A tray loading and unloading system has a first station with a tray mounted to a tray retainer. The tray retainer is mounted to a tray carriage. The tray carriage slides on a tray retainer rail between a tray retracted position and a tray extended position. The tray starts as an empty tray at the tray retracted position and travels to the tray extended position to receive product tubes at the tray extended position. The tray extended position has a first pushing tamper that pushes product tubes from a first loading cup into the tray. A first loading arm loads product tubes from a first loading tube into the first loading cup

The present application is directed to an apparatus for inserting objects into a filter rod. The apparatus can include: a first conduit adapted to convey a plurality of the objects in series; a first escapement having a first inlet and a first outlet connected by a first channel, wherein the first inlet is connected to the first conduit; a first singulation drum having an outer periphery defining a first row of first pockets adapted to hold the objects, wherein the first singulation drum is adapted to rotate about a first axis to successively move the first pockets into registry with the first outlet; and at least one first source of air that conveys the objects from the first inlet to the first outlet, and successively into the first pockets of the first singulation drum. Other details and methods of inserting objects into a filter rod are also discussed.

Pre-roll infusing apparatus includes fluid vessel, a fluid pump and an infusion needle for spraying fluid into the pre-roll. An elevator includes a tube nest for receiving a support tube containing the pre-roll and selectively raises the pre-roll to be pierced by the needle. A needle heater is supported for travel along the needle as the elevator moves up and down. The elevator tube nest includes a motor-driven rotatable base for rotating the support tube and pre-roll during infusion. A stepper motor equipped with an encoder controls the raising and lowering of the elevator. The needle may include two or more spaced spray ports. A needle pointer indicates to a user the location of the needle spray ports. The fluid vessel includes a stirrer motor, and the current draw thereof is used to determine the viscosity of the fluid. Different support tubes are provided to accommodate different pre-roll styles.

The present invention relates to an automatic cigarette making system which is enabled to provide the various function of production of the cannabis cigarette by a single system which is further enabled to reduce the cost and the time of the production of the cannabis cigarette.

A device for automated loading and forming smoking articles has a conveyer unit holding and moving a plurality of conical paper wrappers. A dispensing unit is coupled to and positioned above the conveyer unit. The dispensing unit stores pre-grounded tobacco leaf/herbs, loads a predetermined amount of the pre-grounded tobacco leaf/herbs into a designated conical paper wrapper of the plurality of conical paper wrappers, and compacts the pre-grounded tobacco leaf/herbs loaded into the designated conical paper wrapper. The conveyer unit moves the designated conical paper wrapper to a desired location under the dispensing unit to load and compact the predetermined amount of the pre-grounded tobacco leaf/herbs into the designated conical paper wrapper. The conveyer unit then moves a next conical paper wrapper to the desired location after the dispensing unit loads and compacts the predetermined amount of the pre-grounded tobacco leaf/herbs into the designated conical paper wrapper.

A cannabis joints filling system includes a cannabis joint filling apparatus for receiving and holding a paper cone along a longitudinal axis and for receiving and pre-compacting a predetermined quantity of cannabis into the paper cone; and a cannabis feeding system including i) a weighing scale, ii) a cannabis feeding apparatus adjacent the weighing scale for receiving cannabis in bulk and for controllably outputting a predetermined portion of the cannabis in bulk onto the weighing scale, and iii) a single portion cannabis distributing device, including two cups that are sequentially movable between a) a cannabis weighing position, wherein one of the two cups cooperates with the weighing scale to measure the predetermined portion of the cannabis, and b) a cannabis distributing position, where the predetermined portion of the cannabis is fed to the cannabis joint filling apparatus.

A cannabis joints filling system includes a cannabis joint filling apparatus for receiving and holding a paper cone along a longitudinal axis and for receiving and pre-compacting a predetermined quantity of cannabis into the paper cone; and a cannabis feeding system including i) a weighing scale, ii) a cannabis feeding apparatus adjacent the weighing scale for receiving cannabis in bulk and for controllably outputting a predetermined portion of the cannabis in bulk onto the weighing scale, and iii) a single portion cannabis distributing device, including two cups that are sequentially movable between a) a cannabis weighing position, wherein one of the two cups cooperates with the weighing scale to measure the predetermined portion of the cannabis, and b) a cannabis distributing position, where the predetermined portion of the cannabis is fed to the cannabis joint filling apparatus.

A cannabis joints manufacturing machine comprises a plurality of different cannabis joints manufacturing stations, each for performing on one cannabis cone at a time a step among a sequence of steps for manufacturing a cannabis joint; one of the cannabis joints manufacturing stations including a cannabis oil injector; the plurality of different cannabis joints manufacturing stations being positioned side-by-side according to the sequence of steps for manufacturing a cannabis joint; and a cannabis cone support for receiving a plurality of cannabis cones and for sequentially moving together the plurality of cannabis cones between each of the plurality of different cannabis joints manufacturing stations.

A manufacturing machine and a manufacturing method for the production of a tubular element, in particular for a smoking article. There are provided: an input conveyor, which moves at least one pocket along an input path; a wrapping conveyor, which moves at least one spindle, which has the shape of an inner cavity of the tubular element, along a wrapping path; a feeding station, where the pocket receives a wrapping sheet; and a transfer station, where the pocket releases the wrapping sheet to the spindle folding the wrapping sheet around the spindle into a U shape.

A cannabis joints filling system includes a cannabis joint filling apparatus for receiving and holding a paper cone along a longitudinal axis and for receiving and pre-compacting a predetermined quantity of cannabis into the paper cone; and a cannabis feeding system including i) a weighing scale, ii) a cannabis feeding apparatus adjacent the weighing scale for receiving cannabis in bulk and for controllably outputting a predetermined portion of the cannabis in bulk onto the weighing scale, and iii) a single portion cannabis distributing device, including two cups that are sequentially movable between a) a cannabis weighing position, wherein one of the two cups cooperates with the weighing scale to measure the predetermined portion of the cannabis, and b) a cannabis distributing position, where the predetermined portion of the cannabis is fed to the cannabis joint filling apparatus.