AEROSOL GENERATING SUBSTRATE MANUFACTURING METHOD AND MANUFACTURING DEVICE

Abstract

A manufacturing method for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate is provided. The manufacturing method includes: a mixed material is extrusion molded under normal temperature to make the mixed material to form an extrusion substrate; and the extrusion substrate is dried under negative pressure in a vacuum environment.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate, comprising: extrusion molding of a mixed material under normal temperature to make the mixed material to form an extrusion substrate; and drying of the extrusion substrate under negative pressure in a vacuum environment.

2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of following requirements are met: an extrusion temperature for the extrusion molding under the normal temperature ranges from 10 C. to 90 C.; a temperature in the vacuum environment is greater than 20 C. and less than 100 C.; an absolute pressure in the vacuum environment ranges from 0 kpa to 101.325 kpa; or an extrusion pressure for the extrusion molding under the normal temperature ranges from 0.5 bar to 300 bar.

3. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the drying of the extrusion substrate under the negative pressure comprises: drying of the extrusion substrate under the negative pressure by at least one of microwave heating, resistance heating, or infrared heating.

4. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the manufacturing method further comprises: slitting the extrusion substrate into a set length.

5. The manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein slitting the extrusion substrate into the set length comprises: slitting the extrusion substrate into the set length before the drying of the extrusion substrate under the negative pressure; or pre-slitting the extrusion substrate before the drying of the extrusion substrate under the negative pressure, and slitting the pre-slit extrusion substrate into the set length after the drying of the extrusion substrate under the negative pressure.

6. The manufacturing method according to claim 4, wherein the slitting is physical contact slitting in which a slitting tool is in contact with the extrusion substrate; or the slitting is non-physical contact slitting in which a slitting tool is spaced apart from the extrusion substrate.

7. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein before the drying of the extrusion substrate under the negative pressure, the manufacturing method further comprises: cooling and hardening the extrusion substrate.

8. The manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein the cooling and hardening the extrusion substrate comprises: placing the extrusion substrate in a low temperature environment for cooling, wherein a temperature in the low temperature environment is lower than a hardening temperature of the extrusion substrate.

9. The manufacturing method according to claim 8, wherein the hardening temperature ranges from 100 C. to 60 C., and the temperature in the low temperature environment ranges from 270 C. to 60 C.

10. The manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein after cooling and hardening the extrusion substrate, the manufacturing method further comprises: slitting the extrusion substrate into a set length.

11. The manufacturing method according to claim 7, wherein at least one of following requirements are met: a hardness of the extrusion substrate after being cooled and hardened ranges from 1 HB to 200 HB; or a temperature of the extrusion substrate after being cooled and hardened ranges from 50 C. to 5 C.

12. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein a hardness of the extrusion substrate after the drying under the negative pressure ranges from 40 HB to 300 HB.

13. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein moisture content in the extrusion substrate after the drying under the negative pressure ranges from 3% to 20% of a total weight of the extrusion substrate.

14. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein components of the mixed material comprise solid material and liquid material, wherein before the extrusion molding of the mixed material under the normal temperature, the manufacturing method further comprises: dividing the solid material and the liquid material into two parts for separate feeding.

15. The manufacturing method according to claim 14, wherein dividing the solid material and the liquid material into two parts for separate feeding comprises: adding the solid material; and adding the liquid material to the solid material when the solid material moves to an addition position of the liquid material along a material conveying direction.

16. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein in 100 parts by weight of the mixed material, a plant raw material is 30 to 90 parts, an auxiliary agent raw material is 1 to 15 parts, a smoking agent raw material is 5 to 30 parts, an adhesive raw material is 1 to 10 parts, and a flavor raw material is 1 to 15 parts.

17. A manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate, comprising: an extruder, configured to perform extrusion molding of a mixed material under normal temperature to make the mixed material to form an extrusion substrate; and a vacuum drying device, configured to perform drying of the extrusion substrate under negative pressure.

18. The manufacturing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein an extrusion die of the extruder is a single-die single-opening die set comprising one die base, and a die opening is provided at a discharge end of the die base; or an extrusion die of the extruder is a single-die multi-opening die set comprising one die base, and a plurality of die openings is provided at a discharge end of the die base; or an extrusion die of the extruder is a multi-die multi-opening die set comprising a plurality of die bases, and a plurality of die openings are provided at a discharge end of each of the plurality of die bases.

19. The manufacturing apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a hardening device and two slitting devices, wherein the hardening device is disposed between the extruder and the vacuum drying device, to cool and harden the extrusion substrate prior to the drying under the negative pressure; wherein one of the two slitting devices is disposed between the hardening device and the vacuum drying device, to pre-slit the cooled and hardened extrusion substrate prior to the drying under the negative pressure; and another one of the two slitting devices is disposed downstream of the vacuum drying device along a material conveying direction, to slit the extrusion substrate after the drying under the negative pressure into a set length.

20. The manufacturing apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a hardening device and a slitting device; wherein the hardening device is disposed between the extruder and the vacuum drying device, to cool and harden the extrusion substrate prior to the drying under the negative pressure; wherein the slitting device is disposed between the hardening device and the vacuum drying device, to slit the cooled and hardened extrusion substrate into a set length before the drying under the negative pressure.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a manufacturing method for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which a mixed material and an extrusion substrate are simultaneously shown.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which a mixed material and an extrusion substrate are simultaneously shown.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIG. 4.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a die opening of a first type of extrusion die according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a second type of extrusion die according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which an extrusion substrate is simultaneously shown.

[0019] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a third type of extrusion die according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which an extrusion substrate and a connector are simultaneously shown.

[0020] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a vacuum drying device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which an extrusion substrate is simultaneously shown.

[0021] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a hardening device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which an extrusion die and an extrusion substrate are simultaneously shown.

[0022] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the hardening device shown in FIG. 10.

[0023] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of another hardening device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in which an extrusion substrate is simultaneously shown.

[0024] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a first type of extrusion substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a second type of extrusion substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a third type of extrusion substrate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 16 is a flow chart of a first type of manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 17 is a flow chart of a second type of manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 18 is a flow chart of a third type of manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 19 is a flow chart of a fourth type of manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a manufacturing method for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate. The aerosol generating substrate is used in conjunction with an electronic atomization device provided with a heating assembly. In particular, the heating assembly heats and atomizes the aerosol generating substrate to manufacture an aerosol for consumption by a user or for use in medicine, cosmetics, or the like.

[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, the manufacturing method for manufacturing the aerosol generating substrate includes the following operations.

