WO2025243510A1 - Manufacturing machine for rod used in aerosol-generating article and method for manufacturing said rod - Google Patents

Abstract

A manufacturing machine (2) for a rod (1) used in an aerosol-generating article (80) comprises: a sheet supply section (10) that supplies a sheet (4), which is a material for the rod (1), to a conveyance path (14); a sheet processing section (20) that processes the sheet (4) being conveyed on the conveyance path (14); and a fine powder removal section (30) that has a removal unit (32) which removes fine powder from the sheet (4) being conveyed on the conveyance path (14), wherein the removal unit (32) is provided with a removal head (34) that has a separation part (42) which separates the fine powder from the sheet (4) and an attraction part (44) which attracts and removes the fine powder separated from the sheet (4) at the separation part (42).

Description

Machine for manufacturing rods used in aerosol products and method for manufacturing said rods

The present invention relates to a machine for manufacturing rods used in aerosol products and a method for manufacturing such rods.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method and device for processing strips of tobacco filter material (filter tow). In this processing method and device, the filter tow strip is guided tightly around a pair of rollers in an S-shape or loop, forming a gap between the rollers, preventing contact between the rollers and preventing wear on the roller surfaces. Furthermore, the rollers can be equipped with a dust removal device, and dust adhering to the rollers can be removed by placing a brush on the roller or irradiating it with ultrasound, further improving the filter tow processing process.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-223305

In rod manufacturing machines used for aerosol products, including tobacco, it is known that fine powder (paper powder and other dust) adheres significantly to the surface of the sheets that form the rods during the sheet manufacturing and processing processes. Such fine powder adheres to and accumulates on the rod forming unit, contaminating the equipment, and adheres to the rods, resulting in a deterioration in the quality of the rods and ultimately the aerosol products. Therefore, rather than removing fine powder from rollers as in the above-mentioned conventional technology, there is a need for a method of directly and efficiently removing fine powder from sheets being transported during the rod manufacturing process, thereby efficiently preventing equipment contamination caused by fine powder and a deterioration in the quality of the rods and ultimately the aerosol products.

The present invention was made in consideration of these issues, and aims to provide a manufacturing machine for rods used in aerosol products and a manufacturing method for such rods that can efficiently prevent contamination of equipment due to fine powder and deterioration of the quality of the rods and, ultimately, the aerosol products, due to fine powder.

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of a manufacturing machine for rods used in aerosol products comprises a sheet supply section that supplies sheets, which are the material for the rods, to a conveying path; a sheet processing section that processes the sheets as they are conveyed along the conveying path; and a fine powder removal section that has a removal unit that removes fine powder from the sheets as they are conveyed along the conveying path, the removal unit comprising a removal head that has a peeling section that peels fine powder from the sheets and a suction section that sucks and removes the fine powder peeled from the sheets in the peeling section.

In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a rod used in an aerosol product includes a sheet supply step for supplying a sheet, which is the material for the rod, to a conveying path; a sheet processing step for processing the sheet while it is being conveyed along the conveying path; and a fine powder removal step for removing fine powder adhering to the sheet while it is being conveyed along the conveying path. The fine powder removal step includes a fine powder removal process for removing fine powder from the sheet, and a fine powder suction process for sucking and removing the fine powder removed from the sheet in the fine powder removal process.

The rod manufacturing machine and rod manufacturing method for the aerosol product described above can efficiently prevent equipment contamination caused by fine powder and deterioration of the quality of the rods, and ultimately the aerosol product, caused by fine powder.

1 is a schematic diagram of a rod manufacturing machine according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a rod using the manufacturing machine of FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the removal unit of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the rod of FIG. 1; 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the aerosol production article with the rod of FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an alternative aerosol product with the rod of FIG. 4. FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a removal unit according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a removal unit according to a third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a cutting section according to a fourth embodiment. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of a removal unit installed in the knife of FIG. 9; 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a rod using the cutting section of FIG. 9 . FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a sheet supply section according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of a removal unit installed in the knife of FIG. 12. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a rod using the sheet supply section of FIG. 12. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a combiner section according to a sixth embodiment. FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a removal unit installed in the knife of FIG. 15; 16 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing an article using the combiner section of FIG. 15 .

Hereinafter, a manufacturing machine 2 for rods 1 used in aerosol products and a manufacturing method for rods 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.
First Embodiment
Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a rod 1 manufacturing machine 2 according to the first embodiment, and Fig. 2 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a rod 1 using the manufacturing machine 2 shown in Fig. 1. The manufacturing machine 2 includes, in order from the upstream side in the conveyance direction of a sheet 4, which is the material for the rod 1, a sheet supply section 10, a sheet processing section 20, a fine powder removal section 30, a gathering section 40, a wrapping section 50, and a cutting section 60.

The sheet supply section 10 includes a roll 6 on which the sheet 4 is wound, multiple guide rollers 8, multiple dancer rollers 9, and feed rollers 12. Each guide roller 8 guides the sheet 4 along the conveying path 14, and each dancer roller 9 is allowed to move up and down, applying tension to the sheet 4 on the conveying path 14. The feed roller 12 pulls and pays out the sheet 4 from the roll 6 via the guide rollers 8 and dancer rollers 9. When the production of rod 1 begins, the sheet supply section 10, configured in this manner, continuously pays out the sheet 4 from the roll 6 via the rollers 8, 9, and 12, and supplies it to the conveying path 14 in the manufacturing machine 2 (S1: sheet supply step).

