Apparatus and method for manufacturing a multi-segmented article

Abstract

An apparatus (1) for manufacturing a multi-segment article comprises a feed module (20) adapted to cut rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) into segments (A, B, C, D) and feed the segments (A, B, C, D) to an assembly unit (30). The feeding unit comprises: a hopper (21) for storing rods (MA, MB, MC, MD); a receiving drum (22) for receiving the rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) from the hopper (21); a cutting head (24) located at the transfer drum (23) for cutting the rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) into individual segments (A, B, C, D); a displacement drum (25) for changing the mutual position of the segments (A, B, C, D); an alignment drum (26) for forming at least one stream of the segments (A, B, C, D). Furthermore, the device comprises: an assembly unit (30) provided with an assembly drum (31) and a transfer drum (32) for receiving said segments (A, B, C, D) from said feed module (20) and forming a group (G1) of said segments; and a first wrapping module (40) for feeding a segment of a first wrapping material (W1) and wrapping the segment group (G1) fed from the assembly unit (30) to form a multi-segment rod (R). The device according to the invention is characterised in that said first wrapping module (40) comprises a conveying and pushing roller (44) adapted to receive a group (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D) with gaps, the first wrapping module (40) being provided with pushing mechanisms (45, 46, 47, 48) for pushing together said group (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D) such that the segments (A, B, C, D) in the group (G1) come into contact with each other after being pushed together, and in addition, the first wrapping module (40) is provided with pushing mechanisms (45, 46, 47, 48) for pushing together the groups (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D) in the group (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D) in the group (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D). A conveying and pushing roller (44) is adapted to convey the group (G2) of the segments (A, B, C, D) pushed together with the segment of the first wrapping material (W1).

Description

[0001] The object of the present application is a device and a method for manufacturing multi-segment articles.

[0002] Today, the tobacco industry manufactures rod-shaped articles, which include a variety of elements, namely tobacco elements containing tobacco or materials containing processed tobacco, filter elements, elements containing flavoring substances, and distance elements for cooling tobacco smoke, for example. In this application, these various elements will be referred to as segments, and the article containing these segments is called a multi-segment article or a multi-segment rod. A device for assembling a filter segment group disclosed in document GB2267021A is known in the prior art. The segment group manufactured on such a device is formed in such a way that the continuously conveyed segments are axially pushed onto the previously conveyed segments. As a result, a group is formed in which all the segments in the group are pushed against each other so that they are in contact with each other, that is, a group with no gaps between the segments is formed.

[0003] The segments currently used in multi-segment articles are made of various materials characterized by different elastic properties. This results in a change in the length of the individual segments that will expand according to different characteristics when pushed together. If the segments that have been pushed together are transported for too long before being wrapped with the wrapping material, it will be difficult to maintain the total size of the segment group composed of the segments that have been pushed together. An uncontrolled change in the total length of a group of segments that have been pushed together may cause, for example, the outermost segment in the multi-segment article to protrude beyond the edge of the wrapping material after being wrapped with the wrapping material. This occurs when the total length of the segments that have been pushed together is greater than the width of the wrapping material before wrapping. In the tobacco industry, there is a need for a device that eliminates unwanted changes in the total length of a segment group before wrapping the segment group with the wrapping material. In particular, when transporting the segments of such a group on the drum of a separate sub-assembly, the difficulty of maintaining the length of a group of segments that have been pushed together increases.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need for a device in which the prepared segment group pushed together is transported on as few drums as possible to reduce the risk of uncontrolled displacement between the segments. In addition, there is also a need to package the prepared segment group immediately after being pushed together so that the properly formed segment group that has been pushed together does not lose its parameters, such as, for example, the total length of the segment group.

[0005] The object of the present invention is a device for manufacturing multi-segment articles, comprising a feeding module adapted to cut rods into segments and feed said segments to an assembly unit. The feeding module includes a hopper for storing rods; a receiving roller for receiving rods from the hopper; a cutting head located at a transfer roller for cutting the rods into individual segments; a shifting roller for changing the relative positions of the segments; and an aligning roller for forming at least one stream of the segments. The device further includes an assembly unit provided with an assembly roller and a transfer roller for receiving segments from the feeding module and forming a group of segments. The device also includes a first wrapping module for feeding a segment of a first wrapping material and wrapping the group of segments supplied from the assembly unit to form a multi-segment rod. The device according to the present invention is characterized in that the first wrapping module includes a transfer and pressing roller adapted to receive a group of segments having gaps, and the first wrapping module is provided with a pressing mechanism for pushing the group of segments together so that the segments in the group of segments are in contact with each other after being pushed together. In addition, the transfer and pressing roller is adapted to transfer the group of segments that have been pushed together together with the segment of the first wrapping material.

