Patent ID: 11945178
Assignee: BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (INVESTMENTS) LIMITED
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  A | IPC A  B

Claim 0:
1. A method of forming a tubular rod of fibrous material using equipment for forming a tubular rod of fibrous material, the equipment including gathering equipment constructed to receive a continuous supply of fibers from said fiber supply module,
a divider arranged in a path of a plurality of fibers emerging from a fiber supply module,
a mandrel assembly comprising an open-ended tubular casing configured to receive the bundle of fibers, and a mandrel mounted in the casing and positioned downstream of the divider, the mandrel having a mandrel support including a divider plate that carries the mandrel and which extends between the mandrel and the casing, the divider plate being located downstream of the divider, and
a die constructed and arranged to cooperate with the mandrel, wherein the die is positioned downstream of the casing of the mandrel assembly, wherein the method comprises:
producing a plurality of fibers using a melt-blowing process in said fiber supply module,
gathering said fibers into an elongated bundle using said gathering equipment constructed to receive a continuous supply of fibers from said fiber supply module,
parting the fibers using the divider to form a cleft along a length of the bundle as the bundle advances through the gathering equipment,
introducing the mandrel into the cleft so that the mandrel and the die cooperate to close the fibers of the bundle around the mandrel in a tubular configuration,
keeping the cleft formed in the bundle by the divider open as the bundle of fibers passing through the casing over the mandrel by aligning the divider plate of the mandrel assembly with the divider,
forming the fibers in a tubular configuration around the mandrel by passing the bundle of fibers through the die, and
separating the fibers from the mandrel as a tubular rod.