Apparatus and method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-13
Smart Images
Figure EP2026051407_13082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING A STRIP OF MATERIAL FOR MAKING SMOKING ARTICLES OR AEROSOL GENERATING ARTICLES
[0002] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and to a method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles.
[0003] The smoking articles herein referred to include traditional burning cigarettes in which a sensorial medium is combusted or heated to provide flavour to the user. A traditional burning cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco such as a mixture of tobacco cut filler, that is rolled into paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smoulder, and the resulting smoke is inhaled via the opposite end. The cigarette may be provided with a filter attached to the rolled combustible material.
[0004] An aerosol-generating article or heat-not-burn product comprises an aerosolgenerating substrate that is heated rather than combusted. The aerosol-generating substrate is, for instance, a tobacco-free herbaceous or plant-based cast sheet or a biodegradable fibre-based material. Typically, in such heated aerosol-generating articles, an aerosol is generated by the transfer of heat from a heat source to a physically separate aerosol-generating substrate or material, which may be located in contact with, within, around or downstream of the heat source. During use of the aerosol-generating article, volatile compounds are released from the aerosol-generating substrate by heat transfer from the heat source and are entrained in air drawn through the aerosol-generating article. As the released compounds cool, they condense to form an aerosol.
[0005] In the manufacturing of smoking articles and aerosol generating articles, some components of the articles may be produced starting from endless strips of material which are first processed and then gathered or otherwise shaped to be part of an endless rod that is cut in rod pieces.
[0006] For instance, in order to manufacture components of an aerosol-generating article, a main material of the components (e.g. aerosol-generating substrate with or without tobacco ingredient or polylactic acid or paper or cellulose acetate tow) provided in strip format is submitted to various p re-treatments, then goes through a “rod forming” stage where the strip of material is guided into a converging device and exits as a rod of material having a desired diameter. The rod of material is then wrapped in a continuous sheet of wrapping paper which is progressively closed on the rod of material. The resulting continuous wrapped rod is then cut by a rotating knife in components which are input to an assembly line. The different kinds of components are afterwards aligned, abutted and wrapped in a further sheet material to form a continuous rod. The continuous wrapped rod made ofdifferent components is then cut in smaller rods which are the final consumables or are used to manufacture the final consumables.
[0007] Among the cited various pre-treatments, the strip of material is submitted to a crimping process which is usually applied after the strip of material has been unwound from a bobbin or pulled out from a bale and just before the strip of material is pulled into the converging device, such as a funnel-shaped device, to get shaped into the continuous wrapped rod. According to known crimping processes, the strip of material is continuously fed to a pair of interleaved rollers (crimping rollers) able to impress a plurality of longitudinally (or sometime transversally) extending crimp corrugations to the continuous sheets. The corrugations are created by bending as well as stretching the strip of material which is caught between the crimping rollers. The crimping process creates ridges and grooves in the band of material and weakens the strip of material. The crimping process is helpful for folding and gathering the strip of material into the rod. Indeed, the corrugations define folding lines and facilitate folding and gathering of the strip of material. The defined folding line by the corrugations ensure regular and homogeneous folding of the material when it gets shaped into a rod. The crimping process also influences, inter alia, the amount of air contact and air exchange, the filtration level, the Resistance to Draw (RTD), and other properties and, hence, is directly experienced by the users of the aerosol-generating articles.
[0008] For instance, an apparatus for crimping a flat material for making filter plugs for cigarettes is disclosed in document US2931748A. In this apparatus, a web of material, unwound from a supply roll or drum is pre-perforated by rollers, then is crimped over its entire width by crimping rollers and the uniform crimped grooves in parallel strips are broken by knurling effected with the aid of further rollers.
[0009] Document EP3469922A1 discloses a machine for making rod-shaped smoking articles comprising: unwinding means for unwinding a web of material for the tobacco industry and cutting discs configured to receive and cut the web so as to create a plurality of longitudinal strips making a plurality of longitudinal, broken cutting lines in such a way that two longitudinal strips which are transversely adjacent each other are connected to each other by at least one joining portion.
[0010] Document EP1787732B1 discloses a suction device for removing particles such as dust, chips, fibers and the like that arise during processing on moving material webs.
[0011] It would be mainly desirable to have an apparatus and a method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles which can remove residues (e.g. particles, dust, fibres) deriving from the processing, like the above detailed crimping, of the strip of material and thus to reduce the drawbacks related to the presence of these residues.It would be also desirable to have an apparatus and a method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles which allow to improve the quality of the manufactured articles.
[0012] It would be also desirable to have an apparatus and a method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles which allow to reduce non-compliant semi-finished components or articles.
[0013] It would be also desirable to have an apparatus and a method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles which allow to decrease downtime for maintenance of the equipment in the production lines.
[0014] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles. The apparatus comprises conveying devices configured to convey an endless strip of material along a conveying path and in a conveying direction parallel to a main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material. The apparatus comprises a processing unit located on the conveying path and configured to engage at least one of two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to process said strip of material. The apparatus comprises a cleaning device located on the conveying path and downstream of the processing unit to remove from the strip of material residues deriving from processing the strip of material in the processing unit. The cleaning device comprises a passage channel having an inlet and an outlet for the strip of material crossing said passage channel while moving in the conveying direction and in a conveying plane. A suction channel opens in the passage channel and is connected to a vacuum source. The suction channel faces one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to vacuum up the processing residues from said one of the two opposed surfaces.
[0015] Optionally, an injection channel opens in the passage channel and is connected to a gas source. The injection channel faces the same one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to inject a gas stream into the passage channel and towards said one of the two opposed surfaces. The suction channel is placed downstream of the injection channel to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues.
[0016] The present disclosure also relates to a method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles.
[0017] The method may comprise: conveying an endless strip of material along a conveying path and in a conveying direction parallel to a main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material through conveying devices; engaging at least one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to process said strip of material through a processing unit located on the conveying path; removing from the strip of material residues deriving from processing the strip of material in the processing unit through a cleaning device located on theconveying path and downstream of the processing unit. The cleaning device comprises a passage channel having an inlet and an outlet for the strip of material crossing said passage channel while moving in the conveying direction and in a conveying plane. A suction channel opens in the passage channel and is connected to a vacuum source. The suction channel faces one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to vacuum up the processing residues from said one of the two opposed surfaces.
[0018] Optionally, an injection channel opens in the passage channel and is connected to a gas source. The injection channel faces the same one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to inject a gas stream into the passage channel and towards said one of the two opposed surfaces. The suction channel is placed downstream of the injection channel to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues.