Next, the sheet processing section 20 processes the sheet 4 while it is being transported along the transport path 14 (S2: sheet processing step). More specifically, the sheet processing section 20 is equipped with crimping rollers 22, which crimp the sheet 4 by sandwiching it between paired rollers 22A and 22B and transporting it (P1: crimping process). Note that crimping is a process that creates uneven patterns in the sheet 4 at intervals. By performing this crimping process, crimped portions 4a (see Figure 4) with uneven wrinkled shapes are formed in the sheet 4. Next, the fine powder removal section 30 removes fine powder from the sheet 4 while it is being transported along the transport path 14 (S3: fine powder removal step).

More specifically, the fine powder removal section 30 includes a removal unit 32, which has a removal head 34 that removes fine powder, such as paper dust and other dust, adhering to the sheet 4 from the sheet 4. In this embodiment, the removal head 34 includes a first removal head 34A and a second removal head 34B. The first removal head 34A removes fine powder adhering to the front surface (top surface in FIG. 1) of the sheet 4. The second removal head 34B removes fine powder adhering to the back surface (bottom surface in FIG. 1) of the sheet 4. In other words, the fine powder removal step S3 removes fine powder adhering to both the front and back surfaces of the sheet 4.

The removal unit 32 also has support rollers 36 positioned opposite the removal head 34 with the sheet 4 sandwiched between them. The support rollers 36 support the sheet 4 during transport, bringing it close to the removal head 34. Specifically, the distance between the removal head 34 and the support rollers 36 is set to, for example, approximately 1 mm to 3 mm. In this embodiment, the support rollers 36 include a first support roller 36A and a second support roller 36B. The first support roller 36A supports the sheet 4, bringing it close to the first removal head 34A. The second support roller 36B supports the sheet 4, bringing it close to the second removal head 34B. Guide rollers 8 are respectively arranged upstream of the first support roller 36A and downstream of the second support roller 36B.

Furthermore, the removal unit 32 is equipped with a static eliminator (in other words, an ionizer) 38 upstream of the removal head 34 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 4. The static eliminator 38 removes static electricity from the sheet 4 in the fine powder removal step S3 before the fine powder peeling process P3 described below (P2: static elimination process). In this embodiment, the static eliminator 38 includes a first static eliminator 38A and a second static eliminator 38B. The first static eliminator 38A is disposed between the first support roller 36A and the guide roller 8 upstream thereof. The second static eliminator 38B is disposed between the second support roller 36B and the guide roller 8 downstream thereof.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the removal unit 32. The removal head 34 that constitutes the removal unit 32 has a peeling section 42 and a suction section 44. The peeling section 42 peels off fine powder from the sheet 4 in the fine powder removal step S3 (P3: fine powder peeling process). The suction section 44 has a vacuum pump (not shown) and the like, and sucks up and removes the fine powder peeled off from the sheet 4 in the peeling section 42 (P4: fine powder suction process). More specifically, in this embodiment, the peeling section 42 has an ultrasonic generator 46 that irradiates ultrasonic waves onto the sheet 4 during transport. The ultrasonic generators 46 are provided both upstream and downstream of the suction section 44 in the transport direction of the sheet 4.

In other words, in this embodiment, two peeling units 42, i.e., two ultrasonic generators 46, are provided, and one suction unit 44 is provided. In this embodiment, the fine powder peeling process P3 irradiates ultrasonic waves (shown by thin solid lines) both upstream and downstream of the suction unit 44, thereby peeling off fine powder from the sheet 4 being conveyed without contact. The fine powder suction process P4 sucks and removes the fine powder peeled off from the sheet 4 by suction (shown by thick solid lines) using the suction unit 44. Next, the gathering section 40 gathers the sheet 4 from which the fine powder has been removed in the fine powder removal section 30 in the width direction, which is intersecting with its longitudinal direction; in other words, it gathers, bundles, and reduces the diameter to form a focusing rod 70 (S4: Gathering Step).

More specifically, the gathering section 40 includes, in order from upstream in the conveying direction of the sheet 4, a liquid addition booth 16, a granule addition unit 18, a trumpet guide 24, and tongs 26. The liquid addition booth 16 sprays a liquid additive onto the sheet 4 before gathering as needed (P5: liquid addition process). The additive is a liquid containing, for example, a plasticizer or fragrance. The granule addition unit 18 includes a hopper 18a and a spray roller 18b. The hopper 18a stores granules, and the spray roller 18b sprays the granules supplied from the hopper 18a onto the sheet 4 before gathering as needed (P6: granule addition process).

The granules are particulate additives, including, for example, particles of activated carbon or fragrance. The trumpet guide 24 is cylindrical, and its inner circumferential surface gradually narrows from the upstream side of the conveying path 14, randomly gathering the sheet 4 conveyed along the conveying path 14 while reducing its diameter into a rod-like shape, and then discharging it toward the cylindrical tongs 26. As the gathered rod-shaped sheet 4 passes through the tongs 26, the diameter of the rod-shaped sheet 4 is further reduced and formed into a converging rod 70.

Next, the wrapping section 50 further reduces the diameter of the converging rod 70 formed in the gathering section 40, while spraying glue onto the wrapping paper 72 supplied to the wrapping section 50 using a spray gun (not shown), wrapping the converging rod 70 with the wrapping paper 72 to form a continuous rod material 74 (S5: wrapping step). Next, the cutting section 60 cuts the rod material 74 formed in the wrapping section 50 into shorter rods 1 (S5: cutting step). The rods 1 produced in this manner are used as various filling elements that make up the aerosol product.

Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the rod 1, and Figure 5 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an aerosol product 80 including the rod 1. As shown in Figure 4, the rod 1 is formed by gathering and reducing the diameter of a sheet 4 having a large number of crimped portions 4a formed therein, and wrapping it with wrapping paper 72. The aerosol product 80 (hereinafter simply referred to as product 80) shown in Figure 5 is a non-combustion heating type, and is composed of an aerosol generating element 82, a cooling element 84, and a filter element 86. The elements 82, 84, and 86 are arranged side by side in the axial direction and butt together, and the product 80 is formed by wrapping them with tipping paper 88.

The aerosol-generating element 82 is heated by a heater in a device (aerosol generator) not shown, causing the components of the aerosol-generating raw material 82a to volatilize. The aerosol-generating raw material 82a is, for example, shredded tobacco, shredded tobacco sheet, or a gathered tobacco sheet. The aerosol-generating raw material 82a may also be a sheet made from tobacco-free pulp to which a flavoring agent has been added, shredded sheet made from a non-tobacco plant, or such a sheet folded into a corrugated pattern. The cooling element 84 is, for example, a cylindrical cardboard tube made from a single or double paper web, and forms an airflow path within the article 80.

A plurality of ventilation holes 84a are formed on the circumferential surface of the cooling element 84 to draw air into the item 80 when the item 80 is inhaled. The components volatilized from the aerosol generating element 82 are cooled by the air drawn in through each ventilation hole 84a in the cooling element 84, turning into an aerosol, and the user inhales the aerosol that passes through the filter element 86. In the case shown in Figure 5, the rod 1 is used as the filter element 86, which has optimal air resistance as a filter body. Note that the rod 1 can also be used as the aerosol generating element 82 or the cooling element 84 by selecting the material of the sheet 4. The sheet 4 can be made of various materials, such as paper web, nonwoven fabric, tobacco sheet, or film, depending on the application for which the rod 1 is used.

Figure 6 shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of another form of aerosol production product 80 equipped with a rod 1. In this product 80, the rod 1 is used as a plug element 90 located at the tip adjacent to the aerosol generating element 82. In this case, the sheet 4 may be a paper web or a nonwoven fabric. If the sheet 4 is a nonwoven fabric, it is preferable to use a dry nonwoven fabric in which plant pulp is bonded together with a water-soluble binder. The plant pulp may also be wood pulp from a non-tobacco plant. Furthermore, when a rod 1 is used in the product 80 of Figure 6, it is preferable to spray a liquid additive onto the sheet 4 before gathering in the liquid addition process P5 described above.

The additive soaked in the plug element 90 is heated together with the aerosol generating element 82 by the device's heater, causing the additive components to volatilize. The additive may be, for example, a flavor liquid, which may contain tobacco extract. Furthermore, because the plug element 90 is positioned at the tip of the product 80, it also functions as a support element, preventing the aerosol generating raw material 82a from spilling out of the aerosol generating element 82. Although not shown, the rod 1 can also be used as a filter element or cooling element for combustion-heated aerosol products.

As described above, the rod 1 manufacturing machine 2 of this embodiment includes a removal unit 32 in the fine powder removal section 30 that removes fine powder from the sheet 4 being transported along the transport path 14, and the removal head 34 that constitutes the removal unit 32 has a peeling unit 42 and a suction unit 44. The peeling unit 42 peels fine powder from the sheet 4 in the fine powder peeling process P3, and the suction unit 44 sucks and removes the fine powder peeled from the sheet 4 in the fine powder suction process P4. This allows fine powder to be directly and efficiently removed from the sheet 4 being transported during the rod 1 manufacturing process. This effectively prevents equipment contamination caused by fine powder and deterioration of the quality of the rod 1 and, ultimately, the aerosol product 80, caused by the fine powder.

Furthermore, by providing the support roller 36 in the removal unit 32, the sheet 4 being transported along the transport path 14 can be brought as close as possible to the removal head 34, while maintaining a constant distance between the sheet 4 and the removal head 34. This allows fine powder to be more efficiently peeled off and removed from the sheet 4. Furthermore, the removal unit 32 has a static eliminator 38 that removes static electricity from the sheet 4, located upstream of the removal head 34 in the transport direction of the sheet 4. The static eliminator 38 removes static electricity from the sheet 4 in the static elimination process P2 before the fine powder peeling process P3. This allows the fine powder to be more effectively peeled off from the sheet 4 in the peeling section 42 by removing static electricity in advance.

The removal head 34 also includes a first removal head 34A that removes fine powder adhering to the front surface of the sheet 4, and a second removal head 34B that removes fine powder adhering to the back surface of the sheet 4. The first removal head 34A and second removal head 34B remove fine powder adhering to both the front and back surfaces of the sheet 4 in the fine powder removal step S3. This ensures that fine powder is removed from both the front and back surfaces of the sheet 4.

