An adjustable capacity reservoir for processing rod-like elements for tobacco industry, having partitioned multiple chambers.

An adjustable capacity reservoir for processing rod-like elements for tobacco industry, having partitioned multiple chambers.

Transport assembly of the smoking products manufacturing industry; the transport assembly comprises: a first conveying system for feeding components of the smoking products along a first conveying path to a first input station of a first manufacturing machine; and a second conveying system for conveying articles obtained from the components along a second conveying path from a first output station of the first machine to an input station of a second manufacturing machine (for example, a packaging machine); the first conveying system is configured to change the length of a stretch of the first conveying path; the second conveying system is configured to change the length of a stretch of the second conveying path; the mentioned stretches of the first path and of the second path are arranged overlapping one another and/or side by side.

Transport assembly of the smoking products manufacturing industry; the transport assembly comprises: a first conveying system for feeding components of the smoking products along a first conveying path to a first input station of a first manufacturing machine; and a second conveying system for conveying articles obtained from the components along a second conveying path from a first output station of the first machine to an input station of a second manufacturing machine (for example, a packaging machine); the first conveying system is configured to change the length of a stretch of the first conveying path; the second conveying system is configured to change the length of a stretch of the second conveying path; the mentioned stretches of the first path and of the second path are arranged overlapping one another and/or side by side.

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.

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 mass producing smokable products filled with cannabis, hemp, and/or other smokable materials includes a cone loading station that separates individual paper cones from stacks of cones, a cone weighing and filling station for dispensing precisely weighed amounts of powdered biomass into the cones, and a cone twisting station for twisting ends of the cones to complete the smokable products. A transport mechanism is provided to transfer the cones between stations and hold the cones during filling and twisting. The invention also provides a method of manufacturing smokable products that enables production steps to be performed simultaneously while also providing for capacity expansion within a limited production facility footprint.

A method of feeding rod-shaped consumer goods to a packing apparatus is provided, including providing a plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods to an upstream end of a stacking channel, and feeding the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods along the stacking channel to a downstream end of the stacking channel. The upstream end of the stacking channel is higher than the downstream end in the vertical direction, and at least a portion of the stacking channel extends at an angle of between about 25 degrees and about 75 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. The method further includes receiving the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods into a hopper from the downstream end of the stacking channel, and distributing the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods from the hopper into a packing apparatus.

A method of feeding rod-shaped consumer goods to a packing apparatus is provided, including providing a plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods to an upstream end of a stacking channel, and feeding the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods along the stacking channel to a downstream end of the stacking channel. The upstream end of the stacking channel is higher than the downstream end in the vertical direction, and at least a portion of the stacking channel extends at an angle of between about 25 degrees and about 75 degrees with respect to the vertical direction. The method further includes receiving the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods into a hopper from the downstream end of the stacking channel, and distributing the plurality of rod-shaped consumer goods from the hopper into a packing apparatus.

A replenishing device for replenishing a flute of a transporter with a rod-like element, wherein the transporter comprises multiple flutes located transversally with respect to a transporting direction and adapted to transport rod-like elements, the replenishing device comprising: a feeding duct for feeding the rod-like element; a rotary replenishing element having an axis of rotation, comprising at least one transferring seat for receiving the rod-like element from the feeding duct in a receiving zone and for transferring the rod-like element to the flute of the transporter in a transferring zone, wherein the rotary replenishing element is adapted to repeatedly pass the same rod-like element through the transferring zone before transferring that rod-like element to the flute of the transporter; and a transferring mechanism for effecting the transfer of the rod-like element from the transferring seat to the flute of the transporter.