CIGARETTE HANDLING MACHINERY

摘要

Packaging apparatus for transferring a continuous stream of rod-shaped articles such as cigarettes into a continuously moving series of pockets, comprising a pair of input hoppers (6, 8) having internal guides which are adapted to group the articles into bundles corresponding to the required packages, respective shuttle conveyor drums (2, 4) having pockets to receive each bundle from the associated hopper, and a continuously moving conveyor (12) carrying a series of pockets (10) for receiving the bundles from the drum pockets, each shuttle drum being provided with a drive mechanism which is adapted to move it in an intermittent pattern, comprising (a) a first stage during which the drum is stationary so that rods can be transferred from the hopper; (b) a second stage in which the drum is accelerated to reach the same speed as the conveyor; (c) a third stage in which the movement of the drum is synchronised with the movement of the conveyor so that a collation of cigarettes can be transferred from the shuttle into the conveyor pockets, and (d) a fourth stage in which the drum is decelerated to a stationary position ready for a further transfer of cigarettes from the hopper.