Transport and cutting device for the tobacco industry for transporting and cutting rods

Abstract

The subject of the application is a transport and cutting device for the tobacco industry for transporting and cutting rods comprising a drum conveyor (5) provided with flutes (8) located parallel to the rotation axis (m) of the drum conveyor (5), moving along a circular motion path (T), arranged to transport rods (2), a cutting unit (6) equipped with at least one knife shaft (12), wherein the knife shaft (12) includes at least one rotary knife (11) for cutting rods (2), wherein the rotation axis (n) of the knife shaft (12) is parallel to the rotation axis (m) of the drum conveyor (5), a guiding unit (7) comprising a guiding skirt (10) arranged to hold rods (2) in the flutes (8), located at the lateral surface (5A) of the drum conveyor (5). The device according to the invention is characterized in that the guiding unit (7) comprises axially shiftable pairs (P) of limiting surfaces (15, 16) to limit knife (11) deflection, wherein a pair (P) of limiting surfaces (15, 16) is provided for one rotary knife (11).

Description

[0001] TRANSPORT AND CUTTING DEVICE FOR THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY FOR TRANSPORTING AND CUTTING RODS

[0002] The subject of the invention is a transport and cutting device for the tobacco industry for transporting and cutting rods. The device is used in the tobacco industry, particularly in the production of multi-segment filters and other tobacco products.

[0003] Currently, many articles in the tobacco industry have a segmented structure. An example of a multi-segment article is a segmented filter rod. Another example of a multi-segment article is a cigarette, which comprises a segment intended for heating to release the contained aroma. In machines for producing multi-segment articles, there is a need to supply filter segments from multiple feeding systems, the delivered segments are arranged in an appropriate configuration and wrapped in a wrapping material. In the feeding system, a semi-finished product is a rod made of material used in the tobacco industry, which is cut into individual segments during transport on a drum conveyor using a cutting unit. In the transport and cutting device, the rod and the resulting segments are transported in flutes of the drum conveyor, and the cutting unit is provided with rotary knives mounted on at least one knife shaft. The groups of segments formed from the supplied rods are transferred to receiving devices.

[0004] In the prior art, the applicant's cutting unit is disclosed in patent EP2713784B1 . The guiding skirt arranged to guide rods and segments in the flutes of the drum conveyor is disclosed in publication W02013002657A1 . The knife shaft used in the cutting unit is provided with one rotary knife or several knives, whereby the knives on successive shafts cut the rod into progressively shorter fragments, and ultimately into individual segments. The arrangement of the rotary knives on the shafts, particularly the distances between the knives, depends on the number and length of the segments. The cutting unit may be equipped with several shafts that successively cut the rod. The cutting unit may be equipped with one shaft that is provided with many knives so that the rod is cut into the required number of segments in one step. The distances between the rotary knives on the knife shaft are set using spacing sleeves placed between adjacent knives. The process of setting, checking, and possibly correcting the distances between the knives by replacing sleeves or using washers is time-consuming and requires great care from the operator due to the fact that the knives are very sharp and the operator can easily get cut. The error in setting successive knives is the sum of the errors of the previously set knives.

[0005] To achieve high quality of the produced segmented articles, there is a need to produce segments of length within a narrow tolerance range. The cutting inaccuracy is partly due to the fact that the rotary knife usually cuts several rods simultaneously, and the knife may deflect due to the pressure of the segments being cut on the knife. The problem of knife deflection, i.e., knife deflection from the plane, and thus cutting inaccuracy, is exacerbated when the rods being cut are made of stiff, hard material. The parameters of both the filling material and the wrapping material in which the filling material is wrapped are important. For example, thick and stiff wrapping material significantly deforms the knives.

[0006] There is a need for a transport and cutting device that ensures accuracy while cutting several rods simultaneously, regardless of the type of filling material in the rod, generally rod-like article, and the wrapping material.

[0007] In the description, the term rod-like article and rod will be used interchangeably.

