Example embodiments include a system for removing string from shredded tobacco, including an arrangement configured to dispense shredded tobacco from a first location to a second location along a path of communication, a string filter operative at a location along the path of communication comprising a first roller comprising pins, whereby string may be contacted by at least some of the pins and retained at the string filter as the shredded tobacco passes through the filter.

This multifilter segment is provided with a plurality of filter segments provided with a plurality of filter materials and inner wrappers respectively covering the outer surfaces of the plurality of filter materials, and an outer wrapper which connects and integrates the plurality of filter segments by being wound around the outer surfaces of the inner wrappers of the plurality of filter segments while the ends of the plurality of filter segments are arranged face-to-face. The inner wrappers of adjacent filter segments have a mutually different CIELab color parameter.

A cigarette filter inspection method of inspecting a solid flavor element to be disposed in a void between two filter plugs placed in outer filter wrapper, and the cigarette filter inspection method includes an illumination step of irradiating the void with illumination light, an imaging step of obtaining an inspection image of a region containing the void, a filler detection step of detecting the flavor element based on contrast between the void and the flavor element in the inspection image, and an inspection step of inspecting the flavor element detected in the inspection image.

A system and associated method is provided for inspecting filter rods used to form cigarette filter elements, wherein each filter rod defines a longitudinal axis extending between opposed ends, with each end extending substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, and includes a filter material having an axially-extending strand disposed therein. A filter rod support device is adapted to receive at least one filter rod such that one end thereof is exposed. An analysis unit is disposed with respect to the filter rod support device so as to interact with the one end of the at least one filter rod to determine a status of the at least one filter rod and to provide a corresponding signal in response thereto.

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing multi-component aerosol forming articles, each aerosol forming article defining a longitudinal axis and comprising N components serially juxtaposed along the longitudinal axis, where N is an integer2, the method comprising: providing transporting means for transporting components of aerosol forming articles in a transporting direction, said transporting means defining seats along said transporting direction; supplying seats of said transporting means with a first component for each aerosol forming article by positioning said first components one after the other along the transporting direction with their longitudinal axis parallel one to the others; checking each seat for the presence of said first component; adjoining a second component to the first component in a lengthwise axial manner in a given seat only if the first component is present in said given seat.

Method for manufacturing of multi-segment rod-like articles (25, 25, 25) of the tobacco industry in an apparatus (2) for manufacturing multi-segment rods (6) or segment rods (6, 6) comprising the steps of: feeding rod-like segments of at least one kind (A, B, C, E, F) constituting a multi-segment rod-like article (25, 25, 25); putting together rod-like segments (A, B, C, E, F) in a segments train (ST) on a wrapping material (7); manufacturing a continuous segment rod (CR, CR) or multi-segment rod (CR) containing rod-like segments (A, B, C, E, F) wrapped by the wrapping material (7), whereas the segments are pushed together or cavities are left between the segments; and cutting the continuous segment rod (CR, CR) or multi-segment rod (CR) into multi-segment rods (6) or segment rods (6, 6) containing any combination of H rod-like segments (A, B, C, E, F), double rod-like segments (A, B, C, E, F) and halves of rod-like segments (A, B, C, E, F), whereas at the time of cutting of the continuous multi-segment rod (CR) the multi-segment rods (6) or the segment rods (6, 6) move in a longitudinal direction (T1); then changing conveying direction of the multi-segment rod (6) or the segment rod (6, 6) from the longitudinal direction (T1) to a transverse direction (T2), and fixing the end segments (D) to the multi-segment rods (6) or the segment rods (6, 6), conveyed in the transverse direction (T2) in an end segment fixing apparatus (3) adapted to manufacture multi-segment rod-like articles (25, 25, 25). The method is characterised in that after the change of the conveying direction of the multi-segment rod (6) or the segment rod (6, 6) from the longitudinal direction (T1) to the transverse direction (T2), and before fixing the end segment (D), a step of checking quality the manufactured multi-segment rods (6) or the segment rods (6, 6) is performed at a measuring unit (9) and defective multi-segment rods (6) or the segment rods (6, 6) are rejected, next feeding the multi-segment rods (6) or the segment rods (6, 6) to a compensation unit (13) for storing the multi-segment rods (6) or the segment rods (6, 6) and for compensating the rejection of the multi-segment rods (6) or the segment rods (6, 6), and then feeding the multi-segment rods (6) or the segment rods (6, 6) from the compensation unit (13) to the end segment fixing apparatus (3) so that the end segment fixing apparatus (3<