[0019] The method may be carried out through an apparatus for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles. The apparatus comprises conveying devices configured to convey an endless strip of material along a conveying path and in a conveying direction parallel to a main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material. The apparatus comprises a processing unit located on the conveying path and configured to engage at least one of two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to process said strip of material. The apparatus comprises a cleaning device located on the conveying path and downstream of the processing unit to remove from the strip of material residues deriving from processing the strip of material in the processing unit. The cleaning device comprises a passage channel having an inlet and an outlet for the strip of material crossing said passage channel while moving in the conveying direction and in a conveying plane. A suction channel opens in the passage channel and is connected to a vacuum source. The suction channel faces one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to vacuum up the processing residues from said one of the two opposed surfaces.
[0020] Optionally, an injection channel opens in the passage channel and is connected to a gas source. The injection channel faces the same one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to inject a gas stream into the passage channel and towards said one of the two opposed surfaces. The suction channel is placed downstream of the injection channel to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues.
[0021] The method may comprise: conveying the endless strip of material along the conveying path and in the conveying direction parallel to the main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material through the conveying devices; engaging at least one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to process said strip of material through the processing unit; removing from the strip of material residues deriving from processing the strip of material in the processing unit through the cleaning device.Removing the residues may comprises: making the strip of material to cross the passage channel of the cleaning device; vacuuming up the processing residues from said one of the two opposed surfaces through the suction channel; optionally vacuuming up the processing residues from said another of the two opposed surfaces through the further suction channel; optionally, injecting the gas stream into the passage channel and towards said one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material through the injection channel; optionally, injecting the further gas stream into the passage channel and towards said another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material through the further injection channel, wherein the injected gas is vacuumed up together with the processing residues. Injecting and vacuuming may be carried out simultaneously.
[0022] The present disclosure also relates to a process for manufacturing smoking articles or aerosol generating articles, the process comprising a method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles. The process may comprise: manufacturing an endless strip of material. The process comprises: processing the strip of material through the method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles. The method comprises: conveying an endless strip of material along a conveying path and in a conveying direction parallel to a main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material through conveying devices; engaging at least one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to process said strip of material through a processing unit located on the conveying path; removing from the strip of material residues deriving from processing the strip of material in the processing unit through a cleaning device located on the conveying path and downstream of the processing unit. The cleaning device comprises a passage channel having an inlet and an outlet for the strip of material crossing said passage channel while moving in the conveying direction and in a conveying plane. A suction channel opens in the passage channel and is connected to a vacuum source. The suction channel faces one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to vacuum up the processing residues from said one of the two opposed surfaces.
[0023] Optionally, an injection channel opens in the passage channel and is connected to a gas source. The injection channel faces the same one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to inject a gas stream into the passage channel and towards said one of the two opposed surfaces. The suction channel is placed downstream of the injection channel to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues.
[0024] The process may also comprise: gathering the processed strip of material and wrapping in a wrapper to form an endless rod. The process may also comprise: cutting the endless rod in a plurality of discrete rods. The process may also comprise: joining thediscrete rods to other components to form a plurality of smoking articles or aerosol generating articles.
[0025] The present disclosure also relates to a smoking article or an aerosol generating article manufactured through said process for manufacturing smoking articles or aerosol generating articles.
[0026] The inventor found that the disclosed apparatus and method allow to effectively remove residues generated in the processing unit, like particles, dust and loose fibres, from the strip of material. The gas stream carries the residues detached from the strip of material towards the outlet where such residues are exhausted. The gas blown through the injection nozzle helps detaching the residues from the strip of material.
[0027] The inventor found that the disclosed apparatus and method allow thus to prevent such residues, or at least a main portion of these residues, from reaching the following manufacturing steps and devices along the manufacturing line.
[0028] The inventor found that the disclosed apparatus and method allow to decrease contamination of the devices by such residues and to reduce agglomeration of the residues in these devices. This way, the machine downtime can be reduced, performance of the equipment can be increased and the quality of the smoking articles or aerosol generating articles can be improved too.
[0029] The strip of material may comprise at least one of: paper, paper-based compounds, cellulose-based compounds, tobacco-content compounds, nicotine containing compounds, botanicals-based compounds, carbon-based compounds. The strip of material may comprise an aerosol generating substrate for an aerosol generating article. The strip of material may have a thickness from 35 pm to 340 pm.
[0030] According to embodiments, processing the strip of material comprises: deforming and / or locally breaking said strip of material. The processing unit may comprise a couple of rollers rotating about respective parallel axes and delimiting a passage between respective side faces. At least one of the side faces may be shaped to process the strip of material passing through the passage. The couple of rollers may be configured to deform and / or locally break the strip of material.
[0031] According to embodiments, the conveying devices are located upstream and downstream of the cleaning device and are configured to keep the strip of material suspended in the passage channel.
[0032] The inventor found that, in the cleaning device, the strip of material is not touched by any mechanical device and it is cleaned only through gas stream. Thus, any damage of the strip of material may be avoided or mitigated.According to embodiments, the injection channel delimits with a part of the conveying plane located upstream of said injection channel an injection angle (a) smaller than 90°. The injection angle (a) may be greater than 30°. The injection angle (a) may be between 10° and 70°.
[0033] The inventor found that the provided ranges of injection angle (a) direct the gas stream and to allow to detach the residues from the respective surface of the strip of material and to push said residues inside the passage channel and towards the suction channel.
[0034] The injection angle (a) may be adjustable. The cleaning device may comprise an adjustment device operatively connected to the injection channel to adjust the injection angle (a).
[0035] The inventor found that the injection angle (a) may be adjusted as a function of a conveying speed of the endless strip of the material through the passage channel in order to optimize the efficiency of residues removal.
[0036] The conveying devices may be configured to convey the endless strip of material through the passage channel with a conveying speed from 30 m / min to 400 m / min, optionally from 50 m / min to 250 m / min.
[0037] According to embodiments, the injection channel terminates with a respective injection nozzle. The injection nozzle may be located close to the inlet of the passage channel.
[0038] According to embodiments, the injection channel comprises a plurality of parallel injection channels. The plurality of parallel injection channels may terminate in a single injection nozzle or in a plurality of injection nozzles.
[0039] According to embodiments, the injection nozzle is a slot parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0040] According to embodiments, the injection nozzle comprises a plurality of orifices reciprocally aligned along a line parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0041] According to embodiments, the injection nozzle is configured such that the gas stream is shaped like a gas curtain. The gas curtain may intersect the conveying plane along a line perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0042] The inventor found that the slot or the plurality of orifices generate a blade of gas or gas curtain capable to uniformly remove the residues.
[0043] According to embodiments, the injection nozzle spans at least as a width of the strip of material. This way, all the surface of the strip of material is swept by the gas stream.
