Abstract
The invention relates to a method for operating a continuous blade comprisingproviding a continuous blade, -providing a movable support surface, the support surface conveying a material sheet, -arranging the continuous blade relative to the movable support surface so that a first part of the continuous blade contacts the movable support surface in a first region of the movable support surface and a second part of the continuous blade contacts the movable support surface in a second region of the movable support surface, -wherein the first part of the continuous blade removes the material sheet from the movable support surface, and -wherein the second part of the continuous blade removes residues of the material sheet from the movable support surface.
Claims
1. A method for operating a continuous blade comprising: providing a continuous blade, providing a movable support surface, the support surface conveying a material sheet, arranging the continuous blade relative to the movable support surface so that a first part of the continuous blade contacts the movable support surface in a first region of the movable support surface and a second part of the continuous blade contacts the movable support surface in a second region of the movable support surface, wherein the first part of the continuous blade removes the material sheet from the movable support surface, and wherein the second part of the continuous blade removes residues of the material sheet from the movable support surface.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movable support surface comprises a transport direction for conveying the material sheet and wherein the continuous blade is guided over the first region of the movable support surface diagonally to the transport direction.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the continuous blade is guided over the first region of the movable support surface perpendicularly to the transport direction.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movable support surface comprises a transport direction for conveying the material sheet and wherein the first part of the continuous blade is arranged upstream of the second part of the continuous blade with respect to the transport direction.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first part of the continuous blade is guided over the first region of the movable support surface in a first guiding direction, and wherein the second part of the continuous blade is guided over the second region of the movable support surface in a second guiding direction, wherein the second guiding direction is reverse to the first guiding direction.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the continuous blade is continuously guided over the first region and the second region of the movable support surface, while the material sheet is continuously conveyed via the movable support surface.
7. The method according to claim 5, wherein a roll is employed for changing from the first guiding direction to the second guiding direction.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein one or both of a first blade holder in the first region of the movable support surface and a second blade holder in the second region of the movable support surface are present, wherein the first blade holder is configured for guiding the first part of the continuous blade in the first region of the movable support surface and wherein the second blade holder is configured for guiding the second part of the continuous blade in the second region of the movable support surface.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of a wire or a continuous band is used as the continuous blade.
10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the continuous band comprises a first sharp edge and an opposing second sharp edge, wherein the first sharp edge is employed for contacting the movable support surface in the first region of the movable support surface.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the continuous blade is rotated between the first region of the movable support surface and the second region of the movable support surface so that the second sharp edge is employed for contacting the second region of the movable support surface.
12. An apparatus for production of a material sheet, comprising: a movable support surface configured for conveying a material sheet in a transport direction, a moving device with a continuous blade, wherein the moving device is configured for moving the continuous blade over a first region of the movable support surface and wherein the moving device is configured for moving the continuous blade over a second region of the movable support surface, wherein a first part of the continuous blade in the first region of the movable support surface is arranged upstream of a second part of the continuous blade the second region of the movable support surface with respect to the transport direction, and wherein the moving device is configured to bring the first part of the continuous blade in contact with the first region of the movable support surface, and wherein the moving device is configured to bring the second part of the continuous blade in contact with the second region of the movable support surface.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the moving device further comprises a roll wherein the roll is configured for changing from a first guiding direction to a second guiding direction.
14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the moving device is configured for moving a continuous band of a blade comprising a first sharp edge and an opposing second sharp edge, wherein the moving device is further configured to rotate the continuous band about a longitudinal axis of the band between the first region of the movable support surface and the second region of the movable support surface.
15. A continuous blade, comprising a first end, a second end and an intermediate section located between the first end and the second end, wherein the intermediate section comprises at least one sharp edge, wherein the first end and second end are free of sharp edges, the first end comprising a first connection element configured for being connectable to a second connection element and the second end comprising a second connection element configured for being connectable to the first connection element.
16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the movable support surface comprises a transport direction for conveying the material sheet and wherein the continuous blade is guided over the first region of the movable support surface diagonally to the transport direction, and the continuous blade is further guided over the second region of the movable support surface diagonally to the transport direction.
17. The method according to claim 2, wherein the continuous blade is guided over the first region of the movable support surface perpendicularly to the transport direction, and the continuous blade is further guided over the second region of the movable support surface perpendicularly to the transport direction.
18. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of a wire or a continuous band is used as the continuous blade, and the continuous band is used as the continuous blade.
19. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the moving device is configured for moving a continuous band of a blade comprising a first sharp edge and an opposing second sharp edge, wherein the moving device is further configured to rotate the continuous band about a longitudinal axis of the band between the first region of the movable support surface and the second region of the movable support surface, and the moving device is configured for bringing the first sharp edge in contact with the first region of the movable support surface and for bringing the second sharp edge in contact with the second region of the movable support surface.
Description
[0130] The invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0131] FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an apparatus for production of a material sheet including the movable support surface and the continuous blade;
[0132] FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the apparatus for producing the material sheet including the roles and blade holders;
[0133] FIG. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of another embodiment of the apparatus;
[0134] FIG. 4 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the first part and the second part of the continuous blade contacting the movable support surface with the respective contact angles.
[0135] FIG. 5 shows a schematic drawing of one embodiment of the continuous blade with connection elements; and
[0136] FIG. 6 depicts a schematic drawing of blunt dummy blade for mounting the continuous blade in an apparatus for producing the material sheet.
[0137] In the following elements have the same functionality are marked with the same reference numerals throughout all the figures.
[0138] FIG. 1 depicts a schematic cross-sectional view of an apparatus 18 for producing a material sheet. The apparatus includes a movable support surface 10 and two separate drums 28 and 30 for moving the support surface 10. Both drums 28 and 30 perform rotations as indicated by the respective arrows within the drums so that an upper part of the movable support surface 10 is moved in a forward transporting direction as indicated by the arrow 20 and a lower part of the movable support surface 10 is moved in a backward transporting direction as indicated by the arrow 22. Preferably, the movable support surface is an endless conveyor belt. A casting box 26 including slurry of the material for the sheet is employed in order to homogeneously distribute the slurry including the material of the material sheet onto the movable support surface 10. Preferably, the slurry of the material for the sheet comprises homogenized tobacco or plant material for producing a sheet of homogenized tobacco or plant material. The slurry distributed on the movable support surface 10 is dried by a heating device 16, thereby producing the material sheet 12. In an area of the drum 30 where the forward transporting direction 20 changes into the backward transporting direction 22 the continuous blade is located. For the sake of clarity only the first part 14A of the continuous blade and the second part 14B of the continuous blade are shown in FIG. 1. The first part 14A of the continuous blade contacts the movable support surface in a first region 10A of the support surface, whereas the second part 14B of the continuous blade contacts the movable support surface in a second region 10B of the support surface. The first part 14A of the continuous blade is located upstream of the second part 14B of the continuous blade with respect to the transporting direction of the movable support surface. The first part 14A of the continuous blade removes the material sheet 12 from the movable support surface 10 resulting in a detached material sheet 12A. The detached material sheet 12A may be further processed for example on a further conveyor belt and might be dried to further reduce the humidity content of the material. The second part 14B of the continuous blade is located further downstream with respect to the transporting direction of the movable support surface and is able to remove residues of the material sheet which are still attached to the movable support surface from the support surface. After this cleaning step, the movable support surface can return to the casting box so that another layer of material can be deposited on the movable support surface.
[0139] FIG. 2 depicts a schematic front view of the apparatus 18 for producing the material sheet. This FIG. 2 only shows a part of the movable support surface, namely the drum 30 which rotates about the axis denoted with A and which transports the material sheet 12 located on the movable support surface 10 in the forward transporting direction 20. The apparatus 18 includes a feed roll 32 which comprises a bobbin of a continuous band of the blade which can be unwound in the first guiding direction 36 and which can be guided over movable support surface perpendicular to the forward transporting direction 20 of the material sheet. The first blade holder 40, for example a guide rail is present which guides the continuous blade 14 over movable support surface. In particular, the first blade holder 40 is configured for guiding the first part 14A of the continuous blade over the first region of the movable support surface for removing the material sheet. After having passed the movable transport surface through the first blade holder 40, the continuous blade 14 is received by the roll 34 which is configured to change the guiding direction of the continuous blade. After having changed the guiding direction, the second part 14B of the continuous blade is guided by the second blade holder 42 in the second guiding direction 38 over the second region of the movable support surface. This second part 14B of the continuous blade is able to remove residue of the material sheet still attached to the movable support surface from the support surface. Subsequently, the continuous blade 14 leaves the second region of the movable support surface in order to be received by the feed roll 32. This method of guiding the continuous blade 14 through the first blade holder 40 onto the roll 34 and further into the second blade holder 42 and back to the feed roll can be repeated multiple times until the continuous blade 14 has become blunt. The right-hand side of FIG. 2 shows an enlarged partial view of the first part 14A of the continuous blade received in the first blade holder 40. One side of the continuous blade includes a first sharp edge 14C. This sharp edge is employed in order to remove the material sheet from the movable support surface in the first part of the continuous blade and in order to remove the residues of the material sheet in the second part of the continuous blade.
