APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COMBINING COMPONENTS FOR SMOKING ARTICLES

摘要

THERE IS PROVIDED AN APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR COMBINING TWO OR MORE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS (103, 203, 105, 205; 107A, 107B, 207) FOR THE PRODUCTION OF SMOKING ARTICLES. AT LEAST ONE OF THE COMPONENTS (103, 203) IS NON-CLEANLY-CUTTABLE, THAT IS, CANNOT BE CLEANLY CUT WITH CONVENTIONAL CUTTING MEANS, FOR EXAMPLE BECAUSE IT IS PRONE TO SPLINTER OR FRAGMENT. THE METHOD COMPRISES THE STEPS OF: FEEDING A STREAM OF COMPONENTS ALONG A MOVING DELIVERY PATH (209); COMPACTING THE STREAM OF COMPONENTS INTO GROUPS OF TWO OR MORE DIFFERENT COMPONENTS, EACH GROUP CORRESPONDING TO A DISCRETE SMOKING ARTICLE, WHEREIN THE COMPONENTS WITHIN A GROUP ABUT ONE ANOTHER AND WHEREIN THERE IS A PREDEFINED SPACE BETWEEN A LEADING GROUP OF COMPONENTS AND A TRAILING GROUP OF COMPONENTS; WRAPPING THE COMPONENTS IN A WEB OF MATERIAL; AND CUTTING THE WEB OF MATERIAL IN EACH SPACE BETWEEN GROUPS OF COMPONENTS.