A rod is provided, formed from a first sheet including an aerosol-forming material and a second sheet including a non-tobacco material, the first and second sheets being gathered together and circumscribed by a wrapper. The rod may be used as a component part of an aerosol-generating article. The second sheet preferably includes a material configured to modify an aerosol evolved from the aerosol-forming material or to modify other properties of the rod.

A rod is provided, formed from a first sheet including an aerosol-forming material and a second sheet including a non-tobacco material, the first and second sheets being gathered together and circumscribed by a wrapper. The rod may be used as a component part of an aerosol-generating article. The second sheet preferably includes a material configured to modify an aerosol evolved from the aerosol-forming material or to modify other properties of the rod.

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 flavouring component (43) for a smoking article (50) comprising a rod (33) of flavouring material (17). The flavouring material (17) comprises a carrier material (15) and flavouring particles (14) adhered to the carrier material (15) by means of a binder (13). The flavouring material (17) is formed by passing the carrier material (15) through a mixture (12) comprising the binder (13) and the flavouring particles (14). Also disclosed is a smoking article (50) including such a flavouring component (43), and an apparatus (10) and method for manufacturing such a flavouring component (43).

An apparatus and methods for manufacturing articles for use as or in an aerosol provision system as well as an apparatus and methods for applying a substance in liquid form to a substrate, such as a sheet material wrapper for an article for use as or in an aerosol provision system. The apparatus includes a rod forming portion which forms one or more portions of sheet material into a rod. A first applicator applies a first substance in liquid form to the one or more portions of sheet material. An air flow nozzle also supplies a heated flow of air to the rod forming portion. A substance in liquid form can be applied to a substrate with an apparatus including a conduit and at least one nozzle. The conduit and/or nozzle are heated to a temperature greater than the melting point of the substance.

An installation is arranged for serially forming a plurality of substrates for aerosol generation, and includes: a feeding means arranged for feeding a continuous web of substrate material, and a rotating cutting wheel having multiple cutting dies arranged circumferentially and for cutting out this continuous web to define a plurality of substrates and then for removing each defined substrate from each cutting die at a chosen instant to make it fall at a chosen position.

A conveyor for conveying strands of aerosol-generating material is disclosed. The conveyor comprises a conveying surface, comprising a plurality of openings, on which the strands of aerosol-generating material are conveyed, and an air flow generator for generating a flow of air through the plurality of openings in the conveying surface to provide an air cushion between the conveying surface and the strands of aerosol-generating material. Apparatus for producing a rod of aerosol-generating material comprising a slitting unit arranged to slit a web of aerosol-generating material into a plurality of strands of aerosol-generating material that are received by the conveyor is also disclosed, as well as a method of conveying strands of aerosol-generating material.

The present invention relates to an article for use in a non-combustible aerosol provision system, an apparatus for manufacturing an article for use in a non-combustible aerosol provision system, and a method of manufacturing an article for use in a non-combustible aerosol provision system. The article comprises an aerosol-generating material segment (20) and a susceptor (25) located therein, wherein first and second ends (26, 27) of the susceptor are located within about .sub.5 mm of the first and second ends of the aerosol-generating material segment, respectively. The method of manufacturing the article comprises: feeding an aerosol-generating material along a feed path; inserting a susceptor into the feed path; gathering the aerosol-generating material around a susceptor to create a rod; and cutting the rod into a segment comprising a susceptor. The apparatus comprises: a susceptor inserter; a gatherer to gather aerosol-generating material around a susceptor to form a rod; and a first cutter to cut the rod into segments comprising a susceptor.

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.