Claims
- 1. In a machine for the production and/or processing of rod-shaped articles which constitute or form part of smokers' products and wherein a wrapper surrounds a rod-like filler, a combination comprising a source of a web of coherent wrappers; means for draping said wrappers around the respective fillers; drive means for moving a succession of wrappers from said source along a predetermined path, including means for continuously advancing said web from said source to said draping means; at least one laser operable to emit at least one beam of coherent radiation; means for directing said beam against successive wrappers in said path whereby the wrappers are perforated at the points of impingement of said beams, said beam directing means being adjacent the path of said web intermediate said source and said draping means; and means for operating said laser in synchronism with said drive means to cause said beam to perforate selected portions of successive wrappers.
- 2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said operating means includes means for operating said laser a predetermined number of times per unit length of said web, each such unit length being equal to the length of a wrapper.
- 3. A combination as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for adjusting the intensity of said beam at said points of impingement to thereby vary the size of perforations in said wrappers.
- 4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said beam directing means includes means for splitting coherent radiation issuing from said laser into a plurality of discrete beams.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 766,927, filed Feb. 9, 1977, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,595.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Continuations (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
766927 |
Feb 1977 |
|