[0044] According to embodiments, the gas source is a source of compressed air. The gas source and the injection channel may be configured such that a speed of the gas stream inthe injection channel is 5 m / s to 100 m / s, optionally 5 m / s to 20 m / s. The vacuum source and the suction channel may be configured such that a speed of the gas stream in the suction channel is 3 m / s to 50 m / s, optionally 20 m / s to 35 m / s, optionally 20 m / s to 25 m / s.
[0045] According to embodiments, the suction channel delimits with a part of the conveying plane located downstream of said suction channel a suction angle (P) smaller than 90°. The suction angle (P) may be greater than 30°. The suction angle (P) may be between 10° and 70°.
[0046] The inventor found that the provided ranges of suction angle (P) allow to effectively remove the residues from the passage channel together with the gas stream.
[0047] The suction angle (P) may be adjustable. The cleaning device may comprise an adjustment device operatively connected to the suction channel to adjust the suction angle (P).
[0048] The inventor found that the suction angle (P) may be adjusted as a function of the conveying speed of the the endless strip of the material through the passage channel in order to optimize the efficiency of residues removal.
[0049] According to embodiments, the suction channel has a respective suction port. The suction port may be located close to the inlet of the passage channel.
[0050] According to embodiments, the suction channel comprises a plurality of parallel suction channels. The plurality of parallel suction channels has a single suction port or a plurality of suction ports.
[0051] According to embodiments, the suction port is a slot parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0052] According to embodiments, the suction port comprises a plurality of orifices reciprocally aligned along a line parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0053] According to embodiments, the suction port spans at least as a width of the strip of material. This way, all the residues are removed from the passage channel together with the gas stream.
[0054] According to embodiments, the cleaning device comprises a body having a respective face facing the conveying path and the one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material, said face partly delimiting the passage channel. Said face may be made of steel, optionally of a stainless steel alloy, optionally of a medical grade stainless steel alloy.
[0055] According to embodiments, said face extends continuously between the injection channel and the suction channel which are arranged sequentially. According to embodiments, said face extends continuously between the injection nozzle and the suction port.The inventor found that the positions of the injection nozzle, close to the inlet of the passage channel, and of the suction port, close to the outlet of the passage channel, and the continuous surface between said injection nozzle and suction port (i.e. with no interruptions like other nozzles or ports in between) allow to create a better gas flow and achieves a better clean efficiency.
[0056] According to embodiments, said face delimits together with the one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material in the passage channel a respective convergingdiverging passage creating a Venturi effect.
[0057] The inventor found that the convergence / divergence is alleged to create a better air turbulence effect for achieving a better removal of the residues. Gas stream detaches the residues (loose particles I fibers), flows downstream carrying such residues, accelerates throughout the converging passage and then proceeds through the diverging passage in which the gas flow reduces its speed and is finally exhausted via the suction port.
[0058] According to embodiments, said face has a convex portion and a concave portion. The concave portion may be placed downstream of the convex portion. According to embodiments, said face delimits together with the one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material in the passage channel a respective first upstream portion of the passage channel and a second downstream portion of the passage channel. The first upstream portion of the passage channel may be smaller than the second downstream portion of the passage channel. The first upstream portion may match with the convex portion and the second downstream portion may match with the concave portion.
[0059] According to different embodiments, said face is planar.
[0060] According to embodiments, the cleaning device comprises: a further suction channel opening in the passage channel and connected to the vacuum source. The further suction channel faces another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to vacuum up the processing residues from said another of the two opposed surfaces.
[0061] According to embodiments, the cleaning device comprises: a further injection channel opening in the passage channel and connected to the gas source. The further injection channel faces the same another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to inject a further gas stream into the passage channel and towards said another of the two opposed surfaces. The further suction channel may be placed downstream of the further injection channel to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues.
[0062] The inventor found that this way both the surfaces of the strip of material can be effectively cleaned.
[0063] The further injection channel may be symmetrical to the injection channel with respect to the conveying plane. The further injection channel may have the same features of theinjection channel. The further suction channel may be symmetrical to the suction channel with respect to the conveying plane. The further suction channel may have the same features of the suction channel.
[0064] The inventor found that the symmetrical arrangement of the injection channel and the further injection channel with the same speed of the gas streams and the symmetrical arrangement of the suction channel and the further suction channel with the same speed of the gas streams allows to keep the strip of material undeformed and planar while crossing the passage channel.
[0065] According to embodiments, the cleaning device comprises a further body having a respective further face facing the conveying path and the another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material, wherein said further face partly delimits the passage channel.
[0066] Said further face may delimit together with the another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material in the passage channel a respective converging-diverging passage creating a Venturi effect. Said further face may be planar.
[0067] The face of the body and the further face of the further body face each other and are spaced from each other to delimit said passage channel therebetween.
[0068] According to embodiments, the further face of the further body is symmetrical to the face of the body with respect to the conveying plane. The further face of the further body may have the same features of the face of the body. The body and the further body may be identical and may be disposed symmetrically with respect to the conveying plane.
[0069] The inventor found that the symmetrical arrangement and shape of the face and further face allow to create a symmetrical gas flow on both sides of the strip of paper material and help keeping the strip of material undeformed and planar.
[0070] According to embodiments, the cleaning device comprises side walls connected to the body and to the further body and closing laterally the passage channel.
[0071] The inventor found that the side walls avoid lateral leakage of gas with residues and improve cleaning efficiency, because the gas stream is constrained inside the passage channel.
[0072] A width (K) of the passage channel may be from 100 mm to 500 mm, optionally from 120 mm to 400 mm. A length (L) of the passage channel may be from 150 mm to 850 mm, optionally from 380 mm to 710 mm. A height (H) of the passage channel may be from 10 mm to 50 mm. A minimum distance (Cmin) of the face from the conveying plane may be from 5 mm to 15 mm, optionally from 7 mm to 9 mm. A maximum distance (Cmax) of the face from the conveying plane may be from 7 mm to 25 mm, optionally from 9 mm to 20 mm.According to embodiments, the inlet of the passage channel is slot-shaped. The inlet of the passage channel may have a height (D) from 6 mm to 26 mm, optionally from 10 mm to 22 mm. According to embodiments, the outlet of the passage channel is slot-shaped. The outlet of the passage channel may have a height (A) from 5 mm to 20 mm, optionally from 7 mm to 22 mm.
[0073] According to embodiments, the apparatus comprises a plurality of processing units, each followed by a respective cleaning device.
[0074] As used in the present description, the term “strip” means a sheet of material having a main longitudinal dimension hundreds or thousands of times higher than a width of the sheet of material and the width that is hundreds of times or thousands of times higher than a thickness of the sheet of material. Usually, the width (W) of the strip of material of the present disclosure is between 80 mm to 450 mm. Usually the thickness (t) of the strip of material is from 35 pm to 340 pm.
