A method for producing a laminated embossed web includes the steps of: (a) providing a first web and at least a further web, (b) embossing the first web with a first pattern of embossments, each embossment comprising a top and a side, (c) providing an adhesive with an electrostatic charge, (d) directing the adhesive to the tops of the embossments, and (e) combining the webs.

A smoking article wrapper includes a non-perforated air permeable base paper having a naturally high porosity of 40-80 cm.sup.3/min air passing through a sample of 1 cm.sup.2 of this base paper at an applied pressure difference of 1 kPa, wherein the smoking article wrapper has at least one embossed surface area and at least one non-embossed surface area. The air permeability of the smoking article wrapper is such that it provides a mean volumetric flow rate of ≥40 cm.sup.3/min air passing through a sample of 1 cm.sup.2 of this smoking article wrapper at an applied pressure difference of 1 kPa. The embossed area includes an embossing having a depth of ≥16 μm. A smoking article including the smoking article wrapper and respective methods to produce such a smoking article wrapper and a smoking article are also provided.

A method for production of a female embossing tool (6) intended for embossing a sheet element (60): provide a female embossing tool (6) with an outer layer (44) made of a material with shape-memory type properties, and the outer face of the layer has no recesses; provide a male embossing tool (5, 5′) with an outer face with at least one protuberance corresponding to at least one desired embossing relief that is to be formed on the sheet element (60) after embossing; and cooperation of the male embossing tool (5, 5′) with the female embossing tool (6) such that the outer layer (44) of the female embossing tool (6) undergoes a plastic deformation which creates at least one recess (42, 42′) of a shape complementary to the protuberance(s) (41, 41′) of the male embossing tool (5, 5′).

An embossing method allowing to emboss a material on both sides comprises feeding the foil material into a roll nip between a pair of a first roll and a second roll, providing the first roll and the second roll each with a plurality of positive projections and a plurality of negative projections of identical shaped polyhedral structures, a first subset of the plurality of positive projections being disposed with a first periodicity on a first grid in axial direction and a second periodicity on the first grid in circumferential direction on the first roll, and a second subset of the plurality of negative projections being disposed with the first periodicity in axial direction and the second periodicity in circumferential direction on the first grid intertwined with the positive projections, in axial and circumferential directions respectively, and projections complementary to the first grid, on the second roll, each of the positive projections and the negative projections on the first roll during operation of the rolls and in the roll nip being surrounded on all sides by positive projections and negative projections on the second roll, the positive projections of the first roll together with alternating corresponding negative projections on the second roll forming during the operation of the rolls and in the roll nip, a first straight line substantially parallel to the axial direction, and the negative projections of the first roll together with alternating corresponding positive projections on the second roll forming during the operation of the rolls and in the roll nip, a second straight line substantially parallel to the axial direction. The positive projections and the negative projections are such that in the axial direction on the first roll each positive projection shares a lateral base border with at least one negative projection adjacent to the positive projection, and during the operation of the rolls and in the roll nip, all lateral oblique surfaces of the positive and negative projections of the first roll are just above the surface in full faced view with the corresponding lateral oblique surfaces of the respective negative and positive projections of the second roll, thereby enabling a homogeneous distribution of pressure to the material.

A method for production of a female embossing tool intended for embossing a sheet element: provide a female embossing tool with an outer layer made of a material with shape-memory type properties, and the outer face of the layer has no recesses; provide a male embossing tool with an outer face with at least one protuberance corresponding to at least one desired embossing relief that is to be formed on the sheet element after embossing; and cooperation of the male embossing tool with the female embossing tool such that the outer layer of the female embossing tool undergoes a plastic deformation which creates at least one recess of a shape complementary to the protuberance(s) of the male embossing tool.

A method for manufacturing a structured embossing cylinder for embossing system including the steps of providing a hard-coated embossing roller having a cylindrically-shaped core and a hard-coating layer on the cylindrically-shaped core, the hard-coating layer having a thickness in a range between 1 gm and 10 gm, and having a surface-roughness value RA of less than 100 nm, depositing a masking layer on the hard-coating layer, the masking layer having a thickness of equal or less than 100 nm, removing material from the masking layer to form at least one opening, and etching to remove material at the at least one opening of the masking layer from the hard-coating layer to form a surface cavity in the hard-coating layer at the at least one opening, the surface cavity forming a structural embossing feature into the hard-coating layer, thereby forming the structured embossing cylinder.

An embossing system including: an embossing unit with at least one embossing roller arranged to emboss a web of paper intended to be joined with a further web by gluing; and a gluing unit associated with the embossing unit, with a tank containing the glue used to perform the gluing and a glue dispensing device including a cliche roller adapted to distribute by contact the glue contained in the tank on one of the webs while the embossing is performed, the cliche roller rotating with a pre-fixed angular velocity around an axis parallel to said at least one embossing roller. The system further includes: a sensor to produce electrical signals having amplitude and/or frequency related to the vibrations at which the cliche roll is instantaneously subject.

A method for production of a female embossing tool intended for embossing a sheet element: provide a female embossing tool with an outer layer made of a material with shape-memory type properties, and the outer face of the layer has no recesses; provide a male embossing tool with an outer face with at least one protuberance corresponding to at least one desired embossing relief that is to be formed on the sheet element after embossing; and cooperation of the male embossing tool with the female embossing tool such that the outer layer of the female embossing tool undergoes a plastic deformation which creates at least one recess of a shape complementary to the protuberance(s) of the male embossing tool.

A method for production of a female embossing tool (6) intended for embossing a sheet element (60): provide a female embossing tool (6) with an outer layer (44) made of a material with shape-memory type properties, and the outer face of the layer has no recesses; provide a male embossing tool (5, 5) with an outer face with at least one protuberance corresponding to at least one desired embossing relief that is to be formed on the sheet element (60) after embossing; and cooperation of the male embossing tool (5, 5) with the female embossing tool (6) such that the outer layer (44) of the female embossing tool (6) undergoes a plastic deformation which creates at least one recess (42, 42) of a shape complementary to the protuberance(s) (41, 41) of the male embossing tool (5, 5).

An embossing method allowing to emboss a material on both sides comprises feeding the foil material into a roll nip between a pair of a first roll and a second roll, providing the first roll and the second roll each with a plurality of positive projections and a plurality of negative projections of identical shaped polyhedral structures, a first subset of the plurality of positive projections being disposed with a first periodicity on a first grid in axial direction and a second periodicity on the first grid in circumferential direction on the first roll, and a second subset of the plurality of negative projections being disposed with the first periodicity in axial direction and the second periodicity in circumferential direction on the first grid intertwined with the positive projections, in axial and circumferential directions respectively, and projections complementary to the first grid, on the second roll, each of the positive projections and the negative projections on the first roll during operation of the rolls and in the roll nip being surrounded on all sides by positive projections and negative projections on the second roll, the positive projections of the first roll together with alternating corresponding negative projections on the second roll forming during the operation of the rolls and in the roll nip, a first straight line substantially parallel to the axial direction, and the negative projections of the first roll together with alternating corresponding positive projections on the second roll forming during the operation of the rolls and in the roll nip, a second straight line substantially parallel to the axial direction. The positive projections and the negative projections are such that in the axial direction on the first roll each positive projection shares a lateral base border with at least one negative projection adjacent to the positive projection, and during the operation of the rolls and in the roll nip, all lateral oblique surfaces of the positive and negative projections of the first roll are just above the surface in full faced view with the corresponding lateral oblique surfaces of the respective negative and positive projections of the second roll, thereby enabling a homogeneous distribution of pressure to the material.