[0006] The device according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressing mechanism is a cam mechanism located on the transfer and pressing roller, and the cam mechanism is provided with a support element for holding and transferring the segments in a direction parallel to the axis of the segments.

[0007] The device according to the present invention is characterized in that the support element is provided with rollers moving in grooves of a drum cam, and the grooves are formed in a cylinder located on the transfer and pressing roller.

[0008] The device according to the present invention is characterized in that the support element is provided with rollers moving in grooves of a drum cam, and the grooves are formed on the circumferential surface of the transfer and pressing roller.

[0009] The device according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressing mechanism includes a rotating pressure ring adapted to press the outermost segment in a group of segments that have not been pushed together.

[0010] The device according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressing mechanism includes a fixed arched element adapted to press the outermost segment in a group of segments that have not been pushed together.

[0011] The device according to the present invention is characterized in that the pressing mechanism includes a fixed pressure roller adapted to press the outermost segment in the segments that have not been pushed together.

[0012] The device according to the present invention is characterized in that gaps are maintained between the segments in a group of segments assembled in the assembly unit that have not been pushed together.

[0013] The device according to the invention is characterized in that it further comprises a cutting unit for cutting the formed rod into semi-multi-segment rods.

[0014] The device according to the invention is characterized in that it further comprises an additional feeding module for cutting additional rods and feeding additional segments between the semi-multi-segment rods. The additional feeding module comprises a hopper for storing rods; a receiving roller for receiving rods from the hopper; a cutting head located at the transfer roller for cutting the rods into individual segments; a shifting roller for changing the relative positions of the segments; and an aligning roller for forming at least one stream of the segments.

[0015] The device according to the invention is characterized in that it further comprises a second wrapping module for feeding a segment of a second wrapping material and wrapping two semi-multi-segment rods and one additional segment.

[0016] The object of the present invention is also a method for manufacturing a multi-segment article, comprising the following steps: In the feeding module, rods are fed from a hopper for storing rods through a receiving roller for receiving rods from the hopper. Subsequently, the rods are cut into a plurality of segments by a cutting head located at the transfer roller for cutting the rods into individual segments, and then the segments are fed to an assembly unit via a shifting roller for changing the relative positions of the segments and an aligning roller for forming at least one stream of the segments. Then, in the assembly unit provided with an assembly roller and a transfer roller for receiving segments from the feeding module, a segment group is formed. Subsequently, a segment of a first wrapping material is fed to a wrapping module, and the segment group supplied from the assembly unit is wrapped, thereby forming a multi-segment rod. The method according to the invention is characterized in that in the first wrapping module, a group of segments with gaps is received through a transfer and pushing roller, and then the group of segments is pushed together by a pushing mechanism so that the segments in the group are in contact with each other after being pushed together. Then, the group of segments pushed together is transferred together with a segment of the first wrapping material through the transfer and pushing roller, and the group of segments pushed together is wrapped with the segment of the first wrapping material.

[0017] The method according to the invention is further characterized in that the rod formed by wrapping the group of segments is cut into semi-multi-segment rods, and then additional rods are fed to the additional feeding module, the additional rods are cut, and the additional segments obtained from the cut rods are fed between the semi-multi-segment rods.

[0018] The method according to the invention is further characterized in that a plurality of segments of a second wrapping material are fed to the second wrapping module, and two semi-multi-segment rods and the additional segment are wrapped.

[0019] The advantage of the device according to the invention lies in maintaining the total length of the group of segments that have only been pushed together before the wrapping phase, which has a beneficial effect on maintaining the quality parameters of the finished product. The resulting wrapped rod-shaped article does not lose its parameters, such as, for example, the total length of the group.

[0020] The object of the invention will be described in more detail based on the embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 A device for manufacturing a multi-segment article is shown,

[0022] Figure 1a An embodiment of forming a segment stream in the feeding module is shown,

[0023] Figure 1b An embodiment of forming two segment streams in the feeding module is shown,

[0024] Figure 1c An assembly unit together with the segment stream from the feeding module is shown,

[0025] Figure 1d The segment stream in the assembly unit is shown,

[0026] Figure 2a The process steps for manufacturing a multi-segment article in the first embodiment are shown in a simplified manner,

[0027] Figure 2b The process steps for manufacturing a multi-segment article in the second embodiment are shown in a simplified manner.

[0028] Figure 3 、 Figure 4 The pushing mechanism of the wrapping module in the first embodiment is shown,

[0029] Figure 5 The pushing mechanism of the wrapping module in the second embodiment is shown,

[0030] Figure 6 The pushing mechanism of the wrapping module in the third embodiment is shown,

[0031] Figure 7 The pushing mechanism of the wrapping module in the fourth embodiment is shown.

