METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF A COMPONENT OF AN AEROSOL GENERATING ARTICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for the production of a rod component (100) of an aerosol generating article, said apparatus comprising: .sup. a first mover (4) adapted to transport a first sheet (2) along a first direction; .sup. a second mover (5) adapted to transport a second sheet (3) along a second direction; .sup. a third mover (6) adapted to transport a susceptor strip (10) along a third direction, said third mover being adapted to position said susceptor strip between the first and the second sheet during transport; and a rod forming device (20) being adapted to form a rod from the first and the second sheets and the susceptor strip and having an inlet (21) and an outlet (22), wherein said first and second sheets and said susceptor strip are introduced in said inlet and said rod is outputted from said outlet.

Claims

1-28. (canceled)

29. An apparatus for the production of a rod component of an aerosol generating article, said apparatus comprising: a first mover adapted to transport a first sheet along a first direction; a second mover adapted to transport a second sheet along a second direction; a third mover adapted to transport a susceptor strip along a third direction, said third mover being adapted to position said susceptor strip between the first and the second sheet during transport; and a rod forming device being adapted to form a rod from the first and the second sheets and the susceptor strip and having an inlet and an outlet, wherein said first and second sheets and said susceptor strip are introduced in said inlet and said rod is outputted from said outlet.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, including a crimper positioned upstream of the rod forming device in the first or second direction of transport of the first or second sheet to crimp the first or the second sheet.

31. The apparatus according to claim 29, including a U shaped conveyor adapted to transport the rod exiting the outlet of the rod forming device.

32. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein said susceptor strip defines first and second opposed surfaces and said first, second and third mover are so arranged to transport the first and second sheet and the susceptor strip, respectively, with the susceptor strip between the first and second sheet so that the first surface faces the first sheet and the second surface faces the second sheet.

33. The apparatus according to claim 29, including: a cutting device to cut the susceptor strip in susceptor segments, the cutting device being located upstream of the rod forming device.

34. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein the third mover includes a plurality of handlers, each handler being adapted to transport a susceptor segment towards the rod forming device.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein the handler includes a magnetic element to hold the susceptor segment onto the handler.

36. A method for the production of a component of an aerosol generating article, said method including: providing a first sheet; providing a second sheet; providing a strip of susceptor; transporting the first and second sheets and the strip of susceptor along a first, second and third direction, respectively, keeping the strip of susceptor located between the first and the second sheets during the transport; and forming a rod gathering together the first and the second sheets and the strip of susceptor located therebetween.

37. The method according to claim 36, wherein the step of moving the first, second sheet and the strip of susceptor along a first, second and third direction includes moving the first, second sheet and the strip of susceptor so that the first, second and third direction are coplanar.

38. The method according to any of claim 36, including: coating the first or second sheet or the strip of susceptor with a water-based solution.

39. The method according to any claim 36, wherein the step of providing a strip of susceptor includes: providing a continuous strip of susceptor; cutting the continuous strip of susceptor in susceptor segments; and transporting the susceptor segments between the first and second sheet.

40. The method according to claim 38, wherein the component of the aerosol generating article has a pre-determined length, and the step of cutting the continuous strip of susceptor in susceptor segments includes cutting the continuous strip of susceptor in susceptor segments having a length equal to or smaller than the pre-determined length of the component.

41. The method according to claim 38, including: cutting the rod into components of the aerosol forming article.

42. The method according to claim 41, including: synchronizing the cutting of the rod into components with a speed of the transport of the first, or of the second sheet or of the strip of susceptor along the first, second or third direction, respectively.

43. The method according to claim 41 including: sensing the presence of a susceptor segment in the rod before cutting the rod.

Description

[0070] The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0071] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of an apparatus operating according to the present invention;

[0072] FIG. 2 is a front view in section of a detail of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

[0073] FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of the apparatus of the invention;

[0074] FIG. 4 is a front view in section of a detail of the apparatus of FIG. 2;

[0075] FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a third embodiment of the apparatus of the invention; and

[0076] FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of the apparatus of the invention.

[0077] In FIGS. 1-6, an apparatus for the production of a rod component is shown and indicated with the reference number 1.

[0078] First the apparatus of FIGS. 1-3 is detailed.

[0079] The apparatus 1 is adapted to process a first and a second sheet of homogenized tobacco 2, 3 and a strip of susceptor material 10 in order to form a rod shaped article 100. The apparatus for this purpose includes suitable first and second movers 4, 5 (depicted schematically as arrows in the figures) to transport the first and second sheets 2, 3. The mover 4, 5 could be of any type, such as conveyor belts. Further, the apparatus also includes a third mover 6 (also depicted by an arrow) to transport the susceptor strip 10. The susceptor strip 10 may be wound in a bobbin 7, which is unwound while the rod component is formed.

