To-bac′co-sheet′ing ma-chine′.
Sheeting tobacco consists in laying the leaves out smoothly in sheets.
This is done by passing the leaves between rollers which flatten them, devices acting in concert with the rollers to draw out the wrinkles.
Sometimes the shape of the rollers has this effect; revolving brushes are used, acting obliquely to the direction of motion of the leaf.
In sheeting tobacco it is sometimes laid in symmetrical piles known as
books: the operation being known as
sheeting and
booking. Tobacco is also
sheeted and
stripped, the operation laying the broad portions of the leaf flat, and separating them from or flattening the stem, as the case may be.
Such a machine is one (
United States patent.
No. 137,170) in which the elastic portion of the rolls presses the leaf without
[
2585]
injury to it, while a middle metallic portion flattens the stem.
The stem is afterward sheared off.
See also tobacco-stripping machine; tobacco-booking ma-chine.
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Plug-tobacco pressing-machine. |
Another application of the sheeting-machine is in laying the leaves in layers to form flat plugs; or in laying them of an even thickness to be carried to a device which makes them up into twists or twisted plugs.
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Tobacco-press. |
Another form of tobacco-sheeting machine smooths the leaf, and then cuts it into strips for cigar-wrappers.
Such is Fig. 6496.
It smooths out tobacco-leaves into flat sheets for cutting into strips, or piling symmetrically.
In the example, the tobacco is carried between the endless metallic belts and passes between the cutter roller and grooved roller.
The side belts run on horizontal pulleys, and serve to limit the side extension of the sheet.
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Tobacco sheeting and pressing machine. |
The tobacco-leaves are fed in at the left of the machine, as shown; are carried along past the guide-edge
L, and pass between the endless metallic belts which run over the rollers
C D and
C2
D2 respectively.
These belts consist of endless parallel brass ribbons, and the roller
C has circular knives which cut the leaves into strips for cigar-wrappers.
