Control of cigarette diameter during production0 pages
SOLEX application example - n°6
Control of cigarette diameter during production
Objective
To detect any deviations in cigarette cylinder diameter during production
Main components
Solex pneumatic column
Dedicated measuring heads
Advantages
Solex pneumatic columns use measuring heads specific to this application to provide an
accurate, rapid and non-contact measurement.
Application
The cigarette diameter impacts the density of tobacco within the product and therefor
directly effects various smoking parameters
Apart from anything else, a varying cigarette diameter during production can cause
disruption, air pockets in the cigarette, filter drop-outs and various other process problems.
The non-contact method employed by Solex columns uses air at constant pressure blown
through orifices in a measuring head specific for this application (figure 1), in which there is
a calibrated circular cylinder. If the distance between one of the measuring head orifices and
the surface of the cylinder being measured varies, the air flow changes and this causes a
variation in pressure that is detected by a manometer.
The measurement is taken at a particular frequency, corresponding to a particular distance
of travel by the cigarette cylinder. This gives a reading of the deviation. This information
provides key data for carrying out corrective action during the production process.
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