Rod used in flavor-producing article, machine for manufacturing said rod, and method for manufacturing said rod

Abstract

A machine (2) for manufacturing a rod (1) used in a flavor-producing article (90) comprises a sheet-supplying section (10), a sheet-segmenting section (60), a sheet-processing section (20), a gathering section (30), a second sheet-supplying section (70), a wrapping section (40), and a cutting section (50). The sheet-segmenting section (60) cuts a sheet (4) transported on a first transport path (14) into two or more pieces in the width direction (Y) of the sheet (4) and segments the sheet (4) into a first sheet (4a) and a second sheet (4b). The wrapping section (40) forms a continuous rod (80) by wrapping a convergence rod (80) formed from the first sheet (4a) with the second sheet (4b), which is supplied from a second transport path (72) of the second sheet-supplying section (70), while reducing the diameter of the convergence rod (80). The continuous rod (80) is cut into rods (1) at the cutting section (50).

Description

Rods for flavored products, machine for manufacturing the rods, and method for manufacturing the rods

[0001] The present invention relates to rods for use in flavored product applications, a machine for making such rods, and a method for making such rods.

[0002] U.S. Patent No. 5,999,623 discloses an apparatus for feeding a continuous web of crimped sheet material to a rod-forming device. The apparatus includes a winding unit for unwinding the sheet material from a support such as a bobbin on which the sheet material is provided, a crimping unit for crimping the sheet material, a cutting unit for cutting the continuous web of sheet material to a predetermined width, and a control unit for controlling various units of the apparatus in response to sensor signals received from the respective units.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, since the sheet material can be cut to different widths, filters of various diameters can be easily manufactured, such as filters for regular-sized filter cigarettes and filters for slim cigarettes. Furthermore, by cutting the sheet material to different widths, the density of the filter rod, and therefore the drawing resistance (airflow resistance), can be controlled.

[0004] Patent No. 6401359

[0005] The sheet in Patent Document 1 is cut to a predetermined width by a cutting unit, then subjected to a crimping process, or in other words, a crimping process, and then wrapped in a separately supplied wrapper paper and cut into filter rods. Here, when the sheet is cut to different widths and subjected to a crimping process to adjust rod properties such as airflow resistance, the diameter of the rod is often changed accordingly. It may also be necessary to switch to producing rods with different diameters.

[0006] In these cases, the width of the wrapping paper must be changed, and the wrapping paper supplied to the rod manufacturing machine must be replaced with a lot (roll) of a different width, which is time-consuming and reduces rod productivity. Furthermore, in preparation for changes in rod diameter, multiple lots of wrapping paper of different widths must be managed as inventory, which is uneconomical. As such, in Patent Document 1, the rod characteristics and rod diameter cannot be easily changed, so there is a need to improve rod productivity while making these specifications easily changeable.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a rod for use in flavored product products, a rod manufacturing machine for such rods, and a method for manufacturing such rods, which can easily change the characteristics and diameter of the rods while improving rod productivity.

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, one embodiment of a rod manufacturing machine for use in flavored product products includes a sheet supply section that continuously unwinds a sheet from a roll on which the sheet is wound and supplies it to a first conveying path; a sheet dividing section that cuts and divides the sheet conveyed to the first conveying path into two or more pieces in a width direction that intersects with the longitudinal direction of the sheet; a sheet processing section that crimps a first sheet of the sheets divided in the sheet dividing section; a gathering section that gathers the first sheet that has been crimped in the sheet processing section in the width direction to form a convergent rod; a second sheet supply section that supplies a second sheet of the sheets divided in the sheet dividing section to a second conveying path; a wrapping section that reduces the diameter of the convergent rod formed in the gathering section and wraps it with a second sheet supplied from the second conveying path to form a continuous rod; and a cutting section that cuts the continuous rod formed in the wrapping section into rods.