[0080] The apparatus 1 further includes a rod forming device 20 having an inlet 21 and an outlet 22. The first, second and third movers 4, 5, 6 are directed towards the inlet 21 of the rod forming device 20. Each first, second and third mover defines a direction of transport of its respective first, second sheet 2, 3 or strip of susceptor material 10. Those first, second and third directions all point towards the inlet 21. The direction of transport of each sheet or strip is identified with the same arrow identifying the respective mover.

[0081] The first, second and third mover 4, 5, 6 are arranged in such a way that the strip of susceptor 10 is positioned between the two sheets of tobacco 2, 3. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the first and second sheets travel with their major surfaces directed upwards and also the strip of susceptor is travelling substantially horizontally.

[0082] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, the sheets 2, 3 and the strip of susceptor 10 may travel substantially vertically.

[0083] The strip of susceptor 10 defines two opposite first and second surfaces 11, 12 which are planar. The first surface 11 faces the first sheet 2 and the second surface 12 faces the second sheet 3.

[0084] Upstream of the rod forming device 20, in the direction of motion of the first, second sheet, a crimper 30 may be present, preferably a crimper for each first and second sheet, in order to crimp the first and the second sheet before they enter into the rod forming device 20.

[0085] Further, downstream the rod forming device 20, preferably a wrapping unit 40 is positioned, to wrap the rod shaped article 100 exiting the outlet 22 of the rod forming device 20.

[0086] A cutting unit 50 may be present a well, downstream the wrapping unit 40, to cut the wrapped rod shaped article 100 in a plurality of components having the desired length to be used as part of an aerosol generating article.

[0087] The functioning of the apparatus of FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4 is as follows. The difference between the embodiment of the apparatus in FIGS. 1 and 3 lays only in the positioning of the sheets and susceptor strip. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the susceptor strip 10 is substantially horizontal, while in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the susceptor strip is substantially vertical. The first and second sheet 2, 3, and the strip of susceptor 10, for example unwound from the bobbin 7, are introduced inside the rod shaped device 20 via its inlet 21. After the rod forming, the resulting rod shaped article 100 is wrapped in wrapping paper 18 and moved by an U shaped convenyor belt 19. In case of the embodiment of FIG. 1, the resulting rod shaped article 100 is depicted in section in FIG. 2, where susceptor strip 10 is caught in between the two tobacco sheets 2, 3, and strongly held in a central horizontal position. The wrapping paper 18 is also visible. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the resulting rod shaped article 100 is shown in section in FIG. 4, where the susceptor strip 10 is positioned vertically.

[0088] In a different embodiment of the apparatus of the invention, depicted in FIG. 5, a susceptor cutting unit 80 is positioned upstream the rod shaping device 20 to cut the susceptor strip into segments 81. The segments may be glued onto a third sheet of homogenized tobacco material 82, for example unwound from a bobbin 83, in series one after the other leaving a spacing between two adjacent segments. The so formed third sheet including the segments is positioned in the third mover 6 to be transported in the rod forming device 20. The remaining of the apparatus 1 is identical to those depicted with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3.

[0089] The sheets 2, 3 or 82, as well as the susceptor strip 10 or the susceptor segments 83, may be coated by a water solution, not depicted in the drawings.

[0090] The rod shaped article 100 is formed transporting the two sheets of tobacco material 2, 3 and the third sheet 82 having the segments 81 glued onto it into the inlet 21 of the rod shaping device 20. The third sheet 82 is positioned as the susceptor strip 10 in the embodiment of FIG. 1 or 3, that is, it is sandwiched between the first and second strip 2, 3. The third sheet 82 and the first and second sheet 2, 3 can have any orientation, preferably horizontal as depicted, or also vertical.

[0091] In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 6, the apparatus 1 includesas in the embodiment of FIG. 5a susceptor cutting unit 80, however the segments 81 of susceptors are transported towards the rod forming device 20 by handlers 90, for example transported by a rail 91. The handlers 90 may keep the segments 81 attached thereto by magnetic action. The rod shaped article 100 is formed transporting the two sheets of tobacco material 2, 3 and the segments 81 into the inlet 21 of the rod shaping device 20. The susceptor segments 81 The susceptor segments 81 are sandwiched between the first and second strip 2, 3. The segments 81 and the first and second sheet 2, 3 can have any orientation, preferably horizontal as depicted, or also vertical.

[0092] In the embodiment of FIGS. 5 and 6, preferably the cutting unit 50 present downstream the rod forming device 20 is synchronized in its cutting speed with the speed of the transport of the susceptor segments 81, either glued on the third sheet 82 or transported by the handlers 90, so that the resulting rod shaped article 100 is cut in locations where no segment 81 is present.