The present invention relates to a cutting element or blade for cutting filter rods during the manufacture of cigarettes, or the combining of segmented filters.
A cigarette typically includes a tobacco rod formed from a charge of smoking material such as, for example, shredded tobacco. In a filter cigarette a filter element, composed of filter material such as cellulose acetate tow wrapped in a paper wrapper known as a plug wrap, is typically attached to one end of the tobacco rod by means of a wrapping or tipping material. A smoker ignites one end of the tobacco rod remote from the filter and draws smoke in through the filter. The filter traps some of the smoke products produced by burning the tobacco rod.
During cigarette manufacture, the filters are cut to individual cigarette length by a cutting element and it is conventional to use a circular cutting wheel or blade that is mounted for rotation on the cigarette maker tipping unit. During filter combining, the filter base rods are cut to individual segment length by a cutting element and it is conventional to use a circular cutting wheel or blade that is mounted for rotation on the filter combining machine.
The plug wrap is coated with adhesive so that it adheres to the cellulose acetate tow. However, it has been found that after a period of prolonged use a build-up of adhesive from the plug wrap occurs on the surfaces of the cutting element. This requires the machine to be stopped and the blade cleaned before the machine can be re-started.
It is known to provide the blade with a surface coating which resists build-up of adhesive. However, this is not particularly successful as the coating tends to wear after a period of time and so the blade must be replaced.
The present invention seeks to overcome or substantially alleviate the problems referred to above.
According to the present invention, there is provided a cutting element rotatably mountable in a cigarette manufacturing machine or filter combining machine for cutting filter rods, the cutting element comprising a circular blade having apertures therein configured so as to reduce the contact area between the blade and the ends of a filter rod during cutting.
Preferably, the blade has a peripheral cutting edge and an axis of rotation extending through a centre of the blade.
In a preferred embodiment, the blade has an opening coaxial with said axis for mounting the cutting element in a cutting machine.
In one embodiment, each aperture is spaced radially away from the axis of the blade and is located adjacent to the cutting edge.
In a preferred embodiment, each aperture is of the same size and shape and spaced from each other in a circumferential direction by the same distance. The blade may be symmetrical about its axis.
In one embodiment, each aperture may be circular. In another embodiment, each aperture may be in the form of an arcuate slot.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in
The cutting element 1 is mounted in a filter combiner machine (not shown), or cigarette making machine for rotation about an axis A-A (see
The blade 2 has a plurality of apertures 4 (six in the embodiment of
In the embodiment shown in
Preferably, the blade 1 may have a maximum diameter of 100 mm and a thickness of 0.4 mm. The diameter of the central opening is approximately 15 mm. The radial distance between the axis of rotation A-A and the centre of an aperture 4 may be in the order of 41 mm. In the embodiment of
It will be appreciated that the foregoing description is given by way of example only and that modifications may be made to the cutting element of the present invention without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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0812784.7 | Jul 2008 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP09/56848 | 6/4/2009 | WO | 00 | 4/7/2011 |