[0009] In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a rod used in a flavor product includes a sheet supplying step of continuously unwinding a sheet from a roll on which the sheet is wound and supplying it to a first conveying path; a sheet dividing step of cutting and dividing the sheet conveyed to the first conveying path into two or more pieces in a width direction intersecting its longitudinal direction; a sheet processing step of performing a crimping process on a first sheet of the sheets divided in the sheet dividing section; a gathering step of gathering the first sheet crimped in the sheet processing step in the width direction to form a convergent rod; a second sheet supplying step of supplying a second sheet of the sheets divided in the sheet dividing step to a second conveying path; a wrapping step of reducing the diameter of the convergent rod formed in the gathering step and wrapping it with a second sheet supplied from the second conveying path to form a continuous rod; and a cutting step of cutting the continuous rod formed in the wrapping step into rods.

[0010] A rod used in a flavored product according to one embodiment comprises a crimped sheet and a wrapping paper wrapping the sheet, the wrapping paper being made of the same material as the sheet.

[0011] According to the above aspect, the properties and diameter of the rods used in the flavored product can be easily changed, and the productivity of the rods can be improved.

[0012] 1 is a schematic diagram of a machine for manufacturing rods for use in flavored product products; FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for manufacturing rods for use in flavored product products; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a sheet dividing section; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a roller set; FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a rod; FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a flavored product product in another embodiment;

[0013] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a manufacturing machine 2 for manufacturing rods 1 used in flavored products, and Fig. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a manufacturing method for rods 1. The manufacturing machine 2 includes, in order from the upstream side in the conveying direction of a sheet 4, a sheet supply section 10, a sheet processing section 20, a gathering section 30, a wrapping section 40, and a cutting section 50. Furthermore, the manufacturing machine 2 includes a sheet dividing section 60 between the sheet supply section 10 and the sheet processing section 20, and a second sheet supply section 70 between the sheet dividing section 60 and the wrapping section 40.

[0014] The sheet supply section 10 includes a roll 6, a plurality of guide rollers 8, and a feed roller 12. The roll 6 is formed by winding a sheet 4 such as a paper web. One of the guide rollers 8 is a dancing roller that is allowed to move up and down, and applies tension to the sheet 4 during transport. The feed roller 12 includes a pair of rollers, at least one of which is a motor-driven drive roller that pulls and feeds out the sheet 4.

[0015] When the production of the rod 1 starts, the sheet supply section 10 configured as described above continuously pays out the sheet 4 from the roll 6 via the guide rollers 8 and the feed rollers 12 and supplies it to the first transport path 14 (S1: sheet supply step). Next, the sheet dividing section 60 cuts and divides the sheet 4 transported to the first transport path 14 into two pieces in the width direction Y (see FIG. 3 ) that intersects with the longitudinal direction X (S2: sheet dividing step).

[0016] 3 shows a perspective view of the sheet dividing section 60. The first conveying path 14 has a guide roller 62 immediately downstream of the roll 6. The sheet dividing section 60 has a cutter 64 that cuts the sheet 4 into two pieces in the width direction Y. The cutter 64 is a roller cutter equipped with a disk-shaped knife, and is disposed between the roll 6 and the guide roller 62. The guide roller 62 is rotatably supported on a rotary shaft 66, and the cutter 64 is attached to the outer periphery of the rotary shaft 66.

[0017] The sheet dividing section 60 also has a cutter adjustment unit 68. The cutter adjustment unit 68 adjusts the position of the cutter 64 in the width direction Y. Specifically, the cutter adjustment unit 68 adjusts the position of the cutter 64 in the arrow direction by sliding the rotation shaft 66 along the width direction Y, thereby adjusting the cutting position of the sheet 4 in the width direction Y (P1: cutting position adjustment process).

[0018] The cutter 24 cuts the sheet 4 along the longitudinal direction X at the cutting position adjusted by the cutter adjustment unit 68. This divides the sheet 4 into a first sheet 4a having a width W1 and a second sheet 4b having a width W2. In this embodiment, the sheet 4 has a thickness t of at least 100 μm or more, and the width W1 (e.g., 5 mm) of the first sheet 4a is greater than the width W2 (e.g., 3 mm) of the second sheet 4b.

[0019] The first sheet 4a is transported along the first transport path 14 toward the sheet processing section 20. Meanwhile, the second sheet 4b is supplied to a second transport path 72 formed in a second sheet supply section 70. The cutter 64 is provided with a cover 69 to prevent dust, such as paper dust, generated when cutting the sheet 4 from scattering around. A suction device (not shown) may also be installed inside the cover 69 to suck and collect the generated dust.