[0075] As used in the present description, the term “processing” is referred to operations performed on the strip of material that deform (e.g. deform plastically) and / or break locally said strip of material, like crimping and embossing. Crimping generates a plurality of distributed creases in the strip of material which may help in gathering said strip. Embossing generates a pattern in the strip of material with relieves and recesses.
[0076] The invention is defined in the claims. However, below there is provided a non-exhaustive list of non-limiting examples. Any one or more of the features of these examples may be combined with any one or more features of another example, embodiment, or aspect described herein.
[0077] EX1. An apparatus for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles, the apparatus comprising:
[0078] conveying devices configured to convey an endless strip of material along a conveying path and in a conveying direction parallel to a main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material;
[0079] a processing unit located on the conveying path and configured to engage at least one of two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to process said strip of material;
[0080] a cleaning device located on the conveying path and downstream of the processing unit to remove from the strip of material residues deriving from processing the strip of material in the processing unit;
[0081] wherein the cleaning device comprises:
[0082] a passage channel having an inlet and an outlet for the strip of material crossing said passage channel while moving in the conveying direction and in a conveying plane;a suction channel opening in the passage channel and connected to a vacuum source, the suction channel facing one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to vacuum up the processing residues from said one of the two opposed surfaces.
[0083] EX2. The apparatus according to EX1 , wherein the cleaning device comprises an injection channel opening in the passage channel and connected to a gas source, the injection channel facing the same one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to inject a gas stream into the passage channel and towards said one of the two opposed surfaces.
[0084] EX3. The apparatus according to EX2, wherein the suction channel is placed downstream of the injection channel to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues.
[0085] EX4. The apparatus according to EX2 or EX3, wherein the injection channel delimits with a part of the conveying plane located upstream of said injection channel an injection angle (a) smaller than 90°; optionally the injection angle (a) is greater than 30°; optionally the injection angle (a) is between 10° and 70°.
[0086] EX5. The apparatus according to EX4, wherein the injection angle (a) is adjustable; optionally the cleaning device comprises an adjustment device operatively connected to the injection channel to adjust the injection angle (a).
[0087] EX6. The apparatus according to any of EX2 to EX5, wherein the injection channel comprises a plurality of parallel injection channels.
[0088] EX7. The apparatus according to any of EX2 to EX6, wherein the injection channel terminates with a respective injection nozzle located close to the inlet of the passage channel.
[0089] EX8. The apparatus according to EX7 when according to EX6, wherein the plurality of parallel injection channels terminates in a single injection nozzle or in a plurality of injection nozzles.
[0090] EX9. The apparatus according to EX7, wherein the injection nozzle is a slot parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0091] EX10. The apparatus according to EX7, wherein the injection nozzle comprises a plurality of orifices reciprocally aligned along a line parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0092] EX11. The apparatus according to any of EX7 to EX10, wherein the injection nozzle spans at least as a width of the strip of material.
[0093] EX12. The apparatus according to any of EX7 to EX11 , wherein the injection nozzle is configured such that the gas stream is shaped like a gas curtain.EX13. The apparatus according to EX12, wherein the gas curtain intersects the conveying plane along a line perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0094] EX14. The apparatus according to any of EX2 to EX13, wherein the gas source is a source of compressed air.
[0095] EX15. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX14, wherein the suction channel delimits with a part of the conveying plane located downstream of said suction channel a suction angle (P) smaller than 90°; optionally the suction angle (P) is greater than 30°; optionally the suction angle (P) is between 10° and 70°.
[0096] EX16. The apparatus according to EX15, wherein the suction angle (P) is adjustable; optionally the cleaning device comprises an adjustment device operatively connected to the suction channel to adjust the suction angle (P).
[0097] EX17. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX16, wherein the suction channel comprises a plurality of parallel suction channels.
[0098] EX18. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX17, wherein the suction channel has a respective suction port located close to the inlet of the passage channel.
[0099] EX19. The apparatus according to EX18 when according to EX17, wherein the plurality of parallel suction channels has a single suction port or a plurality of suction ports.
[0100] EX20. The apparatus according to EX18, wherein the suction port is a slot parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0101] EX21. The apparatus according to EX18, wherein the suction port comprises a plurality of orifices reciprocally aligned along a line parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction.
[0102] EX22. The apparatus according to any of EX18 to EX21, wherein the suction port spans at least as a width of the strip of material.
[0103] EX23. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX22, wherein the cleaning device comprises a body having a respective face facing the conveying path and the one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material; wherein said face partly delimits the passage channel; optionally said face is made of steel, optionally of a stainless steel alloy, optionally of a medical grade stainless steel alloy.
[0104] EX24. The apparatus according to EX23 when according to any of EX2 to EX14, wherein said face extends continuously between the injection channel and the suction channel.
[0105] EX25. The apparatus according to EX23 when according to any of EX7 to EX13 and to any of EX18 to EX22, wherein said face extends continuously between the injection nozzle and the suction port.EX26. The apparatus according to any of EX23 to EX25, wherein said face delimits together with the one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material in the passage channel a respective converging-diverging passage creating a Venturi effect.
[0106] EX27. The apparatus according to any of EX23 to EX26, wherein said face has a convex portion and a concave portion.
[0107] EX28. The apparatus according to EX27 wherein the concave portion is placed downstream of the convex portion.
[0108] EX29. The apparatus according to any of EX23 to EX28, wherein said face delimits together with the one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material in the passage channel a respective first upstream portion of the passage channel and a second downstream portion of the passage channel, wherein the first upstream portion of the passage channel is smaller than the second downstream portion of the passage channel.
[0109] EX30. The apparatus according to EX29 when according to EX27 or EX28, wherein the first upstream portion matches with the convex portion and the second downstream portion matches with the concave portion.
[0110] EX31. The apparatus according to any of EX23 to EX25, wherein said face is planar.
[0111] EX32. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX31 , wherein the cleaning device comprises: a further suction channel opening in the passage channel and connected to the vacuum source, the further suction channel facing another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to vacuum up the processing residues from said another of the two opposed surfaces.
[0112] EX33. The apparatus according to EX32 when according to any of EX2 to EX14, wherein the cleaning device comprises: a further injection channel opening in the passage channel and connected to the gas source, the further injection channel facing the same another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to inject a further gas stream into the passage channel and towards said another of the two opposed surfaces; wherein the further suction channel is placed downstream of the further injection channel to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues.
[0113] EX34. The apparatus according to EX33, wherein the further injection channel is symmetrical to the injection channel with respect to the conveying plane.