[0008] The essence of the invention is a transport and cutting device for the tobacco industry for transporting and cutting rod-like articles comprising a drum conveyor provided with flutes located parallel to the rotation axis of the drum conveyor, moving along a circular motion path, arranged to transport rod-like articles, a cutting unit equipped with at least one knife shaft, wherein the knife shaft comprises at least one rotary knife for cutting rod-like articles, wherein the rotation axis of the knife shaft is parallel to the rotation axis of the drum conveyor, a guiding unit comprising a guiding skirt arranged to hold rod-like articles in the flutes, located at the lateral surface of the drum conveyor. The device according to the invention is characterized in that the guiding unit comprises axially shiftable pairs of limiting surfaces to limit knife deflection, wherein a pair of the limiting surfaces is provided for one rotary knife.

[0009] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the limiting surfaces are located in the immediate vicinity of the motion path of the flutes before the cutting location.

[0010] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that at least one surface of the pair of the limiting surfaces consists of at least two partial limiting surfaces.

[0011] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the limiting surfaces and / or partial limiting surfaces on both sides of the rotary knife are offset from each other so that they do not overlap or partially overlap.

[0012] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the edge of the partial limiting surface is inclined from the tangent to the motion path of the flutes at an angle in the range of 60-85°, advantageously in the range of 65-75°.

[0013] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the distance between the limiting surfaces in the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rotary knife is greater than or equal to the thickness of the rotary knife.

[0014] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the guiding unit comprises groups of pairs of limiting surfaces, wherein the group comprises at least one pair of the limiting surfaces, and each group of the limiting surfaces is shiftable independently of the other groups of the limiting surfaces.

[0015] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the guiding unit comprises groups of pairs of the limiting surfaces, wherein the group comprises at least one pair of the limiting surfaces, and the groups of the limiting surfaces are shiftable together.

[0016] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the group of pairs of the limiting surfaces is located on a separate limiting element.

[0017] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the limiting element has a base surface and is arranged to change its position relative to the guiding skirt of the guiding unit in the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rotary knife.

[0018] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the guiding skirt has at least one recess for receiving the limiting element.

[0019] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the recess is located so that it passes through the slots in the guiding skirt.

[0020] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the recess is located in the guiding skirt on the side opposite to the guiding surface.

[0021] Advantageously, the device according to the invention is characterized in that the limiting surfaces are located in the immediate vicinity of the motion path of the rod-like articles after the cutting location. The transport and cutting device according to the invention ensures the maintenance of segment lengths within a narrow tolerance range. The use of limiting elements to reduce rotary knife deflection eliminates the need to adjust the position of individual rotary knives on the knife shafts. The error in setting the last mounted knife on the knife shaft depends on the accuracy of setting the previously mounted knives. Limiting the knife deflection according to the invention from one base on the guiding skirt ensures greater cutting accuracy. Furthermore, making corrections to the position of the limiting surfaces takes little time and requires only shifting the cutting unit and then altering the position of the limiting element relative to the base surface of the guiding skirt.

[0022] The subject of the invention is presented in advantageous embodiments in the drawings, in which:

[0023] Fig. 1 shows a transport and cutting device in the first embodiment;

[0024] Fig. 2 schematically shows the arrangement of rotary knives in the guiding skirt of the cutting unit;

[0025] Fig. 3 shows a group of segments formed from one rod;

[0026] Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the cutting unit;

[0027] Fig. 5 shows a developed view of the guiding skirt;

[0028] Fig. 6 shows a transport and cutting device in the second embodiment;

[0029] Fig. 7 shows non-overlapping partial limiting surfaces;

[0030] Fig. 8 shows overlapping partial limiting surfaces;

[0031] Fig. 9 shows an enlarged view of the partial limiting surfaces;

[0032] Fig. 10 shows a limiting element in the first embodiment;

[0033] Fig. 11 shows a limiting element in the second embodiment;

[0034] Fig. 12 shows a perspective view of the guiding skirt;

[0035] Fig. 13 shows a set of three limiting elements; and

[0036] Fig. 14 shows a transport and cutting device in the third embodiment.

