Patent Application
20230217988
The invention relates to sheets of paper for roll-your-own cigarettes.
The sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper exhibit a rectangular general shape, to which is applied an adhesive strip along one of the long edges of the rectangle. These sheets are sold in the form of a booklet which can comprise approximately a hundred sheets. In order to make a roll-your-own cigarette, the user takes a sheet from his booklet, places tobacco on the sheet, then forms the roll-your-own cigarette by moistening the adhesive strip and by superimposing it on the sheet
Conventionally, the sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper are manufactured from webs of roll-your-own cigarette paper cut into bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper, the width of the bobbins being substantially equal to the width of the sheets. An adhesive strip is subsequently applied to one of the two long edges of the bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper in the machine direction and then the bobbin is dried. The dried bobbin is subsequently cut into sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
The roll-your-own cigarette paper exhibits a very low grammage, which can thus easily be torn during the manufacture of the sheet. One of the most problematic steps is that of the application of the adhesive strip to the bobbin. This is because this step is conventionally carried out using pressurized nozzles which can easily tear the bobbin. This is all the truer when the width of the bobbin is less than 10 cm. Furthermore, the adhesive strip is deposited along one of the long edges of the bobbin; a portion of the adhesive strip may thus be deposited outside the bobbin so that the material is lost and the amount of adhesive strip is not sufficient for a cigarette to be formed.
Because of these problems, conventional processes for the production of the roll-your-own cigarette paper have to be regularly stopped. The rate of forward progression of the paper in these processes can also be optimized.
For all these reasons, the productivity of these processes is not optimal.
There thus exists a need for an effective solution for improving the productivity of the process for the manufacture of the sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
It is thus to the credit of the inventors to have found that it is possible to meet this need by applying several moisture-activatable adhesive strips to a web of roll-your-own cigarette paper and then to cut the strip into bobbins.
Thus, a first aspect of the invention is a process for the manufacture of bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising the following steps:
a) applying n moisture-activatable adhesive strips to a web of roll-your-own cigarette paper in order to obtain an adhesive web of paper, each of the n moisture-activatable adhesive strips extending in the machine direction, and
b) cutting the adhesive web of paper in the machine direction along the n-1 moisture-activatable adhesive strips in order to obtain n bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper, each bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising a moisture-activatable adhesive strip along one of these long edges, n being an integer greater than or equal to 2.
Unlike the conventional process in which a single moisture-activatable adhesive strip is deposited directly on a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper, the n moisture-activatable adhesive strips are deposited by the process of the invention on a web of roll-your-own cigarette paper, the width of which is greater than the width of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper. The risk of tearing the roll-your-own cigarette paper during step a) with the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention is lower than with the conventional process. Thus, it is not necessary to regularly stop the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention.
It is also more efficient to apply the n moisture-activatable adhesive strips to a web of roll-your-own cigarette paper and then to cut said web of roll-your-own cigarette paper into n bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper than to cut a web of roll-your-own cigarette paper into n bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper and to apply a single strip to each of the n bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
Furthermore, only one of then moisture-activatable adhesive strips is applied to one of the long edges of the web of roll-your-own cigarette paper. Thus, in comparison with the conventional process, the process of the invention makes it possible to greatly limit the loss of moisture-activatable adhesive.
Consequently, the productivity of the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention is greater than the productivity of the conventional processes for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
Another aspect of the invention is a process for the manufacture of a sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising a step c) of cutting a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper manufactured by the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention.
Another aspect of the invention is a process for the manufacture of a booklet of sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising a step d1) of formation of a stack of sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper which are manufactured by the process for the manufacture of a sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention.
Another aspect of the invention is a process for the manufacture of a booklet of sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising a step d2) of formation of a stack of bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper which are manufactured by the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention, followed by a step e) of cutting the stack of bobbins.
The processes of the invention make it possible to advantageously produce a paper, in the form of a bobbin or of a sheet, for roll-your-own cigarettes comprising a moisture-activatable strip with a greater productivity than the productivity of the conventional processes.