The peeling unit 42 also has an ultrasonic generator 46 that irradiates ultrasonic waves onto the sheet 4 as it is being conveyed. The ultrasonic generators 46 are provided both upstream and downstream of the suction unit 44 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 4. In the fine powder peeling process P3, the ultrasonic generators 46 peel fine powder off of the sheet 4 as it is being conveyed without contact. This prevents damage to the sheet 4 and ensures that the fine powder is peeled off and removed from the sheet 4 without being affected by the thickness, strength, processing mode, etc. of the sheet 4. Specifically, when the sheet 4 is crimped by the crimping rollers 22 in the sheet processing section 20, as in this embodiment, it is difficult to peel fine powder off of the sheet 4 having the crimped portions 4a through physical contact. Therefore, by using ultrasonic waves, it is possible to reliably peel off and remove fine powder from the sheet 4 even in such cases.

In particular, in the case of this embodiment, by providing ultrasonic generators 46 both upstream and downstream of the suction section 44, any fine powder that was not completely removed from the sheet 4 upstream of the suction section 44 can be reliably removed downstream of the suction section 44. This makes it possible to remove fine powder from the sheet 4 even more efficiently. In fact, experiments have shown that in this embodiment, the "fine powder reduction rate" obtained by measuring the fine powder adhering to the sheet 4 before and after the fine powder removal step S3 is the largest, making it possible to remove fine powder most effectively.

Second Embodiment
7 shows a cross-sectional view of the removal unit 32 according to the second embodiment. In the following description of each embodiment, features different from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and features similar to those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings and will not be described again. The suction units 44 constituting the removal head 34 of this embodiment are provided on both the upstream and downstream sides of the ultrasonic generator 46 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 4. That is, in this embodiment, two suction units 44 are provided, and one peeling unit 42, and thus one ultrasonic generator 46, is provided.

In this embodiment, ultrasonic waves are applied between the two suction sections 44 (shown by thin solid lines), causing fine powder to be detached from the sheet 4 being conveyed without contact and then sucked up by each suction section 44 (shown by thick solid lines). This allows the same effects to be achieved in this embodiment as in the first embodiment described above. In particular, in this embodiment, by providing suction sections 44 on both the upstream and downstream sides of the ultrasonic generator 46, fine powder that has been detached from the sheet 4 and scattered by the application of ultrasonic waves can be reliably captured and removed over a wide area both upstream and downstream of the ultrasonic generator 46. Furthermore, fine powder that has been detached from the sheet 4 simply by discharging it with the static eliminator 38 can be sucked up and removed in advance in the suction section 44 upstream of the ultrasonic generator 46. This allows for even more efficient removal of fine powder from the sheet 4.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a removal unit 32 according to a third embodiment. The stripping unit 42 constituting the removal head 34 of this embodiment has a brush 52 that rotates while contacting the sheet 4 being conveyed, and the suction unit 44 suctions both the upstream and downstream sides of the brush 52 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 4. Specifically, the brush 52 is positioned so that a portion of it protrudes from the housing 42a of the stripping unit 42, and gaps 54 are formed between the brush 52 and the housing 42a on both the upstream and downstream sides of the brush 52. The suction unit 44 is located above the brush 52 as viewed in FIG. 8, and air is drawn into the housing 42a through the gaps 54 by suction from the suction unit 44.

Fine powder peeled off from the sheet 4 by contact with the brush 52 is drawn from the peeling section 42 into the suction section 44 by the air flow indicated by the arrows. A cleaner 56 is also disposed between the peeling section 42 and the suction section 44. As the rotating brush 52 approaches the cleaner 56, the fine powder adhering to the brush 52 is scattered and sucked into the suction section 44, maintaining the brush 52 in a clean state. In this embodiment, the brush 52 provided in the peeling section 42 peels off fine powder from the sheet 4 being transported through physical contact in the fine powder peeling process P3.

This ensures that fine powder firmly adhered to the sheet 4 can be reliably peeled off and removed. Therefore, in this embodiment, if the fine powder has properties such as high adhesion and is difficult to peel off from the sheet 4, or if the sheet 4 is strong enough to withstand the friction of the brush 52, fine powder can be efficiently removed from the sheet 4. Note that if it is difficult to peel fine powder from a sheet 4 having crimped portions 4a through physical contact with the brush 52, the sheet 4 may not be subjected to crimping processing in the sheet processing section 20.

Fourth Embodiment
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a cutting section 60 according to a fourth embodiment. The cutting section 60 of this embodiment includes a rotating drum 64 to which a knife 62 is attached. The knife 62 cuts the rod material 74 formed in the lapping section 50 to form short rods 1. The cutting section 60 of this embodiment also includes a removal unit (knife removal unit) 100 that removes fine powder adhering to the blade 62a of the knife 62. A removal head (knife removal head) 102 constituting the removal unit 100 is disposed in the path of rotation of the knife 62. As the rotating drum 64 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow, the knife 62 passes through the removal head 102, thereby removing the fine powder adhering to the blade 62a of the knife 62. A polishing unit 103 is disposed in the path of rotation of the knife 62. As the rotating drum 64 rotates, the knife 62 passes through the polishing unit 103, thereby polishing the knife 62.

Figure 10 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the removal unit 100 installed on the knife 62 of Figure 9, and Figure 11 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a rod 1 using the cutting section 60 of Figure 9. The removal head 102 that constitutes the removal unit 100 has a peeling section (knife peeling section) 104 and a suction section (knife suction section) 106. The peeling section 104 peels off the fine powder that has adhered to the blade portion 62a of the knife 62 when cutting the rod material 74 in the cutting step S5 (P7: fine powder peeling process). The suction section 106 sucks and removes the fine powder that has been peeled off from the blade portion 62a in the peeling section 104 (P8: fine powder suction process).

