The tongue includes a shaft, the shaft being hollow. The tongue includes an upper plate connected to the shaft. The upper plate includes a first protrusion on a first side of the upper plate, and a second protrusion on the first side of the upper plate. The first protrusion and the second protrusion define a notch. The first protrusion runs along at least part of an upper portion of a longitudinal length of the shaft. The rod forming apparatus includes the tongue. The method installs the tongue on the rod forming apparatus.

A method for continuously manufacturing aerosol generating articles includes: (i) providing a continuous web or a continuous strip of an aerosol generating substrate; (ii) providing a continuous web of susceptor material; (iii) continuously cutting the continuous web of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches; (iv) consecutively applying the patches to a surface of the continuous web or continuous strip of aerosol generating substrate with a predefined and constant spacing between each successive patch; and forming the web or strip of aerosol generating substrate and the patches into a continuous rod. Step (iii) uses a rotary cutting unit including a support drum supporting the continuous web of susceptor material around its periphery and a cutting drum having a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting elements around its periphery. The cutting elements cooperate with the support drum to shear cut the continuous web of susceptor material to form the patches.

A method for continuously manufacturing aerosol generating articles includes: (i) providing a continuous web or a continuous strip of an aerosol generating substrate having a substantially flat surface; (ii) providing a continuous web of susceptor material; (iii) intermittently applying an adhesive to a surface of the continuous web of susceptor material to form adhesive areas on the surface; (iv) continuously cutting the continuous web of susceptor material at positions between the adhesive areas to form at least one susceptor patch ; (v) adhering the susceptor patch to the substantially flat surface of the continuous web or the continuous strip of aerosol generating substrate; and (vi) forming the continuous web or the continuous strip of aerosol generating substrate and the at least one susceptor patch adhered to the surface thereof into a continuous rod

An apparatus arranged to form a continuous tobacco rod of a smoking article, comprises a conveyor conveying a tobacco material stream in a conveyance direction, and a wrapping material supply arrangement advancing a web of wrapping material in the conveyance direction adjacent to the tobacco material stream. A constriction member receives the tobacco material stream at an inlet end and reduces a cross-sectional area of the tobacco material stream. The reduced-area tobacco material stream exits the constriction member at an exit end, and the wrapping material web wraps about the reduced-area tobacco material stream exiting the exit end. An additive source supplies an additive material to the reduced-area tobacco material stream through a dispensing port disposed about the exit end of the constriction member, prior to the reduced-area tobacco material stream being wrapped by the wrapping material web to form the continuous tobacco rod.

A device (1) for producing an aerosol-generating rod (3) comprises a converging device (5), a susceptor guide (19), and a conveyor system. The converging device has a forming space converging along an axial direction (17). The susceptor guide extends into the forming space of the converging device and comprises an exit opening (21) for a susceptor (23) within the forming space (9) of the converging device. The conveyor system is configured to convey filling material (15), preferably formed as a sheet, through the forming space of the converging device to shape the filling material into a rod incorporating the susceptor. The device further comprises at least one additive supply line (29) having a dispensing opening that opens into the forming space of the converging device radially outward of the susceptor guide.

A device (1) for producing an aerosol-generating rod (2) includes a converging device (3), a conveyor system (13), a susceptor guide (15), and an additive dispensing pipe (21). The conveyor system is configured to convey sheet material (11) through the converging device. The susceptor guide is configured to guide a susceptor (9). The susceptor guide extends into the converging device along an axial direction and comprises an exit opening (19) for the susceptor within the converging device. The additive dispensing pipe has an end section (29) extending within the converging device in parallel with the susceptor guide. The end section comprises a dispensing opening (31) to dispense an additive through the dispensing opening.

A method for producing a rod (3) containing herbaceous material comprises the steps of: providing a sheet material (5) containing herbaceous material; shaping the sheet material into a rod-shape by conveying the sheet material along a conveying direction (7) through a funnel-shaped converging device (13); and dispensing an additive (21) onto the sheet material within the converging device.

An improved process is provided for the preparation of smoking products of the type to be heated and not burnt, in particular cigarette-shaped. The method includes adding propylene glycol to an already cut material, based on tobacco and/or cannabis in percent not less than 6% by weight on anhydrous basis of the cut material.

A system for portioning a beaded substrate in a rod. The system includes a suction conveyor belt. The suction conveyor belt includes a belt suction chamber, a first belt end, and a second belt end, the second belt end opposite and downstream of the first belt end. The system also includes a metering device configured to provide the beaded substrate to the suction conveyor belt, and more specifically to the first belt end. The metering device includes a reach and a hopper. The metering device may provide the beaded substrate to the first belt end prior to the suction conveyor belt biasing a filler material onto the first belt end. The system may further includes a cutting mechanism that cooperates with the metering device to position the beaded substrate a first distance away from a first cut end.

An apparatus arranged to form a continuous tobacco rod of a smoking article, comprises a conveyor conveying a tobacco material stream in a conveyance direction, and a wrapping material supply arrangement advancing a web of wrapping material in the conveyance direction adjacent to the tobacco material stream. A constriction member receives the tobacco material stream at an inlet end and reduces a cross-sectional area of the tobacco material stream. The reduced-area tobacco material stream exits the constriction member at an exit end, and the wrapping material web wraps about the reduced-area tobacco material stream exiting the exit end. An additive source supplies an additive material to the reduced-area tobacco material stream through a dispensing port disposed about the exit end of the constriction member, prior to the reduced-area tobacco material stream being wrapped by the wrapping material web to form the continuous tobacco rod.