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CN-122003184-A - Apparatus and method for automatically forming filters for smoking articles

CN122003184ACN 122003184 ACN122003184 ACN 122003184ACN-122003184-A

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for automatically forming filters (100) for smoking articles starting from flat sheets (101) fed from a hopper (16), each flat sheet comprising an accordion fold (102) and a flat (103) formed in a first forming unit (11). The first forming unit (11) comprises at least one gripping member (22), said gripping member (22) being configured to grip one flat sheet (101) at a time and to free the free portion (104) of the accordion fold (102) to be created from said gripping member (22), and a pair of shaping members (25, 26) having shaping projections (30, 31) respectively staggered with each other, which gradually converge to engage opposite sides of said free portion (104), so as to gradually form successive folds of progressively greater shaping depth and to bring them towards each other.

Inventors

  • Antonio Capolale

Assignees

  • I·M·A·工业机械自动装置股份公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20240920
Priority Date
20230925

Claims (19)

  1. 1. An apparatus (10) for automatically forming filters (100) for smoking articles starting from a flat sheet (101), the apparatus (10) comprising a first forming unit (11), the first forming unit (11) being configured to create an accordion fold (102) on a portion of each of the flat sheets (101) and to keep adjacent flat portions (103) unfolded, the first forming unit (11) comprising at least one gripping member (22), the gripping member (22) being configured to grip one flat sheet (101) at a time and to free a free portion (104) of the accordion fold (102) to be created from the gripping member (22), characterized in that the first forming unit (11) further comprises a pair of shaping members (25, 26) having respective shaping projections (30, 31), the shaping projections (30, 31) converging in such a way that a distance between adjacent shaping projections (30, 31) of each shaping member (25, 26) from a respective shaping projection (30, 31) to a respective shaping stop end (30 a, 31) of the pair of shaping members (25, 26) is gradually reduced with respect to a respective shaping end (30 a, 30 b) of the shaping projections (25, 30) of the pair of shaping members (25, 26) 26 The shaping projections (31) of the second shaping member (26) are staggered, the pair of shaping members (25, 26) are configured by the shaping projections (30, 31) to engage opposite sides of the free portion (104) of the flat sheet (101) gripped by the gripping member (22), thereby gradually shaping successive folds of progressively greater shaping depth and bringing the successive folds toward each other, thereby creating the accordion fold (102) on the free portion (104) of the flat sheet (101).
  2. 2. The device (10) according to claim 1, wherein one or more of said shaped projections (30, 31) have a profile with a height that increases from a respective shaped starting end (30 a, 31 a) to a respective shaped ending end (30 b, 31 b).
  3. 3. The device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the pair of shaping members (25, 26) consists of a pair of counter-rotating rollers having respective arcuate shaped areas (29), said arcuate shaped areas (29) being provided with said shaping projections (30, 31) thereon, and in that the shaping projections (30, 31) of the first and second shaping members (25, 26) are configured to be gradually inserted between each other, creating a crease on the free portion (104).
  4. 4. The device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an abutment member (35), the abutment member (35) being configured to lock the position of the flat sheet (101) relative to the pair of shaping members (25, 26) during creation of the organ fold (102) by moving from a retracted position (P1), in which the abutment member (35) is spaced from the flat sheet (101), to an advanced position (P2), in which the abutment member (35) contacts the at least one gripping member (22) such that the flat sheet (101) is positioned therebetween.
  5. 5. The apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first forming unit (11) further comprises a first rotating device (20) rotatable about a first main rotation axis (X1) to move the at least one gripping member (22) along a first processing path (PL 1) running through at least one removal station (15), one shaping station (17) and one transport station (19).
  6. 6. The device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one gripping member (22) comprises one or more gripping elements (23) configured to pick up the flat sheet (101) from a feeding unit (16) by contacting one face of the flat sheet (101) and leaving the opposite face free.
  7. 7. The apparatus (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a collapsing device (39) arranged downstream of the pair of shaping members (25, 26) and movable between a rest position (PP) in which it is spaced from an organ fold (102) of a corresponding flat sheet (101) gripped by the at least one gripping member (22), and a collapsed Position (PS) in which it engages the organ fold (102) by means of an abutment wall (41) and collapses the organ fold (102) against an impact wall (48) of an impact plate (46), thereby collapsing the organ fold (102) to stabilize the shape of the organ fold (102).
  8. 8. The apparatus (10) of claim 7, wherein the collapsing device (39) is provided with an inclined surface (44), the inclined surface (44) being configured and dimensioned such that when the abutment wall (41) abuts the impact wall (48) such that the accordion fold (102) of flat sheet material is located therebetween, the inclined surface (44) slides over the impact plate (46) to accurately collapse the accordion fold (102).
  9. 9. The device (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a second forming unit (12) having at least one forming mandrel (66), said forming mandrel (66) being provided with a gripping member (75) configured to grip the organ fold (102) and rotate about a rotation axis (X5), said second forming unit further having at least one housing element (70) coaxially arranged with the rotation axis (X5) of the forming mandrel (66) and provided with a hollow cylinder (71), said gripping member (75) being insertable into said hollow cylinder (71), said hollow cylinder (71) being provided with a side slit (72) parallel to the rotation axis (X5), said side slit (72) being configured to allow a straight portion (103) wound on said gripping member (75) to pass through when said forming mandrel (66) rotates, thus forming the filter plug (100).