[0032] The device 1 for manufacturing a multi-segment article includes an assembly device 10, a first wrapping module 40, a cutting unit 50, a reorienting unit 60, an additional feeding unit 70, and a second wrapping module 80( Figure 1 ).

[0033] The assembling device 10 includes at least two feeding modules 20 and an assembling unit 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the assembling device 10 includes four feeding modules 20, 20', 20", 20"'. The feeding modules 20, 20', 20", 20"' are adapted to cut at least one type of rod and feed at least one type of segment. Feeding modules adapted to cut two types of rods and feed two types of segments are known.

[0034] The feeding module 20 includes a hopper 21 for the rod MA, a receiving drum 22, and a drum for forming a stream of segments A formed by cutting the rod MA. The receiving drum 22 is provided with circumferentially arranged grooves, and the rod MA from the hopper 21 is located in the grooves. The receiving drum 22 receives the rod MA from the hopper 21 and transfers the rod to the transfer drum 23. At the transfer drum 23, there is a cutting head 24 provided with one or more circular knives for cutting the rod MA. The feeding module 20 includes at least one shifting drum 25 and at least one aligning drum 26. The shifting drum 25 can also be referred to as a cascading drum, in which consecutive segments are arranged in consecutive grooves of the drum. On the aligning drum 26, the segments A are arranged to move along a single movement path (along a single line when viewed from the side surface of the drum). The feeding module 20 supplies the segments A in the form of at least one stream. In the illustrated embodiment, in the feeding modules 20, 20', 20", 20"', the rods MA, MB, MC, MD are respectively cut into segments A, B, C, D, and the segments are fed to the assembling unit 30 in the form of a stream. Figure 1a An example of a stream of segments B formed by cutting the rod MB is shown, and the drums are not shown, and only the rod MB and the segments B successively located on the receiving drum 22, the transfer drum 23, the shifting drum 25, and the aligning drum 26 are represented. Figure 1b Two streams of segments D formed by cutting the rod MD are shown.

[0035] The assembling unit 30 includes an assembling drum 31 and a transfer drum 32 provided with grooves for receiving and transferring segments. The assembling drums 31, 31', 31", 31"' are respectively adapted to receive and transfer streams of segments A, B, C, D. The first assembling drum 31 is adapted to receive only the segments A, while the assembling drum 31' is adapted to receive a stream of segments A from the feeding module 20 via the transfer drum 32 and is adapted to receive a stream of segments B from the feeding module 20'. The stream of segments A and the stream of segments B are assembled on the assembling drum 31'. Similarly, on the assembling drum 31', the stream of segments A and the stream of segments B are received together, and the stream of segments C is received from the feeding module 20". On the assembling drum 31", the stream of segments A, the stream of segments B, and the stream of segments C are received together, and the stream of segments D is received from the feeding module 20". Figure 1cSegments A, B, C, D are shown in a simplified manner above in their feed to the assembly unit 30, while Figure 1d shows the assembly process of these segments in the direction T, showing how the segments are added to the continuous assembly drum 31 to form the segment group G1. The movement paths TA, TB, TC, TD of segments A, B, C, D are shown in the figure, where the movement paths TA, TB, TC, TD travel parallel to each other. In the assembly unit 30, the flow of segments A, B, C, D is arranged and conveyed such that adjacent segments in the groove maintain a gap H, while the gap H can have a similar value between individual segments. A process can be embodied where the gap H has different values for different adjacent segments. The assembly unit 30 is adapted for feeding to the first wrapping module 40, which is used to wrap the group G1 including segments A, B, C, D, with a gap H maintained between segments A, B, C, D. By adjusting the assembly unit 30 to form a group of segments with a gap H, segments A, B, C, D can be fed in any order, and an example of the forming process will be described hereinafter in this specification. A process can be embodied where on the assembly drum 31 or the conveying drum 32, segments A, B, C, D axially move in the groove such that at least some adjacent segments contact each other. By adding a pushing mechanism on the assembly drum 31 and / or the conveying drum 32, this embodiment can be achieved.