[0020] 1 and 2, the sheet processing section 20 performs a crimping process on the first sheet 4a of the sheets 4 separated by the sheet separating section 60 (S3: sheet processing step). The sheet processing section 20 includes a roller set 22. In the sheet processing step S2, the roller set 22 conveys the first sheet 4a between a first roller 22A and a second roller 22B along the conveying path 14, thereby crimping the first sheet 4a (P2: crimping process). At least one of the first and second rollers 22A and 22B is a motor-driven drive roller that pulls and unwinds the sheet 4.

[0021] Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the roller set 22. The first roller 22A has a ridge 24a that protrudes in the circumferential direction of its outer periphery. The second roller 22B has a groove 24b that meshes with the ridge 24a in the circumferential direction of its outer periphery. When the roller set 22 conveys the sheet 4 by sandwiching it between them, the first and second rollers 22A and 22B rotate in the directions of the arrows shown in Figure 4, causing the ridge 24a and the groove 24b to mesh with each other via the sheet 4, forming multiple meshing portions 26 in the roller set 22.

[0022] By forming each interlocking portion 26, a plurality of crimped portions 4A corresponding to the number of interlocking portions 26 are formed side by side in the width direction Y of the first sheet 4a. The crimping process is a creping process that creates uneven patterns at intervals on the first sheet 4a. The crimped portions 4A are uneven wrinkles formed on the first sheet 4a, and are defined as recesses of various shapes that are recessed from the flat surface of the first sheet 4a, or protrusions of various shapes that protrude from the flat surface of the first sheet 4a.

[0023] The roller set 22 is also configured so that the inter-axial distance L between the rotation shaft 28a of the first roller 22A and the rotation shaft 28b of the second roller 22B is adjustable. This allows adjustment of the meshing depth of the meshing portion 26, and thus adjustment of the crimp depth dc of the crimped portion 4A. Adjusting the crimp depth dc controls the porosity of the rod 1, and thus makes it possible to easily change the properties of the rod 1, such as the airflow resistance R.

[0024] Next, the first sheet 4a that has passed through the sheet processing section 20 is conveyed to the gathering section 30. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the gathering section 30 gathers the first sheet 4a that has been subjected to the crimping treatment in the sheet processing section 20 in its width direction Y, in other words, gathers and bundles the first sheet 4a together to reduce its diameter, thereby forming a converging rod 80 (S4: gathering step).

[0025] Specifically, the gathering section 30 includes, in order from the upstream side in the conveying direction of the first conveying path 14, a liquid addition booth 32, a granule addition unit 34, a trumpet guide 36, and tongs 38. The liquid addition booth 32 sprays a liquid additive onto the first sheet 4a before gathering (P3: liquid addition process). The additive is a liquid containing, for example, a plasticizer or a fragrance.

[0026] The granule addition unit 34 includes a hopper 34a and a spreading roller 34b. Granules are stored in the hopper 34a, and the spreading roller 34b spreads the granules supplied from the hopper 34a onto the first sheet 4a before gathering (P4: granule addition process). The granules are granular additives, and include, for example, particles of activated carbon or fragrance.

[0027] The trumpet guide 36 is cylindrical, and the diameter of its inner circumferential surface gradually decreases from the upstream side of the first transport path 14. The trumpet guide 36 randomly gathers the first sheet 4a transported along the first transport path 14, reducing the diameter into a rod-like shape, and discharges the first sheet 4a toward the cylindrical tongues 38. As the gathered rod-like first sheet 4a passes through the tongues 38, the diameter of the rod-like first sheet 4a is further reduced and formed into a converging rod 80.

[0028] Meanwhile, the second sheet supply section 70 supplies the second sheet 4b of the sheets 4 separated by the sheet separating section 60 to the second transport path 72 (S5: second sheet supply step). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 , the second transport path 72 includes two feed rollers 74, a guide roller 76, and a reservoir 78, and is formed to have a shorter path length than the first transport path 14. The upstream feed roller 74 is disposed immediately downstream of the guide roller 62, and pulls and feeds out the second sheet 4b.

