An apparatus and method for recovering tobacco material from tobacco rod sections is provided, each tobacco rod section including a wrapping paper wrapped about the tobacco material. The apparatus includes a centrifugal object-orienting device including a disc disposed at an incline within a cylindrical container, the cylindrical container and the disc being rotatable about a rotation axis such that the rotating cylindrical container and disc impart centrifugal force to the tobacco rod sections, the tobacco rod sections being responsive to the centrifugal force to orient lengthwise. A first conveyor device is configured to receive and convey in a conveyor direction the tobacco rod sections, with the tobacco rod sections being oriented lengthwise relative to the conveyor direction. A slitting device is operably engaged with the first conveyor device and configured to lengthwise slit the wrapping paper wrapped about the tobacco material of each of the tobacco rod sections.

A closed-loop system for controlling a position of a susceptor in an aerosol-generating article, the system comprising: a supply for continuous sheet material, a supply for a continuous susceptor, a crimping device for crimping the continuous sheet material, a shaping device for gathering the continuous sheet material and for forming the continuous sheet material with inserted continuous susceptor into a continuous rod. The system also comprises a cutting device for cutting the continuous rod into aerosol-generating articles and a control unit comprising an output control for detecting a condition of the susceptor in an aerosol-generating article, and for comparing a detected condition with quality specifications. The system further comprises a positioning device for manipulating the position of the continuous susceptor or a crimping depth adjuster, wherein the control unit is adapted for triggering the positioning device to adjust the position of the continuous susceptor or for triggering the crimping depth adjuster to adjust a crimping depth of the sheet material in the crimping device, when the detected condition do not meet quality specifications

The invention relates to a method for evaluating an aerosol-generating article with a susceptor element for manufacturing defects. The method comprises providing an aerosol-generating article with a substrate section, the substrate section comprising aerosol-forming substrate (24) and the susceptor element (26). The method furthermore comprises the method step of providing an intersection through the substrate section and the susceptor element. Another step includes evaluating the intersection for manufacturing defects by determining one or more of: positioning of the susceptor element in the substrate section, length of the cross section of the susceptor element, and shape of the cross section of the susceptor element. Therefor, in an embodiment a visual image of the intersection is divided into a plurality of segments (34), thereby creating an approximated circumference (22) of the cross-section with the susceptor element.

The invention relates to a method for evaluating an aerosol-generating article with a susceptor element for manufacturing defects. The method comprises providing an aerosol-generating article with a substrate section, the substrate section comprising aerosol-forming substrate (24) and the susceptor element (26). The method furthermore comprises the method step of providing an intersection through the substrate section and the susceptor element. Another step includes evaluating the intersection for manufacturing defects by determining one or more of: positioning of the susceptor element in the substrate section, length of the cross section of the susceptor element, and shape of the cross section of the susceptor element. Therefor, in an embodiment a visual image of the intersection is divided into a plurality of segments (34), thereby creating an approximated circumference (22) of the cross-section with the susceptor element.

The present invention relates to an inspection device for the quality control of rod-shaped articles, the device comprising: a drum (4) defining an outer surface (13,40) and including a plurality of seats (41), each seat (41) of the plurality adapted to receive a rod-shaped article; an inductive sensor (5) located at a seat (41) of the plurality, the inductive sensor (5) including a coil (51) defining an inner volume (50) large enough to receive therein an end of the rod-shaped article, the inductive sensor (5) being adapted to sense a characteristic of a susceptor (12) in the rod-shaped article; wherein the coil (51) includes a first semi-coil and a second semi-coil, the first semi-coil and/or the second semi-coil being movable from a first operative position where the first semi-coil and the second semi-coil are in contact to each other forming the coil (51) where current can flow to a second operative position where the first semi-coil and the second semi-coil are separated from each other and no current can flow, and vice-versa; the first semi-coil being located below the outer surface (13,40) of the drum (4) and the second semi-coil being located above the outer surface (13,40) of the drum (4); and an actuator (6) adapted to move the first semi-coil and the second semi-coil from the first operative position to the second operative position and vice-versa.

The present invention relates to an inspection device for the quality control of rod-shaped articles, the device comprising: a drum (4) defining an outer surface (13,40) and including a plurality of seats (41), each seat (41) of the plurality adapted to receive a rod-shaped article; an inductive sensor (5) located at a seat (41) of the plurality, the inductive sensor (5) including a coil (51) defining an inner volume (50) large enough to receive therein an end of the rod-shaped article, the inductive sensor (5) being adapted to sense a characteristic of a susceptor (12) in the rod-shaped article; wherein the coil (51) includes a first semi-coil and a second semi-coil, the first semi-coil and/or the second semi-coil being movable from a first operative position where the first semi-coil and the second semi-coil are in contact to each other forming the coil (51) where current can flow to a second operative position where the first semi-coil and the second semi-coil are separated from each other and no current can flow, and vice-versa; the first semi-coil being located below the outer surface (13,40) of the drum (4) and the second semi-coil being located above the outer surface (13,40) of the drum (4); and an actuator (6) adapted to move the first semi-coil and the second semi-coil from the first operative position to the second operative position and vice-versa.