摘要 |
<p>An apparatus for, in one advantageous embodiment, concurrently forming a plurality of generally longitudinally extending grooves in a filter rod, and in another advantageous embodiment, for making small apertures in the grooves as the grooves are being formed in the filter rod. The apparatus includes a reciprocating die having an upper die block and a lower die block. Each die block includes protruding, elongated projections which are adapted to be imbedded into the filter rod upon closing of the die to impress grooves in the filter rod located in the die. In the embodiment wherein apertures are to be formed in the grooves, aperture forming punches are associated with each of the groove forming projections for punching apertures in the grooves as they are being formed. The apparatus further includes a hopper for storing a plurality of filter rods to be grooved, a dispenser device for receiving ungrooved filter rods from the hopper and distributing the ungrooved filter rods in a proper orientation to the die, a feed guide device for transferring the ungrooved filter rods in an aligned manner from the dispenser device to the die, and an exit guide device downstream of the die for transferring grooved filter rods away from the die in an orderly manner so as not to cause a jam.</p> |