[0029] The guide rollers 76 redirect the second sheet 4b, which has been fed downward from the feed rollers 74, horizontally and guide it along the second conveying path 72. The downstream feed rollers 74 are disposed immediately upstream of the reservoir 78 and pull the second sheet 4b into the reservoir 78. The second sheet 4b temporarily stays in the reservoir 78 before being conveyed to the wrapping section 40 (S6: sheet staying step).

[0030] The sheet retention step S6 is performed between the second sheet supply step S5 and the wrapping step S7, which will be described later. As described above, the first sheet 4a in the first transport path 14 passes through the guide rollers 8 in the sheet supply section 10, is subjected to crimping treatment in the sheet processing section 20, and is added and gathered in the gathering section 30, and then is transported to the wrapping section 40.

[0031] On the other hand, the second sheet 4b on the second transport path 72 is transported as is after being divided in the sheet dividing section 60, temporarily stored in the reservoir 78, and then transported to the wrapping section 40. Therefore, the second sheet 4b transported on the second transport path 72 reaches the wrapping section 40 earlier than the first sheet 4a, which is formed at the same time and transported on the first transport path 14.

[0032] Therefore, the second sheet 4b, which has already reached the wrapping section 40 at the start of the production of the rod 1, must be discarded before the first sheet 4a reaches the wrapping section 40. However, by providing the reservoir 78, such disposal of the second sheet 4b is not necessary, and the sheet 4 can be used without waste, thereby reducing the production cost of the rod 1.

[0033] Next, the wrapping section 40 reduces the diameter of the focusing rod 80 formed in the gathering section 30 and wraps the focusing rod 80 with the second sheet 4b conveyed from the second conveying path 72 to form a continuous rod 84 (S7: wrapping step). More specifically, the second sheet 4b conveyed from the second conveying path 72 to the gathering section 30 travels together with the focusing rod 80 on the first conveying path 14.

[0034] At this time, the second sheet 4b is curved in the width direction Y to wrap around and cover the converging rod 80, and the circumferential overlapping portions are glued together in the longitudinal direction X to function as the wrapping paper 82. For convenience, the wrapping paper 82 is referred to as wrapping paper 82 on the assumption that the sheet 4 is formed from, for example, a paper web. However, if the sheet 4 is formed from a material other than a paper web, the wrapping paper 82 is not limited to being made of paper. Next, the cutting section 50 cuts the continuous rod 84 formed in the wrapping section 40 into individual rods 1 (S8: cutting step). The rods 1 produced in this manner are used as various filling elements that constitute flavor product products.

[0035] 5 shows a longitudinal cross section of the rod 1. As described above, the rod 1 is formed from a crimped first sheet 4a and a wrapping paper 82 made up of a second sheet 4b that wraps a convergent rod 80 formed by gathering the first sheet 4a to reduce its diameter. The first sheet 4a, which is a filling element constituting the rod 1, and the second sheet 4b, which is the wrapping paper 82, are formed from the same material as the sheet 4. This same material is also unwound from the same roll 6. Furthermore, at least a portion of the inner circumferential surface 82a of the wrapping paper 82 is adhered to the first sheet 4a with glue 86.

[0036] 6 shows a cross-sectional view of a flavor product article 90 equipped with a rod 1. The flavor product article 90 (hereinafter also referred to simply as article 90) is a non-combustion heating type, and is composed of a flavor element 92, a cooling element 94, and a filter element 96. The elements 92, 94, and 96 are arranged side by side in the axial direction and butted against each other, and the article 90 is formed by wrapping them with tipping paper 98.

[0037] The flavor elements 92 are heated by a heater in a device (flavor generator) (not shown), which causes the flavor components of the flavor raw material 92a to volatilize. The flavor raw material 92a may be, for example, shredded tobacco, shredded tobacco sheets, or gathered tobacco sheets. The flavor raw material 92a may also be a sheet made from tobacco-free pulp to which a flavoring agent has been added, a shredded sheet made from a non-tobacco plant, or a corrugated version of such a sheet.

