The invention relates to an apparatus for producing and packaging cigarettes or similar tobacco products, in the case of which a (cigarette) store for temporarily receiving and discharging cigarettes is arranged between a cigarette-producing machine (cigarette maker) or a filter-attaching machine, on the one hand, and a packaging machine, on the other hand.
Packaging machines for cigarettes are usually assigned cigarette stores for temporarily receiving cigarettes. Said stores have the task of receiving a limited supply of cigarettes in order thus to compensate for fluctuations in the feed of the cigarette, on the one hand, and for the capacity of the packaging machine, on the other hand. Such cigarette stores may be designed in various ways. In practice, use is made, in many cases, of stores in which the cigarettes are received along helically wound conveying paths. An example of such a cigarette store is described in DE 43 02 745.
Depending on the configuration of the store and depending on the operational sequences during the manufacture of the cigarettes and during the packaging of the same, the cigarettes may be stored for different periods of time. There are disadvantages for the quality of the cigarettes if the latter are stored unprotected for a relatively long period of time. In order to maintain the flavour, air humidity and temperature have to be kept as constant as possible within narrow limits.
It is already known to condition climatically the entire manufacturing and packaging hall in order to maintain the quality of cigarettes which are stored over a relatively long period of time. This method involves a comparatively high degree of Outlay since large-volume areas have to be climatically conditioned, along with corresponding technical outlay. In the case of the machines being shut down for relatively long periods of time, for example at the weekend, on holidays, etc., the climatically conditioned atmosphere has to be maintained.