[0033] At operation S10, a mixed material is extrusion molded under normal temperature to make the mixed material to form an extrusion substrate.

[0034] Specifically, extrusion molding refers to a processing method in which a material is added into an extruder, is pushed forward by a screw through an action between a barrel and the screw of the extruder, and continuously passes through an extrusion die arranged at an outlet of the extruder, to manufacture various cross-sectional products or semi-finished products. The material formed by the extrusion molding is in the shape of a strip.

[0035] The mixed material is a material configured to manufacture the aerosol generating substrate, and is a mixture of solid material and liquid material. That is, the mixed material contains a certain amount of moisture.

[0036] In the field of extrusion molding, an extrusion temperature (i.e., the temperature in the barrel of the extruder) between 10 C. and 90 C. (inclusive of 10 C. and 90 C.) is defined as the normal temperature, an extrusion temperature lower than 10 C. is defined as a low temperature, and an extrusion temperature higher than 90 C. is defined as a high temperature.

[0037] Exemplarily, the extrusion molding of the mixture under the normal temperature described in the embodiment of the present disclosure may refer to extrusion molding of the mixture at the extrusion temperature in a range of 10 C. to 90 C.

[0038] The temperature will affect the fluidity of the mixture in the extruder and the smoothness of the outer surface of the extrusion substrate. When the extrusion temperature is lower than 10 C., the fluidity of the mixed material is poor, the production speed of the extruder is slow, the efficiency of the extruder is low, and the torque provided by the extruder is high at this temperature, which affects the service life of the extruder.

[0039] When the extrusion temperature is higher than 90 C., the flow of the mixed material is fast, and the pressure of the mixed material at the outlet of the extruder is small, which is not beneficial to the molding of the mixed material, thus leading to a decrease in the yield rate. In addition, the energy consumption of the extruder is high at this temperature, which increases the production cost.

[0040] When the extrusion temperature is between 10 C. and 90 C., the fluidity of the mixed material is better, which is beneficial to the molding of the mixed material, and can ensure that the rheological characteristics of the mixed material are stable, and the endogenous components of the extrusion substrate are stable. In addition, at this temperature, the torque provided by the extruder is low, and the energy consumption of the extruder is low, which may reduce the production cost while improving the service life of the extruder.

[0041] More preferably, the extrusion temperature for the extrusion molding under the normal temperature may range from 35 C. to 70 C. (inclusive of 35 C. and 70 C.).

[0042] At operation S20, the extrusion substrate is dried under negative pressure in a vacuum environment.

[0043] The purpose of the drying under the negative pressure is to evaporate the moisture in the extrusion substrate. If the extrusion substrate contains a lot of volatile lubricant, the drying under the negative pressure can also remove the volatile lubricant.

[0044] It should be noted that the operation S20 may be the last step of the manufacturing method, that is, the extrusion substrate after being dried is a finished product of the aerosol generating substrate. The operation S20 is not the last operation of the manufacturing method. That is, the extrusion substrate after being dried is only a semi-finished product of the aerosol generating substrate. There are other subsequent processes after the operation S20, including but not limited to slitting, packaging and the like.

[0045] The vacuum environment can reduce the boiling point of the water (i.e., the boiling point of the water is lower than the boiling point of 100 C. at the atmospheric pressure) to enable the moisture in the extrusion substrate to evaporate at the low temperature (i.e., the water evaporates below 100 C.). In addition, the drying under the negative pressure can slow the moisture spillage from the extrusion substrate, to make the extrusion substrate to maintain the reserved skeleton after the moisture spillage, thereby forming pores. The pores are the channels through which the aerosol generating substrate releases aerosol and aroma during heating. Therefore, the drying under the negative pressure can improve the porosity of the aerosol generating substrate, which in turn can improve the release efficiency of the aerosol and aroma.

[0046] Exemplarily, the temperature in the vacuum environment may be greater than 20 C. and less than 100 C.

[0047] The temperature in the vacuum environment refers to the ambient temperature within a device providing the vacuum environment.

[0048] When the temperature in the vacuum environment is lower than or equal to 20 C., the time required for drying the extrusion substrate is long, the production efficiency is low, and the production cost is high. When the temperature in the vacuum environment is higher than or equal to 100 C., the heat-sensitive aroma components in the extrusion substrate are easily volatilized due to the heating. In addition, when the temperature is higher than or equal to 100 C., the extrusion substrate reaches a softening point, and the support of the outer wall of the extrusion substrate is reduced. Under the influence of the vacuum negative pressure, the whole structure is easy to shrink, so that the pores on the skeleton are easy to shrink and deform after the moisture inside the extrusion substrate is spilled, which may reduce the porosity. As a result, the channel through which the aerosol generating substrate releases aerosol and aroma is blocked, which affects the overall release efficiency.

[0049] More preferably, the temperature in the vacuum environment may range from 30 C. to 60 C. (inclusive of 30 C. and 60 C.).

[0050] In addition, the hardness of the extrusion substrate after the drying under the negative pressure may range from 40 HB (brinell hardness) to 300 HB (inclusive of 40 HB and 300 HB), and more preferably, the hardness of the extrusion substrate after the drying under the negative pressure may range from 80 HB to 250 HB (inclusive of 80 HB and 250 HB).

[0051] Another embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a manufacturing apparatus 100 for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate. Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the manufacturing apparatus 100 mainly includes an extruder 110 and a vacuum drying device 120.

[0052] The extruder 110 is configured to perform extrusion molding of a mixed material 200 under normal temperature, to make the mixed material 200 to form an extrusion substrate 200.

[0053] The extruder 110 may be a single screw extruder or a twin screw extruder. Preferably, the extruder 110 is a twin screw extruder, because compared with the single screw extruder, the twin screw extruder can further homogenize the mixed material 200 during the conveying process of the mixed material 200, which may improve the stability of the product, and the extrusion efficiency of the twin screw extruder is higher than the extrusion efficiency of the single screw extruder.

[0054] The vacuum drying device 120 is configured to perform drying of the extrusion substrate 200 under negative pressure.

[0055] The ambient temperature in the vacuum drying device 120 is the temperature in the vacuum environment described above.

[0056] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 and FIG. 9, the vacuum drying device 120 may include a box body 121, a vacuum pump 122, a heating system (not shown) and an electrical instrument control system (not shown). At least one partition plate 123 is arranged in the box body 121, and a material tray 124 can be placed on the partition plate 123. When the drying of the extrusion substrate 200 under the negative pressure is required, the material tray 124 can be taken out, the extrusion substrate 200 is placed in the material tray 124, and the material tray 124 is placed on the partition plate 123 arranged in the box body 121. The vacuum pump 122 is configured to create a vacuum in the box body 121, and the partition plate 123 is heated by the heating system to provide heat to the extrusion substrate 200.