More specifically, as shown in Figure 10, the removal head 102 of this embodiment has a slit 108 into which the blade portion 62a is inserted without contact. The peeling unit 104 has an ultrasonic generator (knife ultrasonic generator) 110 that irradiates ultrasonic waves onto the blade portion 62a inserted into the slit 108, and the suction unit 106 sucks up fine powder using a vacuum pump (not shown). In this embodiment, the ultrasonic generator 110 irradiates ultrasonic waves onto the blade surfaces 62b on the front and back of the blade portion 62a (shown by thin solid lines). The suction unit 106 also sucks up fine powder at a position opposite the cutting edge 62c of the blade portion 62a (shown by thick solid lines). Note that the steps other than the cutting step S6 in Figure 11 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

As described above, the rod 1 manufacturing machine 2 of this embodiment includes a cutting section 60 equipped with a knife 62 that cuts the rod material 74 and a removal unit 100 for the knife. The removal unit 100 includes a removal head 102 that has a peeling unit 104 and a suction unit 106. The peeling unit 104 peels fine powder from the blade 62a of the knife 62 in the fine powder peeling process P7, and the suction unit 106 sucks and removes the fine powder peeled from the blade 62a in the fine powder suction process P8. This allows fine powder to be directly and efficiently removed not only from the sheet 4 being transported during the rod 1 manufacturing process, but also from the blade 62a of the knife 62 that cuts the rod material 74. This further effectively prevents equipment contamination caused by fine powder and deterioration of the quality of the rod 1 and, ultimately, the aerosol product 80.

The removal head 102 also has a slit 108, and an ultrasonic generator 110 provided in the peeling section 104 irradiates ultrasonic waves onto the blade section 62a inserted into the slit 108. More specifically, the ultrasonic generator 110 irradiates ultrasonic waves onto the blade surfaces 62b on both sides of the blade section 62a, and the suction section 106 sucks up fine powder at a position opposite the cutting edge 62c of the blade section 62a. This allows fine powder adhering to the blade section 62a of the knife 62 to be directly and efficiently removed without interfering with the rotation of the knife 62.

Fifth Embodiment
FIG. 12 shows a perspective view of a sheet supply section 10 according to a fifth embodiment, FIG. 13 shows a partial cross-sectional view of a removal unit 100 installed in the knife 68 of FIG. 12 , and FIG. 14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a rod 1 using the sheet supply section 10 of FIG. 12 . The sheet supply section 10 of this embodiment has a guide roller 112 positioned immediately downstream of the roll 6 in the conveying direction of the sheet 4. The guide roller 112 is rotatably supported on a rotation shaft 114, to which a knife 68 is coaxially attached. The knife 68 is a rotary knife having a cutting edge 68a formed along its outer periphery, and the knife 68 is equipped with a removal unit 100 similar to that of the fourth embodiment. In the sheet supply step S1 of this embodiment, the knife 68 cuts and divides the sheet 4 conveyed along the conveying path 14 in two in a width direction Y intersecting with the longitudinal direction X, thereby forming a first sheet 4A and a second sheet 4B (P9: sheet dividing process).

The first sheet 4A is used as the filler for the rod 1 after passing through steps S1 to S6 described above. Meanwhile, the second sheet 4B is supplied to the wrapping section 50 as wrapping paper 72 and wraps the filler formed by the first sheet 4A. The removal head 102 that constitutes the removal unit 100 has a peeling section 104 and a suction section 106. The peeling section 104 peels off the fine powder that adheres to the blade portion 68a of the knife 68 when the sheet 4 is cut in the sheet dividing process P10 (P10: fine powder peeling process).

The suction unit 106 sucks and removes the fine powder peeled off from the blade portion 68a in the peeling unit 104 (P11: fine powder suction process). The removal head 102 of this embodiment has the same structure as in the fourth embodiment, and the ultrasonic generator 110 irradiates ultrasonic waves (shown by thin solid lines) to each of the blade surfaces 68b on the front and back of the blade portion 68a. The suction unit 106 also sucks (shown by thick solid lines) the fine powder at a position opposite the cutting edge 68c of the blade portion 68a. Note that the steps other than the sheet supply step S1 in Figure 13 are the same as in the fourth embodiment, and therefore will not be described here.

In this embodiment, as in the fourth embodiment, fine powder can be directly and efficiently removed not only from the sheet 4 being transported during the manufacturing process of the rod 1, but also from the blade portion 68a of the knife 68 that cuts the sheet 4. This makes it possible to more effectively prevent contamination of the equipment due to fine powder and deterioration of the quality of the rod 1 and ultimately the aerosol product 80 due to fine powder. Furthermore, the aforementioned structure having the slit 108 in the removal head 102 makes it possible to directly and efficiently remove fine powder adhering to the blade portion 68a of the knife 68 without impeding the rotation of the knife 68.

Sixth Embodiment
15 is a schematic diagram of a combiner section 120 according to a sixth embodiment. In the combiner section 120, rods 1 produced by the manufacturing machine 2 are cut into shorter segments 130 to produce the articles 80. The combiner section 120 includes a rod hopper 122 in which a large number of rods 1 are stored. The lower opening of the rod hopper 122 is closed by a portion of the outer circumferential surface of a take-out drum 124. The outer circumferential surface of the take-out drum 124 is provided with a large number of take-out grooves 126, which are formed at equal intervals around the circumference of the take-out drum 124. The take-out drum 124 rotates in the direction of the arrow, and as the take-out drum 124 rotates, the take-out grooves 126 positioned at the lower opening of the rod hopper 122 receive the rods 1 and take them out of the rod hopper 122.