According to a first aspect, the invention is a process for the manufacture of bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising the following steps:
a) applying n moisture-activatable adhesive strips to a web of roll-your-own cigarette paper in order to obtain an adhesive web of paper, each of the n moisture-activatable adhesive strips extending in the machine direction, and
b) cutting the adhesive web of paper in the machine direction along the n-1 moisture-activatable adhesive strips in order to obtain n bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper, each bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising a moisture-activatable adhesive strip along one of these long edges, n being an integer greater than or equal to 2.
Within the meaning of the present invention, the term “roll-your-own cigarette paper” is understood to mean paper used for rolling cigarettes. It can be manufactured from the pulp of wood, tobacco fibers, hemp fibers, flax fibers, sisal fibers, fibers of the shell protecting the cocoa bean, cannabis fibers, rice straw, alfa grass fibers and mixtures thereof. The roll-your-own cigarette paper exhibits a lower grammage and is thinner than the paper of rolled marketed cigarettes. For example, the grammage of the rolling paper, measured outside the adhesive strip, may be between 10 g/m2 and 50 g/m2, in particular between 12 g/m2 and 25 g/m2, more particularly between 13 g/m2 and 15 g/m2. The thickness of the rolling paper may be between 5 micrometers and 100 micrometers, in particular between 10 micrometers and 60 micrometers, more particularly between 20 micrometers and 50 micrometers.
Within the meaning of the present invention, the term “web of roll-your-own cigarette paper” is understood to mean roll-your-own cigarette paper as described above, the general shape of which, once the web is unrolled, is a rectangle. Typically, the length of the rectangle is several tens of meters, indeed even several thousand meters, while its width is greater than or equal to 0.6 m, in particular greater than or equal to 1 m, more particularly greater than or equal to 1.2 m, more particularly still greater than or equal to 1.5 m.
Within the meaning of the present invention, the term “bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper” is understood to mean roll-your-own cigarette paper as described above, the general shape of which, once the bobbin is unrolled, is a rectangle and which can comprise a moisture-activatable adhesive strip along one of the long edges of the rectangle. The width of the rectangle is substantially equal to the width of the sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper, i.e. between 30 mm and 75 mm, in particular approximately 36 mm, approximately 44 mm or approximately 53 mm. Typically, the length of the rectangle is from several hundred to several thousand meters, for example between 1000 m and 15 000 m, in particular between 3000 m and 10 000 m, very particularly between 5000 m and 8000 m. The length of the rectangle can also be one or more tens of meters; in this case, the sheet is known as roll. The length of the rectangle can also be one or more meters; in this case, the sheet is known as ream.
The moisture-activatable adhesive strip (also denoted adhesive strip) comprises a moisture-activatable adhesive.
Within the meaning of the present invention, the term “moisture-activatable adhesive” is understood to mean a compound which exhibits an adhesive property on contact with water or with moisture, such as, for example, the saliva. The moisture-activatable adhesive (also denoted adhesive) may be any type of adhesive known to a person skilled in the art. For example, the adhesive can be chosen from sugar solutions, modified or unmodified polysaccharides, gums and mixtures thereof, in particular gums.
Mention may be made, as modified or unmodified polysaccharides, of starch, alginates, dextrins, cyclodextrins or mixtures thereof.
The gums may be natural or artificial. Examples of natural gums are acacia gum, gum arabic, guar gum, karaya gum or pectins, in particular gum arabic.
The mass concentration of moisture-activatable adhesive in the adhesive strip of the bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper, without taking into account the roll-your-own cigarette paper, can, for example, be at least 95%, in particular at least 97%, more particularly at least 99%, more particularly still 100%.
The adhesive strip can also comprise an additive for conferring a property other than the adhesiveness on the adhesive strip.
For example, the additive can be a plasticizer, an antifoaming agent, a colorant, an aromatic compound or mixtures thereof, in particular a plasticizer, an antifoaming agent or mixture thereof.
Sorbitol is an example of plasticizer which can be used in the context of the present invention.
Mention may be made, as colorant, of natural or artificial food colorants, in particular natural food colorants. Caramels, chlorophyllin, the colorant resulting from paprika, the colorant resulting from beetroot, carotene, the colorant resulting from turmeric, cochineal, the colorant resulting from annatto seed, lutein, the colorant resulting from sunflower, anthocyanins, the colorant resulting from malt, charcoal and thermoluminescent pigments are examples of natural food colorants.