[0057] That is, the manufacturing method for manufacturing the aerosol generating substrate according to the embodiment of the present disclosure mainly includes the following operations. The mixed material is extrusion molded under the normal temperature, and then the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure in the vacuum environment. The extrusion molding under the normal temperature can ensure the stable rheological characteristics of slurry and the stable endogenous components of the extrusion substrate, and the drying under the negative pressure can ensure the small shrinkage rate and short drying time of the extrusion substrate, which is convenient to realize the continuous production. The combination of the extrusion molding under the normal temperature and the drying under the negative pressure can not only achieve the uniform and stable aerosol generating substrate, the uniform internal pore distribution, and the high manufacturability of the aerosol generating substrate, but also achieve the continuous production of the aerosol generating substrate with the high production efficiency and the low manufacturing cost.

[0058] The mixed material of the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a plant raw material, an auxiliary agent raw material, a smoking agent raw material, an adhesive raw material, and a flavor raw material.

[0059] The plant raw material is configured to generate an aerosol when heated. The auxiliary agent raw material is configured to provide skeleton support for the plant raw materials. The smoking agent raw material is configured to generate smoke when heated. The adhesive raw material is configured to bind the various raw materials. The flavor raw material is configured to provide a characteristic aroma. In this way, the plant raw material and the smoking agent raw material can ensure the amount of the generated aerosol, while the flavor raw material can improve the release of aroma during smoking and improve the user experience. The auxiliary agent raw material can not only improve the fluidity of the mixed material, but also make the aerosol generating substrate have a porous structure, to facilitate the extraction and flow of the aerosol. The adhesive raw material ensures that the plant raw material, the auxiliary agent raw material and the like form a stable mixture, which avoids a loose structure.

[0060] Exemplarily, the plant raw material may be one or more combinations of powders formed after a crushing treatment of tobacco raw materials, tobacco leaf fragments, tobacco stalks, tobacco powders, flavored plants, and the like. The plant raw material is the core source of flavor, and endogenous substances in the plant raw material can give users physiological satisfaction. The endogenous substances such as alkaloids enter the human bloodstream, and promote the generation of dopamine by the pituitary gland, thereby obtaining physiological satisfaction.

[0061] Exemplarily, the auxiliary agent raw material may be one or more combinations of inorganic fillers, lubricants, and emulsifiers. The inorganic fillers include one or more combinations of heavy calcium carbonate, light calcium carbonate, zeolite, attapulgite, talc, and diatomaceous earth. The inorganic fillers can provide skeleton support for the plant raw material, and at the same time, the inorganic fillers are also provided with micropores, which can improve the porosity of the aerosol generating substrate, thereby increasing the release rate of the aerosol. The lubricants include one or more combinations of candelilla wax, carnauba wax, shellac, sunflower wax, rice bran, beeswax, stearic acid, and palmitic acid. The lubricants can increase the fluidity of the plant raw material powder, reduce the friction between the plant raw material powder, make the overall density of the plant raw material powder distribution more uniform, and also reduce the pressure required during the extrusion molding, and reduce the wear of the die opening. The emulsifiers include one or more combinations of polyglycerol fatty acid esters, Tween-80, and polyvinyl alcohol. To a certain extent, the emulsifiers can slow down the loss of flavor substances during storage, increase the stability of the flavor substances and improve the sensory quality of products.

[0062] Exemplarily, the smoking agent raw material may include one or more combinations of monohydric alcohol (such as menthol); polyol (such as propylene glycol, glycerol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol and tetraethylene glycol); ester of polyol (such as glyceryl triacetate, triethyl citrate, glyceryl diacetate mixtures, triethyl citrate, benzyl benzoate, tributyrate); monocarboxylic acid; dicarboxylic acid; polycarboxylic acid (such as lauric acid, myristic acid) or aliphatic ester of polycarboxylic acid (such as dimethyl dodecanedioate, dimethyl tetradecanedioate, erythritol, 1,3-butanediol, tetraethylene glycol, triethyl citrate, propylene carbonate, ethyl laurate, Triactin, meso-erythritol, glyceryl diacetate mixture, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, ethyl vanilate, glyceryl tributyrate, lauryl acetate).

[0063] Exemplarily, the adhesive raw material is in close contact with the component raw material interface by wetting together with the component raw material interface to create an intermolecular attractive force, thereby bonding to the component raw material, such as a powder, a liquid, or the like. The adhesive raw material may be one or more combinations of natural plant extracts, non-ionized modified viscous polysaccharides including tamarind polysaccharides and guar gum, and modified cellulose (such as carboxymethyl cellulose). The adhesive is configured to bond the particles together, which are not easy to loosen, and the adhesive further improves the water resistance of the aerosol generating substrate, and is harmless to the human body.

[0064] Exemplarily, the flavor raw material is configured to provide characteristic aroma, such as hay aroma, roasted sweet aroma, solid or liquid substances of nicotine. The flavor raw material may include one or more combinations of tobacco or other plants, flavored plant extracts, extractum, essential oils, absolute oils. The flavor raw material may include a monomeric flavoring substance, for example, one or more combinations of macrotrienone, neophytadiene, geraniol, nerol, and the like.

[0065] Exemplarily, in 100 parts by weight of the mixed material, the plant raw material may be 30 to 90 parts, the auxiliary agent raw material may be 1 to 15 parts, the smoking agent raw material may be 5 to 30 parts, the adhesive raw material may be 1 to 10 parts, and the flavor raw material may be 1 to 15 parts.

[0066] Depending on the configuration of the extrusion die arranged at the outlet of the extruder, the extrusion substrate 200 with different configuration forms can be extruded. For example, with reference to FIG. 13 to FIG. 15, an extrusion substrate 200 provided with an air passage 200a can be extruded.

[0067] There may be one air passage 200a or a plurality of air passages 200a. The air passage 200a may be a straight air passage as shown in FIG. 13, or a spiral air passage as shown in FIG. 14, or a combination of a straight air passage and a spiral air passage. The straight air passage is an air passage extending along a straight line, or an extension direction of the straight air passage is a straight line.

[0068] The spiral air passage is an air passage that at least a portion thereof along the extension direction includes a curve having a nonzero curvature. For example, along the extension direction of the spiral air passage, the spiral air passage may be in a structure form including a curve section having a nonzero curvature and a straight line section having a curvature of zero, or the spiral air passage may be in a structure form only including a curve section having a nonzero curvature without a straight line section having a curvature of zero. That is, the spiral air passage does not extend along a straight line from a start point to an end point of the spiral air passage in the extension direction.

