A system for conveying electronic cigarette components, including: a guide including a stopping station; a carriage to slide along the guide; a retaining device for holding a component of an electronic cigarette; and a locking unit for locking the carriage relative to the guide at the stopping station. The locking unit includes: two abutment elements mounted on the carriage and disposed at a predetermined mutual distance; and an inserting element which is: disposed at the stopping station; shaped such that its-first and second edges contact the abutment elements, respectively, when the carriage is at the stopping station; movable between a retracted position free from the abutment elements to allow the carriage, to slide, and an advanced position contacting the abutment elements to prevent the carriage from sliding. Each abutment element is rotatable about its axis to facilitate movement of the inserting element between the two positions.

A system for conveying electronic cigarette components, including: a guide including a stopping station; a carriage to slide along the guide; a retaining device for holding a component of an electronic cigarette; and a locking unit for locking the carriage relative to the guide at the stopping station. The locking unit includes: two abutment elements, mounted on the carriage and disposed at a predetermined mutual distance; and an inserting element which is: disposed at the stopping station; shaped such that first and second edges contact the abutment elements, respectively, when the carriage is at the stopping station; movable between a retracted position free from the abutment elements to allow the carriage to slide, and an advanced position contacting the abutment elements to prevent the carriage from sliding. Each abutment element is rotatable about its axis to facilitate movement of the inserting element between the two positions.

A bead delivery disk, system and method of delivering flavor beads to a tobacco rod or tow including a bead source, a bead delivery disk in communication with the bead source, including a central disk portion having front and back sides and a first central thickness, an inner annular rim around the central disk portion, the inner annular rim having a second thickness less than said first thickness, a series of pockets spaced around the inner annular rim and multiple vacuum transmission apertures located on one side of the disk, each aperture communicating with at least one of the pockets.

An apparatus and a method for the transfer of components for inhalers or vaporizers from a loading station in which the components arrive randomly oriented, toward one or more work stations, to which said components are delivered oriented according to a predetermined orientation.

A bead delivery disk, system and method of delivering flavor beads to a tobacco rod or tow including a bead source, a bead delivery disk in communication with the bead source, including a central disk portion having front and back sides and a first central thickness, an inner annular rim around the central disk portion, the inner annular rim having a second thickness less than said first thickness, a series of pockets spaced around the inner annular rim and multiple vacuum transmission apertures located on one side of the disk, each aperture communicating with at least one of the pockets.

A bead delivery disk, system and method of delivering flavor beads to a tobacco rod or tow including a bead source, a bead delivery disk in communication with the bead source, including a central disk portion having front and back sides and a first central thickness, an inner annular rim around the central disk portion, the inner annular rim having a second thickness less than said first thickness, a series of pockets spaced around the inner annular rim and multiple vacuum transmission apertures located on one side of the disk, each aperture communicating with at least one of the pockets.

There is disclosed a separator drum (13) for tobacco industry product assembly apparatus. The separator drum has a plurality of segments (29, 30) arranged to form at least a part of a peripheral surface of the separator drum. Each segment has at least one flute (31) and at most four flutes (31). Each flute (31) is adapted to carry a rod of aerosolisable material (2) as the separator drum rotates during use. Each segment (29, 30) is slidably mounted to the separator drum (13) for axial movement.

A method and a kit for adjusting a machine for wrapping or packing articles, including a conveyor associated with an electric motor where, in an operating condition, the motor drives the conveyor in rotation about its axis of rotation. The method includes associating the conveyor with a reference integral with the conveyor and disposed at an angular position about its axis of rotation; detecting the angular position of the conveyor relative to the force of gravity by measuring the angle between a radial line passing through the reference and the force of gravity; detecting the angular position of the axis of the motor relative to a zero reference associated with an angular position transducer of the motor; calculating and storing the angular displacement between the angular positions of the motor and the conveyor corresponding to the angular displacement between the zero reference and the force of gravity.

The object of the invention is a feeding apparatus for feeding a single-layer stream of tobacco industry's rod-like articles (2) comprising a first feeding channel (10) adapted to convey the rod-like articles (2) in the form of a mass flow (MF), a second feeding channel (11) provided with a lower conveyor (16), adapted to convey the rod-like articles (2) in the form of the mass flow (MF), whereas the second feeding channel (11) is flow-connected with the first feeding channel (10), a storage container (3) adapted to filling with the rod-like articles (2), flow-connected with the second feeding channel (11), an outlet conveyor (5, 30) provided with a bearing surface (5A, 30A) comprising grooves (23, 31), adapted to take the rod-like articles (2) from the storage container (3) and convey the rod-like articles (2) in the form of a single-layer stream (SF) of rod-like articles (2), characterised in that the bottom of the storage container (3) is formed by the lower conveyor (16) of the second feeding channel (11) and the bearing surface (5A, 30A) of the outlet conveyor (5, 30), and that the second feeding channel (11) is provided with an upper drive element (17, 33) for the mass flow (MF) comprising a bearing surface (17A, 33A) which is at least partially situated convergently to the bearing surface (16A) of the lower conveyor (16) of the second feeding channel (11) in the direction from the first feeding channel (10) to the storage container (3).

Transfer wheel (1) for transferring objects (40, 41) comprises at least a seat module (3). The seat module comprises a seat (2) located at the peripheral face of the transfer wheel and adapted for accommodating an object on the seat. The at least one seat module is a resilient seat module, wherein a position of the seat of the seat module is adaptable in radial direction of the transfer wheel. Also provided is a method for transferring objects.