The aromatic compound can be chosen from glycosylated modified flavorings, encapsulated flavorings (cyclodextrins, membranes or matrices), natural flavorings and mixtures thereof. The aromatic compound can in particular be chosen from EVG, emanates, synthetic or natural cannabidiol (CBD), synthetic or natural tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), terpenes and mixtures thereof.
The grammage of the adhesive strip depends on the technology employed in step a). Typically, the grammage of the adhesive strip, excluding the roll-your-own cigarette paper, is less than 8 g/m2, in particular between 5.5 g/m2 and 7.5 g/m2, more particularly between 5 g/m2 and 6.5 g/m2.
The grammage of the adhesive strip is determined by weighing the weight of 1 m2 of a zone of the bobbin of paper devoid of adhesive strip, by weighing the weight of 1 m2 of a zone of the bobbin of paper comprising adhesive strip and by subtracting the two weights.
Typically, the width of the adhesive strip is between 1 mm and 10 mm, in particular between 4 mm and 8 mm, more particularly between 5 mm and 7 mm.
The adhesive strip can have a continuous or non-continuous form.
Mention may be made, as form of continuous form, of a straight line, a zigzag pattern, a crenellated pattern or a wave pattern.
Examples of non-continuous form are a non-continuous line of geometric shapes, of logos or mixtures thereof. The line can be straight or curved.
Examples of geometric shape are a polygon, a circle, an ellipse, an oval or mixtures thereof. The polygon can be a triangle, a quadrilateral, such as a square, a rectangle or a diamond, a pentagon, a hexagon or an octagon.
The logo can be a logo of a manufacturer of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
According to one embodiment, n is an integer of less than 100, in particular of between 30 and 55.
Step a) can, for example, be carried out at a rate of forward progression of the paper of greater than or equal to 70 m/min, in particular of greater than or equal to 100 m/min, more particularly of greater than or equal to 150 m/min, more particularly still of greater than or equal to 200 m/min.
Step a) can be carried out by any technique known to a person skilled in the art. For example, step a) can be carried out with a moisture-activatable adhesive solution and by techniques such as etching, flexography, heliography, flexogravure, photogravure, spraying, wetting and immersion, in particular flexography, heliography, flexogravure and photogravure. Each of these techniques can be followed by drying.
According to a specific embodiment, step a) is carried out by flexography, followed, if need be, by drying.
Flexography is a relief printing process known to a person skilled in the art in which a flexible relief plate, known as negative, is impregnated with a printing solution, and the substrate and the impregnated negative are brought into contact in order for the printing solution to be applied to the substrate.
In the context of the present invention, flexography advantageously makes it possible to bring n negatives impregnated with the solution of moisture-activatable adhesive into contact with the web of roll-your-own cigarette paper in order to make possible the application of the n strips of adhesives to the web of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
Flexography also makes it possible to have a rate of forward progression of the paper which can be four times greater than the rate of conventional processes. Thus, the productivity of the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention is thus greater than conventional processes.
In addition to the speed and to the use of the n negatives, flexography is a gentle application method which makes it possible to greatly reduce the risk of tearing of the web of roll-your-own cigarette paper when step a) is carried out.
Mention may be made, among the other advantages offered by flexography, of the accuracy, the simplicity and the low cost price of the negatives.
In addition, flexography is a flexible method which makes it possible to obtain an adhesive strip, the shape of which depends on the shape of the negative.
Furthermore, the tensile strength in the machine direction and in the transverse direction of the bobbins manufactured after step a) carried out by flexography is greater than that of the bobbins manufactured by a conventional process The bobbins manufactured after step a) carried out by flexography can thus more easily be employed in steps subsequent to the process for the manufacture of the bobbins of the invention, such as, for example, a step of cutting the bobbin into sheets or a step of formation of a stack of bobbins followed by a step of cutting the stack into a stack of sheets.
The moisture-activatable adhesive solution (also denoted adhesive solution) comprises a moisture-activatable adhesive. The mass concentration of moisture-activatable adhesive in the adhesive solution can be between 30% and 60%, in particular between 32% and 45%, more particularly between 35% and 40%.
The adhesive solution is typically an aqueous solution. The moisture-activatable adhesive solution can also comprise an additive as described above.
