Materials and Methods for Manufacturing Cigarettes

Abstract

Cigarettes are manufactured using modified automated cigarette making apparatus. Those cigarettes possess smokable rods having paper wrapping materials having additive materials applied thereto as patterns. The additive material can be applied as a coating formulation in an off-line manner to a continuous paper sheet web that is later used for cigarette manufacture. The additive material can be applied as a coating formulation in an on-line manner to continuous paper web moving through an operating cigarette making machine. The coating formulation is applied to the paper web using roll applicator techniques, ink jet printing techniques or electrostatic precipitation techniques. Liquid coating formulation are curable, and are virtually absent of solvent or liquid carrier. Radiation, such as ultraviolet or electron beam radiation, is used to solidify and fix polymerizable liquid components of the coating formulation that have been applied to the paper web. Heating and subsequent cooling of the coating formulation used to fix solid components of the coating formulation that have been applied to the paper web. Registration techniques are used to ensure proper positioning of the additive material on the smokable rods so manufactured, and to ensure proper quality of those cigarettes.

1 . A method of making a smoking article wrapping material, comprising:
 providing a smoking article wrapping material substrate wound on a first roll;   unwinding the substrate from the first roll;   applying in a pattern on the substrate a plurality of bands of a coating formulation,   wherein each of the plurality of bands comprises a first coating layer effective in reducing an inherent porosity of the substrate, and a second coating layer different from the first coating layer and overlying the first coating layer, and   wherein at least one of the coating layers in each band is applied by spraying.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applying the plurality of bands in a pattern further comprises applying each band transversely on the wrapping material, each band having a longitudinal width and spaced apart along a longitudinal length of the wrapping material. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the applying the plurality of bands further comprises applying each coating layer in pre-determined amounts. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising utilizing the wrapping material to make a smoking article having reduced ignition propensity. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the bands of first and second coating layers are applied to the substrate online during making of a smoking article. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising winding the wrapping material substrate onto a second roll, wherein the bands of first and second coating layers are applied to the substrate offline prior to making of a smoking article. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the second coating layer is effective in preventing blocking when the wrapping material is unwound from the second roll. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising curing the bands sufficiently to solidify the coating formulation on the substrate. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coating formulation further comprises a burn control agent. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coating formulation further comprises a liquid form. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coating formulation is essentially free of solvent. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the coating formulation further comprises a solid powder form. 
   
   
       13 . A method of making a smoking article wrapping material, comprising:
 providing a smoking article wrapping material substrate wound on a first roll;   unwinding the substrate from the first roll;   applying in a pattern on the substrate a plurality of bands of a coating formulation,   wherein each of the plurality of bands comprises a first coating layer effective in reducing an inherent porosity of the substrate, and a second coating layer different from the first coating layer and overlying the first coating layer, and   wherein at least one of the coating layers in each band is applied by ink jet coating.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the applying the plurality of bands in a pattern further comprises applying each band transversely on the wrapping material, each band having a longitudinal width and spaced apart along a longitudinal length of the wrapping material. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the applying the plurality of bands further comprises applying each coating layer in pre-determined amounts. 
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising utilizing the wrapping material to make a smoking article having reduced ignition propensity. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the bands of first and second coating layers are applied to the substrate online during making of a smoking article. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising winding the wrapping material substrate onto a second roll, wherein the bands of first and second coating layers are applied to the substrate offline prior to making of a smoking article. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the second coating layer is effective in preventing blocking when the wrapping material is unwound from the second roll. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising curing the bands sufficiently to solidify the coating formulation on the substrate. 
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the coating formulation further comprises a burn control agent. 
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the coating formulation further comprises a liquid form. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 13  wherein the coating formulation is essentially free of solvent. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the coating formulation further comprises a solid powder form.