  10. 10. A method for automatically forming a filter (100) for a smoking article by means of an apparatus (10), the apparatus (10) comprising a first forming unit (11), the first forming unit (11) performing a first forming step to form the filter (100) starting from flat sheets (101) so as to create an organ fold (102) on a portion of each of the flat sheets (101) and to keep adjacent flat portions (103) unfolded, wherein a clamping member (22) of the first forming unit (11) clamps one flat sheet (101) at a time and free portions (104) of the organ fold (102) to be created protrude from the clamping member (22), and moving the flat sheet (101) towards a pair of shaping members (25, 26) of the first shaping unit (11), characterized in that the pair of shaping members (25, 26) has respective converging shaping projections (30, 31), wherein the distance between adjacent shaping projections (30, 31) of each shaping member (25, 26) decreases gradually from a respective shaping start end (30 a, 31 a) to a respective shaping end (30 b, 31 b), the shaping projections (30) of the first shaping member (25) of the pair of shaping members (25, 26) decreasing with respect to the pair of shaping members (25), 26 The first shaping step further comprises engaging the free portions (104) of the flat sheet (101) gripped by the gripping members (22) from opposite sides by means of the respective converging shaped projections (30, 31) so that successive folds of progressively greater shaping depth are progressively shaped and brought together, creating the organ folds (102) on the free portions (104) of the flat sheet (101).
  11. 11. A method according to claim 10, characterized in that in the shaping step, the shaping projections (30) of the first shaping member (25) are pressed against one face of the free portion (104) and gradually interposed between the shaping projections (31) of the second shaping member (26), the shaping projections (31) of the second shaping member (26) being pressed against the other face of the free portion (104), thereby creating the folds.
  12. 12. Method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that it comprises an extraction step, wherein said at least one gripping member (22) extracts said flat sheet (101) directly from the feeding unit (16) through the respective gripping element(s) (23), and keeps the opposite face from gripping said flat portion (103) by contact with it on only one face.
  13. 13. Method according to claim 10, 11 or 12, characterized in that after the shaping step the method comprises a collapsing step, wherein the flat sheet (101) gripped by the at least one gripping member (22) is fed into a transfer station (19) of the first shaping unit (11), the respective organ fold (102) facing towards and being aligned with a collapsing device (39), the collapsing device (39) translating towards the striking plate (46) by moving from a rest position (PP) to a collapsed Position (PS), the collapsing device (39) collapsing the organ fold (102) against a striking wall (48) of the striking plate (46) by means of an abutment wall (41) to stabilize the organ fold (102).
  14. 14. Method according to claim 13, characterized in that during the movement from the rest position (PP) to the collapsed Position (PS), an inclined surface (44) connected to the abutment wall (41) slides over an impact plate (46) to perform the collapse accurately.
  15. 15. A method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized in that it further comprises a second shaping step, downstream of which the respective sheet with the organ fold (102) is received by a shaping mandrel (66) of a second shaping unit (12), which grips the organ fold (102) by means of a gripping member (75) and cooperates with a coaxially arranged containing element (70) to shape the filter plug (100), the containing element (70) being provided with a hollow cylinder (71), the gripping member (75) being insertable into the hollow cylinder (71), the hollow cylinder (71) being provided with side slits (72) allowing the passage of a straight portion (103), and the shaping mandrel (66) being rotated about its rotation axis (X5) and by cooperation with the hollow cylinder (71) the straight portion (103) being wound on the gripping member (75) and the organ fold (102) to shape the filter plug (100).
  16. 16. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, characterized in that the pair of shaping members (25, 26) consists of a pair of rollers having respective arcuate shaping areas (29), the arcuate shaping areas (29) being provided with the shaping projections (30, 31), the rollers being counter-rotated during the shaping step so as to create the organ fold (102).
  17. 17. A collapse unit for collapsing an organ fold (102) in the vicinity of a flat portion (103) of a sheet (101) intended to form a filter plug (100) for a smoking article, comprising a collapse device (39), an impact plate (46) and a gripping member (22) for gripping the sheet (101), characterized in that the collapse device (39) is configured to translate from a rest position (PP) in which the collapse device (39) is spaced from the organ fold (102), to a collapse Position (PS) in which the collapse device (39) engages the organ fold (102) by means of an abutment wall (41) and collapses the organ fold (102) against an impact wall (48) of the impact plate (46), thereby collapsing the organ fold (102) to stabilize the shape of the organ fold (102).
  18. 18. The unit according to claim 17, characterized in that the collapsing device (39) is further provided with an inclined surface (44), the inclined surface (44) being configured and dimensioned such that the inclined surface (44) slides over the striking plate (46) when the abutment wall (41) abuts the striking wall (48) with the organ fold (102) therebetween.
  19. 19. An apparatus (10) for automatically shaping filters (100) for smoking articles starting from a flat sheet (101), characterized by comprising a shaping station (17) and a conveying station (19), the shaping station comprising a shaping element (24), the shaping element (24) being configured to shape a free portion (104) of the flat sheet (101) to create an accordion fold (102), the conveying station (19) being configured to convey the flat sheet (101) with the accordion fold (102), the apparatus (10) further comprising a collapsing unit according to claim 17 or 18 and a push rod (50), the push rod (50) being configured to engage the accordion fold (102) collapsed and gripped by the collapsing device (39) and to push the flat sheet (101) with the compressed collapsed accordion fold (102) towards a conveying arm (51), the conveying arm (51) being configured to guide out the flat sheet (101) pushed in by the push rod (50).