[0037] In Fig. 1 there is shown a fragment of a tobacco industry machine in the form of a transport and cutting device 1 arranged for transporting and cutting rods 2 into segments 3. The term rod in this description will be understood as a tobacco rod, a rod containing material made from tobacco or containing tobacco aroma, a rod containing heating material, a filter rod, or any other rod containing material used in the tobacco industry. Rods 2 can be supplied to the transport and cutting device 1 from a drum conveyor or, as shown in Fig. 1 , from a hopper 4. The transport and cutting device delivers groups G of segments 3, where the group G includes segments 3 formed from one rod 2. The group G of segments 3 can be received by a drum conveyor in a direction transverse to the axis k of the group G or in a longitudinal direction parallel to the axis k of the group G, where k will denote both the axis of the rod 2 and the axis of the group G of segments 3. The transport and cutting device 1 comprises a drum conveyor 5, a cutting unit 6, and a guiding unit 7. The drum conveyor 5 is located under the hopper 4, while the guiding unit 7 is located at the lateral surface 5A of the drum conveyor 5. The guiding unit 7 is arranged to hold rods 2 and segments 3 in the flutes 8 of the drum conveyor 5. The drum conveyor 5 is equipped on its periphery with many flutes 8 arranged to receive rods 2 from the hopper 1 and transport the rods 2 and segments 3 in a direction transverse to the axis k of the rods 2. The flutes 8 are located parallel to the rotation axis m of the drum conveyor 5, the flutes 8 are arranged to transport rods 2 along a circular motion path T according to the rotation direction of the drum conveyor. The rods 2 are guided by the guiding surface 9 of the guiding skirt 10 of the guiding unit 7.

[0038] During movement along the motion path T, the rods 2 are cut into parts and ultimately into individual segments 3 using rotary knives 11 of the cutting unit 6. The rotary knives 11 are mounted on knife shafts 12, wherein the cutting unit 6 may include one or several knife shafts 12, the body of the cutting unit is not shown. The knife shaft 12 includes at least one rotary knife 11 for cutting rods 2, wherein the rotation axis n of the knife shaft 12 is parallel to the rotation axis m of the drum conveyor 5.

[0039] The cutting unit 6 may include many rotary knives 11 . Depending on the number of segments 3 into which the filter rods 2 are cut, the cutting unit 6 is equipped with one or more knife shafts 12, wherein the knife shaft 12 is equipped with at least one rotary knife 11 . Usually, the rod 2 is cut using several knife shafts 12 containing rotary knives, wherein a single knife shaft 12 there may be mounted all the needed rotary knives to cut the rod 2 into segments 3.

[0040] Fig. 2 shows an example configuration of knife shafts 12 (the shafts are shown as axes for the sake of simplicity), the first knife shaft 12-1 is equipped with one rotary knife 11 , the second knife shaft 12-2 is equipped with two rotary knives 11 , while the third knife shaft 12-3 is equipped with four rotary knives 11. The rod 2 is cut into eight segments 3. The above configuration of knife shafts 12 is arranged to produce a group G of eight segments 3. The group G of segments 3 is shown in Fig. 3, each segment has its length, wherein in the shown configuration all the lengths from L1 to L8 should be equal, the length of each segment should fall within a defined tolerance range.

[0041] The rotary knives 11 are mounted so that they are inserted into slots 13 of the guiding skirt 10 (Fig. 4). In the slots 13 or at the slots 13, there are provided limiting channels 14 to limit the axial deflection of the rotary knife 11 in the direction parallel to the rotation axis n of the rotary knife 11. The limiting channel 14 is formed by a shiftable pair P of limiting surfaces 15, 16 to limit the deflection of the rotary knife 11. In Fig. 5, the position of pairs P is shown in a developed view of the surface 9 of the guiding skirt 10. The limiting surfaces 15, 16 are axially shiftable, i.e., in the direction parallel to the rotation axis n of the knife shaft 12. The limiting surfaces 15, 16 may be shiftable together, or each surface may be shiftable independently of the other. The pairs P at the shaft 12-2 may be shiftable together, or each pair P may be shiftable independently of the other pair P. This way, each of the lengths L1 , L2, ... L8 can be set independently of the others. The use of many pairs P of limiting surfaces 15, 16 allows for high cutting accuracy and maintaining the length of each segment 3 within a narrow tolerance range, and additionally, by limiting the deflection of the rotary knife 11, the front surface of the cut segment is perpendicular to the axis k of the segment 3.