[0069] The air passage 200a may be located inside the extrusion substrate 200 as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, or may be located on an outer side wall of the extrusion substrate 200. When there are a plurality of air passages 200a, as shown in FIG. 15, a part of the plurality of air passages 200a may be located inside the extrusion substrate 200, and another part of the plurality of air passages 200a may be located on the outer side wall of the extrusion substrate 200.

[0070] The shape of the cross-section of the air passage 200a located inside the extrusion substrate 200 is not limited. For example, the shape of the cross-section may be circular, polygonal (including but not limited to triangular, square, prismatic, etc.), elliptical, track-shaped, or special-shaped, in which the special shapes refer to other symmetrical or asymmetrical shapes other than the shapes listed above.

[0071] The shape of the cross-section of the air passage 200a located on the outer side wall of the extrusion substrate 200 may be semi-circular, semi-elliptical, polygonal, or special-shaped, in which the special shapes refer to other symmetrical or asymmetrical shapes other than the shapes listed above.

[0072] The air passage 200a is configured to increase the surface area of the aerosol generating substrate (a side wall of the air passage 200a is equivalent to a part of a surface of the aerosol generating substrate), so that heat acting on the aerosol generating substrate can enter the interior of the aerosol generating substrate from the surface of the aerosol generating substrate, which may improve the heating efficiency.

[0073] It should be noted that, in the related art, naturally formed micropores exist inside some aerosol generating substrates. For example, for an aerosol generating substrate with a particle combination, gaps between particles constitute micropores. However, the air passage 200a described herein is different from the micropores in that the air passage 200a described herein is a macroscopic pore, the micropores are microscopic pores, and the dimensions such as the cross-sectional area and the length of the air passage 200a are much larger than those of the micropores. The air passage 200a is mainly formed by processing, thus the dimensions such as the cross-sectional area and the length of the air passage 200a can be changed according to the design requirements, while the dimensions of the micropores are determined by the gaps between the particles, and the dimensions such as the cross-sectional area and the length of the micropores are naturally formed by the extrusion process.

[0074] In one embodiment, the extrusion pressure for the extrusion molding under the normal temperature may range from 0.5 bar to 300 bar (inclusive of 0.5 bar and 300 bar).

[0075] The extrusion pressure described in the embodiment of the present disclosure refers to the extrusion pressure of the extrusion die located at the outlet of the extruder.

[0076] The extrusion pressure has an impact on the molding shape, surface smoothness, yield rate and production rate of extrusion substrate. When the extrusion pressure is lower than 0.5 bar, the molding rate of the extrusion substrate is low, and the defect rate of the product increases, which in turn leads to the slowdown of the production rate and the increase of the production cost. When the extrusion pressure is higher than 300 bar, the load of a transmission structure of the extruder is high (the torque required to provide is high), which leads to the reduction of the service life of the extruder. Therefore, controlling the extrusion pressure in the range from 0.5 bar to 300 bar can not only improve the molding rate of the extrusion substrate, but also prolong the service life of the extruder.

[0077] More preferably, the extrusion pressure for the extrusion molding under the normal temperature may range from 20 bar to 80 bar (inclusive of 20 bar and 80 bar).

[0078] In one embodiment, the extrusion manner for the extrusion molding under the normal temperature may be horizontal extrusion.

[0079] The horizontal extrusion means that the extrusion die located at the outlet of the extruder is positioned horizontally, and the extrusion substrate is extruded in a horizontal direction (such as the extruder 110 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3), or the extrusion direction of the extrusion substrate is parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0080] For an extrusion substrate forming a spiral air passage, as the extrusion substrate passes through the extrusion die located at the outlet of the extruder, the die opening of the extrusion die rotates and the extrusion substrate does not rotate, and the extrusion substrate extruded by the rotating die opening passes directly into a conveying device (such as a first conveying device 140 in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3). Since the rotation of the die opening causes some stress to the extrusion substrate, and the horizontal extrusion can reduce the direct release of stress from the extrusion substrate (the resulting stress can be relieved by heating), the horizontal extrusion can improve the yield rate of aerosol generating substrates provided with spiral air passages.

[0081] In one embodiment, the extrusion manner for the extrusion molding under the normal temperature may be vertical extrusion.

[0082] The vertical extrusion means that the extrusion die located at the outlet of the extruder is positioned downward, and the extrusion substrate is extruded in the direction of gravity (such as the extruder 110 shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5), or the extrusion direction of the extrusion substrate is perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

[0083] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the manufacturing apparatus 100 may be provided with a third conveying device 170. After the extrusion substrate 200 is extruded from the extruder 110, the extrusion substrate 200 directly enters the third conveying device 170.

[0084] For extrusion substrates forming straight air passages, the vertical extrusion can improve the yield rate, reduce the input cost of the extruder, and also reduce the floor space of the extruder.

[0085] In one embodiment, the extrusion manner for the extrusion molding under the normal temperature may be oblique extrusion.

[0086] The oblique extrusion means that the extrusion die located at the outlet of the extruder is arranged obliquely, and an angle between the extrusion direction of the extrusion substrate and the horizontal plane is greater than 0 and less than 90.

[0087] The oblique extrusion can not only reduce the extrusion pressure of the mixed material, but also facilitate the space design of other devices.

[0088] In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 6, the extrusion die 113 may be a single-die single-opening die set. That is, there is one die base 1131 (the die base 1131 is not shown in FIG. 6, see the die base 1131 shown in FIG. 7) at the outlet of the extruder 110, a die opening 1132 is provided at an discharge end of the die base 1131, and the mixed material 200 may form one extrusion substrate 200 provided with an air passage 200a after passing through the die opening 1132.

[0089] In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 7, the extrusion die 113 may also be a single-die multi-opening die set. That is, there is one die base 1131 at the outlet of the extruder 110, a plurality of die openings 1132 are provided at the discharge end of the die base 1131, and the mixed material 200 may form a plurality of extrusion substrates 200 simultaneously after passing through the plurality of die openings 1132. When the size of the screw 112 of the extruder 110 is relatively large, a single-die multi-opening die set can be selected, which can improve the production efficiency and be more suitable for mass production.

[0090] In one embodiment, referring to FIG. 8, the extrusion die 113 may also be a multi-die multi-opening die set. That is, a plurality of die bases 1131 are connected to a connector 116 located at the outlet of the extruder 110, a plurality of die openings 1132 are provided at the discharge end of each die base 1131, and the mixed material 200 may form a plurality of extrusion substrates 200 simultaneously after passing through the plurality of die openings 1132 of each die base 1131. When the size of the screw 112 of the extruder 110 is relatively large, a multi-die multi-opening die set can be selected, which can improve the production efficiency and be more suitable for mass production.

