A smoking article (10) includes an aerosol-generating substrate (12) and a mouthpiece (14) that (i) includes a first hollow tubular segment (24) of elastically deformable material and (ii) is secured to a downstream end of the aerosol-generating substrate; and a second hollow tubular segment (30) adjacent to and upstream of the first hollow tubular segment. The second hollow tubular segment (30) defines a chamber (32) for receiving an insert unit (50). The first hollow tubular segment defines an opening through which an insert unit can pass from the exterior of the mouthpiece into the chamber (32) of the second hollow tubular segment. At least a portion of the first hollow tubular segment inwardly projects into the opening to define at least one elastically deformable projection (26).

A machine for making a continuous tubular element with filling from web material, including first and second means for feeding respective continuous webs, a forming station configured to perform a folding and/or deformation of a first continuous web in a shaped configuration, and a wrapping station wherein the second continuous web is wound in a tubular shape around the first continuous shaped web to obtain the continuous tubular element. Upstream of the wrapping station there is a first gluing device configured to apply at least one longitudinal line of glue on at least one of the continuous webs in such a way as to define at least one gluing zone, said longitudinal line of glue being positioned in such a way as to coincide with a zone of superposing and contact between the two continuous webs feeding out of the wrapping station.

A process for producing a filter element suitable for use in smoking articles may include: embedding a bundle of cellulose acetate fibers with an aqueous suspension of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) to obtain a wet bundle of the cellulose acetate fibers covered by the aqueous suspension of the PHA; shaping the wet bundle in a form of a continuous elongated element; heating the continuous elongated element to temperature greater than or equal to 140° C. and less than or equal to 180° C. for time sufficient to melt the PHA and to evaporate water from the continuous elongated element; cooling the heated continuous elongated element to obtain crystallization of the PHA; and cutting the so-obtained continuous elongated element into segments of predetermined length.

The disclosure relates to delivery systems including aerosol-generating material and a cooling agent WS-3 in an amount sufficient to provide a cooling effect. In particular, the disclosure relates to delivery systems that do not provide any clearly noticeable smell or taste other than one of tobacco.

An apparatus and processes for producing compound cigarette filters by horizontally assembling multiple filter segments onto the horizontally oriented transverse flutes of a continuous belt. Spaced apart hoppers are serially arranged above the belt, and each hopper contains at least one of the multiple segments of the compound filter being assembled. A transfer structure between each hopper and the belt serially delivers the filter segments to the flutes on the belt, and after such assembly the various filter segments are removed as a group from each flute of the continuous belt. The filter segments are then combined as a group with wrapped tobacco rods to thereby produce filtered cigarettes.

A method and device for examining rod-shaped products of the cigarette industry, having a cylindrical lateral surface and two end faces formed by two filter elements arranged at opposite ends, the product having smokable material between the two end faces, by: a) irradiating the lateral surface using examination light whereby the examination light penetrates through the lateral surface at least partially into the product and at least partially exits again through one end face, the beams of which are incident on the lateral surface at an angle of at least 30° in relation to the longitudinal extension of the product; b) acquiring the examination light exiting the end face of the product using an electro-optical receiver, the main viewing direction of which is directed onto the end face; and c) evaluating the brightness or light intensity of the examination light exiting the end face and acquired by the electro-optical receiver.

A cooling element comprising a longitudinally extending core including a plurality of longitudinally extending bores wherein each bore has a diameter ≥0.8 mm.

Disclosed is a cigarette filter including: natural plant based granules composed of a natural plant material and a binder; and a filter portion to accommodate therein the natural plant based granules, in which the binder is hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), and a weight ratio of the natural plant material and the binder is in a range of 95 to 99%:5 to 1%. Further, disclosed are a preparation method of the cigarette filter, and a cigarette including the cigarette filter.

A manufacturing machine and a manufacturing method for the production of a filter for a tubular element. There are provided: a folding conveyor, which moves at least one first pocket along a folding path, said first pocket being designed to house a sheet made of card stock and having an inner portion and an outer portion; a feeding station, where the first pocket receives the card stock sheet and engages the sole outer portion of the card stock sheet, leaving the inner portion of the card stock sheet free; a first folding station, where the inner portion of the card stock sheet left free by the first pocket is folded like the bellows of an accordion; and an insertion station, where the first pocket releases the card stock sheet having the inner portion folded like the bellows of an accordion.

A method for producing filters for smoking articles includes: providing a filter rod, the filter rod having a cylinder shape with a first filter rod end, a second filter rod end and a circumferential filter rod surface; providing an outer wrapper; wrapping the outer wrapper around the filter rod along a filter rod circumferential direction covering at least parts of the circumferential filter rod surface; obtaining a wrapped filter rod; cutting the wrapped filter rod perpendicular to a filter rod longitudinal direction into outer and inner wrapped filter rod segments, wherein first and second outer wrapped filter rod segments include the first and second filter rod ends, respectively, and have a length being less than 10% of a total length of the filter rod and/or less than 10 mm; and obtaining the inner wrapped filter rod segments as the filters and disposing the outer wrapped filter rod segments.