Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes – Direct application of fluid pressure differential to... – Including use of vacuum
Patent
1996-10-16
1999-09-28
Kuhns, Allan R.
Plastic and nonmetallic article shaping or treating: processes
Direct application of fluid pressure differential to...
Including use of vacuum
264101, 264148, 264157, 425296, 425388, 425392, A24D 302
Patent
active
059583274
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the downstream handling of an extruded tobacco smoke filtration material.
As used herein, the term `downstream handling` means the treatment, or handling, of an extruded material, or extrudate, as it emerges from the extruder die of an extruder.
Extrusion techniques in the food and plastics industries are well known. In the food industry, often the downstream handling of extruded products generally consists of cutting the extrudate almost immediately after extrusion and then subjecting the cut extrudate to a further treatment, such as frying, often to cause further expansion. Where extruded food products are not cut immediately after extrusion, e.g. spaghetti, the extrudate is usually extruded at about the final diameter thereof. Food products also tend to have less of a requirement for a particular dimension or shape when they are extruded. In the plastics industry, extruded products such as plastic tubes, etc., are normally extruded at the size of the extruder die and only require cooling to consolidate the shape and size of the article once extruded. Cooling in this instance is normally achieved by passing the extruded article of predetermined size through a water bath, for example.
In the tobacco industry, for filtration materials we have the requirement to foam or expand an extruded product upon extrusion from the die so that tobacco smoke can be drawn through the filtration material to effectively reduce certain particulate matter smoke components. We also have the requirement to provide a rod of filtration material which has a consistent circumference dimension and pressure drop characteristic. These features are specific to the requirement of the tobacco industry as far as extruded tobacco smoke filtration materials are concerned. These requirements place burdens on the extrusion technologist when making tobacco smoke filtration material which are not seen in the food or plastics extrusion industry.
This invention has as an object the provision of a method for producing a consistent sized or shaped length of filtration material from which to produce tobacco smoke filter elements.
This invention has as a further object the provision of a degradable tobacco smoke filtration material. As used herein the term degradable means that all water soluble or water dispersible components are dissolved or dispersed and the non-water soluble or non-water dispersible components do not form a fused or melted amalgamation upon addition of water. There is a change in physical form, the strength and shape of the extrudate being lost due to the effects of water and/or sunlight.
The present invention provides a process of downstream handling of a water-soluble polysaccharide-containing extruded tobacco smoke filtration material to produce tobacco smoke filter elements, the method comprising the steps of conveying extrudate from an extruder die of an extruder to a cutter, during the transporting of the extrudate removing excess moisture therefrom, if required, providing the extrudate at a temperature suitable for shaping the extrudate, shaping the extrudate to substantially the required circumferential dimension, cooling the shaped extrudate to a predetermined cutting temperature, and cutting the shaped extrudate into filter element lengths, multiples thereof or lengths as otherwise desired.
The present invention further provides downstream handling apparatus particularly adapted for water-soluble polysaccharide-containing extruded tobacco smoke filtration material, the apparatus comprising extrudate conveying means operable to travel at a speed relative to the extrusion speed of the extrudate as the extrudate exits the extruder die, means operable to heat the extrudate to remove excess moisture from the extrudate, if required, shaping means to shape the extrudate, cooling means to cool the extrudate and a cutter to cut the shaped extrudate into tobacco smoke filter element lengths, multiples thereof or lengths as otherwise desired.
The water-soluble polysaccharide-co
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Beven John Lawson
Case Paul David
Coleman Martin
Greig Colin Campbell
British-American Tobacco Company Limited
Kuhns Allan R.
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