An inductively heatable aerosol-forming rod for an aerosol-generating article is provided, including one cylindrical core portion including a first aerosol-forming substrate; at least one elongate susceptor laterally abutting the cylindrical core portion in a non-bonded manner along a longitudinal axis of the aerosol-forming rod; and a sleeve portion arranged around the cylindrical core portion and the susceptor, the sleeve including at least one of a filler material and a second aerosol-forming substrate. A shaping device for manufacturing the inductively heatable aerosol-forming rods is also provided, the shaping device including a core-forming device, a sleeve-forming device, and a longitudinal guide.

A system for manufacturing cigarettes is provided. The system can include an easily removable and/or replaceable metering device that use a cavity drum to dispense a filler material, a modular garniture format parts bank that can be removed and replaced as a single unit from the cigarette manufacturing machinery, and a cutter head having components operated with a single motor that turns a spline shaft.

A smoking article including a multilayer medium portion is provided. The smoking article includes a filter portion and a medium portion including a first smoking material portion and a second smoking material portion. The first smoking material portion is surrounded entirely or partially by the second smoking material portion in a longitudinal direction of the medium portion, and tobacco raw materials included in the first smoking material portion and tobacco raw materials included in the second smoking material portion are different.

A system for manufacturing cigarettes is provided. The system can include an easily removable and/or replaceable metering device that use a cavity drum to dispense a filler material, a modular garniture format parts bank that can be removed and replaced as a single unit from the cigarette manufacturing machinery, and a cutter head having components operated with a single motor that turns a spline shaft.

The present invention provides a tobacco rod for a flavor inhaler, including a plurality of rod-shaped segments connected to one another, in which each of the segments includes a cylindrical container and a flavor source including tobacco filled in the cylindrical container, the flavor source being filled in such a manner as to form, over a longitudinal direction, a channel for causing a flavor component to pass therethrough, and the channels of the segments are discontinuously connected at the connecting portion.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an aerosol-forming rod, and according to the present disclosure, it is possible to realize various aerosol-forming product properties, by utilizing the sheet-specific characteristics of each manufacturing process of reconstituted tobacco sheets and mixing two or more types of reconstituted tobacco sheets having different types, different physical properties, or different main components to control the physical properties and taste of the tobacco rod.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing inductively heatable aerosol-forming rods (100). The method comprises supplying a first substrate web (31) and a second substrate web (32) separately to a continuous multiple-stage rod-forming process which comprises at least a first and a subsequent second stage. The method further comprises supplying a continuous susceptor profile (20) to the rod-forming process such that the susceptor profile passes through at least the second stage. Furthermore, the method comprises passing the first and second substrate web separately through the first stage. Thereby, the first and the second substrate web are separately pre-gathered transversely with regard to a respective transport direction of each of the substrate web through the first stage. The method further comprises passing the susceptor profile and the pre-gathered substrate webs through the second stage. Thereby, the separately pre-gathered substrate webs are jointly gathered into a rod shape around the susceptor profile. The invention further relates to a multi-stage rod-forming device (10) comprising at least a first stage (11) and a second stage (12) downstream of the first stage. The first stage is configured for separately pre-gathering a first and a second substrate web (31, 32) respectively as each of them passes through the first stage. The second stage is configured for jointly gathering the pre-gathered substrate webs into a rod shape around a susceptor profile (20) as the susceptor profile and the pre-gathered substrate webs pass through the second stage.

A spacing drum comprising: a segment receiving drum section capable of receiving a predetermined number of segments per revolution of the drum from a procession of segments approaching the segment receiving drum section at a segment-feed spacing and a segment-feed speed; a segment releasing drum section capable of releasing the predetermined number of segments at a segment-release spacing and a segment-release speed; and a radial profile flight comprising a continuous arc segment extending across at least portions of the segment receiving drum section and the segment releasing drum section. Associated methods are also provided, including method of changing pitch along a spacing drum progressively with a radial profile flight.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing inductively heatable aerosol-forming rods (100). The method comprises supplying a first substrate web (31) and a second substrate web (32) separately to a continuous multiple-stage rod-forming process which comprises at least a first and a subsequent second stage. The method further comprises supplying a continuous susceptor profile (20) to the rod-forming process such that the susceptor profile passes through at least the second stage. Furthermore, the method comprises passing the first and second substrate web separately through the first stage. Thereby, the first and the second substrate web are separately pre-gathered transversely with regard to a respective transport direction of each of the substrate web through the first stage. The method further comprises passing the susceptor profile and the pre-gathered substrate webs through the second stage. Thereby, the separately pre-gathered substrate webs are jointly gathered into a rod shape around the susceptor profile. The invention further relates to a multi-stage rod-forming device (10) comprising at least a first stage (11) and a second stage (12) downstream of the first stage. The first stage is configured for separately pre-gathering a first and a second substrate web (31, 32) respectively as each of them passes through the first stage. The second stage is configured for jointly gathering the pre-gathered substrate webs into a rod shape around a susceptor profile (20) as the susceptor profile and the pre-gathered substrate webs pass through the second stage.

A spacing drum comprising: a segment receiving drum section capable of receiving a predetermined number of segments per revolution of the drum from a procession of segments approaching the segment receiving drum section at a segment-feed spacing and a segment-feed speed; a segment releasing drum section capable of releasing the predetermined number of segments at a segment-release spacing and a segment-release speed; and a radial profile flight comprising a continuous arc segment extending across at least portions of the segment receiving drum section and the segment releasing drum section. Associated methods are also provided, including method of changing pitch along a spacing drum progressively with a radial profile flight.