[0038] The cooling element 94 is, for example, a cylindrical paper tube formed from a single or double paper web, and forms an airflow path in the article 90. A plurality of air vents 94a are formed on the circumferential surface of the cooling element 94 for taking air into the article 90 when the article 90 is inhaled. The flavor components volatilized from the flavor elements 92 are cooled by the air taken in through the air vents 94a in the cooling element 94 and become aerosols, and the user inhales the aerosol that has passed through the filter element 96.

[0039] In the example shown in Figure 6, the rod 1 is used as a filter element 96 with an optimal airflow resistance as a filter body. By selecting the material of the sheet 4, the rod 1 can also be used as a flavor element 92 or a cooling element 94. The sheet 4 can be formed from various materials, such as paper, nonwoven fabric, tobacco sheet, or film, depending on the application of the rod 1. The sheet 4 can have a thickness t of 100 µm, 200 µm, or 500 µm. However, when controlling the crimp depth dc as a parameter related to the crimping process P2, it is preferable that the sheet 4 have a thickness t of at least 100 µm or more in order to favorably reflect the effect of this control on rod characteristics such as the airflow resistance R.

[0040] 7 shows a cross-sectional view of another flavor product item 90 including a rod 1. In this product 90, the rod 1 is used as a plug element 100 located at the tip adjacent to a flavor element 92. In this case, the sheet 4 may be a paper web or a nonwoven fabric. When the sheet 4 is a nonwoven fabric, it is preferable to use a dry nonwoven fabric in which plant pulp is bonded together with a water-soluble binder. Wood pulp from a non-tobacco plant may also be used as the plant pulp.

[0041] A liquid additive is preferably added to the first sheet 4a. The additive is heated together with the flavor element 92 by the heater of the device, causing the additive components to volatilize. The additive is, for example, a flavor liquid, which may contain tobacco extract. Furthermore, since the plug element 100 is positioned at the tip of the article 90, it also functions as a support element, so to speak, that prevents the flavor raw material 92a from spilling from the flavor element 92. Although not shown, the rod 1 can also be used as a filter element or a cooling element for a combustion-heated flavor product.

[0042] As described above, the rod 1 manufacturing machine 2 of the embodiment includes the sheet supply section 10, the sheet processing section 20, the gathering section 30, the wrapping section 40, the cutting section 50, the sheet dividing section 60, and the second sheet supply section 70. In the sheet dividing step S2, the sheet dividing section 60 cuts the sheet 4 conveyed to the first conveying path 14 into two in the width direction Y, dividing the sheet 4 into a first sheet 4a and a second sheet 4b.

[0043] In addition, in the wrapping section 40, in a wrapping step S7, the converging rod 80 formed from the first sheet 4a is wrapped with the second sheet 4b while reducing the diameter thereof to form a continuous rod 80. The continuous rod 80 is then cut into individual rods 1 through the cutting section 50 in a cutting step S8. This allows the first sheet 4a, which is the filling element of the rod 1, and the second sheet 4b, which is the wrapping paper 82, to be formed from the same material as the sheet 4.

[0044] Furthermore, the sheets 4 are materials unwound from the same roll 6. Therefore, when changing the diameter of the rod 1, it is only necessary to adjust the width W1 of the first sheet 4a and the width W2 of the second sheet 4b in advance, and there is no need to change the lot of the wrapping paper 82. Furthermore, there is no need to manage lots of wrapping paper 82 with different widths W2 as inventory in preparation for changing the diameter of the rod 1. This makes it possible to easily change the characteristics and diameter of the rod 1, while improving the productivity of the rod 1.

[0045] Furthermore, in the past, when the diameter of the rod 1 was changed, the sheet 4 was cut to adjust the width W1 of the first sheet 4a, which would become the filler element, and the remaining portion of the sheet 4, which corresponds to the second sheet 4b, was discarded. However, in the present embodiment, the second sheet 4b can be effectively used as the wrapping paper 82, so the sheet 4 can be used without waste and the manufacturing cost of the rod 1 can be reduced.

[0046] Furthermore, the first conveying path 14 has a guide roller 62 immediately downstream of the roll 6, and the sheet dividing section 60 is disposed between the roll 6 and the guide roller 62. By disposing the sheet dividing section 60 as far upstream as possible in the first conveying path 14 in this manner, it is possible to reduce the risk of poor cutting of the sheet 4 due to the sheet 4 meandering along the first conveying path 14. This makes it possible to further improve the productivity of the rod 1.

