] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a first removal unit that removes moisture that may adhere to the area heated by the heater or the vicinity thereof.

[0230] [4] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the first removal units are arranged at predetermined intervals along the transport direction of the transport unit.

[0231] [5] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first removal unit has an air outlet hole that ejects air to blow away the moisture, and an air supply unit that supplies air to the air outlet hole.

[0232] [6] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Note 3 to Supplementary Note 5, wherein the first removal unit has a suction hole that sucks the moisture, and a suction force generation unit that applies a suction force to the suction hole.

[0233] [7] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 6, wherein the heater has a temperature gradient that changes from the upstream side to the downstream side of the heater.

[0234] [8] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to Supplementary Note 7, wherein the heater has a higher temperature on the upstream side of the heater along the transport direction of the transport section than on the downstream side.

[0235] [9] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 8, wherein a first heater that heats a circumferentially inner region of the overlapping portion relative to an end face of the circumferentially outer end of the ends of the wrappers has a higher temperature than a second heater that heats a circumferentially outer region between the inner region and the end face.

[0236]

[10] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 9, further comprising: a cutting body that is provided downstream of the heater along the conveying direction of the conveying section and cuts the rod to a predetermined length; and a second removal section that removes moisture that may adhere to the vicinity of the cutting section.

[0237]

[11] The rod manufacturing apparatus according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 10, wherein the adhesive supply unit includes: a first adhesive supply unit that applies the water-based adhesive to a position of the overlapping portion of the wrapper that is a first region on the inside along the circumferential direction; and a second adhesive supply unit that applies the water-based adhesive to a position of the overlapping portion that is a second region on the outside along the circumferential direction.

[0238]

[12] A method for manufacturing a rod for a flavor inhalation article, comprising: supplying a rod body from a rod body supply unit, and supplying a sheet-like wrapper supplied from a wrapper supply unit to cover the outer periphery of the rod body; overlapping end portions of the wrappers with only a water-based adhesive while covering the outer periphery of the rod body with the wrappers; and heating the overlapped portion overlapped with only the water-based adhesive from the outside of the wrappers to evaporate moisture from the water-based adhesive and form a rod.

[0239]

[13] The rod manufacturing method according to claim 12, further comprising removing moisture around the rod while heating the overlapping portion from the outside.

[0240]

[14] The rod manufacturing method according to claim 13, wherein removing moisture from around the rod includes blowing off moisture from around the rod.

[0241]

[15] The rod manufacturing method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein removing moisture from around the rod includes sucking moisture from around the rod.

[0242]

[16] The rod manufacturing method according to any one of Supplementary Note 12 to Supplementary Note 15, comprising: cutting the rod to a predetermined length downstream of a position where the rod is heated; and removing moisture around the rod near the position where the rod is cut.

[0243] 124...sheet-like member, 124a...overlapped portion, 130...sheet material, 130a...rod body, 150...rod manufacturing device, 150a...control section, 152...filler supply section, 154...processing section (rod body supply section), 154a...auxiliary roller, 156...rod winding section, 158...rod cutting section, 162...feed section, 164...creping section, 168...addition section, 172...wrapper supply section (paper roll supply mechanism ), 172a...bobbin, 174...focusing guide (rod forming section), 176a, 176b...lap glue gun (adhesive supply section), 178...fixing section, 182...tongs, 184...conveying section, 184a...conveying surface, 184b...roller, 186...heater, 188...first removal section, 188a...pump, 188b...opening, 192...housing, 194...cutter, 196...second removal section, 196b...opening.

