Abstract: An additive material is applied to a substrate, such as a paper web used as a wrapping material for cigarette manufacture. A predetermined pattern of additive material is applied to the outer surface of the wrapping material of a formed cigarette, and most preferably of a formed filtered cigarette. In particular, an application system for applying additive material of a controlled type, in a controlled manner and in a controlled location on the wrapping material of a formed two-up filtered cigarette rod is located within a tipping machine. During controlled rotation of each such formed rod (e.g., due to cooperation of a transfer drum and a laser cam), additive material is applied to the outer surface of a desired location of the wrapping material of each such rod.

Abstract: Adhesive-coated bands of paper, tipping paper or plastic foil are convoluted around discrete one-piece or composite rod-shaped articles, such as coaxial plain cigarettes and filter mouthpieces, during travel through a rolling zone bounded by a pair of surfaces at least one of which moves relative to the other. The inlet of the rolling zone receives articles, each of which carries a non-convoluted band, from a conveyor which forms part of a pressing device operative immediately ahead of the inlet of the rolling zone and serving to press successively delivered bands against the respective articles and to effect an at least slight flattening of the articles immediately prior to entry into the rolling zone. The width of the path for the articles increases at the outlet of the rolling zone or immediately downstream of such outlet.

Abstract: A cigarette making machine for manufacturing of a cigarette with burn rate modification is described. The cigarette maker allows for mounting of a special bobbin of material which is different in size and width of a normal wrapper bobbin and feeds both the outer wrap web of material and narrower inner wrap web of material to the garniture. A slitting device may be utilized to cut the inner wrap web of material into a plurality of individual strips which are placed adjacent the outer wrap web of material in the garniture area of the maker. The inner wrap web of material may derive from a transverse wound bobbin in order to store large linear amounts of inner wrap web material.

Abstract: An apparatus, such as a filter tipping machine, wherein groups of coaxial rod-shaped articles are connected to each other end-to-end by adhesive-coated uniting strips or bands, employs two endless conveyor belts having parallel stretches defining an elongated rolling channel and moving in the same direction but at different speeds. A first rotary drum-shaped conveyor is employed to deliver successive groups, each of which can carry a uniting band, sideways into the inlet of the channel wherein the groups are caused to roll and the uniting bands are convoluted around them. A second rotary drum-shaped conveyor receives successive groups of interconnected rod-shaped articles from the outlet of the rolling channel and delivers them to a processing station, such as a severing or packing station, or to a magazine. One of the endless conveyor belts is trained over the drum-shaped conveyors.

Abstract: In the production of wrappers or binders of different sizes from tobacco leaves, these leaves are at first divided into strip pieces that are transferred to a conveyor section and by means of a scanner are scanned to ascertain usable areas with preference from the largest to the smallest size. The strip pieces cut out of the same halves of tobacco leaves (right and left sides) are advanced on a further conveyor section consisting of separate, parallel belts, from which strip pieces of equally large, usable areas are collected in the same bobbin, in which they are oriented parallel to the axis of the bobbin and with their usable areas aligned in the longitudinal direction of the bobbin web. The cutting of nondefective final wrappers or binders is subsequently carried out in a separate operation and without further sorting. This provides for obtaining an optimum output from the tobacco leaves by using an apparatus of non-complicated design.

Abstract: In a device for spreading tobacco leaves which, subsequent to having been moistened, are smoothed by passage in their transverse direction between a base and a sweeping brush or an analogous smoothing tool, said tool may be "broken" from its normal or straight operating position into a position in which its ends are raised higher from the base than its center portion. The operator is thus left more space for his hands that seize the leading edge of the tobacco leaf to be pulled across the base, and the smoothing operation at the largest portion of the tobacco leaf can be started earlier than the smoothing operation closer to the point and stalk ends of the leaf.

Abstract: In the production of cheroots and similar tobacco articles with a wrapper made from natural tobacco relieved of central rib portions but containing portions of side ribs, the said ribs are flattened solely in the end flap of the wrapper.

Abstract: A method and a device for the manufacture of cigars in which each bunch or filler is enveloped in a tobacco leaf portion, wherein the bunches or fillers are advanced one after the other along a given length, whilst a tobacco leaf portion is applied along at least part of said length of path in a stretched form to each advancing filler and wrapped around the same, due to the fact that the bunches or fillers are not stationary during the wrapping operation, but advanced the capacity of an overrolling unit is significantly raised.

Abstract: A device for storing substantially similar tobacco leaf portions in a tape reel or bobbin comprising a cutting station for cutting substantially similar leaf portions from a whole or a half tobacco leaf, a reel for winding a tape, a table for guiding and supporting the tape to be wound and a transport mechanism for transferring tobacco leaf portions from the cutting station to the supporting surface of the table, said device is provided with more than one cutting member for cutting simultaneously more than one leaf portion of the same shape, while the transport mechanism comprises an orientating member for aligning the leaf portions, in order to materially raise the production capacity of said device.

Abstract: Webs which are to be converted into wrappers for filter rod sections, cigars, cigarillos or cigarettes, or the wrappers of such articles, are perforated by one or more laser beams in the machine wherein the articles are produced. The permeability of wrappers can be changed by increasing or reducing the number of holes and/or by increasing or reducing the size of holes in each wrapper. The permeability of the wrappers of finished articles is monitored and the intensity of laser beam or beams is automatically adjusted when the monitored permeability deviates from a desired value. The perforations are formed for the purpose of admitting cool atmospheric air which influences the quantity of nicotine and condensate in the column of smoke. The perforations are disposed close to or in the filter plugs of filter cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos, or close to one or both ends of each filter rod section or plain cigarette, depending on the length of such articles.

Abstract: A method for wrapping cigars or like articles in an outer envelope, or wrapper, made of natural tobacco, which comprises the steps of: at least partially spreading out a non-stripped tobacco leaf, cutting out a first batch of wrappers from one of the half-leaves on one side of the midrib, turning the leaf over onto its other face, spreading out the half-leaf which has not yet been cut out, cutting out a second batch of wrappers from this half-leaf, then rolling cigars or like articles in these two batches of wrappers, reversing the direction of rolling when passing from the wrappers of the first batch to those of the second batch.

Abstract: Webs which are to be converted into wrappers for filter rod sections, cigars, cigarillos or cigarettes, or the wrappers of such articles, are perforated by one or more laser beams in the machine wherein the articles are produced. The permeability of wrappers can be changed by increasing or reducing the number of holes and/or by increasing or reducing the size of holes in each wrapper. The permeability of the wrappers of finished articles is monitored and the intensity of laser beam or beams is automatically adjusted when the monitored permeability deviates from a desired value. The perforations are formed for the purpose of admitting cool atmospheric air which influences the quantity of nicotine and condensate in the column of smoke. The perforations are disposed close to or in the filter plugs of filter cigarettes, cigars or cigarillos, or close to one or both ends of each filter rod section or plain cigarette, depending on the length of such articles.

Abstract: A machine and method for continuously applying wrappers to a stream of bound cigar bunches.