A method of assembling and testing a simulated cigarette. Assembling the simulated cigarette to have an elongate main body containing a reservoir for an inhalable composition, a breath operated valve, and a refill valve. Testing the integrity of the reservoir requires applying a pressured gas to open the refill valve to pressurise the reservoir, measuring the pressure drop in the reservoir, and providing a pass indication if the pressure drop remains below a predetermined threshold. It also requires testing the breath operated valve by applying suction at an inhaling end, measuring the flow rate from the cigarette and providing a pass indication if the flow rate falls outside a predetermined limit.

A cartridge for an aerosol-generating system is provided, including a liquid storage portion including a housing containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the housing having an open end; and a heater assembly including: an electrical heating element configured to heat the substrate to form an aerosol, the heating element including a planar filament arrangement having one or more electrically conductive filaments, an electrically insulating substrate having a planar attachment face, the filament arrangement disposed on the planar attachment face, and connectors arranged at opposite ends of the heating element and forming two separate electrical contacts configured to apply power to the filament arrangement, at least a portion of the heater assembly is fluid-permeable, and the heater assembly is arranged over the open end of the housing.

A cartridge for an aerosol-generating system is provided, including a liquid storage portion including a housing containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the housing having an open end; and a heater assembly including: an electrical heating element configured to heat the substrate to form an aerosol, the heating element including a planar filament arrangement having one or more electrically conductive filaments, an electrically insulating substrate having a planar attachment face, the filament arrangement disposed on the planar attachment face, and connectors arranged at opposite ends of the heating element and forming two separate electrical contacts configured to apply power to the filament arrangement, at least a portion of the heater assembly is fluid-permeable, and the heater assembly is arranged over the open end of the housing.

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.

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 for filling an aerosol generating product includes: preparing a tube body of the aerosol generating product; filling a filter element into the tube body, wherein the filter element is adjacent to a near-lip end of the tube body; installing a blocking and flow guide element from a far-lip end of the tube body; installing a fuming unit from the far-lip end of the tube body, where the fuming unit is located at the far-lip end of the tube body; and sealing the far-lip end of the tube body, and forming a sealing part on an end face of the far-lip end of the tube body. In the new method, each component is successively filled from the near-lip end to the far-lip end of the aerosol generating product, thereby effectively avoiding the pollution caused by the fuming unit on the tube body during the filling of the fuming unit.

A cartridge for an aerosol-generating system is provided, including a liquid storage portion including a housing containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the housing having an open end; and a heater assembly including: an electrical heating element configured to heat the substrate to form an aerosol, the heating element including a planar filament arrangement having one or more electrically conductive filaments, an electrically insulating substrate having a planar attachment face, the filament arrangement disposed on the planar attachment face, and connectors arranged at opposite ends of the heating element and forming two separate electrical contacts configured to apply power to the filament arrangement, at least a portion of the heater assembly is fluid-permeable, and the heater assembly is arranged over the open end of the housing.

A cartridge for an aerosol-generating system is provided, including a liquid storage portion including a housing containing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, the housing having an open end; and a heater assembly including: an electrical heating element configured to heat the substrate to form an aerosol, the heating element including a planar filament arrangement having one or more electrically conductive filaments, an electrically insulating substrate having a planar attachment face, the filament arrangement disposed on the planar attachment face, and connectors arranged at opposite ends of the heating element and forming two separate electrical contacts configured to apply power to the filament arrangement, at least a portion of the heater assembly is fluid-permeable, and the heater assembly is arranged over the open end of the housing.

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a housing and a mount. The housing includes a cover portion and a base portion. The cover portion and the base portion define an interior. The housing defines an opening via which the interior can be accessed from a region external to the housing. The mount is coupled to the base portion and configured to maintain a position of a fillable component within the interior of the housing such that an elastomeric membrane of the fillable component is aligned with the opening defined by the housing and a reservoir of the fillable component is accessible by a needle via the opening and the elastomeric membrane.

In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a housing and a mount. The housing includes a cover portion and a base portion. The cover portion and the base portion define an interior. The housing defines an opening via which the interior can be accessed from a region external to the housing. The mount is coupled to the base portion and configured to maintain a position of a fillable component within the interior of the housing such that an elastomeric membrane of the fillable component is aligned with the opening defined by the housing and a reservoir of the fillable component is accessible by a needle via the opening and the elastomeric membrane.