[0091] In one embodiment, the absolute pressure in the vacuum environment may range from 0 kpa to 101.325 kpa (inclusive of 0 kpa and 101.325 kpa).

[0092] There is a positive correlation between the absolute pressure and the boiling point of the water, that is, the lower the absolute pressure, the lower the boiling point of the water. Therefore, by controlling the absolute pressure, the boiling point of the moisture in the extrusion substrate can be controlled so that the moisture content in the extrusion substrate after drying can be controlled in a suitable range.

[0093] In addition, setting the absolute pressure in the vacuum environment to be in the range of 0 kpa to 101.325 kpa can not only effectively reduce the moisture in the extrusion substrate, but also retain the aroma components and effective substances (such as plant alkaloids, smoking agents, etc.) in the raw materials as much as possible, thereby ensuring the product quality.

[0094] More preferably, the absolute pressure in the vacuum environment may range from 4 kpa to 20 kpa (inclusive of 4 kpa and 20 kpa).

[0095] In one embodiment, the moisture content in the extrusion substrate after the drying under the negative pressure may range from 3% to 20% (inclusive of 3% and 20%) of the total weight of the extrusion substrate.

[0096] When the moisture content in the extrusion substrate is less than 3%, the aerosol generating substrate generates more impurity gases in the suction process of the user, which reduces the suction experience of the user. In addition, if the dried extrusion substrate is subsequently subjected to other processing (i.e., the operation S20 is not the last operation of the manufacturing method), the dried extrusion substrate is brittle in the subsequent processing process, which not only leads to a high defect rate in the subsequent production, but also increases the production cost. When the moisture content in the extrusion substrate is higher than 20%, the moisture content of the smoke gas of the aerosol generating substrate during the heating and suction process is higher. The temperature of the smoke gas is not easy to decrease, easily causing the user to burn his mouth during the suction process, which may reduce the suction experience of the user. Therefore, controlling the moisture content in the dried extrusion substrate to be in the range of 3% to 20% of the total weight of the extrusion substrate can effectively improve the suction experience of the user, and in addition, for the extrusion substrate that are subjected to other processing after drying, the defect rate of subsequent production can also be reduced.

[0097] More preferably, the moisture content in the extrusion substrate after the drying under the negative pressure may range from 4% to 13% (inclusive of 4% and 13%) of the total weight of the extrusion substrate.

[0098] In one embodiment, the extrusion substrate may be dried under the negative pressure by at least one of microwave heating, resistance heating, or infrared heating.

[0099] Microwave heating (Microwave heating) refers to the use of the energy characteristics of microwaves to heat materials.

[0100] Resistance heating refers to the heating of materials by using the thermal effect of current passing through the resistor.

[0101] Infrared heating refers to the use of infrared radiation heat transfer to heat materials.

[0102] According to the needs, only one heating manner of the microwave heating, the resistance heating and the infrared heating may be adopted, or any combination of two heating manners of the microwave heating, the resistance heating and the infrared heating may be adopted, or three heating manners of the microwave heating, the resistance heating and the infrared heating may be adopted.

[0103] The microwave heating, the resistance heating and the infrared heating can make the temperature in the vacuum environment stably maintain at the required temperature, for example, the temperature in the vacuum environment can be maintained in the range of greater than 20 C. and less than 100 C., so that the internal temperature of the extrusion substrate can be better increased and the water molecules inside the extrusion substrate can be stimulated to vibrate.

[0104] It should be noted that the heating manner is not limited to the microwave heating, the resistance heating, and the infrared heating, and in other embodiments, other heating manners may be adopted as long as the extrusion substrate can be dried under the negative pressure.

[0105] In one embodiment, the manufacturing method may further include the following operation. The extrusion substrate is slit into a set length.

[0106] The length of the extrusion substrate extruded by the extrusion molding under the normal temperature is generally relatively long. Therefore, the extrusion substrate can be slit to the desired length according to different usage scenarios.

[0107] Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, the manufacturing apparatus 100 is provided with a slitting device 150, the slitting device 150 is provided with a slitting tool (not shown) by which the extrusion substrate 200 is slit.

[0108] There are multiple slitting manners. For example, in one embodiment, physical contact slitting in which the slitting tool is in contact with the extrusion substrate may be employed. That is, the slitting tool is in direct contact with the extrusion substrate. The physical contact slitting includes, but is not limited to, rotary hob cutting, cutting blade cutting, wire cutting, roll cutting, extruding and the like.

[0109] In another embodiment, non-physical contact slitting in which the slitting tool is spaced apart from the extrusion substrate may also be employed. That is, the slitting tool itself is not in physical contact with the extrusion substrate. The non-physical contact slitting includes, but is not limited to, laser cutting, plasma cutting, air knife, water knife, and the like.

[0110] In one embodiment, the extrusion substrate may be slit into the set length before the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure. That is, the extrusion substrate is first slit into the set length, and then the slit extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure.

[0111] In one embodiment, the extrusion substrate may be pre-slit before the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure, and the pre-slit extrusion substrate may be slit into the set length after the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure.

[0112] The pre-slitting is equivalent to slitting the extrusion substrate for the first time, and the length of the pre-slit extrusion substrate is longer than the set length.

[0113] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, for the manufacturing apparatus 100 which requires performing the pre-slitting, two slitting devices 150 may be provided, the first slitting device 150 is provided upstream of the vacuum drying device 120 along a material conveying direction, and the second slitting device 150 is provided downstream of the vacuum drying device 120 along the material conveying direction. The first slitting device 150 is configured to pre-slit the extrusion substrate 200, and the second slitting device 150 is configured to slit the extrusion substrate 200 after the drying under the negative pressure into the set length. In order to facilitate slitting of the extrusion substrate 200 after the extrusion substrate 200 is dried under the negative pressure, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the manufacturing apparatus 100 may further include a second conveying device 160 arranged between the vacuum drying device 120 and the second slitting device 150, and the extrusion substrate 200 subjected to the drying under the negative pressure in the vacuum drying device 120 is conveyed by the second conveying device 160 to the second slitting device 150 for slitting.

[0114] The texture of the extrusion substrate extruded by the extrusion molding under the normal temperature is generally relatively soft, and thus the pre-slitting of the extrusion substrate before the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure is equivalent to slitting the soft body of the extrusion substrate.

