Device and a method for separating at least one continuous rod of forming material for tobacco products
AssigneeG.D S.p.A.
InventorsDavide Dall'Osso, Massimo Sartoni, Fiorenzo Draghetti
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Abstract
A continuous tobacco rod generated by a machine for making tobacco products is separated into reclaimable lengths by a device that comprises a pair of tension rollers designed to exert a pulling force on the rod, also a pair of brake rollers operating upstream of the tension rollers and serving to offer a measure of resistance to the action of the tension rollers; as a result of the interaction between the tension rollers and the brake rollers, the portion of the continuous rod extending between them is forced to break by tearing apart.
Claims23
A device for separating at least one continuous rod of forming material for the manufacture of tobacco products, for use with a machine for making tobacco products affording a feed path along which the continuous rod is caused to advance, and equipped with at least one cut-off device by which the continuous rod is severed and diverted from the feed path, wherein the separation device comprises a gripping unit for engaging the diverted continuous rod of forming material and acting on the diverted continuous rod by applying forces oriented substantially parallel to a longitudinal dimension of the rod and from opposing directions, so as to generate a tensile stress in the diverted rod that causes it to break by tearing apart and thus divide into a plurality of discrete lengths, wherein the gripping unit comprises a tensioning unit acting on the diverted continuous rod at a point downstream of the cut-off device, by which a predetermined pulling force is applied to the selfsame rod and wherein the tensioning unit comprises at least one pair of tension rollers, interacting tangentially with opposite sides of the diverted continuous rod and each tension roller engaging in direct contact with the diverted continuous rod by way of a respective contact surface that presents an irregular profile, in such a manner as to engage the diverted continuous rod intermittently at predetermined intervals.
A machine for making tobacco products, establishing a feed path along which to advance a continuous rod of forming material used in fashioning the products, comprising:
- a forming unit by which the continuous rod of forming material is generated;
- a cutter device operating downstream of the forming unit generating the continuous rod, by which the selfsame rod is divided into discrete portions each ultimately constituting a single tobacco product;
- a cut-off device interposed functionally between the forming unit and the cutter device, capable of movement between a position of disengagement, in which the continuous rod of forming material is free to advance as normal along the feed path, and a position of interference in which the continuous rod is cut through and diverted from the feed path by the device;
- and
- a device for separating the diverted continuous rod, wherein the separation device comprises a gripping unit for engaging the diverted continuous rod of forming material and acting on the diverted continuous rod by applying forces oriented substantially parallel to a longitudinal dimension of the rod and from opposing directions, so as to generate a tensile stress in the diverted rod that causes it to break by tearing apart and thus divide into a plurality of discrete lengths, wherein the gripping unit comprises a tensioning unit acting on the diverted continuous rod at a point downstream of the cut-off device, by which a predetermined pulling force is applied to the selfsame rod and wherein the tensioning unit comprises at least one pair of tension rollers, interacting tangentially with opposite sides of the diverted continuous rod and each tension roller engaging in direct contact with the diverted continuous rod by way of a respective contact surface that presents an irregular profile, in such a manner as to engage the diverted continuous rod intermittently at predetermined intervals.
A method of separating at least one continuous rod of forming material for making tobacco products into a plurality of reclaimable lengths, wherein the separation of the continuous rod of forming material includes the step of applying at least two forces oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of the continuous rod and from opposing directions;
- and applying one of the opposing two forces with a pair of tension rollers interacting tangentially along opposite sides of the continuous rod wherein each tension roller engages in direct contact with the continuous rod by way of a respective contact surface that presents an irregular profile, in such a manner as to engage the continuous rod intermittently at predetermined intervals.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.