[0047] More specifically, the sheet dividing section 60 has a cutter 64 that cuts and divides the sheet 4 into two pieces in the width direction Y, and a cutter adjustment unit 68 that adjusts the position of the cutter 64 in the width direction Y. The cutter adjustment unit 68 adjusts the cutting position of the sheet 4 in the width direction Y in the cutting position adjustment process P1, thereby making it possible to easily divide the sheet 4 into a first sheet 4a having a desired width W1 and a second sheet 4b having a desired width W2.

[0048] The second conveying path 72 also has a reservoir 78 for temporarily storing the second sheet 4b before it is conveyed to the wrapping section 40. As a result, the sheet storing step S6 is performed between the second sheet supplying step S5 and the wrapping step S7, and the second sheet 4b that has already reached the wrapping section 40 at the start of the production of the rod 1 is not discarded.

[0049] Therefore, the sheet 4 can be used without waste, further reducing the manufacturing cost of the rod 1. In particular, in the present embodiment, the second conveying path 72 has a shorter path length than the first conveying path 14, so there is a tendency for a larger amount of second sheet 4b to be discarded. However, even in such a case, the installation of the reservoir 78 makes it possible to effectively reduce the manufacturing cost of the rod 1.

[0050] In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for filter elements 96 with reduced airflow resistance. To meet this demand, the width W1 of the first sheet 4a before crimping has been reduced, or the crimp depth dc of the crimped portion 4A formed in the first sheet 4a has been reduced, thereby reducing the packing rate of the filter element 96; in other words, the porosity of the rod 1 has been increased. However, when the porosity of the rod 1 increases, the number of contact points between the second sheet 4b, which is the wrapper paper 82, and the first sheet 4a, which is the packing element, decreases, and therefore the contact area between them also decreases.

[0051] Such a reduction in the contact area between the wrapping paper 82 and the filling elements reduces the adhesive strength between them, which may result in a failure to ensure the quality of the rod 1. Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the adhesive strength between the wrapping paper 82 and the filling elements by applying a large amount of glue 86 to the wrapping paper 82. However, if too much glue 86 is applied, scum from the excess glue 86 may precipitate on the surface of the wrapping paper 82, which may impair the quality of the rod 1.

[0052] Meanwhile, from the perspective of reducing the environmental impact, plant-derived biodegradable plastics such as PLA (polylactic acid) have been attracting attention in recent years as materials for the sheets 4 used in the filling elements. However, because the wrapping paper 82, which is a paper web, and the filling elements made of biodegradable plastic are different materials, the adhesive strength of the glue 86 is weaker than when the same or similar materials are bonded together. However, in the rod 1 of this embodiment, the filling elements made of the same sheet 4 and the wrapping paper 82 are bonded together.

[0053] Because the same material is used for bonding, the adhesive strength between the filling element and the wrapping paper 82 is strong even if the contact area between them is small. Furthermore, even if the sheet 4 is made of PLA, the wrapping paper 82 is also made of PLA, so the adhesive strength between them is strong. This means that it is only necessary to bond at least a portion of the inner circumferential surface 82a of the wrapping paper 82 to the first sheet 4a with glue 86. Therefore, the wrapping paper 82 can be reliably fixed to the filling element while suppressing the deposition of glue scum with a small amount of glue 86, thereby improving the quality of the rod 1.

[0054] Furthermore, the thickness t of the sheet 4 is 100 μm or more. This allows the effect of controlling the crimp depth dc as a parameter related to the crimping process P2 to be suitably reflected in rod characteristics such as the airflow resistance R. Therefore, by setting the thickness t of the sheet 4 to 100 μm or more, the rod characteristics can be easily and effectively changed, which is preferable.

[0055] This concludes the description of the embodiment, but the above embodiment is not limiting, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the sheet dividing step S2, the sheet dividing section 60 may divide the sheet 4 into three or more pieces, such as three or four pieces, rather than two pieces in the width direction Y. In this case, third and fourth sheets (not shown) generated by cutting the sheet 4 may be stored in the reservoir 78 and used as wrapping paper 82 when manufacturing rods 1 with different specifications.

