1 of 4
ITM’s “Delphi 2” builds on its predecessor but adds quite a few additional features and offers a better recovery rate. Credit: itmgroup.eu
2 of 4
ITM’s “Delphi 2” builds on its predecessor but adds quite a few additional features and offers a better recovery rate. Credit: itmgroup.eu
3 of 4
ITM’s “Delphi” system broke new grounds with its compact, module-based design. Credit: itmgroup.eu.
4 of 4
An array of knives carefully slice open rejects without contaminating the recovered tobacco with paper particles. Credit: itmgroup.eu
Waste recovery is an important cost-saving step in tobacco manufacturing, and ITM’s reclaiming solutions are regarded as the gold standard.
Manufacturing tobacco products is a wasteful business – and we don’t mean that tongue-in-cheek, but quite literally. Large amounts of tobacco waste in the form of smalls, fines, dust, off-specs, as well as rejected or sub-par products occur throughout the various processing and manufacturing stages. Of course, that waste represents money that can add to the already considerable costs incurred by tobacco companies. It is at this point important to make a clear distinction between “tobacco waste reduction” and “tobacco waste recovery”, of course, as the two terms are occasionally confused with one another. The former describes the lowering of waste volumes in the production process altogether so it doesn’t have to be recovered in the first place. The latter is the actual reclaiming of waste already generated and its recycling into production.
Polish outfit leads the pack
International Tobacco Machinery Poland Sp. z.o.o., a member company of the ITM Group, is one of the world’s leading (and perhaps best-known) suppliers of waste recovery solutions. Speaking on the topic, the outfit’s marketing manager Maria Chudkiewicz said, “There are two important drivers [for waste reclaiming]. The first and most obvious is cost optimization by reusing recovered production waste. The second is related to sustainability and the conscious approach to reducing CO2 emissions during tobacco’s growing and harvesting cycle, as well as the subsequent energy savings during actual processing and product manufacturing.” While fines and dust are primarily collected and recycled for producing reconstituted tobacco sheet, reclaimed cut filler can be fed back right into the cigarette maker.
A proven system got even better
ITM’s original tobacco waste reclaiming system Delphi is now supplemented by the second-generation Delphi 2, which convinces with its improved recovery rate and higher capacity. “Delphi 2 is available in two versions, offering a maximum reclaiming capacity of 200kg/h and 400kg/h, respectively,” explained Chudkiewicz. “For its second generation, the already very effective Delphi system was revamped to provide even higher operating parameters in terms of recovery rate but also the maximum fraction for re-using without actually impacting on final cigarette quality.” She added that the system could “grow with factory requirements.” For instance, the 200kg/h version of Delphi 2 can be upgraded to full capacity without the need for any major changes in its mechanics and calibration. Chudkiewicz also assured that the Delphi range – regardless whether it’s the first or second generation incarnation – was extremely flexible. “ITM can provide the systems in any con-figuration required to fully integrate them with all existing processes.”
No unpleasant surprises
ITM’s reclaiming systems have been delivered to literally hundreds of customers around the globe, from smaller manufacturers to the largest cigarette producers. This furnishes the supplier with a wealth of practical expertise to make installation and commissioning “a smooth process without any unpleasant surprises,” as Chudkiewicz put it. “The time frame until a system is up and running depends on the complexity of existing production machinery onsite and the auxiliary equipment, but from our experience Delphi can typically be installed, commissioned, and personnel-trained in about five working days, the more advanced Delphi 2 requiring only a little while longer,” she elaborated.
High recovery rate for all and any tobacco products
It is practically impossible to achieve 100% of recovered waste that can be reused or recycled, as a certain proportion of it always will turn out to be of compromised quality in one way or another. However, Chudkiewicz nevertheless was confident in saying that by using an ITM reclaiming system “not less than 95% of reclaimed tobacco can be added back into the production process.” As one of the world leaders in its field, ITM now even provides solutions for heated tobacco (a.k.a. “heat-not-burn”) waste and white snus substrate from oral pouches. “At ITM, we are always very much open to work with manufacturers on any dedicated solution to reclaim waste from novelty products that will become available in the market in the near future,” she asserted.
The original Delphi – a still widely used gold standard
Specifically developed to recover cigarette rejects, Delphi reclaims with highest efficiency so recovered tobacco can be added right back comes into the primary process. The Delphi machine is equipped with a specially-designed linear cigarette aligning system that minimizes cigarette flow stoppage. A sieve separates rejected sticks from loose tobacco particles. The proven method of Delphi guarantees a minimum 95% recovery rate, the reclaimed tobacco itself maintaining its original properties. When reclaiming from filtered rejects, the filter remains uncompromised, which is particularly important in the case of capsule filters, as liquids leaking from damaged capsules could contaminate the reclaimed tobacco. Delphi readily connects to either a central or local dust extraction system that keeps the machine clean internally, prevents external dust emission and, most importantly, removes dust and paper particles from the transfer points. Its low noise emission allows setting up Delphi in any suitable factory space.
Delphi 2 – the next level of reclaiming
As ITM’s next evolutionary step in tobacco waste reclaiming, the Delphi 2 system comes with all the bells and whistles already offered by Delphi. It reliably and efficiently retrieves tobacco waste from all tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, and even heated tobacco rods. The patented aligning system and a very gentle opening process allows combination readiness for conventional cigarettes and next-generation products without changing the machine configurations. The innovative design also ensures that no filter plug components are released during reclaiming, preventing possible contamination of the recovered tobacco. An intuitive control system via HMI helps support the operator during brand changes, with all process parameters now being set automatically, including the positioning of the integrated slicing knives on the x and y axis. Additionally, thanks to its modular design, Delphi 2 is readily adaptable for further task extension to include charcoal cleaning, visual sorting, paper and plug briquetting, and metal detection. A system with a strong emphasis on ease of operation, Delphi 2 is optimized for maintenance and completely automatic product adjustment.