Molins Plc

Molins Machine Co. Inc.

Robert E Williams

Derek H Dyett

Reginald C Bolt

Edward G Preston

David J Farrar

Francis A Labbe

Robert William Davies

David C Carter

Ivan Yehudi Hirsh

John G Dowding

Clifford R Marritt

Clifford Russell Marritt

Norman L Sharp

Joseph A Griffiths

John R Nowers

Dennis Graham-Troll

John E Nixon

Adrian Styles

Ralph W Beck

Apparatus for conveying a paper web or other sheet material pneumatically along a predetermined path comprises two guide plates 20, 22 having outer surfaces defining successive parts of the path and having adjacent edges which are inclined to the outer surfaces and are spaced apart so as to form a slot 28 inclined to the outer surfaces of the plates, and including an air pressure manifold 26 which is secured to both guide plates and from which an air stream is arranged to be emitted through the slot to produce an air stream which will move along one of the plates 22 which is downstream of the other plate with respect to the intended direction of conveyance of the web or other sheet material. When applied to a cigarette making machine, apparatus of this general type may be used at various positions for feeding the paper web through the printer, and also to feed the web automatically all the way into the garniture 12.

Pneumatic web feeding

Apparatus for regularly weighing groups of cigarettes comprises a suction drum arrangement (4,6) for picking up a predetermined number of cigarettes from a multi-layer flow of cigarettes (2) on a conveyor (3) and for feeding the cigarettes as a row (25) onto a ramp (14) connected to a weighing device (18), and including an arm (20) for arresting the cigarettes on the ramp until weighing has been accomplished, whereupon the arm is arranged to release the cigarettes to allow them to slide or roll down the ramp and back onto the flow of cigarettes on the conveyor (3).

Cigarette weight control

A flexible seal (2), particularly for use in pneumatic testing of cigarettes, includes a conical seat (6) attached to a tube (4) having a resilient collar (8). The collar permits longitudinal movement of the seat relative to the tube, thereby permitting an effective seal against the cigarette being tested, and contributes to extended life for the seal.

Cigarette testing device

In a conveying system for a stream of rod-like articles in multi-layer stack formation, in which system the stream is moved along a path which is curved in a generally horizontal plane, suction is applied to the hub (30) of a turntable (10) for the stream, in order to draw the ends of the articles (16) against the hub and thereby help to maintain alignment of the articles during conveyance on the turntable. Further control, particularly for the uppermost articles, may be provided by a series of bristles (44) urged into contact with the articles on the turntable (10) by a guide rod (46). The system may be usefully employed in a filter cigarette assembling machine, for turning one of two streams of filter cigarettes issuing from the machine so that it may be merged with the other stream with the filter ends of the cigarettes in the two streams facing in the same direction.

Conveying rod-like articles

Apparatus for separating axially-aligned rods of the cigarette industry comprises a first pair of conical drums (14,16) mounted on a first common sleeve (32) and arranged to receive respectively the two rods (10) of each pair to be separated, the axes of rotation (22, 24) of the drums being inclined so as to separate the rods carried by the respective drums; a second pair of conical drums (25,26) mounted on a second common sleeve and arranged to receive the cigarettes from the first pair of conical drums, the second pair of conical drums having axes inclined so as to space the rods further apart while returning the rods to axially-aligned orientations; and device (28) for receiving the spaced-apart rods from the second pair of conical drums.

Filter cigarette manufacture

Filter cigarettes with a predetermined dilution factor are produced by perforating a filter attachment web by means of an adjustable perforating device prior to using portions of the web to join filters to cigarettes; measuring the porosity of the perforated web; measuring the dilution of cigarettes assembled with portions of the web; and controlling the perforating device by immediate response to the measured porosity and by progressive response to the dilution of the assembled cigarettes. The perforating device may comprise spark perforating electrodes, the web being possibly passed twice between the electrodes. In particular, the perforating device includes a number of pairs of electrodes defining spark gaps therebetween and lying along a line inclined to the direction of movement of the web. Individual rod electrodes are located between and spaced from opposed metal plates connected to a power supply to form capacitances in series with the spark gaps.

