METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AN AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE COMPONENT AND AEROSOL-GENERATING ARTICLE INCLUDING SAID COMPONENT

Abstract

The present invention is related to a method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating article component, the method comprising the steps of: •providing a web (210) of a material containing alkaloids; •feeding the web (210) of a material containing alkaloids to an embossing device (310) in a transport direction; •embossing the web (210) of a material containing alkaloids to form embossed web (220) of a material containing alkaloids by feeding the web (210) between a first and a second embossing rollers (350,360) so that the first and second embossing rollers (350,360) apply an embossing pattern to the web (210), wherein the embossing pattern includes ridges (240) or troughs (350) extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction; •gathering the embossed web (220) of a material containing alkaloids, and •forming a continuous rod using the embossed web (220) of a material containing alkaloids.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A method of manufacturing an aerosol-generating article component, the method comprising the steps of: providing a web of a material containing alkaloids having a thickness, the thickness of the web of the material containing alkaloids being comprised between about 100 micron and about 300 micron; feeding the web of a material containing alkaloids to an embossing device in a transport direction; embossing the web of a material containing alkaloids to form an embossed web of a material containing alkaloids by feeding the web between a first and a second embossing rollers so that the first and second embossing rollers apply an embossing pattern to the web, wherein the embossing pattern includes ridges or troughs extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to the transport direction and wherein an amplitude of the ridges or troughs is comprised between about 10 and about 300 percent of the thickness of the web; gathering the embossed web of a material containing alkaloids, and forming a continuous rod using the embossed web of a material containing alkaloids.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the web of a material containing alkaloids has a web width and wherein the step of embossing the web of a material containing alkaloids includes forming ridges or troughs which extend for at least about 20 percent of the web width of the embossed web.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the ridges or troughs form an angle with the transport direction comprised between about 82 degrees and about 98 degrees.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the embossing pattern includes a portion free from ridges or troughs.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the portion of the embossing pattern free from ridges or troughs forms a strip running substantially parallel to the transport direction.

21. The method according to claim 16, wherein the ridges or troughs a have a pitch comprised between about 50 and about 1000 percent of the thickness of the web.

22. The method according to claim 16, wherein said material containing alkaloids is a tobacco material.

23. The method according to claim 16, including the step of: embossing the web of a material containing alkaloids to form an embossed web of a material containing alkaloids by feeding the web between a third and a fourth embossing rollers so that the third and fourth embossing rollers apply a second embossing pattern to the web, wherein the second embossing pattern includes ridges or troughs extending in a second direction forming an angle different from zero with the direction orthogonal to the transport direction.

24. A kit comprising: a web of a material containing alkaloids having a thickness, the thickness of the web of the material containing alkaloids being comprised between about 100 micron and about 300 micron; an apparatus for manufacturing an aerosol-generating article component, the apparatus including: a feed path adapted to continuously feed a web of a material containing alkaloids along a transport direction; an embossing device adapted to collect the web of a material containing alkaloids and to apply an embossing pattern to the web in such a way to form an embossed web, the embossing device including a first and a second embossing rollers forming a gap therebetween, the first and the second embossing roller being adapted to rotate around a first and second rotation axis, respectively, the first and second rotation axis being parallel, and wherein at least one of the first and second embossing rollers includes a patterned surface portion including a plurality of ridges or troughs forming locally an angle comprised between about 0 degree and 8 degrees with the rotation axis of the respective roller, and wherein the ridges or troughs are adapted to define on the web a plurality of ridges or troughs having an amplitude comprised between about 10 and about 300 percent of the thickness of the web; and a rod forming device at a point downstream the embossing device along the transport direction and adapted to gather the embossed web and to form a continuous rod using the embossed web of a material containing alkaloids.

25. The kit according to claim 24, wherein at least one of the first and second embossing rollers includes a surface portion free from ridges or troughs.

26. The kit according to claim 25, wherein the surface portion free from ridges or troughs has a cylindrical shape.

27. Kit according to claim 24, wherein the ridges or troughs are adapted to define on the web a plurality of ridges or troughs having a pitch comprised between about 50 and about 1000 percent of the thickness of the web.

