The invention relates to an apparatus for crimping a sheet of material, the apparatus comprising a first and second facing crimping roller defining a first and second rotation axis, respectively, the first roller including: a first plurality of circumferential ridges, each ridge defining a ridge amplitude; wherein each of said first plurality of ridges is interrupted along its circumferential extension forming an interruption gap where for a given interruption angle an amplitude of the ridge differs from the ridge amplitude in the remaining circumferential extension of the ridge; wherein said plurality of interruption gaps forms an interruption band defining a direction of extension, said direction of extension being angled with respect to a direction defined by the first rotation axis of an angle comprised between about 2? to about 25?. The invention also relates to a method for crimping a sheet of material as well as a crimped sheet of material and a rod made of a crimped sheet.

The invention relates to an apparatus for crimping a sheet of material, the apparatus comprising a first and second facing crimping roller defining a first and second rotation axis, respectively, the first roller including: a first plurality of circumferential ridges, each ridge defining a ridge amplitude; wherein each of said first plurality of ridges is interrupted along its circumferential extension forming an interruption gap where for a given interruption angle an amplitude of the ridge differs from the ridge amplitude in the remaining circumferential extension of the ridge; wherein said plurality of interruption gaps forms an interruption band defining a direction of extension, said direction of extension being angled with respect to a direction defined by the first rotation axis of an angle comprised between about 2? to about 25?. The invention also relates to a method for crimping a sheet of material as well as a crimped sheet of material and a rod made of a crimped sheet.

An aerosol generating article for use with an aerosol generating device includes a substantially planar aerosol generating substrate, at least one airflow channel extending along the substantially planar aerosol generating substrate, and an inductively heatable susceptor positioned in the aerosol generating substrate. The aerosol generating article can optionally include a wrapping member surrounding the substantially planar aerosol generating substrate and the at least one airflow channel. Methods of manufacturing the aerosol generating article are also described.

The garniture includes at least one first garniture section with a first longitudinal length and a first upper surface, a first groove being defined within the first upper surface along the first longitudinal length, the first groove being defined by one or more first mating surfaces, and at least one first insert overlaying the first groove, an upper end of the at least first insert defining a second groove within a second upper surface of the at least one first insert, a lower end of the at least one insert including one or more second mating surfaces, a first upper portion of the first upper surface and a second upper portion of the second upper surface being substantially flush with each other.

There is provided a method of making rods having predetermined values of cross-sectional porosity, and a cross-sectional porosity distribution value for use as an aerosol-forming substrate in a heated aerosol-generating article, including providing a continuous sheet of aerosol-forming material having a specified width and a specified thickness; gathering the sheet transversely relative to a longitudinal axis thereof; circumscribing the gathered sheet with a wrapper to form a continuous rod; severing the rod into a plurality of discrete rods; determining values of cross-sectional porosity and cross-sectional porosity distribution for at least one of the discrete rods; and controlling one or more manufacturing parameters to ensure that the cross-sectional porosity and cross-sectional porosity distribution values of subsequent rods are within the predetermined values.

There is provided a method of making rods having predetermined values of cross-sectional porosity, and a cross-sectional porosity distribution value for use as an aerosol-forming substrate in a heated aerosol-generating article, including providing a continuous sheet of aerosol-forming material having a specified width and a specified thickness; gathering the sheet transversely relative to a longitudinal axis thereof; circumscribing the gathered sheet with a wrapper to form a continuous rod; severing the rod into a plurality of discrete rods; determining values of cross-sectional porosity and cross-sectional porosity distribution for at least one of the discrete rods; and controlling one or more manufacturing parameters to ensure that the cross-sectional porosity and cross-sectional porosity distribution values of subsequent rods are within the predetermined values.

A method of forming a wrapped article, comprising the steps of: forming a continuous stream of material such as an agricultural product; moving the continuous stream of material along an elongated path; compressing the continuous stream of material to reduce the cross-sectional area thereof until a predetermined cross-sectional dimension is achieved; drawing the compressed continuous stream of material through a rod-forming arrangement, the rod-forming arrangement having a non-contact displacement transducer associated therewith; folding at least one web longitudinally around the compressed continuous stream of material to form a continuous rod of material; and detecting variations in rod density within the rod-forming arrangement from a signal obtained from the non-contact displacement transducer.

The invention relates to a homogenized tobacco sheet production line comprising: A tank adapted to contain a slurry formed by a tobacco powder blend, a binder and an aerosol former in an aqueous medium; A cast apparatus adapted to receive slurry from the tank and to cast the slurry so as to form a homogenized tobacco material; A movable transporting support on which said slurry is casted and adapted to transport the homogenized tobacco material along a transport direction; A slitter 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 crimper located downstream the slitter adapted to receive at least one of the partial homogenized tobacco sheets from the slitter and to crimp the at least one of the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets.

It also relates to a method for inline production of a homogenized tobacco sheet.

The invention relates to a homogenized tobacco sheet production line comprising: A tank adapted to contain a slurry formed by a tobacco powder blend, a binder and an aerosol former in an aqueous medium; A cast apparatus adapted to receive slurry from the tank and to cast the slurry so as to form a homogenized tobacco material; A movable transporting support on which said slurry is casted and adapted to transport the homogenized tobacco material along a transport direction; A slitter 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 crimper located downstream the slitter adapted to receive at least one of the partial homogenized tobacco sheets from the slitter and to crimp the at least one of the portioned homogenized tobacco sheets.

It also relates to a method for inline production of a homogenized tobacco sheet.

There is provided a method of making rods having predetermined values of cross-sectional porosity, and a cross-sectional porosity distribution value for use as an aerosol-forming substrate in a heated aerosol-generating article, including providing a continuous sheet of aerosol-forming material having a specified width and a specified thickness; gathering the sheet transversely relative to a longitudinal axis thereof; circumscribing the gathered sheet with a wrapper to form a continuous rod; severing the rod into a plurality of discrete rods; determining values of cross-sectional porosity and cross-sectional porosity distribution for at least one of the discrete rods; and controlling one or more manufacturing parameters to ensure that the cross-sectional porosity and cross-sectional porosity distribution values of subsequent rods are within the predetermined values.