According to a specific embodiment, the adhesive solution can comprise a moisture-activatable adhesive, a plasticizer and an antifoaming agent, and the mass concentration of moisture-activatable adhesive is from 30% to 50%, the mass concentration of plasticizer is from 0.1% to 0.5% and the mass concentration of antifoaming agent is from 0.5% to 1%.
Step b) of cutting the adhesive web of paper is a conventional cutting step known to a person skilled in the art. The latter will thus know how to adapt the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention.
The step b) of cutting can, for example, be carried out at a rate of forward progression of the paper of greater than or equal to 100 m/min, in particular of greater than or equal to 500 m/min, more particularly of greater than or equal to 750 m/min, more particularly still of greater than or equal to 1000 m/min.
A bobbin manufactured by the process of the invention can be cut into a sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper which will subsequently be used to form a roll-your-own cigarette.
Another aspect of the invention is thus a process for the manufacture of a sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising a step c) of cutting at least one bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper manufactured by the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper described above in order to manufacture a sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
Within the meaning of the invention, the term “sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper” is understood to mean roll-your-own cigarette paper as described above, the general shape of which is a rectangle and which comprises an adhesive strip as described above along one of the long edges of the rectangle. Typically, the length of the rectangle is between 50 mm and 110 mm, while its width can vary from 30 mm to 75 mm.
Step c) of cutting the bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper is a conventional cutting step known to a person skilled in the art. The latter will thus know how to adapt the process for the manufacture of a sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention.
The sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper manufactured by the process of the invention is conventionally sold in the form of a booklet.
The invention thus also relates to a process for the manufacture of a booklet of sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising a step d1) of formation of a stack of sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper which are manufactured by the process for the manufacture of a sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention.
The formation step d1) can, for example, be carried out by stacking the sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper on one another or by inserting a sheet of roll-your-own cigarette paper between two sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
For example, the formation step d1) can be carried out by inserting the sheets using the item of equipment sold by IMAtec in Luxembourg.
According to one embodiment, the stack of sheets which is formed after step d1) can undergo an interlocking step in order to form a stack of interlocked sheets.
The stack of sheets, which are or are not interlocked, can subsequently be introduced into a carrying case.
The invention thus also relates to a process for the manufacture of a booklet of sheets of roll-your-own cigarette paper comprising a step d2) of formation of a stack of bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper which are manufactured by the process for the manufacture of a bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper of the invention, followed by a step e) of cutting the stack of bobbins.
The stack of bobbins can be formed during step d2) by unrolling the bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper and stacking the unrolled bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper on one another or by inserting one unrolled bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper between two unrolled bobbins of roll-your-own cigarette paper.
According to one embodiment, the stack of sheets which is formed in step e) of cutting the stack of bobbins can undergo an interlocking step in order to form a stack of interlocked sheets.
According to one embodiment, the stack of bobbins which is formed in step d2) can undergo an interlocking step before the step of cutting in order to form a stack of interlocked sheets.
The stack of sheets, which are or are not interlocked, can subsequently be introduced into a carrying case.
An aqueous solution of gum arabic is applied by flexography to a web of roll-your-own cigarette paper so that four adhesive strips extend in the machine direction. The web is subsequently dried and then cut in order to obtain four bobbins, each bobbin comprising an adhesive strip comprising gum arabic.
The bobbin is subsequently cut into sheets.
Each sheet exhibits a rectangular shape with a length of 110 mm, a width of 44 mm and a continuous adhesive strip along one of the two long edges of the sheet.
By virtue of this process, the sheets are produced at a rate of 200 m/min.
A web of paper is cut into four bobbins.
An aqueous solution of gum arabic is applied by a nozzle to each bobbin of roll-your-own cigarette paper. Each bobbin is subsequently dried and then cut into sheets.
Each sheet exhibits a rectangular shape with a length of 110 mm, a width of 44 mm and a continuous adhesive strip along one of the two long edges of the sheet.
The sheets are produced at a rate of 55 m/min with the process according to comparative example 2.
The process for the manufacture of the sheet of example 1 (according to the invention) is thus four times faster than the process for the manufacture of the sheet of example 2 (comparative).
The productivity of the process of example 1 is thus greater than the productivity of the process of example 2.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| FR1913398 | Nov 2019 | FR | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP2020/083808 | 11/27/2020 | WO |