[0115] After the pre-slit extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure, the moisture in the extrusion substrate is removed and the extrusion substrate is hardened. Therefore, the slitting of the pre-slit extrusion substrate after the drying under the negative pressure is equivalent to slitting of a relatively hard extrusion substrate.

[0116] During the drying of the extrusion substrate under the negative pressure, the volume of the extrusion substrate will shrink. Therefore, the manner of the pre-slitting-the drying under the negative pressure-the slitting can improve the consistency of the longitudinal dimension (that is, the dimension along the extrusion direction) of the slit extrusion substrate, and thus can improve the yield rate of slitting.

[0117] In addition, for an extrusion substrate to be pre-slit, the extrusion substrate may also be calibrated after the extrusion substrate is pre-slit.

[0118] Exemplarily, after extrusion substrate is pre-slit, the extrusion substrate can be circumferentially calibrated with a jig, and then the calibrated extrusion substrate can be dried under the negative pressure.

[0119] Exemplarily, after the extrusion substrate has been dried under the negative pressure and before the extrusion substrate is slit into the set length, the extrusion substrate may also be circumferentially and straightforwardly calibrated with a jig.

[0120] In one embodiment, the extrusion substrate may also be slit into the set length after the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure. That is, the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure first, and then the extrusion substrate is slit into the set length, and in fact the operation of pre-slitting is omitted in this embodiment compared to the manufacturing method with pre-slitting.

[0121] Exemplarily, taking the manufacturing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 as an example, for the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, only one slitting device 150 may be provided downstream of the vacuum drying device 120 along a material conveying direction, and no slitting device 150 is provided upstream of the vacuum drying device 120 along the material conveying direction, no slitting is performed before the extrusion substrate 200 is dried under the negative pressure, and the extrusion substrate 200 may be slit into the set length by the slitting device 150 after the extrusion substrate 200 is dried under the negative pressure.

[0122] The texture of the extrusion substrate extruded by the extrusion molding under the normal temperature is generally relatively soft, and therefore, the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure first and then the extrusion substrate is slit, so that the slitting before the drying under the negative pressure can prevent the extrusion substrate with less hardness from causing minor deformation.

[0123] It should be noted that, for any slitting manner without pre-slitting, the extrusion substrate can also be calibrated for circumference and straightness with a jig prior to slitting.

[0124] In some embodiments, there may also be no slitting operation, that is, an extrusion substrate with a set length can be directly extruded by the extrusion molding under the normal temperature. For example, after the extrusion substrate is extruded by the vertical extrusion, the extrusion substrate can naturally detach under the action of its own gravity when it reaches or approaches the set length, which reduces subsequent slitting operation and thus reduces the production cost.

[0125] In one embodiment, before the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure, the manufacturing method may further include the following operation. The extrusion substrate is cooled and hardened.

[0126] The texture of the extrusion substrate extruded by the extrusion molding under the normal temperature is generally relatively soft, the hardness of the extrusion substrate may be improved by cooling and hardening the extrusion substrate before the drying under the negative pressure in order to facilitate subsequent processing.

[0127] After being cooled and hardened, the hardness of the extrusion substrate increases, and the temperature of the extrusion substrate decreases.

[0128] Exemplarily, the hardness of the extrusion substrate extruded by the extrusion molding under the normal temperature may range from 0 HB to 100 HB (inclusive of 0 HB and 100 HB) before being cooled and hardened, and the hardness of the extrusion substrate may range from 1 HB to 200 HB (inclusive of 1 HB and 200 HB) after being cooled and hardened.

[0129] More preferably, the hardness of the extrusion substrate extruded by the extrusion molding under the normal temperature may range from 1 HB to 60 HB (inclusive of 1 HB and 60 HB) before being cooled and hardened, and the hardness of the extrusion substrate may range from 40 HB to 120 HB (inclusive of 40 HB and 120 HB) after being cooled and hardened.

[0130] Exemplarily, the temperature of the extrusion substrate may range from 0 C. to 40 C. (inclusive of 0 C. and 40 C.) before being cooled and hardened, and the temperature of the extrusion substrate may range from 50 C. to 5 C. (inclusive of 50 C. and 5 C.) after being cooled and hardened.

[0131] For the manufacturing method with a slitting operation, the extrusion substrate may be slit into the set length after the extrusion substrate is cooled and hardened.

[0132] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the manufacturing apparatus 100 may be provided with a hardening device 130 and two slitting devices 150. The hardening device 130 is disposed between the extruder 110 and the vacuum drying device 120, to cool and harden the extrusion substrate 200 prior to the drying under the negative pressure. One of the two slitting devices 150 is disposed between the hardening device 130 and the vacuum drying device 120, to pre-slit the cooled and hardened extrusion substrate 200 prior to the drying under the negative pressure. Another one of the two slitting devices 150 is disposed downstream of the vacuum drying device 120 along the material conveying direction, to slit the extrusion substrate 200 after the drying under the negative pressure into the set length.

[0133] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the manufacturing apparatus 100 may only be provided with a slitting device 150 between the hardening device 130 and the vacuum drying device 120, there is no slitting device 150 disposed downstream of the vacuum drying device 120 along the material conveying direction. The slitting device 150 disposed between the hardening device 130 and the vacuum drying device 120 is configured to slit the cooled and hardened extrusion substrate 200 into a set length before the drying under the negative pressure. That is, after the extrusion substrate 200 is cooled and hardened, the extrusion substrate 200 can be directly slit into the set length without pre-slitting.

[0134] Since the hardness of the extrusion substrate is increased after the extrusion substrate is cooled and hardened, the extrusion substrate after being cooled and hardened is easier to be slit, and the extrusion substrate after being slit will not be deformed, and the cutting surface is more neat and complete.

[0135] In one embodiment, the cooling and hardening may be realized by placing the extrusion substrate in a low temperature environment for cooling, in which the temperature of the low temperature environment is lower than the hardening temperature of the extrusion substrate.

[0136] The temperature in the low temperature environment refers to the ambient temperature within a device providing the low temperature environment.

[0137] That is, the extrusion substrate may be conveyed to a low temperature environment for cooling. The temperature in the low temperature environment needs to be lower than the hardening temperature of the extrusion substrate, in order to meet the hardening requirements.

[0138] Exemplarily, on the premise that the temperature in the low temperature environment is lower than the hardening temperature of the extrusion substrate, if the hardening temperature of the extrusion substrate ranges from 100 C. to 60 C. (inclusive of 100 C. and 60 C.), the temperature in the low temperature environment may range from 270 C. to 60 C. (inclusive of 270 C. and 60 C.).