A plurality of rotatable knives 68, similar to those in the fifth embodiment, are arranged near the periphery of the take-out drum 124. As the take-out drum 124 rotates and the rod 1 passes through the take-out groove 126, each knife 68 cuts the rod 1 into a plurality of equal parts, forming a collection of a plurality of segments 130. The collection of formed segments 130 is ejected from the take-out groove 126 onto the conveying path 14 located directly below the take-out drum 124. Each knife 68 is equipped with a removal unit 100, similar to those in the fourth and fifth embodiments.

Figure 16 shows a perspective view of the removal unit 100 installed on the knife 68, and Figure 17 shows a flowchart explaining a method for manufacturing an article 80 using the combiner section 120 of Figure 15. A partial cross-sectional view of the removal unit 100 is shown in Figure 13, which has already been described. When the production of an article 80 begins in the combiner section 120, first, a rod 1 is supplied from the rod hopper 122 to the removal groove 126 (S11: rod supply step). Next, the rod 1 transported in the removal groove 126 as the removal drum 126 rotates is cut by each knife 68 (S12: cutting step).

As shown in FIG. 13, the removal head 102 constituting the removal unit 100 has a peeling section 104 and a suction section 106, similar to the fifth embodiment. The peeling section 104 peels off the fine powder that adheres to the blade section 68a when the rod 1 is cut from the blade section 68a in the cutting step S12 (P11: fine powder peeling process). The suction section 106 sucks and removes the fine powder that has been peeled off from the blade section 68a in the peeling section 104 (P12: fine powder suction process). The removal head 102 of this embodiment has the same structure as the fifth embodiment, and the ultrasonic generator 110 irradiates ultrasonic waves to the blade surfaces 68b, which form the front and back sides of the blade section 68a inserted into the slit 108.

Furthermore, the suction unit 106 sucks up fine powder at a position opposite the cutting edge 68c of the blade portion 68a. Next, the segment 130 formed in the cutting step S12 is supplied to the conveying path 132, aligned with other segments (not shown) (S14: segment alignment step), and wrapped with the tipping paper 88 described above (S15: wrapping step). If the rod formed in this wrapping step S15 is, for example, twice the length of the article 80, the rod is cut at its longitudinal center (S16: cutting step), completing the manufacture of the article 80. Note that in the cutting step S16, the rod can be cut with the same knife 68 used in the cutting step S12. Furthermore, a removal unit 100 may be installed on the knife 68 used in this cutting step S16, and the fine powder removal process P11, the fine powder removal process P13 similar to the fine powder suction process P12, and the fine powder suction process P14 performed in the cutting step S12 may be performed.

As described above, in this embodiment, as in the fifth embodiment, the peeling unit 104 peels fine powder from the blade portion 68a of the knife 68 in the fine powder peeling processes P11 and P13, and the suction unit 106 sucks and removes the fine powder peeled from the blade portion 68a in the fine powder suction processes P12 and P14. This allows fine powder to be directly and efficiently removed from the blade portion 68a of the knife 68 that cuts the rod 1 during the manufacturing process of the article 80. This further effectively prevents contamination of equipment due to fine powder and deterioration of the quality of the rod 1 and, ultimately, the article 80 due to fine powder. Also, as in the fifth embodiment, the ultrasonic generator 110 irradiates ultrasonic waves to the blade surfaces 68b on the front and back of the blade portion 68a, and the suction unit 106 sucks up the fine powder at a position opposite the cutting edge 68c of the blade portion 68a. This allows fine powder adhering to the blade portion 68a of the knife 68 to be directly and efficiently removed without interfering with the rotation of the knife 68. Note that the fine powder removal process P13 and the fine powder suction process P14 do not necessarily have to be performed.

The above completes the description of each embodiment, but the above embodiments are not limiting and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the first embodiment, the ultrasonic generator 46 is provided both upstream and downstream of the suction unit 44 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 4. In the second embodiment, the suction unit 44 is provided both upstream and downstream of the ultrasonic generator 46 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 4. However, this is not a limitation, and the ultrasonic generator 46 may be provided only upstream or downstream of the suction unit 44, or the suction unit 44 may be provided only upstream or downstream of the ultrasonic generator 46. In the third embodiment, the suction unit 44 suctions both upstream and downstream of the brush 52 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 4, but this is not a limitation, and the suction unit 44 may suction only upstream or downstream of the brush 52.

Furthermore, the removal head 34 includes a first removal head 34A that removes fine powder adhering to the front surface of the sheet 4, and a second removal head 34B that removes fine powder adhering to the back surface of the sheet 4. However, it is not necessary to use both the first removal head 34A and the second removal head 34B; only one may be installed to remove fine powder from only one of the front and back surfaces of the sheet 4. Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments, the removal heads 34 shown in Figures 3, 7, and 8 are used as the first removal head 34A and the second removal head 34B, respectively. However, this is not limited to this, and different forms of the first removal head 34A and the second removal head 34B may be combined and used depending on the processing mode of the sheet 4 and the mode of adhesion of fine powder to the sheet 4.

