A reconfigurable wrapping mechanism (100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600) for forming a substantially cylindrical wrapped element by wrapping a core (160, 560) within a web material, comprising: a reconfigurable garniture bed (110, 210, 310, 410) having an elongate formation channel (212) that has an elongate open side; a conveying belt (120, 220, 320, 420, 520) extending along the length of the elongate formation channel (212) for entraining the web material; a drive mechanism for driving the conveying belt (120, 220, 320, 420, 520) along the length of the elongate formation channel (212).

A reconfigurable wrapping mechanism (100) for forming a substantially cylindrical wrapped element by wrapping a core (160) within a web material (162), comprising a reconfigurable garniture bed (110) having an elongate formation channel (112) for supporting a conveying belt (120) extending along the length of the elongate formation channel (112) for entraining the web material (162), and wherein the elongate formation channel (112) has an elongate open side.

A system for portioning a beaded substrate in a rod. The system includes a suction conveyor belt. The suction conveyor belt includes a belt suction chamber, a first belt end, and a second belt end, the second belt end opposite and downstream of the first belt end. The system also includes a metering device configured to provide the beaded substrate to the suction conveyor belt, and more specifically to the first belt end. The metering device includes a reach and a hopper. The metering device may provide the beaded substrate to the first belt end prior to the suction conveyor belt biasing a filler material onto the first belt end. The system may further includes a cutting mechanism that cooperates with the metering device to position the beaded substrate a first distance away from a first cut end.

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.

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.

A smoking article is provided, including an aerosol-generating substrate, the aerosol-generating substrate being a rod including a gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material circumscribed by a wrapper, the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material including one or more aerosol-formers and having an aerosol-former content of greater than 5% on a dry weight basis, and the rod having a length of between 5 mm and 20 mm.

A smoking article is provided, including an aerosol-generating substrate, the aerosol-generating substrate being a rod including a gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material circumscribed by a wrapper, the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material including one or more aerosol-formers and having an aerosol-former content of greater than 5% on a dry weight basis, and the rod having a length of between 5 mm and 20 mm.

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 apparatus for manufacturing a consumable for an aerosol provision system. The apparatus includes a feeding apparatus for receiving and supplying a sheet of aerosol-generating material along a conveyance path, and a sensor configured to detect information indicative of defects in the sheet as the sheet passes along the conveyance path. The apparatus can include a consumable forming apparatus configured to receive the sheet of aerosol-generating material and form the sheet into a consumable, and a controller configured to determine the presence of a defect in the sheet based on the information detected by the sensor. A consumable for an aerosol provision system can be manufactured by the apparatus and/or method disclosed herein. Additionally, an apparatus, method and controller for analyzing a sheet of aerosol-generating material for an aerosol provision system consumable and a system for manufacturing a consumable for an aerosol provision system.