Molins Plc

Lipton, Division of Conopco, Inc.

Thomas J. Lipton Co.,

Kevin R Fincham

Michael J Cahill

Geoffrey W Vernon

Peter Ernest Willett

Brian Francis Blundell

Paul Franklin

Peter A Clarke

David Robert Seaward

Anthony R Brown

Albert D Seim, Ii

Graham L Shirley

Richard R Armour

Kenneth B Carter

A rotary mechanism for cutting and/or sealing a web has a pair of counter-rotating rotors mounted on parallel axes and having radially projecting arms between which the web is momentarily gripped for cutting and/or sealing. Sealing is performed by heated pressure outer faces on the rotor arms. Cutting is performed by cutter and anvil bars on the opposed arms engaging the web. Bearer faces on the arms beyond the pressure faces set a gap between the pressure faces and a rectangular-section tongue and groove in mating contact faces one side of the pressure faces locate the pressure faces laterally. The cutting means are adjusted by a wedge bar bearing on the inner face of the cutter bar or anvil. The wedge bar is movable in the direction of rotation and has an outer face inclined in the same direction. Means accessible from the leading and/or trailing faces of the rotor arms are provided for adjusting the wedge bar and clamping the cutter and anvil bars.

Rotary cutting and/or sealing mechanisms

Packaging material, particularly for forming blanks for hinged lid packets, is delivered to a packaging machine in web form and at least one creasing or shaping operation is performed (44; 112) on the web (2) prior to severing individual blanks (50) from the web. Folding or wrapping of a blank around an article to be packed in the machine is monitored and the creasing or shaping operation varied to optimise machine performance: for example, an adjustable creasing tool can be adjusted to compensate for tool wear. Individual blanks are inspected for longitudinal curl, usually caused by the web having been wound on a reel, and where necessary a correction is applied during feeding of the web, e.g. by adjusting the angle of wrap of the web around a decurling roller (38; 108).

Packing method and apparatus

Packets are produced by forming a continuous web (W) of packaging material into a tubular form around a tube (4) through which the packet filling material is delivered, the individual packets being sealed and severed from the web as each dose of filling material is delivered. A valve (24) to control the dosing is provided at the exit end of the delivery tube. The sealing and severing of the packets is performed by mutually transverse pairs of rotors (36, 38) the arms (92) of which interdigitate to make successive seals in mutually transverse directions, so forming tetrahedral packets.

Apparatus and method for producing packets

In a cigarette filter rod manufacturing plant at least one tow bale (6; 108) is located in a position remote from the corresponding tow opening machine (2; 100) and a conveying system (10; 112) is provided for transporting the tow to the machine. In a preferred arrangement the conveying system comprises a pneumatic duct (10) in which the tow is conveyed with the assistance of air movers (12). Removing the tow bales from the vicinity of the machines, preferably to a common area, allows flexibility in laying out a production floor and provides easy access for replacement of the bales.

Cigarette filter manufacture

An air mover (14) for producing a stream of air along a guide surface (28,30) for conveying web or other sheet material along a path adjacent the surface is constructed in two parts (16,18) having mating surfaces (23,24) one of which includes a recess (22) which defines a slot (26) through which conveying and entraining air is delivered to the guide surface from an air pressure chamber (20) within the air mover.

Pneumatic web feeding

A web handling device through which a web is arranged to pass along a tortuous path extending around a number of rollers includes means for threading the web pneumatically comprising, in association with at least one of the rollers, a guide member having a guide surface which extends around part of the periphery of the roller in a spaced relationship so as to define a passage for the web, means for directing the web approximately tangentially towards the guide surface, and an air mover mounted on or adjacent to the upstream end of the guide surface, and arranged to pass a moving film of air along the guide surface while the web is being threaded through the apparatus, so as to entrain the web and convey it around the roller.

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Coventry, United Kingdom

Kevin R Fincham