[0139] More preferably, if the hardening temperature of the extrusion substrate ranges from 30 C. to 40 C. (inclusive of 30 C. and 40 C.), the temperature in the low temperature environment may range from 100 C. to 40 C. (inclusive of 100 C. and 40 C.).

[0140] In one embodiment, the cooling and hardening may also be realized by cooling the extrusion substrate with a refrigerant. The form of the refrigerant may be a liquid, such as liquid nitrogen or liquid air, or a gas or a solid.

[0141] Exemplarily, the extrusion substrate may directly exchange heat with the refrigerant.

[0142] Direct heat exchange refers to a heat exchange between heat exchange mediums through a direct contact. That is, the extrusion substrate is in direct contact with the refrigerant. For example, referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the hardening device 130 may be provided with a refrigerant supplier (not shown), and a container 131 provided with an accommodating cavity 131a. The accommodating cavity 131a is provided with a conveying passage 131c penetrating through opposite sides of the container 131, and a liquid inlet groove 131b communicating with the accommodating cavity 131a. The extrusion substrate 200 extruded from the extruder 110 enters the accommodating cavity 131a through the conveying passage 131c, the refrigerant supply ejects the liquid refrigerant into the liquid inlet groove 131b, and the refrigerant enters the accommodating cavity 131a through the liquid inlet groove 131b and comes into contact with the extrusion substrate 200 in the accommodating cavity 131a to perform heat exchange.

[0143] In addition, referring to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, when the extrusion die 113 can extrude a plurality of extrusion substrates 200 simultaneously, since the hardness of the extrusion substrates 200 just extruded is low, in order to prevent the plurality of extrusion substrates 200 from sticking together, a first conveying device 140 provided with a plurality of guide grooves 140a may be provided outside a die opening of the extrusion die 113, and the first conveying device 140 passes through the conveying passage 131c to guide the plurality of extrusion substrates 200 into the accommodating cavity 131a for cooling and hardening.

[0144] The advantage of direct heat exchange between the extrusion substrate and the refrigerant is that the surface of the heat exchange medium can be cooled and hardened quickly, so that the extrusion substrate can maintain morphological stability, which facilitates the continuous production and improves the production efficiency. Exemplarily, the extrusion substrate may also directly exchange heat with the refrigerant.

[0145] Indirect heat exchange means that there is no direct contact between heat exchange mediums during heat exchange. That is, the extrusion substrate does not directly contact with the refrigerant, but indirectly exchanges heat with the refrigerant through an intermediate piece. For example, referring to FIG. 12, the hardening device 130 may include a cooling pipe 132, the cooling pipe 132 includes an inner pipe 1321 and an outer pipe 1322, a liquid storage cavity 132a for storing a refrigerant is formed between the inner pipe 1321 and the outer pipe 1322, and the inner pipe 1321 is provided with a heat exchange passage 1321a penetrating through the inner pipe 1321. The extrusion substrate 200 extruded from the extruder 110 enters the heat exchange passage 1321a and is in contact with the inner pipe 1321 for heat exchange, the inner pipe 1321, which absorbs the heat of the extrusion substrate 200, then exchanges heat with the refrigerant. That is, indirect heat exchange is performed between the extrusion substrate 200 and the refrigerant through the inner pipe 1321.

[0146] It should be noted that an inner surface of the inner pipe 1321 forming the heat exchange passage 1321a is generally a smooth surface. For example, the roughness of the inner surface of the inner pipe 1321 may range from Ra1.2 m to Ra0.08 m (inclusive of Ra1.2 m and Ra0.08 m). There is less friction between the smooth inner surface and the outer surface of the extrusion substrate 200, which will not cause the deformation of the extrusion substrate 200.

[0147] The advantage of indirect heat exchange between the extrusion substrate and the refrigerant is that it can effectively avoid problems such as expansion, deformation and cracking which may occur when the extrusion substrate comes into direct contact with the refrigerant.

[0148] In some embodiments, there may also be no operation of cooling and hardening. For example, in a manufacturing method, after the extrusion substrate is extruded, and before the drying under the negative pressure is performed, only slitting may be performed without cooling and hardening. For an extrusion substrate with a relatively short set length, the slight deformation caused by the slitting has no effect on subsequent production, and therefore, the operation of cooling and hardening can be omitted.

[0149] In one embodiment, the components of the mixed material include solid material and liquid material, and before the mixed material is extrusion molded under the normal temperature, the manufacturing method may further include the following operation. The solid material and the liquid material are divided into two parts for separate feeding.

[0150] The solid material refers to a material in a solid state, and the liquid material refers to a material in a liquid state. That is, some components in the mixed material are solid, some components in the mixed material are liquid, and the solid material and the liquid material are mixed to form the mixed material.

[0151] It should be noted that the mixed material formed by mixing the solid material and the liquid material are in a uniform form and cannot be divided into solid material and liquid material.

[0152] Exemplarily, in case that the plant raw material, the auxiliary agent raw material, and the adhesive raw material are solid material, and the smoking agent raw material and the flavor raw material are liquid material, the solid material such as the plant raw material, the auxiliary agent raw material, and the adhesive raw material, and the liquid material such as the smoking agent raw material and the flavor raw material may be added to the barrel of the extruder respectively, so that the solid material and the liquid material are mixed in the barrel of the extruder.

[0153] The advantage of dividing the solid material and the liquid material into two parts for separate feeding is that it can reduce the pre-treatment cost of the mixed material, ensure the continuity of the production process, and improve the consistency and uniformity of products while improving the production efficiency.

[0154] Further, the operation that the solid material and the liquid material are divided into two parts for separate feeding may include the following operation. The solid material is adding. The liquid material is added to the solid material when the solid material moves to an adding position of the liquid material along a material conveying direction.

[0155] That is, the solid material is first added to the extruder, the solid material will move toward the extrusion die along the material conveying direction after the solid material enters the barrel of the extruder, and the liquid material is then added to the extruder when the solid material moves to the adding position of the liquid material along the material conveying direction, to make the liquid material and the solid material to be mixed in the barrel of the extruder.

[0156] In addition, the feeding amount and the feeding speed of the materials can also be determined according to the production speed of the extruder and the proportion of each of various raw materials of the mixed material.

[0157] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, a solid material feeding port 114 and a liquid material feeding port 115 may be arranged on the extruder 110, the solid material feeding port 114 and the liquid material feeding port 115 communicate with the barrel 111 of the extruder 110, and the liquid material feeding port 115 is located downstream of the solid material feeding port 114 along the material conveying direction.

[0158] There may be one solid material feeding port 114 or a plurality of solid material feeding ports 114. When a plurality of solid material feeding ports 114 are provided, the same solid material may be added to each of the plurality of solid material feeding ports 114, or different solid materials may be added to the plurality of solid material feeding ports 114 respectively.