[0056] Furthermore, the sheet dividing section 60 is disposed between the roll 6 and a guide roller 62 located immediately downstream of the roll 6. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sheet dividing section 60 may be disposed at least upstream of the feed roller 12. This allows the sheet 4 to be reliably cut and divided before it reaches the sheet processing section 20.

[0057] Furthermore, for the reasons mentioned above, the thickness t of the sheet 4 is preferably 100 μm or more, but is not limited to this. A roll 6 wound with a sheet 4 having a thickness t of less than 100 μm, for example, 25 μm to 50 μm, and a basis weight of 25 gsm to 50 gsm may also be used.

[0058] Furthermore, some or all of the above embodiments can be expressed by describing the aspects shown below: (Aspect 1) A machine for manufacturing rods used in flavored product products, comprising: a sheet supply section that continuously pays out a sheet from a roll on which the sheet is wound and supplies the sheet to a first conveying path, a sheet dividing section that cuts and divides the sheet conveyed to the first conveying path into two or more pieces in a width direction intersecting with the longitudinal direction of the sheet, a sheet processing section that crimps a first of the sheets divided in the sheet dividing section, a gathering section that gathers the first sheet that has been crimped in the sheet processing section in the width direction to form a convergent rod, a second sheet supply section that supplies a second of the sheets divided in the sheet dividing section to a second conveying path, a wrapping section that reduces the diameter of the convergent rod formed in the gathering section and wraps it with the second sheet supplied from the second conveying path to form a continuous rod, and a cutting section that cuts the continuous rod formed in the wrapping section into rods.

[0059] (Aspect 2) The machine for manufacturing rods used in flavored product articles according to Aspect 1, wherein the first conveying path has a guide roller immediately downstream of the roll, and the sheet dividing section is disposed between the roll and the guide roller. (Aspect 3) The machine for manufacturing rods used in flavored product articles according to Aspect 2, wherein the sheet dividing section has: a cutter that cuts the sheet into two or more pieces in the width direction and divides it; and a cutter adjustment unit that adjusts the position of the cutter in the width direction.

[0060] The second conveying path has a reservoir for temporarily storing the second sheet before being conveyed to the wrapping section. (Aspect 5) The second conveying path has a path length shorter than that of the first conveying path.

[0061] (Aspect 6) A method for manufacturing a rod for use in a flavored product, comprising: a sheet supplying step of continuously unwinding a sheet from a roll on which the sheet is wound and supplying the sheet to a first conveying path; a sheet dividing step of cutting and dividing the sheet conveyed to the first conveying path into two or more pieces in a width direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the sheet; a sheet processing step of performing a crimping process on a first sheet of the sheets divided in the sheet dividing section; a gathering step of gathering the first sheet crimped in the sheet processing step in the width direction to form a convergent rod; a second sheet supplying step of supplying a second sheet of the sheets divided in the sheet dividing step to a second conveying path; a wrapping step of reducing the diameter of the convergent rod formed in the gathering step and wrapping it with the second sheet supplied from the second conveying path to form a continuous rod; and a cutting step of cutting the continuous rod formed in the wrapping step into rods.

[0062] (Aspect 7) The method for manufacturing a rod for use in a flavored product product according to Aspect 6, wherein the sheet dividing step includes a cutting position adjustment process for adjusting a cutting position of the sheet in the width direction. (Aspect 8) The method for manufacturing a rod for use in a flavored product product according to Aspect 7, wherein a sheet retention step for temporarily retaining the second sheet in the second conveying path is performed between the second sheet supply step and the wrapping step.

[0063] (Aspect 9) A rod for use in a flavored product, comprising: a crimped sheet; and a wrapper wrapping the sheet, wherein the wrapper is made of the same material as the sheet. (Aspect 10) The rod for use in a flavored product according to Aspect 9, wherein the same material is a material unwound from the same roll.

[0064] (Aspect 11) The rod for use in a flavored product according to Aspect 10, wherein at least a portion of an inner circumferential surface of the wrapper is adhered to the sheet with glue. (Aspect 12) The rod for use in a flavored product according to any one of Aspects 9 to 11, wherein the sheet has a thickness of 100 μm or more.