Furthermore, in the fourth embodiment, it is assumed that the rod 1 manufacturing machine 2 has a fine powder removal section 30, and the removal unit 100 in the cutting section 60 removes fine powder adhering to the blade portion 62a of the knife 62. However, this is not limited to this, and it is also possible to provide the removal unit 100 in the cutting section 60 and not provide the fine powder removal section 30. Furthermore, in the fifth embodiment, it is assumed that the rod 1 manufacturing machine 2 has a fine powder removal section 30, and furthermore, the cutting section 60 has a removal unit 100, and the removal unit 100 in the sheet supply section 10 removes fine powder adhering to the blade portion 68a of the knife 68.

However, this is not limiting, and it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the sheet supply section 10 and the cutting section 60 are each provided with a removal unit 100, and no fine powder removal section 30 is provided. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the sheet supply section 10 is provided with a removal unit 100, and the cutting section 60 is not provided with a removal unit 100, and no fine powder removal section 30 is provided. Even with these configurations, fine powder can be directly and efficiently removed from at least one of the sheet 4, knife 62, and knife 68, effectively preventing equipment contamination due to fine powder and deterioration of the quality of the rod 1 and ultimately the aerosol product 80 due to fine powder.

Furthermore, in the first, second, fourth, fifth, and sixth embodiments, the peeling units 42, 104 are provided with ultrasonic generators 46, 110, respectively. However, this is not limited to this, and peeling means other than the ultrasonic generators 46, 110 may be used as long as the fine powder can be peeled off from the sheet 4 or the blade units 62a, 68a without contact. Furthermore, in the third embodiment, the peeling unit 42 is provided with a brush 52. However, this is not limited to this, and peeling means other than the brush 52 may be used as long as the fine powder can be peeled off from the sheet 4 with physical contact. Furthermore, in the sheet processing step S2, it is also permissible to perform some processing on the sheet 4 by performing a process other than crimping on the sheet 4.

Furthermore, part or all of the above-described embodiments can be expressed by the description of each aspect shown below.
(Aspect 1)
A machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol products, comprising:
a sheet supply section that supplies a sheet, which is a material for the rod, to a conveyance path;
a sheet processing section that processes the sheet being transported along the transport path;
a fine powder removal section having a removal unit that removes fine powder from the sheet being transported along the transport path,
The removal unit is a rod manufacturing machine for aerosol product products, and is equipped with a removal head having a peeling section that peels the fine powder from the sheet and a suction section that sucks and removes the fine powder peeled from the sheet in the peeling section.

(Aspect 2)
A rod manufacturing machine for aerosol product products as described in aspect 1, wherein the removal unit is provided with a support roller at a position opposite the removal head across the sheet, which supports the sheet transporting along the transport path so as to bring the sheet close to the removal head.
(Aspect 3)
A manufacturing machine for rods used in aerosol product articles according to aspect 2, wherein the removal unit has an electrostatic eliminator that removes static electricity from the sheet, located upstream of the removal head in the conveying direction of the sheet.
(Aspect 4)
A rod manufacturing machine for use in an aerosol product as described in Aspect 3, wherein the removal head includes a first removal head that removes the fine powder adhering to the surface of the sheet and a second removal head that removes the fine powder adhering to the back surface of the sheet.

(Aspect 5)
2. The machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol product articles according to claim 1, wherein the sheet processing section comprises a crimping roller that crimps the sheet.
(Aspect 6)
the peeling unit has an ultrasonic generator that irradiates the sheet with ultrasonic waves during conveyance,
A rod manufacturing machine for aerosol products according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the ultrasonic generators are provided on both the upstream and downstream sides of the suction section in the conveying direction of the sheet.
(Aspect 7)
the peeling unit has an ultrasonic generator that irradiates the sheet with ultrasonic waves during conveyance,
A machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol products according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the suction section is provided on both the upstream side and downstream side of the ultrasonic generator in the conveying direction of the sheet.

(Aspect 8)
the peeling unit has a brush that rotates while contacting the sheet being conveyed,
The machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol products according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5, wherein the suction unit sucks both the upstream side and the downstream side of the brush in the conveying direction of the sheet.
(Aspect 9)
a knife for cutting the sheet or a rod material formed from the sheet;
a knife removal unit for removing fine powder adhering to the blade portion of the knife,
The knife removal unit is provided with a knife removal head having a knife peeling section that peels the fine powder from the blade section, and a knife suction section that sucks and removes the fine powder peeled from the blade section in the knife peeling section.

(Aspect 10)
the knife removal head has a slit into which the blade portion is inserted without contact;
the knife peeling unit has a knife ultrasonic generator that irradiates ultrasonic waves to the blade inserted into the slit,
the ultrasonic knife generator irradiates the ultrasonic waves to the front and back blade surfaces of the blade portion,
10. The machine for manufacturing rods used in aerosol products according to claim 9, wherein the knife suction section sucks the fine powder at a position facing the cutting edge of the blade section.

(Aspect 11)
1. A method for manufacturing a rod for use in an aerosol product, comprising:
a sheet supplying step of supplying a sheet, which is a material for the rod, to a conveying path;
a sheet processing step of processing the sheet being transported along the transport path;
a fine powder removing step of removing fine powder adhering to the sheet from the sheet being transported along the transport path,
The fine powder removal step includes a fine powder removal process for removing the fine powder from the sheet, and a fine powder suction process for removing the fine powder removed from the sheet in the fine powder removal process by suction.