[0114] EX35. The apparatus according to EX33 or EX34, wherein the further injection channel has the same features of the injection channel disclosed in EX2 to EX14.
[0115] EX36. The apparatus according to any of EX33 to EX35, wherein the further suction channel is symmetrical to the suction channel with respect to the conveying plane.EX37. The apparatus according to any of EX32 to EX36, wherein the further suction channel has the same features of the suction channel disclosed in EX15 to EX22.
[0116] EX38. The apparatus according to any of EX32 to EX37 when EX32 is according to any of EX23 to EX31, wherein the cleaning device comprises a further body having a respective further face facing the conveying path and the another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material; wherein said further face partly delimits the passage channel.
[0117] EX39. The apparatus according to EX38, wherein said further face delimits together with the another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material in the passage channel a respective converging-diverging passage creating a Venturi effect or the further face is planar.
[0118] EX40. The apparatus according to EX38 or EX39, wherein the further face of the further body has the same features of the face of the body disclosed in EX24 to EX30.
[0119] EX41. The apparatus according to EX38 or EX39, wherein the further face of the further body is symmetrical to the face of the body with respect to the conveying plane.
[0120] EX42. The apparatus according to any of EX38 to EX41 , wherein the body and the further body are identical and are disposed symmetrically with respect to the conveying plane.
[0121] EX43. The apparatus according to any of EX38 to EX42, wherein the cleaning device comprises side walls connected to the body and to the further body and closing laterally the passage channel.
[0122] EX44. The apparatus according to any of EX38 to EX43, wherein the face of the body and the further face of the further body face each other and are spaced from each other to delimit said passage channel therebetween.
[0123] EX45. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX44, wherein a width (K) of the passage channel is from 100 mm to 500 mm, optionally from 120 mm to 400 mm.
[0124] EX46. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX45, wherein a length (L) of the passage channel is from 150 mm to 850 mm, optionally from 380 mm to 710 mm.
[0125] EX47. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX46, wherein a height (H) of the passage channel is from 10 mm to 50 mm.
[0126] EX48. The apparatus according to any of EX23 to EX31 and / or of any of EX38 to EX44, wherein a minimum distance (Cmin) of the face from the conveying plane is from 5 mm to 15 mm, optionally from 7 mm to 9 mm.
[0127] EX49. The apparatus according to any of EX23 to EX31 and / or of any of EX38 to EX44 or to EX48, wherein a maximum distance (Cmax) of the face from the conveying plane is from 7 mm to 25 mm, optionally from 9 mm to 20 mm.EX50. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX49, wherein the inlet of the passage channel is slot-shaped; optionally the inlet of the passage channel has a height (D) from 6 mm to 26 mm, optionally from 10 mm to 22 mm.
[0128] EX51. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX50, wherein the outlet of the passage channel is slot-shaped; optionally the outlet of the passage channel has a height (A) from 5 mm to 20 mm, optionally from 7 mm to 22 mm.
[0129] EX52. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX51, wherein the conveying devices are configured to convey the endless strip of material through the passage channel with a conveying speed from 30 m / min to 400 m / min, optionally from 50 m / min to 250 m / min.
[0130] EX53. The apparatus according to any of EX2 to EX14 or according to any of EX15 to EX52 when according to any of EX2 to EX14, wherein the gas source and the injection channel are configured such that a speed of the gas stream in the injection channel is 5 m / s to 100 m / s, optionally 5 m / s to 20 m / s.
[0131] EX54. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX53, wherein the vacuum source and the suction channel are configured such that a speed of the gas stream in the suction channel is 3 m / s to 50 m / s, optionally 20 m / s to 35 m / s, optionally 20 m / s to 25 m / s.
[0132] EX55. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX54, wherein the conveying devices are located upstream and downstream of the cleaning device and are configured to keep the strip of material suspended in the passage channel.
[0133] EX56. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX55, wherein the processing unit comprises a couple of rollers rotating about respective parallel axes and delimiting a passage between respective side faces; at least one of the side faces being shaped to process the strip of material passing through the passage.
[0134] EX57. The apparatus according to EX56, wherein the couple of rollers is configured to deform and / or locally break the strip of material.
[0135] EX58. The apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX57, comprising a plurality of processing units, each followed by a respective cleaning device.
[0136] EX59. A method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles through the apparatus according to any of EX1 to EX58.
[0137] EX60. The method according to EX59, comprising: conveying the endless strip of material along the conveying path and in the conveying direction parallel to the main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material through the conveying devices.
[0138] EX61. The method according to EX59 or EX60, comprising: engaging at least one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material to process said strip of material through the processing unit.EX62. The method according EX61, wherein processing the strip of material comprises: deforming and / or locally breaking said strip of material.
[0139] EX63. The method according to any of EX59 to EX62, comprising: removing from the strip of material residues deriving from processing the strip of material in the processing unit through the cleaning device.
[0140] EX64. The method according to EX63, wherein removing the residues comprises: making the strip of material to cross the passage channel of the cleaning device; vacuuming up the processing residues from said one of the two opposed surfaces through the suction channel; optionally vacuuming up the processing residues from said another of the two opposed surfaces through the further suction channel.
[0141] EX65. The method according to EX64 when the apparatus is according any of EX2 to EX14, further comprising: injecting the gas stream into the passage channel and towards said one of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material through the injection channel; optionally injecting the further gas stream into the passage channel and towards said another of the two opposed surfaces of the strip of material through the further injection channel; wherein the injected gas is vacuumed up together with the processing residues.
[0142] EX66. The method according to EX65, wherein injecting and vacuuming are carried out simultaneously.
[0143] EX67. The method according to any of EX59 to EX66, wherein the strip of material comprises at least one of: paper, paper-based compounds, cellulose-based compounds, tobacco-content compounds, nicotine containing compounds, botanicals-based compounds, carbon-based compounds.
[0144] EX68. The method according to any of EX59 to EX67, wherein the strip of material has a thickness from 35 pm to 340 pm.
[0145] EX69. The method according to any of EX59 to EX68, wherein the strip of material comprises an aerosol generating substrate for an aerosol generating article.
[0146] EX70. A process for manufacturing smoking articles or aerosol generating articles, comprising the method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles according to any of EX59 to EX70.
[0147] EX71. The process according to EX70, comprising: manufacturing an endless strip of material; processing the strip of material through the method according to any of EX59 to EX70; gathering the processed strip of material and wrapping in a wrapper to form an endless rod; cutting the endless rod in a plurality of discrete rods; joining the discrete rods to other components to form a plurality of smoking articles or aerosol generating articles.
