SD cutters used by tobacco companies around the globe

The Garbuio Dickinson SD range of cutting machines has been developed to provide both operational and process advantages compared with earlier machines.

The large diameter 10-knife drum results in a near-vertical cutting action, with reduced push-in and pull-out forces acting on the tobacco cheese. As a result, a high quality of cut can be obtained with reduced compression of the tobacco. Consequently the cut lamina is more open and less padded than that from other machines, and is therefore presented to the drying process in the most suitable form. This is particularly significant when a flash dryer is being used. The lower mouth pressures which result are also an advantage when cutting stem, as there is less tendency to express the juices when cutting at high moistures.

The Garbuio Dickinson cutters cover the range from pilot plants at 100kg/hr up to 12000 kg/hr of lamina and 3000 kg/hr of stem. The use of mechanically independent drives for the compression bands has resulted in a considerable mechanical simplification, reducing overall weight and maintenance requirements. The PLC controls allow knife and grindstone feeds to be individually set and optimised for each different blend, and the same machine can be converted between lamina and stem duties at the touch of a button, with no mechanical intervention necessary.

Individual knife and grindstone monitoring enable the operator to plan when it is best to change these items. A sensor on the diamond assists the operator to bring the grindstone quickly and safely into contact with the diamond.

The dust extract has been specially developed to a high efficiency, thus minimising the amount of grit contained in the final product. The internal surfaces of the machine are smooth without protrusions, avoiding possible deposits of gum. Particular attention has been paid to provide good access to all areas, to ensure that the machine is easy to clean and maintain. Heaters on the cutting drum keep the cavity bars warm, thus minimising gum build up. The mouth is carried on a linkage which ensures that it moves around the same arc as the tips of the knives, thus ensuring a high quality of cut regardless of mouth height or throughput.

The Garbuio Dickinson SD cutters have been accepted in the majority of major tobacco companies around the world.