[0042] An example transport and cutting device according to the invention comprises a drum conveyor 5 equipped with a series of flutes 8, which are parallel to the rotation axis m of the drum conveyor 5. The flutes 8 move along a circular motion path T and are arranged to transport rods 2 along the motion path. The drum conveyor 5 rotates around its axis m, enabling continuous transport of rods 2 towards the cutting unit 6. The cutting unit 6 consists of at least one knife shaft 1 , which comprises at least one rotary knife 11. The knife shaft 12 rotates around the axis n, which is parallel to the rotation axis m of the drum conveyor 5. The rotary knives 11 are responsible for cutting the rods 2 as they move in the flutes 8 on the drum conveyor 5. The guiding unit 7 contains a guiding skirt 10, which is arranged to hold rods 2 in the flutes 8 and is located at the peripheral surface 5A of the drum conveyor 5. The guiding skirt 10 ensures the stability of the rods 2 during their movement and cutting, minimizing their shifting or falling out of the flutes 8. In the described embodiment, an essential element of the device is the guiding unit 7, which comprises axially shiftable pairs P of limiting surfaces 15, 16. These surfaces limit the deflection of the rotary knife 11 during cutting, ensuring precise and stable cutting of the rods 2. Each pair P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16 is provided for one rotary knife 11 , allowing for individual adjustment of the surfaces to each knife.

[0043] For example, when the rods 2 are moved in the flutes 8 of the drum conveyor 5, the rotary knives 11 on the knife shaft 12 cut them into appropriate fragments. The pairs P of limiting surfaces 15, 16 stabilize the knives 11 , preventing their deflection and ensuring even cutting. This way, the cutting process is accurate and repeatable, which is crucial for the quality of final products in the tobacco industry.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 1 , the pair P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16 is located in the immediate vicinity of the motion path T of the rods 2, wherein the rotary knife 11 is stabilized, i.e. , stiffened, just before the cutting location C, i.e. just before the cutting edge 11 A contacts the rod 2 and begins cutting. It is possible to position the limiting surfaces 15, 16 immediately after the cutting location C, i.e. after the rotary knife 11 exits between the segments 3, moreover, it is possible to stabilize the rotary knife 11 both before and immediately after the cutting location C as shown in the second embodiment of the device in Fig. 6. This way, the section of the cutting edge 11 A that cuts the rods 2 is stabilized on both sides. By limiting the deflection of the rotary knife 11 before the cutting location C and after the cutting location C, the circular section of the rotary knife 11 is stabilized, and the stabilized circular section can have an area of % of the rotary knife 1 . This way, very high cutting accuracy can be achieved.

[0045] The limiting surface 15, 16 can have any shape, for example, it can be a quadrilateral, generally a polygon. On each side, the rotary knife 11 can be stabilized by a one-piece surface, it is possible to make such that on one side the limiting surface 15, 16 comprises two parts or may have more parts. Each limiting surface 15, 16 can be divided into any number of partial limiting surfaces. In the embodiments shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the limiting surface 15 consists of two partial limiting surfaces 16-1, 16-2, wherein each of these partial limiting surfaces is a rectangle. It is possible to provide an inclination of the edge 17, 18 of the partial limiting surface (Fig. 9), which facilitates the removal of dirt that may appear during the cutting of rods 2 or from previous operations in the immediate vicinity of the cutting location C, the partial limiting surfaces 15- 1 , 15-2, 16-1 , 16-2 are parallelograms. In Fig. 9, the inclination of the edge 17 is indicated by the angle a between the line L, which is tangent to the motion path T of the flute 4 and the transported rod 2, and the edge 17. The angle a is in the range of 60 to 85 degrees, advantageously the angle a is in the range of 65 to 75 degrees. The edge 18 can be positioned parallel to the edge 17. In the shown embodiment, the partial limiting surfaces are parallelograms, but they can be irregular quadrilaterals, the edges 17, 18 can be positioned non-parallel to each other.

