GB1197667A - Tobacco Rod Forming Method and Device. - Google Patents

Abstract

1,197,667. Cigarette-making machines. AMERICAN MACHINE & FOUNDRY CO. 1 July, 1968 [21 July, 1967; 27 Feb., 1968], No. 31353/68. Heading A2C. A method of forming a braid of cut tobacco particles comprises forming a thin layer of tobacco particles on a conveyer surface moving in a predetermined path and simultaneously collecting the tobacco laterally and transversely of said path in a progressive decreasing form converging into a narrow path along an axis parallel to its path of movement, thereby to form a single braid of tobacco. Cut tobacco is evenly showered on to an air permeable conveyer belt 1 across its whole width, as indicated by the long arrows B in Fig. 1. The belt 1 travels in the direction of the arrow A and passes over a suction chamber having an opening (7) of triangular shape extending to a longitudinal slit (8). A height adjustable Y-shaped covering 9 overlies the belt 1 where it passes over the suction chamber, in correspondence with the slit (8) and two sides (207) of the triangle of the opening (7). The suction applied through the belt 1 produces air flows, indicated by the short arrows 16, 116, which cause the tobacco to accumulate on the surface of the belt 1 underlying the arms of the "Y" to form two semi-braids that unite under the stem 109 of the "Y" to form a single braid for feeding to a cigarette-making machine. In another embodiment, Fig. 6, the conveyer surface is curved and comprises a suction drum 67. Tobacco, fed to and picked off a carding roller 62 in conventional manner, is fed in a wide stream by a conveyer 66 to the drum 67, stems and other heavy articles dropping away at C. The drum 67 is provided with a curved Y-shaped covering 70 and a curved triangular shaped suction chamber 69 equivalent to those used in the first embodiment. The tobacco leaves the drum 67 as a single braid which is transferred by an air permeable belt 78, in conjunction with a suction drum 76, to a conventional rod forming mechanism 80. The tobacco braid is optionally trimmed by a trimmer 83. The Specification also states that mechanical guides may be used to converge the tobacco path in place of the suction conveying device.