Embodiments disclosed herein relate to an apparatus (1) for manufacture of tobacco industry products (21). The apparatus (1) comprising a rolling unit (9) comprising: • a rotatable drum (14) having a plurality of recesses formed in an outer surface of the drum (14) to receive tobacco industry product components (5/6); • a roll hand (15) spaced from the outer surface of the drum (14) to define a space between the outer surface of the drum (14) and the roll hand (15), within which space tobacco industry product components (5/6) are rollable upon rotation of the drum (14); and • a kicker bar (16) disposed adjacent to the roll hand (15). • The kicker bar (16) is moveable relative to the roll hand (15) and in a direction towards and away from the drum (14) during operation of the apparatus (1), and the kicker bar (16) is biased towards the drum (14).

The method and apparatus for manufacturing aerosol-generating semi-finished products comprise the steps of combining substantially cylindrical segments along a longitudinal first motion path. The following steps are performed along the first motion path: feeding a stream of at least three different segments along the first motion path, thereby arranging the at least three segments in alternating order, wrapping the stream of at least three segments in a sheet material to form an endless rod of segments, and cutting the endless rod of segments, thereby separating the endless rod of segments into wrapped segment rods. The method also comprises the step of processing wrapped segment rods along a second motion path, wherein the following step is performed along the second motion path: receiving the wrapped segment rods in flutes of a fluted receiving drum, wherein an end of the first motion path is aligned with a longitudinal axis of the flutes of the fluted receiving drum.

There is provided a smoking article (100) comprising a wrapped rod of smokable material (101);and a filter (102) comprising one or more filter segments(103), wherein the filter is in axial alignment with the wrapped rod of smokable material (101) and abuts the wrapped rod of smokable material (101) at an interface(105). A tipping wrapper (106) circumscribes at least a portion of the filter (102) and attaches the filter (102) to the wrapped rod of smokable material )101). The smoking article (100) further comprises an over-tipping band (107) circumscribing the filter (102) and overlying the tipping wrapper (106) at the upstream end of the filter (102) such that the over-tipping band (107) overlies the interface (105) between the wrapped rod of smokable material and the filter. The over-tipping band (107) is formed of an air impermeable sheet of a non-paper cellulosic material obtained by processing cellulose to form regenerated cellulose fibres.

An adhesive transfer system for applying a pattern of adhesive to a web of tipping paper as it is being fed through a smoking article filter assembly unit is disclosed. It comprises a transfer roller and an applicator roller. The transfer roller has an engraved pattern on its surface that corresponds to the pattern of adhesive to be applied to the tipping paper web. The applicator roller is nipped with the transfer roller so that adhesive received on its surface is transferred from said engraved region onto the applicator roller as the transfer roller and applicator roller rotate to form an adhesive pattern on the applicator roller for subsequent transfer onto a moving web of tipping paper in contact with said applicator roller. The engraved pattern comprises individual adhesive containing cells to break up adhesive that coats the engraved region of the transfer roller.

Unit for the attachment of mouthpieces to cigars having: a first belt conveyor provided with first pockets, which are designed to contain respective cigars, so as to feed the cigars along a straight attachment path; a second belt conveyor arranged parallel and next to the first belt conveyor and provided with second pockets, which are designed to contain respective mouthpieces, so as to feed the mouthpieces along the attachment path; and a coupling device provided with at least one pushing member, which is arranged along the attachment path in the area of an attachment station and is movable along an attachment direction that is perpendicular to the attachment path, so as to push a mouthpiece carried by a second pocket towards a corresponding cigar carried by a first pocket and then attach the mouthpiece to the cigar.

Unit for the attachment of mouthpieces to cigars having: a first belt conveyor provided with first pockets, which are designed to contain respective cigars, so as to feed the cigars along a straight attachment path; a second belt conveyor arranged parallel and next to the first belt conveyor and provided with second pockets, which are designed to contain respective mouthpieces, so as to feed the mouthpieces along the attachment path; and a coupling device provided with at least one pushing member, which is arranged along the attachment path in the area of an attachment station and is movable along an attachment direction that is perpendicular to the attachment path, so as to push a mouthpiece carried by a second pocket towards a corresponding cigar carried by a first pocket and then attach the mouthpiece to the cigar.

The aerosol-generating article (1) comprises a tobacco element and a mouthpiece element. The tobacco element comprises an aerosol-forming substrate (2), a support element (3) arranged downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate (2) and an aerosol-cooling element (4) arranged downstream of the support element. The mouthpiece element comprises a filter segment (5) and a hollow tube (6). The aerosol-cooling element (4) has a length of at most 15 millimeter. A length of the mouthpiece element is adapted according to the length of the aerosol-cooling element (4) such that a total length of the aerosol-generating article (1) is kept at a predefined total length. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing aerosol-generating articles.

A device for rolling cigarettes, filter cigarettes or filters, including a rolling channel delimited, at one end, by a rolling portion of a feed conveyor, and at the other end, by a rolling unit which includes an infeed rolling bed and an outfeed rolling bed located in succession along the travelling direction of the rolling channel and defining an infeed stretch and an outfeed stretch of the rolling channel, respectively. The infeed rolling bed is movable along the travelling direction independently of the outfeed rolling bed to produce different rolling modes along the infeed stretch and along the outfeed stretch.

The method for intermediately storing double-length substantially cylindrical semi-finished products comprises the step of providing a tipping apparatus and forming double-length substantially cylindrical semi-finished products in the tipping apparatus. The method further comprises the steps of providing a cutting device and cutting the double-length semi-finished product into single products with the cutting device and providing a packer and packing single products in the packer. The method yet further comprises the steps of transporting the double-length semi-finished products from the tipping apparatus to the cutting device and transporting the single products from the cutting device to the packer, and intermediately buffering double-length substantially cylindrical semi-finished products in a buffer arranged between the tipping apparatus and the cutting device.

A device for combining filter segments with cigarette rod segments includes a first feed device for feeding a succession of gummed connecting strips and a second feed device for feeding a succession of groups, each including at least one cigarette rod segment and one filter segment, abutted end to end. A combining conveyor receives the groups in a first receiving station and the succession of strips in a second receiving station downstream of the first receiving station so that each gummed connecting strip is applied in flag-like manner on a respective group to connect the cigarette rod segment to the filter segment. A rolling drum receives the group with strip and rolls the strip round the group. A compression device downstream of the second receiving station and upstream of the release station produces compression between each group and the respective strip.