Method for manufacturing and/or packaging cigarettes in a production and/or packaging plant

Abstract

A method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes in a production and/or packaging installation using starting material ( 28 - 32, 36 - 40; 28.1, 28.2, 29.1, etc.), at least one of the starting materials, for example film webs, paper webs or the like, being fed to the production and/or packaging installation in defined material units. Production-relevant data (A-E) which can be determined, in particular, exclusively during the production process and are dependent on at least one starting material ( 28 - 32, 36 - 40; 28.1, 28.2, 29.1, etc.)—material characteristics—are recorded and clearly assigned to the respective starting material ( 28 - 32, 36 - 40; 28.1, 28.2, 29.1, etc.), preferably to a starting-material unit, it being the case that the recorded material characteristics (A-E) assigned to the starting material ( 28 - 32, 36 - 40; 28.1, 28.2, 29.1, etc.) are stored in a memory of a computing unit ( 33, 42 ), in particular for subsequent evaluation.

1 . A method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes in a production and/or packaging installation using starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.), for example film webs, paper webs or the like, wherein at least one of the starting materials is fed to the production and/or packaging installation in defined material units, comprising:
 determining production-relevant data which can be determined exclusively during the production process and are dependent on at least one starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1  etc.), the production-relevant data being recorded and clearly assigned at least to this starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.), and   storing the recorded production-relevant data assigned to the starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) in a memory of a computing unit ( 33 ,  42 ) for subsequent evaluation.   
   
   
       2 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the production-relevant data are material characteristics (A-E) and are assigned in each case to a material marking ( 41 ) allocated to the starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) for clear identification by the material characteristics (A-E) in each case in respect of the corresponding material ( 41 ) of the respective starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) or of the respective starting-material unit ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) being stored in the memory of the computing unit ( 33 ,  42 ). 
   
   
       3 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the number of machine stoppages and/or the number of rejects of end or intermediate products produced is recorded and assigned to at least one of the starting materials ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.). 
   
   
       4 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein data of machine presettings, for example manipulated variables for adjusting adjustable mechanisms of the production and/or packaging installation, are recorded and assigned to at least one of the starting materials ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.). 
   
   
       5 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the number of end or intermediate products produced from the respective material unit is recorded and assigned to at least one of the starting materials ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.). 
   
   
       6 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the number of acceptable and defective end or intermediate products—produced in the production and/or packaging installation and/or the number of rejects are/is recorded and assigned to at least one of the starting materials ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.). 
   
   
       7 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the number of splices in the starting material is recorded and assigned to the starting material. 
   
   
       8 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein properties which can be measured by means of sensors, exhibited by the end and/or intermediate products produced in the production and/or packaging installation are measured and assigned to at least one of the starting materials ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.). 
   
   
       9 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the material characteristics (A-E) which are recorded during production and assigned to the starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) are compared by the computing unit ( 33 ,  42 ) with desired values stored in a memory, and in that, in the event of deviations from the desired values, a signal indicating the deviation is displayed on a display arrangement. 
   
   
       10 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein, if use is made of an alternative material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) to a starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) of a defined type which is necessary for producing a specific end or intermediate product the material characteristics (A-E) of this alternative material are also recorded and assigned to the alternative material. 
   
   
       11 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein, from a number of recorded and respectively assigned material characteristics (A-E) of various alternative materials to a certain type of starting material, the computer ( 33 ,  42 ) selects the starting material ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) which satisfies a predetermined criterion or comes closest to satisfying the criterion of all the alternative materials, and in that the selected starting material is displayed via a display arrangement, in particular via a screen. 
   
   
       12 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 10 , wherein, from a number of recorded and respectively assigned material characteristics (A-E) of different alternative materials of different types of starting material which are necessary for producing a specific end or intermediate product the computing unit ( 33 ,  42 ) selects the combination of starting materials ( 28 - 32 ,  36 - 40 ;  28 . 1 ,  28 . 2 ,  29 . 1 , etc.) of different types which satisfies a predetermined criterion or comes closest to satisfying the criterion, and in that the selected combination of starting materials is displayed via a display arrangement, in particular via a screen. 
   
   
       13 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 3 ,  5 ,  6 ,  8 ,  10 , or  12 , wherein the end or intermediate products are selected from the group consisting of cigarettes, cigarette packs, multipacks, and blanks. 
   
   
       14 . The method of producing and/or packaging cigarettes as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the properties which can be measured by means of sensors are optically measurable properties.