The present invention refers to a feeder for components of an aerosol-forming article, the feeder comprising: a plurality of tubular hoppers, each hopper being adapted to receive and to deliver a plurality of components, each hopper including an inlet and an outlet and a channel connecting the inlet and the outlet, each channel having an axis and defining an insert dimension in a direction perpendicular to the axis, the insert dimension being constant along the axis of the channel; a frame to which the tubular hoppers are fastened and arranged so that their axes are substantially parallel to each other and in series along a transport direction; a delivery drum including a plurality of angularly spaced grooves arranged substantially parallel to said transport direction, said drum being located under the outlets of the tubular hoppers so that components going through said channels are delivered into one of said groves; a motor to rotate said delivery drum; a transport device located under said delivery drum and adapted to transport said components delivered by the delivery drum along the transport direction; and a size change element adapted to vary the insert dimension of the channel of at least one of the plurality of hoppers.

A spacing drum comprising: a segment receiving drum section capable of receiving a predetermined number of segments per revolution of the drum from a procession of segments approaching the segment receiving drum section at a segment-feed spacing and a segment-feed speed; a segment releasing drum section capable of releasing the predetermined number of segments at a segment-release spacing and a segment-release speed; and a radial profile flight comprising a continuous arc segment extending across at least portions of the segment receiving drum section and the segment releasing drum section. Associated methods are also provided, including method of changing pitch along a spacing drum progressively with a radial profile flight.

The object of the application is a transferring apparatus (1) for transferring of a stream of rod-like articles (40) from an apparatus (100) feeding rod-like articles to an apparatus (200) receiving the rod-like articles in the machines of the tobacco industry, whereas in the feeding apparatus (100) the rod-like articles (40) are conveyed in a first stream (S1) of rod-like articles in which the rod-like articles are arranged in a first configuration, and in the receiving apparatus (200) the rod-like articles (40) are conveyed in a second stream (S2) of rod-like articles in which the rod-like articles (40) are arranged in a second configuration, comprising: a transferring wheel (30); non-slidable lugs (33) situated on the circumference of the transferring wheel (30); a guiding surface (34) to guide the rod-like article, the rod-like articles being conveyed axially, tangentially to the guiding surface (34); characterised by having a slidable lug (22) being slidable relative to the circumference of the transferring wheel (30) by means of a drive mechanism (10) so that the said slidable lug (22) varies its position relative to an adjacent non-slidable lug (33).

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 feeding system (1) for feeding groups (7) of rod-like elements (2) for a tobacco industry machine, wherein the group (7) includes at least two rod-like elements (2) arranged coaxially next to each other, the feeding system including: a container (3) for the rod-like elements (2); a single element feeder (4) for feeding individual rod-like elements (2) from the container (3); an intermediate storage (5) for transferring the rod-like elements (2) from the single element feeder (4) along a storage duct (20) to an elements group feeder (6), wherein an outlet (24) of the storage duct (20) has a tilting track (21) forming a recess (36) for stopping the rod-like elements (2); wherein the elements group feeder (6) includes: a transporting duct (25) connected to the storage duct (20); and a transporter (26) including shovels (27), wherein the shovels (27) are configured to transport the groups (7) of the rod-like elements (2) one after the other along the transporting duct (25) from the storage duct (20) to an outlet duct (37); and a pushing unit (8) including a reciprocally movable pusher (33), configured to eject the group (7) of the rod-like elements (2) from the outlet duct (37).

A non-combustible tobacco article for use in conjunction with a heat source to produce an inhalable aerosol includes at least one tobacco derived portion, at least one distal filter portion and at least one mouth-end filter portion held together in an overwrap; the complete article having a compressibility factor in the longitudinal axis of <10%.

A method of fabricating a smoking article filter element includes arranging a corrugated laminate web around a portion of filter material having an elongate shape and a longitudinal axis, such that the grooves and ridges of the laminate web run in the same direction as the longitudinal axis of the filter material. A method of fabricating a smoking article involves the same method as that of fabricating a smoking article filter element.

A non-combustible smoking article and method of use thereof may be provided. The non-combustible smoking article may include a composite filter forming an elongated, cylindrical rod. The composite filter may further include a cavity having a nicotine source; an aerosol-forming substrate proximate the nicotine source; and at least one capsule filled with an additive for modifying a characteristic of inhalable vapor. An internal heater may be inserted into at least the nicotine-containing cavity of the composite filter. A peripheral heating source may also be disposed along an exterior length of the composite filter. The internal heater and the peripheral heating source may be activated to heat at least a portion of the composite filter, wherein the heat generates inhalable vapor to be drawn and inhaled by a consumer.

A method of producing filter tips for cigarettes, each of which comprises two portions of filter material arranged on opposite ends of a portion of granular material; the first portion of filter material is wrapped in a sheet so as to obtain an intermediate element having a substantially tubular shape and an open end; the granular material and the second portion of filter material are then inserted through the open end, while the intermediate element is kept vertical with the open end facing upwards; in this way it is possible to obtain high quality filter tips at high speed.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing multi-component aerosol forming articles, each aerosol forming article defining a longitudinal axis and comprising N components serially juxtaposed along the longitudinal axis, where N is an integer2, the method comprising: providing transporting means for transporting components of aerosol forming articles in a transporting direction, said transporting means defining seats along said transporting direction; supplying seats of said transporting means with a first component for each aerosol forming article by positioning said first components one after the other along the transporting direction with their longitudinal axis parallel one to the others; checking each seat for the presence of said first component; adjoining a second component to the first component in a lengthwise axial manner in a given seat only if the first component is present in said given seat.