[0148] EX72. A smoking article or an aerosol generating article manufactured through the process according to EX71.Examples will now be further described with reference to the figures in which:
[0149] Figure 1 shows schematically a manufacturing line for producing aerosol-generating article components comprising an apparatus for processing a strip of material;
[0150] Figure 1A shows a processing unit part of the apparatus of Figure 1;
[0151] Figure 2 shows a cleaning device part of the apparatus of Figure 1;
[0152] Figure 2A shows the cleaning device of Figure 2 with some dimensions highlighted; Figure 3 is a cross section of the cleaning device of Figures 2 and 2A;
[0153] Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the cleaning device of Figures 2 to 3;
[0154] Figure 5 shows a variant of the cleaning device of Figure 4;
[0155] Figure 6 shows a variant embodiment of the apparatus of Figure 1;
[0156] Figures 7 and 8 show respectively a longitudinal section and a cross section of an aerosol-generating article component manufactured through the manufacturing line of Figure 1;
[0157] Figure 9 is an exploded view of an aerosol-generating article comprising the aerosolgenerating article component of Figures 7 and 8.
[0158] Figure 10 is a flowchart representing a method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles.
[0159] Figure 1 shows a manufacturing line 100 for manufacturing aerosol-generating article components 114 for aerosol-generating articles and may be part of a plant, not shown, for manufacturing aerosol-generating articles.
[0160] The manufacturing line 100 for manufacturing aerosol-generating article components 114 includes a reel holder 101 where a strip of material “S” is coiled in a reel 103. In this example, the strip of material “S” is sheet of aerosol-generating substrate. The sheet of aerosol-generating substrate may be composed of vegetable and / or alkaloid particles (e.g. tobacco or tobacco free), a binder and an aerosol forming agent (e.g. glycerine).
[0161] An extraction device (not shown) is configured to uncoil the sheet of aerosolgenerating substrate “S” from the reel 103 and conveying devices are configured to convey the strip of material “S” along a conveying direction “C” parallel to its main longitudinal dimension. For instance, the conveying devices comprise a plurality of motorized rollers and / or one or more motorized belt conveyors located along a conveying path and in the conveying direction "C".
[0162] Downstream of the reel holder 101 in the conveying direction “C”, the manufacturing line 100 includes an apparatus 104 for processing the strip of material “S” located on the conveying path. The apparatus 104 for processing the strip of material “S” comprises a processing unit 105 followed by a cleaning device 106. The processing unit 105 may be per se known. In the non-limiting example of Figure 1, the processing unit 105 comprises acouple of rollers 107 rotating about respective parallel axes and delimiting a passage between respective side faces 108. The side faces 108 are shaped to crimp the strip of material “S” passing through the passage, i.e. to generate a plurality of distributed longitudinal creases in the strip of material “S”. For instance, each roller 107 comprises a plurality of circumferential ridges and respective grooves which press and deform the strip of material “S” (Figure 1A). The rollers 107 are operatively connected to a motor (not shown) for rotation in opposite directions. In other embodiments, not shown, the shape of the side faces 108 is such to generate a plurality of cuts in the strip of material “S” or a pattern with relieves and recesses. Regardless of the specific type of deformation, the processing generates residues, like particles, dust, loose fibres detaching from the strip of material “S”, which are removed by the cleaning device 106, as will be explained in detail further on.
[0163] Further downstream, the apparatus 100 includes a gathering device 109, a wrapping device 110, and a cutter 111. The gathering device 109 includes a converging tool shaped like a tapered funnel 112, which transitions the strip of material “S” from a flat configuration (upstream of the gathering device 109) to a gathered rod-shaped configuration (downstream of the gathering device 109) as it is conveyed and pulled through the converging tool. The wrapping device 110 is designed to wrap the rod-shaped strip of material “S” in a wrapper 112 to form a continuous rod 113. The wrapping device 110 comprises a guide cooperating with a feeder of the wrapper 114. The guide, not shown in figure, may comprise a U-shaped channel with additional folding elements configured to close the wrapper 112 around the gathered strip of material “S”. The feeder of the wrapper is represented as an auxiliary reel holder 114 on which the wrapper 112 is wound in an auxiliary reel 115. The cutter 111, such as a rotating blade, is positioned downstream of the wrapping device 110 and is designed to cut the continuous rod 113 into multiple aerosolgenerating article components 114. The apparatus 100 may also include a controller (not shown in the figures) configured to synchronize the operations of the reel holder 101, the processing unit 105, the cleaning device 106, the auxiliary reel holder 114, the conveying devices and the cutter 111.
[0164] One aerosol-generating article component 114 comprising the gathered strip of material “S” (sheet of aerosol-generating substrate) in the wrapper 112 is shown in figures 7 and 8.
[0165] An example of aerosol-generating article 200 comprising one aerosol-generating article component 114 is shown in the exploded view of figure 9. The aerosol-generating article 200 comprises (from left to right in figure 9): a front plug 203 (solid plug), the aerosolgenerating article component 114, a tubular plug 205 (hollow plug, for instance of cellulose acetate), a fine tubular plug 206 (like the tubular plug 205 but with a thinner wall) and a filterplug 207 (mouthpiece filter, usually made of tow). Each plug has a wrapping of its own helping to contain properly their content. A tipping paper 208 connects the filter plug 207 to the rest of the plugs, and the front plug 203, aerosol-generating article component 114, tubular plug 205 and fine tubular plug 206 are wrapped together into a wrapping paper 209. The tubular plug 205 and fine tubular plug 206 are cooling plugs configured to cool down the aerosol formed by heating the aerosol-generating article component 114.
[0166] The cleaning device 106 comprises a body 116A and a further body 116B which have a same shape and same features and are symmetrically disposed respectively above and below a conveying plane on which the strip of material “S” moves in the conveying direction “C”. In the disclosed embodiment of Figures 2, 2A and 3, each of the body 116A and the further body 116B is a plate shaped element presenting a face 117A and a further face 117B that face each other and are spaced from each other to delimit a passage channel 118 therebetween. The body 116A and the further body 116B, including the face 117A and the further face 117B, may be of a medical grade stainless steel alloy.
[0167] The body 116A and the further body 116B delimit a slot-shaped inlet 119 and a slotshaped outlet 120 of the passage channel 118. The slot-shaped inlet 119 and a slot-shaped outlet 120 are aligned with each other along the conveying direction “C”.
[0168] The conveying devices, not shown, are located upstream and downstream of the cleaning device 106 and are configured to keep the strip of material “S” suspended in the passage channel 118 while said strip of material “S” enters the slot-shaped inlet 119, crosses the passage channel 118, by moving in the conveying direction “C” and laying on the conveying plane, and exits the slot-shaped outlet 120 (Figures 2 and 3).