[0140] FIG. 3 depicts a different embodiment of the apparatus 18 for providing a material sheet in comparison to FIG. 2. This apparatus 18 is configured to be operated with a continuous band of a blade having a first sharp edge 14C and an opposing second sharp edge 14D. This apparatus 18 includes the same elements as the apparatus shown in FIG. 3, except that the roll 34 has been replaced by a device 44 for rotating the continuous blade. When the continuous blade 14 is unwound from the feed roll 32 the first sharp edge 14C of the continuous blade 14 is employed for removing the material sheet from the movable support surface 10. Subsequently, the device 44 rotates the continuous blade about its longitudinal axis so that the second sharp edge 14D can be brought into contact with the movable support surface. This second sharp edge 14D is then employed in order to remove any residue of the material sheet from the movable support surface. The enlarged view of the continuous blade 14 in the upper right-hand part of the figure shows the first part 14A of the continuous blade wherein the continuous blade is guided by the first blade holder 40 by contacting the second sharp edge 14D of the blade. The first part 14A of the continuous blade therefore contacts the movable support surface via its first sharp edge 14C. The enlarged view of the continuous blade in the lower right-hand part of the figure shows the second part 14B of the continuous blade after having passed the device 44 for rotating the continuous blade. In this case, the first sharp edge 14C of the continuous blade is guided through the second blade holder 42 and the second sharp edge 14D is in contact with the movable support surface for removing the residue of the material sheet. This embodiment of the apparatus 18 is able to employ two opposing first and second sharp edges 14C and 14D of the continuous band of the blade without the need to manually rotate the blade. This greatly reduces the need to replace the continuous blade which therefore has a higher service life. The device 44 for rotating the continuous blade may comprise a twisted guide rail which is formed in such a way in order to rotate the continuous blade about its longitudinal axis so that the second sharp edge 14D can come in contact with the movable support surface. The device 44 rotating the continuous blade may comprise a housing. The housing may ensure that the blade is not accessible by an operator while being rotated.
[0141] FIG. 4 shows an enhanced schematic partial view of the region of the movable support surface 10 which is in contact with the drum 30. The first part 14A of the continuous blade and the second part 14B of the continuous blade are visible. The first part 14A of the continuous blade extends along a plane 46, whereas the movable support surface in this first region extends along a plane 48. A contact angle 50 which is located between both planes 46 and 48 can be determined which is between 19 and 25 degrees, preferably between 21 and 23 degrees as described herein. Similarly, the second part 14B of the continuous blade extends along a plane 52 and the respective part of the movable support surface in this second region of the support surface extends along a plane 54. A contact angle 56 extending between both planes 52 and 54 can be determined similar to the contact angle 50. These contact angles 50 and 56 respectively ensure the best mode of operation for the first part and the second part of the continuous blade. These contact angles also may reduce the risk of breakage of the movable support surface. These contact angles also may reduce the risk that any residue remains on the movable support surface.
[0142] FIG. 5 shows a schematic drawing of one embodiment of the continuous blade 14 including a first end 60 and a second end 62. The first end comprises a first connection element 60A, for example a clip. The second end 62 comprises a second connection element 62A, for example an area to attach the clip of the first connection element. The first end and the second end flank an intermediate section 58, which includes a first sharp edge 14 C. Such a continuous blade 14 can easily be handled by one or both of its first end and second end without the risk of hurting the operator.
[0143] FIG. 6 shows a schematic drawing of a blunt dummy blade which includes a central section 64 which is free of any sharp edges. Both ends of the central section 64 include first connection elements 60A, for example clips. These first connection elements can be connected to a second connection element of a continuous blade including an intermediate section with a sharp edge in order to position this continuous blade in the moving device of the apparatus for producing the material sheet. The dummy blade reduces the risk of the operator getting hurt when handling the blades. The central section can easily be handled by an operator without the risk of getting hurt.
