An apparatus for manufacturing of multi-element rods of the tobacco industry comprising a feeding apparatus, a transferring apparatus, and a forming apparatus, comprising a first rotational element provided with lugs immobile relative to the first rotational element, a second rotational element provided with lugs immobile relative to the second rotational element, a third rotational element provided with lugs immobile relative to the third rotational element, used to convey rod-like elements. The rotational elements having notches between the lugs adapted to receive and convey the rod-like elements, whereas the rotational elements are arranged and adapted to guide the rod-like elements successively through the rotational elements. The apparatus comprises the forming apparatus designed to form a continuous multi-element rod, and a cutting apparatus. The apparatus according to the invention is characterised in that the third lugs have a thickness smaller than the thickness of the first lugs.

A conveyor for aligning rod-shaped articles and including a succession of flutes which are movable along a feed path and which are configured to hold respective rod-shaped articles or groups of rod-shaped articles. For each flute, the conveyor has an abutment portion, disposed at least at one end of the flute to define an abutment surface for one end of the rod-shaped article or group of rod-shaped articles housed in the suction flute. The abutment portion is provided with at least one suction zone to hold the end of the rod-shaped article or group of rod-shaped articles by suction against the abutment portion. The suction zone is defined by a plurality of suction perforations, connected or connectable to a negative pressure source and whose transverse size is, for example, smaller than 1 mm, preferably smaller than 0.8 mm and, still more preferably, smaller than 0.6 mm.

An apparatus for transporting objects, such as smoking articles or their components includes a plurality of transport members configured to each transport the objects along a working line from an initial position to a final position. A first guide parallel to the working line is configured to sequentially guide the transport members from the initial position to the final position, while a second guide, parallel to the first guide, is configured to sequentially guide the transport members from the final position to the initial position. Rotating displacement members are configured to selectively displace the transport members from one to the other of the two guides.

A method for producing smoking articles, in particular cigarettes, each comprising a respective first tobacco rod portion; the method comprises the step of cutting a second rod portion, which is four times the length of the first rod portion, crosswise so as to obtain third rod portions, which are twice the length of the first rod portion; the third rod portions are offset and aligned so as to be fed in succession; the speed at which the third rod portions are conveyed before the offsetting procedure is smaller than the speed at which they are conveyed after the offsetting procedure.

The object of the application is a transfer disc (2) for the transferring of tobacco industry's rod-like articles (5) provided with lugs (3), where the disc is characterized in that a front surface (3A) of the lug (3) is inclined in a direction corresponding to the direction (T1) of rotation of the transfer disc (2), and the lug (3) is configured so that it hits a rod-like article (5) above the longitudinal axis (X) of the rod-like article (5).

The object of the application is a transfer disc (2) for the transferring of tobacco industry's rod-like articles (5) provided with lugs (3), where the disc is characterized in that a front surface (3A) of the lug (3) is inclined in a direction corresponding to the direction (T1) of rotation of the transfer disc (2), and the lug (3) is configured so that it hits a rod-like article (5) above the longitudinal axis (X) of the rod-like article (5).

The object of the application is a conveying and forming apparatus (1) for forming a stream(S) of tobacco industry segments (A), comprising in particular a third conveyor (10) comprising separating discs (11), the separating disc (11) having third flutes (12) for receiving the segments (A) from a second drum conveyor (8), and the third flutes (12) of the separating disc (11) are arranged with a third pitch (t3), the separating discs (11) having axes of rotation (m) positioned non-coaxially and at least two third flutes (12) of the separating discs (11) are positioned non-coaxially, the third flutes (12) holding the segments (A) in the group (G) in a non-coaxial spiral configuration. The object of the application is further a method of forming at least one stream(S) of the segments.