Abstract: A cigarette making machine employs an endless foraminous belt one side of which advances a surplus-containing stream of comminuted smokable material toward, through and beyond a trimming station where a trimming device removes the surplus and the resulting rod-like filler is advanced past an instrument which monitors the density of the filler prior or subsequent to draping of such filler into a web of cigarette paper or the like. If the density of the filler departs from a desired density, a shoe-like guide member abutting the other side of the belt opposite the trimming device is moved toward or away from the trimming device and/or vice versa. The other side of the belt is adjacent a suction chamber, and the guide member has one or more openings through which the suction chamber attracts the running belt to an at least slightly convex side of the guide member.

Abstract: A machine for making one or more cigarette rods or analogous smokers' products is provided with a cooling apparatus for one or more cooling elements, one for each rod. Each such element has a finger which frictionally contacts and is thus heated by the respective advancing rod preferably immediately downstream of a station where one or more tobacco streams is or are converted into one or more rod-like fillers, and a guide wall which carries the finger and frictionally contacts and is thus heated by the advancing filler at a wrapping station for the rod. The cooling apparatus has at least one part which is cooled by a circulating fluid coolant and is movable into and from surface-to-surface contact with the finger(s) and the guide wall(s).

Abstract: Apparatus for controlled removal of surplus material from one or more tows of tobacco particles, filter material for tobacco smoke or the like employs at least one belt conveyor for each stream. The outer side of such belt conveyor is provided with recesses which receive particulate material at the stream forming station or stations. Each stream is equalized by a discrete trimming device which employs a pair of cooperating rotary knives having circular cutting edges and serving to remove the surplus prior to compacting and wrapping of the thus obtained rod-like filler or fillers into web(s) of cigarette paper of the like. The material which has entered the recesses of the belt conveyor(s) contributes to greater density of the corresponding portions of the fillers or fillers, and such densified portions are severed by a cutoff to be located at the ends of plain cigarettes or at the tobacco-containing ends of filter cigarettes.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlled removal of surplus material from one or more tows of tobacco particles, filter material for tobacco smoke or the like employs at least one belt conveyor for each stream. The outer side of such belt conveyor is provided with recesses which receive particulate material at the stream forming station or stations. Each stream is equalized by a discrete trimming device which employs a pair of cooperating rotary knives having circular cutting edges and serving to remove the surplus prior to compacting and wrapping of the thus obtained rod-like filler or fillers into web(s) of cigarette paper of the like. The material which has entered the recesses of the belt conveyor(s) contributes to greater density of the corresponding portions of the fillers or fillers, and such densified portions are severed by a cutoff to be located at the ends of plain cigarettes or at the tobacco-containing ends of filter cigarettes.