Chinese Manufacturer Succeeds in Developing Large Capacity Flexible Tobacco Cutting Machinery

Source from:  TobaccoChina Online 04/16/2012

Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. in north China's Hebei Province - a leading Chinese tobacco machinery manufacturer - has succeeded in developing the SQ36X large capacity flexible (straight) blade tobacco cutting machinery with level revolving knives, in the execution of a priority research and development project designated by the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA). On November 7-9, 2011, China Tobacco Machinery Group Co., Ltd. held at Changsha Cigarette Factory in south central China's Hunan Province a meeting on comparison and test of performance of the SQ36X large capacity flexible (straight) blade tobacco cutting machinery with level revolving knives, to make comparison and test of the various performance targets of the SQ36X large capacity flexible (straight) blade tobacco cutting machinery with level revolving knives, in order to provide theoretical data and appraisal basis for future appraisal and generalization of leaf tobacco cutting machinery of the SQ36X type. Attending the meeting was a panel of experts and leading officials from China Tobacco Machinery Group Co., Ltd., Hubei Provincial China Tobacco Industry Corporation, Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, Yuxi Cigarette Factory, etc. The experts were all from users of various representative types of tobacco machinery made both in China and abroad. Development of the SQ36X large capacity flexible (straight) blade tobacco cutting machinery with level revolving knives is a priority research and development project designated by the STMA, and is one of the key research and development subjects for developing "leaf tobacco cutting lines for making Chinese-style cigarettes". The project has been undertaken by Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. In the execution of this project, Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. fully considered the requirement of characteristic technologies for making Chinese-style cigarettes, and adopted modular design ideas. As a result, Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. was granted 14 national patents exclusively owned by it. The SQ36X large capacity flexible (straight) blade tobacco cutting machinery with level revolving knives is of the characteristics of flexible cutting of leaf tobacco with big moisture, and is of the function of controlling the length. It is a new generation of flexible leaf tobacco cutting equipment independently developed by Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. The project of developing the SQ36X large capacity flexible (straight) blade tobacco cutting machinery with level revolving knives was kicked off in 2007. In 2009, the STMA designated as a national-level priority research and development project. In October 2010, two prototypes of the machinery were put to technological experiments with real materials at Changsha Cigarette Factory. In the process of operation for more than one year at the cigarette factory, both prototypes showed favorable operation as a whole, with all technological and performance targets meeting the requirement of designing and Changsha Cigarette Factory. At the meeting, the panel of experts and leading officials heard technological reports given by Qinhuangdao Tobacco Machinery Co., Ltd. and also test reports given by the test group. The panel of experts and leading officials also conducted on-site verification and test of operation of the SQ36X large capacity flexible stem cutting and leaf cutting machines on the tobacco cutting lines for making Baisha brand cigarettes at Changsha Cigarette Factory. The test involved technological quality, equipment performance, electronic control functions, energy consumption and environmental protection, covering all performance targets of the tobacco cutting machines. At the end of the meeting, the panel of experts and leading official unanimously drew a conclusion that the development of the SQ36X large capacity flexible (straight) blade tobacco cutting machinery with level revolving knives was successful, and that in comparison with the same type of equipment made both in China and broad, it was obviously advantageous in terms of the structural design of the cutting feed system, the actual measurement display of the cutter door pressure, the grinding wheel feeding methods, stability of tobacco cutting width, the post-cutting looseness of cut tobacco, and the operation, maintenance and readjustment of equipment. Successful development of the SQ36X large capacity flexible (straight) blade tobacco cutting machinery with level revolving knives will enable China's tobacco machinery manufacturing sector to compete with its foreign counterparts in terms of production of advanced tobacco cutting equipment in a future period of time, and will contribute to providing technological guarantee for sustainable development of Chinese-style cigarettes. Enditem