The present invention relates to a machine for the production of a component for an aerosol generating article, the machine including: a buffer station, the buffer station including: # fixed sheet guides; # movable sheet guides which are movable in a reciprocating manner in a direction towards the fixed sheet guides and in a direction away from the sheet fixed guides; # an actuator for moving the movable sheet guides, wherein the fixed and movable sheet guides together define a zig-zag trajectory for the sheet having a variable length for varying the total length of the sheet of material in the buffer station; # supports for the sheet, the supports being arranged so that, when the movable sheet guides are moved towards the fixed sheet guides, at least one of the movable sheets guides is interposed between two different supports of the plurality; # an air system; # wherein the each of the supports defines an outer surface, at least one of the outer surfaces having a first portion in which a sucking action is exerted by the air system to attract the sheet towards the outer surface and a second portion in which a blowing action is exerted by the air system to push the sheet away from the outer surface.

The present invention relates to a method for unwinding a bobbin of a coiled sheet, the method comprising: providing a bobbin of a coiled sheet, the bobbin comprising a free portion of the sheet unwound from the bobbin; arranging a blade between the free portion of the sheet and the remaining of the sheet coiled in the bobbin in such a way that the blade is in contact to the sheet coiled in the bobbin; and vibrating the blade while unwinding the sheet from the bobbin. The present invention also relates to an unwinding apparatus for unwinding a bobbin.

The present invention relates to a method for unwinding a bobbin (12) of a coiled sheet (13), the method comprising the steps of: providing a bobbin of a coiled sheet, the bobbin having a first rotation axis (17) and comprising a free portion (14) of the sheet unwound from the bobbin, the free portion (14) defining a contact line (16) as a line separating the free portion and the remaining of the coiled sheet (13); providing a roller (30) having a second rotation axis substantially parallel to the first rotation axis (17); putting the roller (30) in contact with the bobbin (12) at the contact line (16); unwinding the sheet from the bobbin (12) pulling the sheet in an unwinding direction such that an angle between the free portion of the sheet and a radius of the bobbin at the contact line is comprised between about 110 degrees and about 150 degrees or between about 200 degrees and about 300 degrees; and while unwinding the sheet from the bobbin keeping the roller in contact with the outer surface of the bobbin. The present invention also relates to a kit to unwind a sheet of material wound in a bobbin.

The present invention relates to a method to remove an adhesive label (22) from a bobbin (28), the bobbin including an end portion (24) and an outer surface (25), the method including: providing a bobbin of a coiled sheet closed by an adhesive label positioned on top of the end portion of the coiled sheet (26) to attach the same to the outer surface of the bobbin; locating the adhesive label; applying a sucking force to the location of the adhesive label so as to detach the adhesive label and the end portion of the coiled sheet from the bobbin; and cutting a part of the detached end portion including the adhesive label from the bobbin. The present invention also relates to an apparatus to detach an adhesive label from an end portion of a coiled sheet in a bobbin, the adhesive label being located between the end portion and an outer surface of the bobbin.

A tipping paper feed assembly (1) for use in smoking article manufacture. The tipping paper feed assembly (1) comprising a first feed device adapted to supply a first tipping paper web (4) that is fed into apparatus for smoking article manufacture, and a second feed device adapted to supply a second tipping paper web (11). The tipping paper feed assembly (1) also comprises a splice mechanism (12) adapted to attach the first and second tipping paper webs (4, 11) together for changeover between the first and the second feed devices. The tipping paper feed device (1) also comprises a registration system configured to register features of each tipping paper web (4, 11) prior to attaching said first and second tipping paper webs together with said features in register.

The apparatus (10) for processing a continuous band of wrapping material (40) comprises a roller pair (20, 30) defining a roller gap (12) there between, wherein the rollers (20, 30) have matching convex and concave shapes, respectively. The invention is also directed to a corresponding method for treatment of wrapping material (40).

The invention relates to a method for winding a sheet (13) of homogenized tobacco material into a bobbin (12), the method comprising: providing a sheet of homogenized tobacco material having a free end (11); connecting the free end to a center core; rotating the center core so as to wind the sheet of homogenized tobacco material around it forming the bobbin; and applying a force per unit length to the sheet of homogenized tobacco material during winding to pull the same having a magnitude comprised between about 42 N/m and about 93 N/m.

The present invention relates to a method for unwinding a bobbin of a coiled sheet, the method comprising: providing a bobbin of a coiled sheet, the bobbin comprising a free portion of the sheet unwound from the bobbin; arranging a blade between the free portion of the sheet and the remaining of the sheet coiled in the bobbin in such a way that the blade is in contact to the sheet coiled in the bobbin; and vibrating the blade while unwinding the sheet from the bobbin. The present invention also relates to an unwinding apparatus for unwinding a bobbin.

The invention relates to a homogenized tobacco sheet production line comprising: A tank (501) adapted to contain a slurry formed by a tobacco powder blend, a binder and an aerosol former in an aqueous medium; A cast apparatus (600) adapted to receive slurry from the tank and to cast the slurry so as to form a homogenized tobacco material; A movable transporting support (606) on which said slurry is casted and adapted to transport the homogenized tobacco material along a transport direction; A slitter (611) located downstream the cast apparatus adapted to slit the homogenized tobacco material along the transport direction so as to form portioned homogenized tobacco sheets; and A winding station (613) located downstream the slitter adapted to receive the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets from the slitter and to wind at least one of the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets in a bobbin. It also relates to a method for inline production of a homogenized tobacco sheet.

The method for supplying a continuous sheet of aerosol-forming substrate (10) from a bobbin (1) comprises providing a bobbin (1) of continuous sheet of aerosol-forming substrate (10) and unwinding the continuous sheet of aerosol-forming substrate (10) from a center (11) of the bobbin (1). Preferably, rotational movement of the bobbin (1) is prevented during unwinding of the continuous sheet of aerosol-forming substrate (10).