Apparatus and method for automatically producing tubular elements
AssigneeI.M.A. Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A.
InventorsAntonio CAPORALE, Luca GALLETTI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus (10) for automatically producing tubular elements (100) to make smoking articles and/or products for food use, comprising at least one forming unit (12) configured to form the tubular elements (100) starting from shaped flat sheets (101). The forming unit (12) comprises one or more forming devices (29) which are moved by movement means (30) along a work path (PL) closed in a loop, in order to form the tubular elements (100).
Claims14
Apparatus (10) for automatically producing tubular elements (100) to make smoking articles and/or products for food use, comprising a feed unit (11) for feeding, in sequence and one at a time, a plurality of sheets (101) in a flat condition, and a forming unit (12) disposed downstream of said feed unit (11) and configured to form said tubular elements (100) starting from said sheets (101) in a flat condition, said forming unit (12) comprising one or more forming devices (29), each of which in turn comprises both a forming pin (31) rotatable around an axis of rotation (R2) thereof and having an external surface with a truncated cone or cylindrical shape, and also holding means (32, 33) for temporarily holding one of said sheets (101) against said external surface;
- movement means (30) configured both to move said one or more forming devices (29) along a work path (PL), and also to make said forming pins (31) rotate around the respective axis of rotation (R2);
- and contrast means (35, 36) disposed in a certain fixed position along said work path (PL) to cooperate with said sheets (101) in order to fold them in such a way that they are at least partly wound each one around a corresponding forming pin (31) in order to form one of said tubular elements (100), characterized in that said forming device (29) is configured to take said sheet (101), held by the holding means (32, 33) against the external surface of the forming pin (31), against the contrast means (35, 36) while the respective forming pin (31) is made to rotate, so as to cause the at least partial winding of the sheet (101) on the external surface of the forming pin (31) during the movement of the forming device (29) along the work path (PL).
Apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said feed unit (11) comprises, disposed in sequence along a feed path (PA) upstream of said forming unit (12), a shaping device (13) configured to obtain shapes from a strip (102) which correspond to said sheets (101) still joined together, first advance means (15) configured to make said strip (102) advance along said feed path (PA), a cutting device (16) configured to cut said strip (102) and make, by separating them, said sheets (101), and second advance means (17) configured to make each of said sheets (101) advance individually in a flat condition toward said forming unit (12).
Apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said work path (PL) of said forming unit (12) is closed in a loop, preferably circular in shape or having at least one rectilinear segment.
Apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it also comprises an extraction member (24) configured to extract one tubular element (100) at a time from the respective forming device (29).
Apparatus (10) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it also comprises, along said work path (PL), gluing means (46) configured to apply an adhesive material on each of said sheets (101), if this is not already present on the sheets.
Method for automatically producing tubular elements (100), to make smoking articles and/or products for food use, comprising in sequence a feed step in which sheets (101) in a flat condition are fed, in sequence and one at a time, toward a forming unit (12) configured to form said tubular elements (100) starting from said sheets (101) in a flat condition, a positioning step in which each of said sheets (101) is positioned and temporarily held on an external surface of a forming pin (31) of a forming device (29), said forming pin (31) being rotatable around an axis of rotation (R2) thereof, and a movement step in which said forming device (29), together with the held sheet (101), is moved along a work path (PL), characterized in that it also comprises a forming step in which said forming device (29) takes said sheet (101) against contrast means (35, 36) which are disposed in a certain fixed position along said work path (PL), while said forming pin (31), together with the held sheet (101), rotates around its axis of rotation (R2) so as to cause the folding of two flaps of said sheet (101) in such a way that the latter is at least partly wound on the external surface of the forming pin (31).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.