[0065] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Rod 2 Manufacturing machine 4 Sheet 4a First sheet 4b Second sheet 6 Roll 10 Sheet supply section 14 First conveying path 20 Sheet processing section 30 Gathering section 40 Wrapping section 50 Cutting section 60 Sheet dividing section 62 Guide roller 64 Cutter 68 Cutter adjustment unit 70 Second sheet supply section 72 Second conveying path 78 Reservoir 80 Converging rod 82 Wrapper 82a Inner surface of wrapper 84 Continuous rod 86 Glue 90 Flavor product t Sheet thickness X Longitudinal direction Y Width direction S1 Sheet supply step S2 Sheet dividing step S3 Sheet processing step S4 Gathering step S5 Second sheet supply step S6 Sheet retention step S7 Wrapping step S8 Cutting step P1 Cutting position adjustment process P2 Crimping Process

Claims

1. A sheet supply section that continuously feeds out the sheet from a roll around which the sheet is wound and supplies it to a first conveyance path; a sheet splitting section that cuts and splits the sheet conveyed in the first conveyance path into two or more in the width direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof; a sheet processing section that performs a curling process on a first sheet among the sheets split by the sheet splitting section; a gathering section that gathers the first sheet subjected to the curling process in the width direction to form a converging rod; a second sheet supply section that supplies a second sheet among the sheets split by the sheet splitting section to a second conveyance path; a wrapping section that wraps the converging rod formed by the gathering section while reducing its diameter with the second sheet supplied from the second conveyance path to form a continuous rod; and a cutting section that cuts the continuous rod formed by the wrapping section into rods, the manufacturing machine for a rod used in a flavor generating article.

2. The first conveyance path has a guide roller immediately downstream of the roll, and the sheet splitting section is disposed between the roll and the guide roller, the manufacturing machine for a rod used in a flavor generating article according to claim 1.

3. The sheet splitting section has a cutter that cuts and splits the sheet into two or more in the width direction, and a cutter adjustment unit that adjusts the position of the cutter in the width direction, the manufacturing machine for a rod used in a flavor generating article according to claim 2.

4. The second conveyance path has a reservoir that temporarily retains the second sheet before being conveyed to the wrapping section, the manufacturing machine for a rod used in a flavor generating article according to claim 3.

5. The second conveyance path has a shorter path length than the first conveyance path, the manufacturing machine for a rod used in a flavor generating article according to claim 4.

6. A sheet supply step of continuously feeding the sheet from a roll around which the sheet is wound and supplying it to a first conveyance path; a sheet dividing step of cutting and dividing the sheet conveyed in the first conveyance path into two or more in a width direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof; a sheet processing step of performing a curling process of applying a curling process to a first sheet among the sheets divided in the sheet dividing section; a gathering step of gathering the first sheet subjected to the curling process in the width direction to form a converging rod; a second sheet supply step of supplying a second sheet among the sheets divided in the sheet dividing step to a second conveyance path; a wrapping step of wrapping the converging rod formed in the gathering step while reducing the diameter thereof with the second sheet supplied from the second conveyance path to form a continuous rod; and a cutting step of cutting the continuous rod formed in the wrapping step into rods. A method for manufacturing a rod used in a flavor generating article, comprising:

7. The method for manufacturing a rod used in a flavor generating article according to claim 6, wherein the sheet dividing step includes a cutting position adjusting process for adjusting a cutting position in the width direction of the sheet.

8. The method for manufacturing a rod used in a flavor generating article according to claim 7, wherein a sheet staying step of temporarily staying the second sheet in the second conveyance path is performed between the second sheet supply step and the wrapping step.

9. A rod for a flavor generating article, comprising a curled sheet and a wrapper for wrapping the sheet, wherein the wrapper is made of the same material as the sheet.

10. The rod for a flavor generating article according to claim 9, wherein the same material is a material fed from the same roll.

11. The rod for a flavor generating article according to claim 10, wherein at least a part of the inner surface of the wrapper is adhered to the sheet with an adhesive.

12. The rod for a flavor generating article according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the sheet has a thickness of 100 µm or more.

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