A smoking article assembly apparatus is disclosed. It comprises a first cutting station configured to cut a filter rod into filter segments, a tipping station configured to join the filter segments to tobacco rods so as to form a smoking article assembly, and a second cutting station configured to cut the smoking article assembly in the region of the filter segments so as to form two smoking articles.

A method of manufacturing smoking articles including supplying a smoking article manufacturing machine with dual length filter rods, each dual length filter rod containing a first and a second type of capsule, using the machine to cut patches of tipping paper from a web, using the machine to wrap one of the patches about each dual length filter, and using the machine to cut each wrapped dual length filter rod to form first and second smoking articles, each having first and second filter rod segments, where the first filter rod segment includes the first type of capsule and the second filter rod segment includes the second type of capsule, where the web includes first and second lateral portions, the first lateral portion having different visual or tactile mark or indicia than the second lateral portion.

An apparatus for assembling an aerosol-generating article, the apparatus including: a conveyor with a support surface configured to support at least two axially aligned rod-shaped segments of the aerosol-generating article; and a spacer, the apparatus being configured to move the spacer from a retracted position to an active position, in which the spacer provides an abutment means for the rod-shaped segments on the support surface, and the conveyor including the spacer. A method for manufacturing an aerosol-generating article is also provided.

An aerosol-generating article (10) comprising a rod (20) comprising an aerosol-generating substrate (22); a filter (30) in axial alignment with the rod (20); a bridging element (40) comprising a first wrapper (42), the first wrapper circumscribing the rod (20) and the filter and securing the filter to the rod; and a cavity (44) located between the rod and the filter, the cavity (44) being partially delimited by the inner surface of the first wrapper (42) in a first portion of the bridging element (40), wherein the first portion of the bridging element has a reflectance factor of 85 percent or higher.

A wrapping device 1 for wrapping a sheet 3 around a group 5 of segments comprises a wrapping conveyor 7 and a contact element 25. The wrapping conveyor 7 comprises a conveyor surface 9 for receiving the group 5 of segments. The contact element 25 provides a counter surface 31. The counter surface 31 is arranged at a distance to the conveyor surface 9 of the wrapping conveyor 7. The counter surface 31 faces the conveyor surface 9 of the wrapping conveyor 7. The counter surface 31 is configured to engage the group 5 of segments and the sheet 3 when the group 5 of segments is moved along the counter surface 31 by the wrapping conveyor 7 to cause rotation of the group 5 of segments to wrap the group 5 of segments with the sheet 3. At least a first portion 41 of the contact element 25 comprising at least a first part 35 of the counter surface 31 is formed by a first material being an elastic material having a shore hardness between 30 A and 70 A.