Spark perforation of web material

Apparatus for making ventilated cigarettes, includes a first perforator which is not readily susceptible to control and is arranged to perforate the tipping paper by which cigarettes are joined to filter portions, or to perforate the completed filter cigarettes. A controllable perforator is arranged to form additional perforations in the tipping paper prior to assembly of the filter cigarettes; and a control circuit is arranged to control the controllable perforator in response to a porosity measuring device and/or in response to a cigarette dilution testing device.

Method and apparatus for ventilated cigarette manufacture

Ventilated cigarettes are made by perforating the wrapper of each filter over an area which lies within pre-formed perforations in the uniting band joining the filter to the tobacco rod. The filter wrappers may be perforated by pins on a rolling plate and fluted drum between which filter portions cut from longer filter rods are rolled to stagger the portions so that they can then be pushed into a single row.

Ventilated cigarettes

A device for testing filter cigarettes, comprises a drum or equivalent means for conveying cigarettes in succession through a test station at which each cigarette in turn is tested with the aid of a pressure chamber surrounding the wrapper of the cigarette, and a pressure detector connected to the filter end of the cigarette while the tobacco end of the cigarette is open to atmosphere, and including means for measuring the pressure in the pressure chamber and means for comparing that pressure with the pressure detected at the filter end of the cigarette. Preferably there is a second test station at which the pressure chamber extends over the tobacco end of the cigarette, and a second pressure detector is connected to the filter end of the cigarette.

A device for staggering and aligning filter portions cut from multiple-length filter rods includes a first fluted drum which conveys the filter rods (already cut) to a second fluted drum with a rolling plate for rolling at least one portion of each filter rod into a staggered position with respect to another portion of the same rod, at least one stationary finger being arranged to hold adjacent filter portions out of the flutes until they have been rolled to their staggered positions at least some of the filter portions along the flutes of the second drum are then displaced to align all the filter portions.

Filter attachment machines

A cigarette perforating device for filter cigarettes in which the cigarettes are rolled between a drum and a rolling plate carrying perforator pins. The rolling plate is mounted on a pivot arm which is held in the operative position by an adjustable permanent magnet latch so that when a predetermined increase in pressure occurs in the device, due to a jam, the rolling plate can move away from the drum. This action also operates a switch controlling an electromagnetic catch retaining a conveyor carrying cigarettes away from the perforator so that damaged cigarettes are then dropped to waste.

Apparatus for making ventilated cigarettes

A cigarette hopper, especially for a packing machine, has a number of flow channels (6) incorporating restraining devices to arrest cigarettes which are faulty, e.g. in size, shape or orientation, thereby preventing the formation of defective cigarette bundles. The lower ends of the channels (22) may be curved to catch non-horizontal cigarettes (C3), and may include photo-cell devices (FIG. 3) which detect and arrest inadequately filled cigarettes and which additionally serve to monitor the flow of cigarettes so that the machine operator can receive a fault warning.

Feeding cigarettes and similar rod-like articles

A hopper for a cigarette making machine has two spiked feed rollers and two cooperating high-speed spiked rollers which feed tobacco from tobacco space and onto a spiked drum; this drum feeds the tobacco along part of its path of conveyance and then cooperates with a second drum so as to stretch out lumps in the tobacco while the tobacco is being carried by the second drum. Alternatively the tobacco may be delivered by the spiked rollers onto a ramp; loose particles of tobacco slide all the way down the ramp, whereas lumps of tobacco are picked up by spiked drum which is slightly spaced from the ramp and which returns the lumps to the ramp after they have been opened out.

Cigarette making machines

In order to feed a stream of filter rods forward at regularly spaced intervals a substantially continuous stream of rods is fed to a pair of opposed belts which grip the sides of the rods and accelerate them so as to space them apart. The spaced apart rods may then be accurately fed forward by a timing device in the form of a wheel having extending fingers which engage behind the rods and feed them forward at a controlled speed. A second pair of belts may be positioned between the first pair of belts and the timing device, these belts gripping the rods at the top and bottom. The continuous stream of rods is preferably formed by successively stripping groups of rods axially from a fluted drum.

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High Wycombe, United Kingdom

Robert E Williams