Description

Apparatus and method for automatically forming filters for smoking articles Technical Field The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for automatically forming filters for smoking articles intended to be then filled with smokable products, such as tobacco or the like. Background There is an increasing demand for producing smoking articles comprising an outer tubular housing of elongate shape (e.g. cylindrical or frusto-conical) provided at one end with a filter made of suitably shaped and folded paper or paperboard. In order to produce such filters, devices are known which fold a suitably sized flat sheet of paper or cardboard and then wind it on itself so that it can then be inserted into the outer casing. An apparatus is known in which filters are manufactured by spirally winding sheets of cardboard in two different steps, first using one or more rotary grippers, then using a moving plane mechanism. However, this device has the disadvantage of not being very versatile, since in order to complete the formation of the filter, the rotary grippers must be removed, resulting in a slow operation. From document US 2023/0108165 A1 an apparatus is also known in which a hopper contains individualized (singularized) flat sheets, which are positioned one by one in corresponding fixed slots of a conveyor along which filters are subsequently formed by positioning members. In this device, the flat sheet is shaped and folded in two or more shaping and folding steps, in each of which a corresponding V-shaped cut is made to form a zigzag or organ-shaped portion, and the remaining flat or extended portion of the flat sheet is then wrapped around the zigzag or organ-shaped portion. However, the device has the disadvantage of being complex and of providing several shaping and folding steps on dedicated continuous stations in order to make the organ-shaped portion, thus increasing the overall size and production time of the machine. Another known solution is described in US 3,818,809A, in which Yang Dingxing parts and female shaping parts cooperate to shape the folds previously created on the continuous web with the embossing roller. Accordingly, there is a need for an improvement in an apparatus for automatically forming filters that overcomes at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art. Disclosure of Invention For this purpose, it is necessary to solve the technical problem of providing a device that allows to shape filters for smoking articles in a simple way, optimizing the number of operating steps for shaping the accordion folds, thus reducing the operating and production times. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and to perfect a method for automatically shaping filters for smoking articles which is efficient, versatile and capable of achieving high productivity. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and perfect a method for automatically shaping filters for smoking articles which can be integrated into more complex machines which can also perform other processes, such as shaping the outer shell and/or packaging the finished smoking article. The applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain the other purposes and advantages mentioned above. The invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe other features of the invention or variants to the main inventive idea. In accordance with the above purpose and in a novel and original manner, the technical problem described above is also achieved with considerable advantages compared to the prior art, the device for automatically forming filters for smoking articles starting from a flat sheet according to the present invention comprising a first forming unit configured to create an accordion fold on a portion of each of said flat sheets and to keep the adjacent flat portions unfolded. According to one aspect of the invention, the first forming unit comprises at least one gripping member configured to grip the flat portions of one flat sheet at a time and to free the free portions from which the accordion folds are to be created from protruding from the gripping member. According to one aspect of the present invention, the first molding unit further includes a pair of shaping members having shaping projections that converge in such a manner that a distance between adjacent shaping projections of each shaping member gradually decreases from a respective shaping start end to a respective shaping finish end. The shaped projections of a first shaped member of the pair of shaped members are staggered with respect to the shaped projections of a second shaped member of the pair of shaped members. Further, the pair of shaping members are configured to engage with opposite sides of the free portion of the flat sheet sandwiched by the sandwiching members by th