Abstract: Apparatus for making perforations in continuous or interrupted webs of cigarette paper or the like has one or more perforating units serving to direct radiant or electrical energy against selected portions of the web to make holes therein. That portion of each perforating unit which surrounds the locus of propagation of energy beyond the respective perforating unit is externally cooled and cleaned by one or more streams of compressed gas which ensure that such portion cannot accumulate solid combustion products which could interfere with the propagation of energy toward the web. The stream or streams are furnished by the orifices of nozzles which can be provided in the carrier or carriers for the perforating units or can be outwardly adjacent to the carrier or carriers.

Abstract: Apparatus for perforating a web of wrapping material or tubular wrappers of discrete filter cigarettes of unit length or double unit length in a filter tipping machine has a laser which is energizable at a frequency depending on the speed of the main prime mover of the machine to emit a beam which is reflected by a pivotable reflector to impinge alternately upon different portions of a single optical system or upon several discrete optical systems serving to focus the beam upon the web or upon discrete wrappers whereby the beam forms two or more rows or more complex patterns of perforations in the web or in the wrappers of successive cigarettes. The pivotable reflector can be omitted or is optional if a diffraction grating is placed in front of a single optical system so that the grating splits the beam into several discrete beams each of which is focused upon a different portion of the web or of the wrapper of a cigarette.