[0046] The distance e between the limiting surfaces 15, 16 in the direction parallel to the rotation axis n of the rotary knife 11 , i.e., the width of the limiting channel 14, can be greater than or equal to the thickness g of the rotary knife 11. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, the partial limiting surfaces 15-1 , 15-2, 16-1 , 16-2 on both sides of the rotary knife 11 are offset from each other so that they do not overlap. For such a configuration of partial limiting surfaces, a smaller width e of the limiting channel 14 can be used, i.e., a smaller distance between the partial limiting surfaces 15, 16 and limit the deflection of the rotary knife with less clearance than in the embodiment shown in Fig. 8. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, a distance e equal to the thickness g of the knife can be used. A distance e greater than the thickness g of the knife can be used in the embodiment shown in Fig. 8, where the partial limiting surfaces 15-1 , 15-2, 16-1 , 16-2 partially overlap. To avoid increasing the movement resistance resulting from the friction forces between the rotary knife 11 and the limiting surface 15-1 , 15-2, 16-2, 16-2, a clearance greater than in the embodiment in Fig. 7 is necessary. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, the guiding element 19 comprises groups H1 , H2, H3 of pairs of the limiting surfaces, wherein each group comprises at least one pair P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16. The first group H1 comprises three pairs of the limiting surfaces 15, 16, the second group H2 comprises one pair P, and the third group H3 comprises three pairs P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16, wherein each group H1 , H2, H3 of pairs P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16 is shiftable independently of the other groups. The pairs P of the groups of limiting surfaces can be combined into groups of any number.

[0047] In the embodiment shown in Fig. 11 , the guiding element 19' is shown, in which the group H comprises many pairs P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16, wherein the group H can comprise at least one pair P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16. During setting of the position of the limiting element 19', the limiting surfaces 15, 16 are shiftable together as a group H. The limiting element 19' has a base surface 20, which is arranged to set the position of the limiting element 19' relative to the guiding skirt 10. Altering the position of the limiting element 19' relative to the guiding skirt 10 in the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the knife 11 can be achieved by using spacing washers (not shown) between the base surface 20 and the base surface 21 on the guiding skirt 10 (Fig. 12) or any other adjustment elements. The limiting element 19' is in the form of a flat plate with at least one protrusion on which the base surface 20 is located. The guiding skirt 10 shown in Fig. 12 is arranged to mount three limiting elements 19' in recesses 22 in the form of rectangular channels. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 12, the recess 22 passes through the slots 13. In the drawing, one limiting element 19' is mounted on the guiding skirt 10, and the remaining two recesses 22 are empty. The drawing does not show the mounting holes of the limiting element 19'. The limiting element can have a shape other than a rectangular prism, the guiding skirt 10 can have a recess made on the side opposite to the guiding surface 9.

[0048] When using three knife shafts 12, the guiding unit 7 will be equipped with three limiting elements 19'. The limiting element 19' is inserted into the recess 22 in the guiding skirt 10, and the position of the limiting element 19' in the axial direction is set by pressing the base surface 20 against the base surface 21 of the guiding skirt 10. The cutting unit 6 is placed in the working position so that the rotary knives 11 occupy the position as shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 6. In this position, the rotary knives are between the limiting surfaces 15, 16. Usually, the cutting unit 6 is mounted so that it can be tilted to move the rotary knives 11 away from the drum conveyor 5 and remove the rotary knives 11 from the slots 13 and limiting channels 14 to correct the position of the limiting element 19' in the guiding skirt 10.

[0049] In Fig. 13, there is shown a set of limiting elements 19' in the guiding skirt 10 for three knife shafts. The dimension D(1 -2) describes the position of the pair P of limiting surfaces 15, 16 for the knife that separates segments L1 and L2, i.e. it describes the position of the partial limiting surfaces 16-1 , 16-2 from the base surface 20. The dimension D(2-3) describes the position of the pair P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16 for the knife that separates segments L2 and L3, etc. The length L5 of the segment 3(5) is the result of cutting with the knife 11 (4-5), whose position is set by the dimension D(4-5) from the base 21 on the guiding skirt 10 and the knife 11 (5-6), whose position is set by the dimension D(5-6) from the base 21. Thus, the length L5 is determined by the position of the knives, whose position is set from one base 21 on the guiding skirt 10 of the guiding unit 6, ensuring high cutting accuracy. In Fig. 13, the length L2 of the segment 3(2) is also shown, whose length will be determined by the position of the knives 11 (1 -2) and 11 (2-3). Each of the dimensions L1 , L2, ... L8 of the segments S1 , S2, ... S8 is achieved with high accuracy. All dimensions L1 , L2, ... L8 are set with reference to one common base surface 21 .