(Aspect 12)
A method for manufacturing a rod for use in an aerosol product according to claim 11, wherein the fine powder removal step comprises a static elimination process for removing static electricity from the sheet before the fine powder peeling process.
(Aspect 13)
A method for manufacturing a rod used in an aerosol product according to aspect 12, wherein the fine powder removal step removes the fine powder adhering to both the front and back surfaces of the sheet.
(Aspect 14)
A method for manufacturing a rod used in an aerosol product according to any one of aspects 11 to 13, wherein the fine powder peeling process peels the fine powder from the sheet during conveyance without contact.

(Aspect 15)
A method for manufacturing a rod for use in an aerosol product according to any one of aspects 11 to 13, wherein the fine powder removal process involves physical contact to remove the fine powder from the sheet during transportation.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Rod 2 Manufacturing machine 4 Sheet 10 Sheet supply section 14 Conveying path 20 Sheet processing section 22 Crimping roller 30 Fine powder removal section 32 Removal unit 34 Removal head 34A First removal head 34B Second removal head 36 Support roller 38 Discharger 42 Peeling section 44 Suction section 46 Ultrasonic generator 52 Brush 62 Knife 62a Blade portion 62b Blade surface 62c Blade tip 68 Knife 68a Blade portion 68b Blade surface 68c Blade tip 74 Rod material 80 Aerosol product 100 Removal unit (knife removal unit)
102 Removal head (removal head for knife)
104 Peeling part (peeling part for knife)
106 Suction unit (suction unit for knife)
108 Slit 110 Ultrasonic generator (ultrasonic generator for knife)
S1 Sheet supply step S2 Sheet processing step S3 Fine powder removal step P2 Discharge process P3 Fine powder removal process P4 Fine powder suction process

Claims (15)

A machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol products, comprising:
a sheet supply section that supplies a sheet, which is a material for the rod, to a conveyance path;
a sheet processing section that processes the sheet being transported along the transport path;
a fine powder removal section having a removal unit that removes fine powder from the sheet being transported along the transport path,
The removal unit is a rod manufacturing machine for aerosol product products, and is equipped with a removal head having a peeling section that peels the fine powder from the sheet and a suction section that sucks and removes the fine powder peeled from the sheet in the peeling section. The machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol products described in claim 1, wherein the removal unit is provided with a support roller that supports the sheet being transported along the transport path at a position opposite the removal head with the sheet sandwiched therebetween, so as to bring the sheet close to the removal head. The machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol products described in claim 2, wherein the removal unit has a static eliminator that removes static electricity from the sheet, located upstream of the removal head in the sheet conveying direction. The machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol products described in claim 3, wherein the removal heads include a first removal head that removes the fine powder adhering to the front surface of the sheet, and a second removal head that removes the fine powder adhering to the back surface of the sheet. The machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol product articles described in claim 1, wherein the sheet processing section includes a crimping roller that crimps the sheet. the peeling unit has an ultrasonic generator that irradiates the sheet with ultrasonic waves during conveyance,
The machine for manufacturing rods for use in aerosol products according to claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic generators are provided on both the upstream side and downstream side of the suction section in the conveying direction of the sheet. the peeling unit has an ultrasonic generator that irradiates the sheet with ultrasonic waves during conveyance,
The machine for manufacturing rods used in aerosol products according to claim 1 , wherein the suction sections are provided on both the upstream side and downstream side of the ultrasonic generator in the conveying direction of the sheet. the peeling unit has a brush that rotates while contacting the sheet being conveyed,
The machine for manufacturing rods used in aerosol products according to claim 1 , wherein the suction section sucks both the upstream side and the downstream side of the brush in the conveying direction of the sheet. a knife for cutting the sheet or a rod material formed from the sheet;
a knife removal unit for removing fine powder adhering to the blade portion of the knife,
2. The machine for manufacturing rods for aerosol product articles according to claim 1, wherein the knife removal unit comprises a knife removal head having a knife peeling portion that peels off the fine powder from the blade portion and a knife suction portion that sucks and removes the fine powder peeled off from the blade portion in the knife peeling portion. the knife removal head has a slit into which the blade portion is inserted without contact;
the knife peeling unit has a knife ultrasonic generator that irradiates ultrasonic waves to the blade inserted into the slit,
the ultrasonic knife generator irradiates the ultrasonic waves to the front and back blade surfaces of the blade portion,
The machine for manufacturing rods used in aerosol products according to claim 9, wherein the knife suction section sucks the fine powder at a position opposite to the cutting edge of the blade section. 1. A method for manufacturing a rod for use in an aerosol product, comprising:
a sheet supplying step of supplying a sheet, which is a material for the rod, to a conveying path;
a sheet processing step of processing the sheet being transported along the transport path;
a fine powder removing step of removing fine powder adhering to the sheet from the sheet being transported along the transport path,
The fine powder removal step includes a fine powder removal process for removing the fine powder from the sheet, and a fine powder suction process for removing the fine powder removed from the sheet in the fine powder removal process by suction. The method for manufacturing a rod for use in an aerosol product described in claim 11, wherein the fine powder removal step includes a static elimination process that removes static electricity from the sheet before the fine powder peeling process. The method for manufacturing a rod for use in an aerosol product described in claim 12, wherein the fine powder removal step removes the fine powder adhering to both the front and back surfaces of the sheet. A method for manufacturing a rod for use in an aerosol product according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the fine powder removal process removes the fine powder from the sheet during transport without contact. A method for manufacturing a rod for use in an aerosol product as described in any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the fine powder removal process involves physical contact to remove the fine powder from the sheet during transport.