Apparatus and Method for Manufacturing a Smoking Article Pack An apparatus (10) for manufacturing a sealed pack (20, 34, 36, 37) of smoking articles (2) and modifying an internal atmosphere thereof. The apparatus (10) comprises a handling mechanism (13) for conveying a sealed pack (20) of smoking articles (2) within the apparatus (10). The handling mechanism (13) includes a support plate (24) against which a pack (20) abuts during conveyance by the handling mechanism (13). The support plate (24) includes a gas port (29). The apparatus (10) is configured such that, as a pack (20) is conveyed by the handling mechanism (13) in abutment with the support plate (24), the gas port (29) may engage a valve (4) formed in the pack (20) to enable a gaseous atmosphere within the sealed (20) pack to be modified. Also, a method of manufacturing a pack (37) of smoking articles (2) by means of such an apparatus (10).

An automatic machine for the production or the packaging of consumer products, in particular of the tobacco industry has at least one processing line provided with a plurality of operating members and feeds at least one material used to manufacture the consumer products. A control and/or identification method includes carrying out, inside a volume containing at least part of the automatic machine, a three-dimensional detection using at least one hyperspectral detection unit for detecting alterations of the electromagnetic field produced by all the objects inside the volume, the hyperspectral detection unit outputs raw data concerning the dimensions, position, shape, physical structure, and/or the chemical composition of all the objects present inside the volume. The raw data is filtered using an artificial intelligence algorithm to isolate and extract information concerning at least one single object inside the volume; and the information is used to carry out a control and/or identification operation.

Packer machine and wrapping method to manufacture a packet of tobacco articles containing two distinct groups of tobacco articles; the following are provided: a coupling wheel which rotates with continuous motion around a rotation axis and supports a pair of coupling pockets; a feeding station in which a first group of tobacco articles is fed to a first coupling pocket and, subsequently, a second group of tobacco articles is fed to a second coupling pocket; an actuating device which brings, downstream of the feeding station, the two coupling pockets closer to each other, until the two coupling pockets are side by side; and a releasing station, in which the two groups of tobacco articles are extracted together from both the coupling pockets arranged side by side, so that the two groups of tobacco articles are side by side when they come out of the coupling pockets.

A utensil wrapping apparatus including belt rollers, conveyor belts, a bracket assembly, napkin folders, fold actuators, and a rolling station is provided. The conveyor belts wound around the belt rollers accommodate and convey a napkin with one or more utensils placed thereon from an entry end to a release end of the conveyor belts. The bracket assembly folds a leading corner of the napkin over the utensils. The napkin folders, actuated by the fold actuators, fold opposing corners of the napkin around the utensils. The rolling station receives and initiates rolling and tucking of the napkin folded around the utensils. A set of rolling belts in the rolling station moving in a direction counter to movement of the conveyor belts rolls the napkin folded around the utensils and facilitates conveyance of the rolled napkin with the utensils over the conveyor belts to a release end of the conveyor belts.

Packer machine and wrapping method to manufacture a packet of tobacco articles containing two distinct groups of tobacco articles; the following are provided: a coupling wheel which rotates with continuous motion around a rotation axis and supports a pair of coupling pockets; a feeding station in which a first group of tobacco articles is fed to a first coupling pocket and, subsequently, a second group of tobacco articles is fed to a second coupling pocket; an actuating device which brings, downstream of the feeding station, the two coupling pockets closer to each other, until the two coupling pockets are side by side; and a releasing station, in which the two groups of tobacco articles are extracted together from both the coupling pockets arranged side by side, so that the two groups of tobacco articles are side by side when they come out of the coupling pockets.