28. Aerosol-generating article including the aerosol-generating article component obtained from the method according to any of claims 16 to 23.

Description

[0126] Specific embodiments of the invention will be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0127] FIG. 1 shows a flow diagram of the method of the invention to produce an aerosol-generating article component;

[0128] FIG. 2 is a perspective schematic view of an embossed web of a material containing alkaloids obtained from the embossing step of the method of the invention;

[0129] FIG. 3 is a lateral schematic view of an apparatus for carrying out the method of the invention to produce an aerosol-generating article component; and

[0130] FIG. 4 is a top view of an embossed web of a material containing alkaloids obtained from the embossing step of the method of the invention according to a second embodiment.

[0131] With initial reference to FIG. 1, a method for producing an aerosol-generating article component of the invention is represented.

[0132] The first step 100 of the method of the invention includes the provision of a web 210 of a material containing alkaloids (visible in FIG. 3). Material containing alkaloids to be used in the method of the invention preferably includes a homogenized tobacco material. Preferably, in step 100, the homogenized tobacco web 210 has a thickness of about 0.2 millimetres (about 200 micron) and a width from between about 0.1 meters to about 2 meters.

[0133] The method includes a further step 101 in which the web 210 is fed to an embossing device 310 (visible in FIG. 3) in a transport direction 320 (indicated by arrow 320 in FIGS. 2-4).

[0134] Further, the method of the invention includes a step 102 of embossing the web 210 of a material containing alkaloids to form an embossed web 220 of a material containing alkaloids.

[0135] In particular, step 102 of embossing comprises feeding the web 210 between a first and a second embossing rollers (indicated by 350, 360 in FIG. 3) of the embossing device 310, that apply an embossing pattern (indicated by 230 in FIG. 2) to the web, wherein the embossing pattern includes ridges 240 and corresponding paired troughs 250 extending in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction 320. Preferably, an amplitude of ridges 240 is of about 0.2 millimeters (about 200 micron, corresponding to about 100 percent of the thickness 280 of the web).

[0136] Preferably, the ridges 240 have a pitch of about 1 millimeter (about 1000 micron, corresponding to about 500 percent of the thickness 280 of the web).

[0137] After step 102, the method of the invention includes a step 103 in which the embossed web 220 of a material containing alkaloids is gathered and a continuous rod 200 (visible in FIG. 3) is formed using the embossed web 220 in step 104.

[0138] In FIG. 2, a perspective schematic view of an embossed web 220 of a material containing alkaloids obtained from the embossing step of the method of the invention is shown.

[0139] In FIG. 2, the transport direction of the web in the process of the invention is represented by arrow 320.

[0140] The embossing pattern 230 includes a ridge 240 and a corresponding paired trough 250, ridge 240 having an amplitude 270 comprised between about 10 and about 150 percent of the thickness 280 of the web and a pitch 260 comprised between about 100 and about 500 percent of the thickness 280 of the web.

[0141] In FIG. 4, an additional embossed web 222 is disclosed in a top view, where a “matrix” of ridges and troughs is formed. A first plurality of ridges 241 and troughs 251 extends along the transport direction 320, while a second plurality of ridges 242 and troughs 252 extends in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, forming a grid pattern.

[0142] In FIG. 3, an apparatus 300 for carrying out the method of the invention is shown.

[0143] The apparatus 300 includes an embossing device 310 and a rod forming device 330.

[0144] The embossing device 310 includes a first and a second embossing rollers 350, 360. The embossing rollers have each a surface on which an embossing pattern is defined.

[0145] The web 210 of a material containing alkaloids is fed between the first and a second embossing rollers 350, 360 of the embossing device 310 in a transport direction, indicated by arrow 320.

[0146] At the exit of the embossing device 310, an embossed web 220 of a material containing alkaloids is obtained. The embossed web is formed by transferring the embossing pattern from the embossing rollers to the web.

[0147] The embossed web 220 is then fed to the rod forming device 330.

[0148] In the rod forming device 330, the embossed web 220 is gathered and a continuous rod 200 is formed.