[0169] While the strip of material “S” crosses the passage channel 118, the face 17A of the body 116A faces the conveying path and one 121 of the two opposed surfaces 121, 122 of the strip of material “S”, the further face 17B of the further body 116B faces the conveying path and the other 122 of the two opposed surfaces 121 , 122 of the strip of material “S”.
[0170] The face 117A comprises an inlet flat portion 123A bordering the slot-shaped inlet 119 and tilted inward towards the passage channel 118, a convex portion 124A located downstream of the flat portion 123A and connected to said flat portion 123A at a corner, a concave portion 125A located downstream of the convex portion 124A and joined smoothly (with no edge) to said convex portion 124A, an outlet flat portion 126A close to the slotshaped outlet 120, parallel to the conveying plane and joined to the concave portion 125A at an edge, a rounded portion 127A joined smoothly (with no edge) to the outlet flat portion 126A. The further face 117B is a mirror of the face 117A and comprises the same portions marked with numerals 123B, 124B, 125B, 126B, 127B.A plurality of parallel injection channels 128A are fashioned in the body 116A close to the slot-shaped inlet 119. The cross section of Figure 3 shows one of these injection channels 128A. The parallel injection channels 128A terminate in an injection nozzle 129A located on the inlet flat portion 123A, i.e. close to the slot-shaped inlet 119. The injection nozzle 129A spans at least as a width “W” of the strip of material “S” and may be a slot parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction “C” or may comprise a plurality of orifices reciprocally aligned along a line parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction “C”.
[0171] As shown in Figure 3, the injection channels 128A are slanted to delimit with a part of the conveying plane located upstream of said injection channels 128A an injection angle (a) smaller than 90°. The example injection angle (a) depicted in Figure 3 is about 60°. The injection channels 128A are connected to a gas source, not shown, for instance a source of compressed air. The injection channels 128A and the injection nozzle 129A are configured such that a gas stream injected through the injection nozzle 129A is shaped like a gas curtain that intersects the conveying plane along a line perpendicular to the conveying direction “C” and impinges on the one 121 of the two opposed surfaces 121, 122 of the strip of material “S”. In variant embodiments, not shown in drawings, the cleaning device 106 comprises an adjustment device operatively connected to the injection channels 128A to adjust the injection angle (a).
[0172] A plurality of parallel suction channels 130A are fashioned in the body 116A close to the slot-shaped outlet 120. The cross section of Figure 3 shows one of these suction channels 130A. The parallel suction channels 130A terminate in a suction port 131A located close to the outlet flat portion 126A, i.e. close to the slot-shaped outlet 120. The suction port 131 A spans at least as a width of the strip of material “S” and may be a slot parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction “C” or may comprise a plurality of orifices reciprocally aligned along a line parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction “C”.
[0173] As shown in Figure 3, the suction channels 130A are slanted to delimit with a part of the conveying plane located downstream of said suction channels 130A a suction angle (P) smaller than 90°. The example suction angle (P) depicted in Figure 3 is about 60°. The suction channels 130A are connected to a vacuum source, not shown. The suction channels 130A and the suction port 131 A are configured to vacuum up the gas injected through the injection nozzle 129A. In variant embodiments, not shown in drawings, the cleaning device 106 comprises an adjustment device operatively connected to the suction channel 130A to adjust the suction angle (P).As shown in Figure 3, the face 117A extends continuously, i.e. with no interruptions like other nozzles or ports, between the injection nozzle 129A and the suction port 131 A. Particularly, the convex portion 124A and the concave portion 125A define a continuous smooth surface from the injection nozzle 129A to the suction port 131A.
[0174] The further body 116B presents a plurality of further injection channels 128B with injection nozzle 129B and a plurality of suction channels 130B with suction port 131 B which mirror the injection channels 128A and injection nozzle 129A with respect to the conveying plane and therefore will not be detailed here again.
[0175] Due to the shape of the face 117A and of the further face 117B, the passage channel 118 is a converging-diverging passage creating a Venturi effect. Moreover, when the strip of material “S” moves across the passage channel 118, the face 117A delimits together with the one face 121 (upper face, which is planar) of the strip of material “S” a first smaller upstream portion, matching with the convex portion 124A, and a second greater downstream portion, matching with the concave portion 125A, and these define a respective converging-diverging passage creating a Venturi effect. Similarly, the further face 117B delimits together with the other face 122 (lower face, which is planar) of the strip of material “S” another respective converging-diverging passage creating a Venturi effect.
[0176] Figures 2A and 3 show some dimensions of the cleaning device 106 and of the strip of material “S”. Possible values of these dimensions are listed in the following Table 1.
[0177] Table 1
[0178]
[0179] Table 2 contains process parameters in the passage channel 118.
[0180] Table 2
[0181]
[0182]
[0183] In use and according to a method for processing the strip of material “S”, when the strip of material “S” processed in the upstream processing unit 105 and comprising residues, like particles, dust, loose fibres, enters the passage channel 118, the gas curtains from the injection nozzle 128A and the further injection nozzle 128B impinge on the upper and lower faces 121, 122 of the strip of material “S”, detach the residues and carries them in the gas flow towards the suction port 131A and the further suction port 131B. The converging passages accelerate the gas flow and generate depression on the upper and lower faces 121, 122. Then, the gas flow proceeds through the diverging passages where speed is reduced and pressure increased. The gas flow together with the processing residues is finally exhausted through the suction port 131 A and the further suction port 131B.
[0184] Steps of the method are represented in Figure 10 and comprises: conveying the endless strip of material “S” along the conveying path and in the conveying direction “C” parallel to the main longitudinal dimension of the strip of material “S” through the conveying devices; engaging at least one of the two opposed surfaces 121, 122 of the strip of material “S” to process said strip of material “S” through the processing unit 105 by deforming and / or locally breaking said strip of material “S”; removing from the strip of material “S” residues deriving from processing the strip of material “S” in the processing unit 105 through the cleaning device 106, wherein removing the residues comprises: making the strip of material “S” to cross the passage channel 118 of the cleaning device 106; injecting the gas stream into the passage channel 118 and towards said one 121 of the two opposed surfaces 121 , 122 of the strip of material “S” through the injection channel 128A, injecting the further gas stream into the passage channel 118 and towards said another 122 of the two opposed surfaces 121, 122 of the strip of material “S” through the further injection channel 128B; vacuuming up the injected gas together with the processing residues from said one 121 of the two opposed surfaces 121, 122 through the suction channel 130A, vacuuming up the injected gas together with the processing residues from said another 122 of the two opposed surfaces 121, 122 through the further suction channel 130B. Injecting and vacuuming are carried out simultaneously.