Claims

a conveying section that conveys the rod body and the wrapper in a predetermined conveying direction; an adhesive supplying section that supplies a water-based adhesive to the wrapper so as to fix the overlapping portions of the ends of the wrapper; a rod forming section that is provided downstream of the adhesive supplying section along the conveying direction of the conveying section and that winds the wrapper supplied from the wrapper supplying section around the outer periphery of the rod body supplied from the rod body supplying section and overlaps the ends of the wrapper to form a rod; and a heater that is provided downstream of the rod forming section along the conveying direction of the conveying section and heats and fixes the overlapping portions of the ends of the wrappers to form a rod, wherein the adhesive supplied from the adhesive supplying section is not a hot melt adhesive that melts when heated at the overlapping portions of the ends of the wrappers.

2. A rod manufacturing device for an flavor inhalation article, comprising: a rod body supplying section which supplies a rod body; a wrapper supplying section which supplies a sheet-like wrapper covering the outer periphery of the rod body; a conveying section which conveys the rod body and the wrapper in a predetermined conveying direction; an adhesive supplying section which supplies a water-based adhesive to the wrapper so as to fix the overlapping portion of the ends of the wrapper; a rod forming section which is provided downstream of the adhesive supplying section along the conveying direction of the conveying section and which winds the wrapper supplied from the wrapper supplying section around the outer periphery of the rod body supplied from the rod body supplying section and overlaps the ends of the wrapper to form a rod; and a cooler-less fixing section which is provided downstream of the rod forming section along the conveying direction of the conveying section and has a heater which heats and fixes the overlapping portion of the ends of the wrappers to form a rod, and does not cool the overlapping portion.

3. A rod manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising a first removal section that removes moisture that may adhere to the area heated by the heater or in the vicinity thereof.

4. The rod manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first removal sections are arranged at predetermined intervals along the transport direction of the transport section.

5. A rod manufacturing apparatus as described in claim 3 or claim 4, wherein the first removal section has an air ejection hole that ejects air to blow away the moisture, and an air supply section that supplies air to the air ejection hole.

6. A rod manufacturing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the first removal section has a suction hole that sucks the moisture, and a suction force generating section that applies a suction force to the suction hole.

7. A rod manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heater has a temperature gradient that varies from the upstream side to the downstream side of the heater.

8. The rod manufacturing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the heater has a higher temperature on the upstream side of the heater along the transport direction of the transport section than on the downstream side.

9. A rod manufacturing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a first heater which heats a circumferentially inner region of the overlapping portion with respect to an end face of the circumferentially outer end of the ends of the wrappers has a higher temperature than a second heater which heats a circumferentially outer region between the inner region and the end face.

10. A rod manufacturing apparatus as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: a cutting body provided downstream of the heater along the transport direction of the transport section, which cuts the rod to a predetermined length; and a second removal section which removes moisture that may adhere to the vicinity of the cut body.

11. A rod manufacturing apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the adhesive supply unit comprises: a first adhesive supply unit which applies the water-based adhesive to a position of the overlapping portion of the wrapper which is a first inner region along the circumferential direction; and a second adhesive supply unit which applies the water-based adhesive to a position of the overlapping portion which is a second outer region along the circumferential direction.

12. A method for manufacturing a rod for a flavor inhalation article, comprising: supplying a rod body from a rod body supply unit, and supplying a sheet-like wrapper supplied from a wrapper supply unit to cover the outer periphery of the rod body; overlapping ends of the wrapper using only a water-based adhesive while covering the outer periphery of the rod body with the wrapper; and heating the overlapping portion overlapped using only the water-based adhesive from the outside of the wrapper to evaporate moisture from the water-based adhesive and form a rod.

13. The method for manufacturing a rod according to claim 12, further comprising removing moisture around the rod while heating the overlapping portion from the outside.

14. The rod manufacturing method of claim 13, wherein removing moisture from around the rod includes blowing moisture away from around the rod.

15. A rod manufacturing method as claimed in claim 13 or 14, wherein removing moisture from around the rod includes sucking moisture from around the rod.

16. A rod manufacturing method as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 15, comprising: cutting the rod to a predetermined length downstream of the position where the rod is heated; and removing moisture around the rod in the vicinity of the position where the rod is cut.

Images