[0159] Similarly, there may be one liquid material feeding port 115 or a plurality of liquid material feeding ports 115. When a plurality of liquid material feeding ports 115 are provided, the same liquid material may be added to each of the plurality of liquid material feeding ports 115, or different liquid materials may be added to the plurality of liquid material feeding ports 115 respectively.

[0160] In addition, both the plurality of solid material feeding ports 114 and the plurality of liquid material feeding ports 115 may be provided in the form of a detachable structure, to facilitate the assembly of the solid material feeding ports 114 and the liquid material feeding ports 115 in the required number.

[0161] The extruder conveys the mixed material mainly depending on the rotation of the screw, but the screw and the inner wall of the barrel of the extruder are not completely sealed, that is, there is a gap between the screw and the inner wall of the barrel of the extruder. If the liquid material is added first, the liquid material is easily leaked from the gap. Therefore, the solid material is added first, and the liquid material is added when the solid material moves to the adding position of the liquid material along the material conveying direction, which may better avoid the leakage of the liquid material.

[0162] In some embodiments, the mixed material may not be fed separately as solid material and liquid material. For example, the solid material and the liquid material may be mixed first to form mixed material (referred to as mixed slurry feeding), and then the mixed material may be added to the barrel of the extruder.

[0163] The advantage of mixed slurry feeding is that the mixed material has good consistency, which can ensure the uniformity and stability of products.

[0164] In addition, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, for the mixed slurry feeding, a screw 112 may additionally be arranged at a feeding port (when the mixed slurry feeding is used, the solid material feeding port 114 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5 is equivalent to the feeding port), to further homogenize the mixed slurry.

[0165] In one embodiment, after the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure, the manufacturing method may further include the following operation. A packaging layer is wrapped around the outer surface of the extrusion substrate.

[0166] The packaging layer includes but is not limited to media consumables such as cigarette paper, paper tubes, tin foil paper, and the like. The extrusion substrate wrapped by the packaging layer is equivalent to the finished product of the aerosol generating substrate.

[0167] In some embodiments, the extrusion substrate wrapped by the packaging layer may also be combined with other functional segments, such as a cooling segment, a filter segment, and the like, to form an aerosol generating article.

[0168] In another embodiment, after the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure, the manufacturing method may further include the following operation. The extrusion substrate is hermetically packaged.

[0169] That is, the extrusion substrate may be hermetically packaged directly without wrapping the packaging layer around the outer surface of the extrusion substrate, for example, the extrusion substrate may be encapsulated in a blister pack container. The extrusion substrate after being hermetically packaged is also equivalent to the finished product of the aerosol generating substrate. The extrusion substrate after being hermetically packaged can be used directly on an electronic atomization device after the packaging is removed.

[0170] Several feasible manufacturing methods of the present disclosure are described below through different embodiments. It should be noted that the following embodiments are mainly to illustrate the differences between several feasible manufacturing methods, and the specific methods of each operation in each embodiment are the same as those in the previous embodiments, and will not be repeated herein.

The First Embodiment

[0171] Referring to FIG. 16, the manufacturing method according to the first embodiment mainly includes the following operations.

[0172] At operation S01a, feeding is performed.

[0173] At operation S02a, extrusion molding under normal temperature is performed.

[0174] At operation S03a, cooling and hardening is performed.

[0175] At operation S04a, slitting is performed.

[0176] At operation S05a, drying under negative pressure is performed.

[0177] At operation S06a, packaging is performed.

The Second Embodiment

[0178] Referring to FIG. 17, the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment mainly includes the following operations.

[0179] At operation S01b, feeding is performed.

[0180] At operation S02b, extrusion molding under normal temperature is performed.

[0181] At operation S03b, slitting is performed.

[0182] At operation S04b, drying under negative pressure is performed.

[0183] At operation S05b, packaging is performed.

[0184] Compared with the manufacturing method of the first embodiment, the manufacturing method of the second embodiment does not have the operation of cooling and hardening.

The Third Embodiment

[0185] Referring to FIG. 18, the manufacturing method according to the third embodiment mainly includes the following operations.

[0186] At operation S01c, feeding is performed.

[0187] At operation S02c, extrusion molding under normal temperature is performed.

[0188] At operation S03c, pre-slitting is performed.

[0189] At operation S04c, drying under negative pressure is performed.

[0190] At operation S05c, slitting is performed.

[0191] At operation S06c, packaging is performed.

[0192] Compared with the manufacturing method of the first embodiment, the manufacturing method of the third embodiment does not have the operation of cooling and hardening, and the slitting of the third embodiment includes the operation of pre-slitting before the drying under the negative pressure and the operation of slitting after the drying under the negative pressure.

The fourth Embodiment

[0193] Referring to FIG. 19, the manufacturing method according to the fourth embodiment mainly includes the following operations.

[0194] At operation S01d, feeding is performed.

[0195] At operation S02d, extrusion molding under normal temperature is performed.

[0196] At operation S03d, drying under negative pressure is performed.

[0197] At operation S04d, packaging is performed.

[0198] Compared with the manufacturing method of the first embodiment, the manufacturing method of the fourth embodiment does not have the operation of cooling and hardening and the operation of slitting.

[0199] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing an aerosol generating substrate. The manufacturing method mainly includes the following operations. The mixed material is extrusion molded under the normal temperature, and then the extrusion substrate is dried under the negative pressure in the vacuum environment. The extrusion molding under the normal temperature can ensure the stable rheological characteristics of slurry and the stable endogenous components of the extrusion substrate, and the drying under the negative pressure can ensure the small shrinkage rate and short drying time of the extrusion substrate, which is convenient to realize the continuous production. The combination of the extrusion molding under the normal temperature and the drying under the negative pressure can not only achieve the uniform and stable aerosol generating substrate, the uniform internal pore distribution, and the high manufacturability of the aerosol generating substrate, but also achieve the continuous production of the aerosol generating substrate with the high production efficiency and the low manufacturing cost.

[0200] In the description of the present disclosure, an expression with reference to the terms in an embodiment, in some embodiments, in other embodiments, in still other embodiments, exemplarily or the like means that specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in combination with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiments of the present disclosure. In the present disclosure, the schematic expression of the above terms is not necessarily directed to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined with each other in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. Furthermore, those skilled in the art can combine different embodiments or examples described in the present disclosure and features of different embodiments or examples without contradicting each other.

[0201] The foregoing is merely a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, and various modifications and variations can be made for those skilled in the art. Any modifications, substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.