[0185] Figure 4 shows another embodiment of the cleaning device 106, in which the face 117A and the further face 117B are both planar.
[0186] Figure 5 shows a variant of the cleaning device 106 of Figure 4, which further comprises two side walls 132 connected to the body 116A and to the further body 116B and closing laterally the passage channel 118.Figure 6 is a variant embodiment of the apparatus 104 for processing the strip of material “S” which comprises a first processing unit 105A with a first cleaning device 106A followed by a second processing unit 105B followed with a respective second cleaning device 106B.
[0187] In other embodiments, not shown, the apparatus for processing the strip of material “S” is part of a line and a process for manufacturing smoking articles and / or is configured to process and clean material different from the sheet of aerosol-generating substrate. For instance, the strip of material “S” is made of paper, paper-based compounds, cellulose-based compounds, tobacco-content compounds, nicotine containing compounds, botanicals-based compounds or carbon-based compounds. For instance, the apparatus for processing the strip of material “S” is employed to process and clean wrapping paper or materials for making filter rods.
[0188] For the purpose of the present description and of the appended claims, except where otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing amounts, quantities, percentages, and so forth, are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about". Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein. In this context, therefore, a number A is understood as A ± 5 percent of A. Within this context, a number A may be considered to include numerical values that are within general standard error for the measurement of the property that the number A modifies. The number A, in some instances as used in the appended claims, may deviate by the percentages enumerated above provided that the amount by which A deviates does not materially affect the basic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed invention. Also, all ranges include the maximum and minimum points disclosed and include any intermediate ranges therein, which may or may not be specifically enumerated herein.
Claims
1. CLAIMS1. An apparatus for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles, the apparatus comprising:conveying devices configured to convey an endless strip of material (S) along a conveying path and in a conveying direction (C) parallel to a main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material (S);a processing unit (105; 105A, 105B) located on the conveying path and configured to engage at least one of two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S) to process said strip of material (S);a cleaning device (106; 106A, 106B) located on the conveying path and downstream of the processing unit (105; 105A, 105B) to remove from the strip of material (S) residues deriving from processing the strip of material (S) in the processing unit (105; 105A, 105B);wherein the cleaning device (106; 106A, 106B) comprises:a passage channel (118) having an inlet (119) and an outlet (120) for the strip of material (S) crossing said passage channel (118) while moving in the conveying direction (C) and in a conveying plane;a suction channel (130A) opening in the passage channel (118) and connected to a vacuum source, the suction channel (130A) facing one of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S) to vacuum up the processing residues from said one of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122);wherein the conveying devices are located upstream and downstream of the cleaning device (106; 106A, 106B) and are configured to keep the strip of material (S) suspended in the passage channel (118).
2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cleaning device comprises an injection channel (128A) opening in the passage channel (118) and connected to a gas source, the injection channel (128A) facing the same one of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S) to inject a gas stream into the passage channel (118) and towards said one of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122); wherein the suction channel (130A) is placed downstream of the injection channel (128A) to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues.
3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the injection channel (128A) delimits with a part of the conveying plane located upstream of said injection channel (128A) an injection angle (a) smaller than 90°; wherein the suction channel (130A) delimits with apart of the conveying plane located downstream of said suction channel (130A) a suction angle (P) smaller than 90°.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the injection angle (a) and the suction angle (P) is adjustable.
5. The apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the injection channel (128A) terminates with a respective injection nozzle (129A) located close to the inlet (119) of the passage channel (118) and the suction channel (130A) has a respective suction port (131 A) located close to the outlet (120) of the passage channel (118).
6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the injection nozzle (129A) is a slot parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction (C) or comprises a plurality of orifices reciprocally aligned along a line parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction (C); wherein the suction port (131 A) is a slot parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction (C) or comprises a plurality of orifices reciprocally aligned along a line parallel to the conveying plane and perpendicular to the conveying direction (C).
7. The apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cleaning device (106; 106A, 106B) comprises a body (116A) having a respective face (117A) facing the conveying path and the one of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S); wherein said face (117A) partly delimits the passage channel (118); wherein said face (117A) delimits together with the one of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S) in the passage channel (118) a respective converging-diverging passage creating a Venturi effect.
8. The apparatus according to claim 7 when according to any of claims 2 to 6, wherein said face (117A) extends continuously between the injection channel (128A) and the suction channel (130A).
9. The apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein said face (117A) has a convex portion (124A) and a concave portion (125A), wherein the concave portion (125A) is placed downstream of the convex portion (124A).
10. The apparatus according to any of claims 2 to 6 or according to claim 7 or 8 or 9 when according to any of claims 2 to 6, wherein the cleaning device comprises:a further injection channel (128B) opening in the passage channel (118) and connected to the gas source, the further injection channel (128B) facing another of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S) to inject a further gas stream into the passage channel (118) and towards said another of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122);a further suction channel (130B) opening in the passage channel (118), placed downstream of the further injection channel (128B) and connected to the vacuum source, the further suction channel (130B) facing the same another of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S) to vacuum up the injected gas together with the processing residues from said another of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122).
11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the further injection channel (128B) and the further suction channel (130B) are symmetrical to the injection channel (128A) and the suction channel (130A) with respect to the conveying plane.
12. The apparatus according to claim 10 or 11 when claim 10 is according to claim 7 or 8 or 9, wherein the cleaning device (106; 106A, 106B) comprises a further body (116B) having a respective further face (117B) facing the conveying path and the another of the two opposed surfaces (121 , 122) of the strip of material (S); wherein said further face (117B) partly delimits the passage channel (118); wherein said further face (117B) delimits together with the another of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S) in the passage channel (118) a respective converging-diverging passage creating a Venturi effect.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the further face (117B) of the further body (116B) is symmetrical to the face (117A) of the body (116A) with respect to the conveying plane.
14. The apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the cleaning device (106; 106A, 106B) comprises side walls (132) connected to the body (116A) and to the further body (116B) and closing laterally the passage channel (118).
15. A method for processing a strip of material for making smoking articles or aerosol generating articles through the apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 14, the method comprising:conveying the endless strip of material (S) along the conveying path and in the conveying direction (C) parallel to the main longitudinal dimension of said strip of material (S) through the conveying devices;engaging at least one of the two opposed surfaces (121, 122) of the strip of material (S) to process said strip of material (S) through the processing unit (105; 105A, 105B); removing from the strip of material (S) residues deriving from processing the strip of material (S) in the processing unit (105; 105A, 105B) through the cleaning device (106; 106A, 106B);wherein the strip of material (S) comprises at least one of: paper, paper-based compounds, cellulose-based compounds, tobacco-content compounds, nicotine containing compounds, botanicals-based compounds, carbon-based compounds.