Apparatus and methods for manufacturing cigarette tubes

摘要

Pre-formed cigarette tubes are provided in an automated fashion. Cigarettes containing a filler material are manufactured according to known methods and transferred to an apparatus for removing the filler material. The filler material within each resulting cigarette is removed therefrom. Optionally, the filler material may be recycled to the beginning of the process. The resulting pre-formed cigarette tubes are collected. At a later time, the hollow regions of those pre-formed tubes can be filled with tobacco cut filler in order to provide finished cigarettes.