[0050] In Fig. 14, an embodiment of the device is shown, in which two different limiting elements 19' and 19" are used. Looking in the direction of rod movement, the first and last limiting elements are the limiting element 19' as shown in Fig. 11 . The second and third limiting elements used are the limiting element 19" constructed as a double element, i.e., containing pairs P of the limiting surfaces 15, 16 to limit the deflection of rotary knives 11 both after the cutting location C for one knife shaft 12 and before the cutting location C for the next knife shaft 12. The rotary knife 11 is stabilized as effectively as in the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, i.e. , the stabilization of the rotary knife 11 on the circular section with an area of about % of the area of the rotary knife 1 is achieved, thus ensuring very high cutting accuracy.

Claims

Patent claims1. A transport and cutting device for the tobacco industry for transporting and cutting rod-like articles (2) comprising: a drum conveyor (5) provided with flutes (8) located parallel to the rotation axis (m) of the drum conveyor (5), moving along a circular motion path (T), arranged to transport rods (2), a cutting unit (6) equipped with at least one knife shaft (12), wherein the knife shaft (12) comprises at least one rotary knife (11) for cutting rod-like articles (2), wherein the rotation axis (n) of the knife shaft (12) is parallel to the rotation axis (m) of the drum conveyor (5), a guiding unit (7) comprising a guiding skirt (10) arranged to hold rod-like articles (2) in the flutes (8), located at the lateral surface (5A) of the drum conveyor (5), characterized in that the guiding unit (7) comprises axially shiftable pairs (P) of limiting surfaces (15, 16) to limit knife (11) deflection, wherein a pair (P) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16) is arranged to limit the deflection of one rotary knife (11) on both sides.

2. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that the limiting surfaces (15, 16) are located in the immediate vicinity of the motion path (T) of the flutes (8) before the cutting location (C).

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one surface (15, 16) of the pair (P) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16) consists of at least two partial limiting surfaces (15-1 , 15-2; 16-1 , 16-2).

4. The device according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the limiting surfaces (15, 16) and / or partial limiting surfaces (15-1 , 15-2; 16-1 , 16-2) on both sides of the rotary knife (11) are offset from each other so that they do not overlap or partially overlap.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the edge (17, 18) of the partial limiting surface (15-1 , 15-2; 16-1 , 16-2) is inclined from the tangent (L) to the motion path (T) of the flutes (8) at an angle in the range of 60-85°, advantageously in the range of 65-75°.

6. The device according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the distance (e) between the limiting surfaces (15, 16) in the direction parallel to the rotation axis (n) of the rotary knife (11) is greater than or equal to the thickness (g) of the rotary knife (11).

7. The device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the guiding unit (7) comprises groups (H1 , H2, H3) of pairs (P) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16), wherein the group (H1 , H2, H3) comprises at least one pair (P) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16), and each group (H1 , H2, H3) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16) is shiftable independently of the other groups (H1 , H2, H3) of limiting surfaces (15,16).

8. The device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the guiding unit (7) comprises groups (H1 , H2, H3) of pairs (P) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16), wherein the group (H1 , H2, H3) comprises at least one pair (P) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16), and the groups (H1 , H2, H3) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16) are shiftable together.

9. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that the group (H) of pairs (P) of the limiting surfaces (15, 16) is located on a separate limiting element (19').

10. The device according to claim 9, characterized in that the limiting element (19') has a base surface (20) and is arranged to alter its position relative to the guiding skirt (10) of the guiding unit (7) in the direction parallel to the rotation axis (n) of the rotary knife (11).11 . The device according to claim 10, characterized in that the guiding skirt (10) has at least one recess (22) for receiving the limiting element (19').

12. The device according to claim 11 , characterized in that the recess (22) is located so that it passes through the slots (13) in the guiding skirt (10).

13. The device according to claim 11 , characterized in that the recess is located in the guiding skirt (10) on the side opposite to the guiding surface (9).

14. The device according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the limiting surfaces (15, 16) are located in the immediate vicinity of the motion path (T) of the rod-like articles (2) after the cutting location (C).

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