[0036] The first wrapping module 40 includes a feeding unit 41 for feeding the first wrapping material MW1, a cutting unit 42 for cutting the strands of the first wrapping material MW1 into a plurality of segments of the first wrapping material W1, and a winding unit 43 for wrapping the segment group. The first wrapping module 40 includes a conveying and pushing drum 44, which is adapted to receive the segment group G1 with a gap, and the first wrapping module 40 is provided with a mechanism for pushing the segment group G1 together such that the segments in the group contact each other when pushed together. Figure 3 shows the pushing mechanism 45, which includes fixed arched pushing elements 45A, 45B, as Figure 4 shown, the fixed arched pushing elements pressing against the outermost segments of the segment group G1 on both sides. Starting from the moment when the segment group G1 is placed in the groove 44A of the drum 44 (step d, the steps of the manufacturing process are described hereinafter in the specification), the pushing elements 45A, 45B push segments A, B, C, D together until the segment group G2 is formed (phase e), at which time all segments have been pushed together and the gap has been eliminated. Figure 4 The pushing elements 45A, 45B are shown in an exploded view, which is a view similar to the side surface of the drum 44. Immediately after the segments are pushed together, a segment of the first wrapping material W1 is fed (phase f). In Figure 5In another embodiment shown, the pushing mechanism 46 includes pushing elements in the form of rotating pressure rings 46A, 46B that rotate together with the roller conveyor 44, and they can also be in the form of movable elements that reciprocate parallel to the axis of the segment. The winding module 43 is provided with a winding roller 43A that is adapted to convey together the group G2 of segments A, B, C, D that have been pushed together and a segment of the first wrapping material W1. The winding module 43 is also provided with a winding unit 43B that is adapted to wrap a segment of the first winding material W1 around the group G2 on the winding roller 43A. The rod thus formed is labeled R (stage g).

[0037] In Figure 6 In the third embodiment shown, the pushing mechanism 47 includes two sets of pushing rollers 47A that press against the outermost segments in the group G1. In Figure 7 In the fourth embodiment shown, Figure 1 the pushing mechanism 48 in the cross-section A-A marked in Figure 7 includes a support element 48A that is provided with a roller 48B that moves in a groove 49, and the groove 49 is a barrel cam for the roller 48B. The groove 49 is formed in a cylinder 49A located on the transfer and pushing roller 44, and the groove 49 can be formed on the circumferential surface of the transfer and pushing roller 44. In this embodiment, the support element 48A has a cylindrical cavity 48C that can accommodate segments, and the support elements 48A for individual segments move independently of other support elements for other segments. The segments A, B, C, D with a gap H are transferred such that they move from stage d to stage e, in which stage they come into contact with each other, and Figure 7 successive cross-sections in

[0038] The cutting unit 50 located downstream of the first wrapping module 40 in the process flow direction T in the multi-segment article manufacturing is provided with a circular knife 51 that is used to cut the multi-segment rod R in half, that is, into two half multi-segment rods labeled R1 and R2 ( Figure 2a and Figure 2b stage h in

[0039] The reorientation module 60 is adapted to change the mutual orientation of the semi-multi-segmented rods R1 and R2, i.e., to change the mutual positions of the rods R1 and R2 during conveyance. The reorientation module 60 may be provided with a reorientation drum known in the tobacco industry, which, in addition to circumferential conveyance, also reorients the rod-shaped articles being conveyed axially and / or transversely to the axes of these articles. The reorientation module 60 may be provided with a rotary drum known in the tobacco industry, which, in addition to circumferential conveyance, also rotates the rod-shaped articles being conveyed about an axis substantially perpendicular to the circumferential surface. The reorientation module 60 is adapted to change the initial coaxial positioning of the rods R1 and R2 such that the axes of the rods R1 and R2 are coaxial and oriented in opposite directions to each other, while maintaining the gap between the rods R1 and R2. Due to the operation of the reorientation module 60, the rods R1 and R2 are reoriented such that the segments D, which are the ends of the rods R1 and R2 initially oriented away from each other, are oriented towards each other, while the semi-segments B, which are relatively positioned to the segments D in the rods R1 and R2 initially oriented towards each other, are oriented away from each other.

[0040] The additional feed module 70 includes a hopper 71 and a receiving drum 72 provided with grooves arranged circumferentially, into which the rods ME from the hopper 71 are placed. The rods ME are transferred to a transfer drum 73. At the transfer drum 73, there is a cutting head 74 provided with one or more circular knives for cutting the rods. The additional feed module 70 includes at least one shifting drum 75 and at least one alignment drum 76. The additional feed module 70 is adapted to feed a stream of additional segments E. After feeding the additional segments E, the group S1 includes semi-multi-segmented rods R1 with a gap, segments E, and semi-multi-segmented rods R2.

[0041] The second wrapping module 80 includes a feeding unit 81 for feeding the second wrapping material MW2, a cutting unit 82 for cutting the second wrapping material MW2 into a plurality of segments of the second wrapping material W2, and a winding unit 83. The second wrapping module 80 includes a conveying and pushing roller 84 adapted to receive a group S1 including a semi-multi-segment rod R1, a segment E, and a second semi-multi-segment rod R2, wherein a gap is maintained between the rods R1, R2 and the segment E, and the conveying and pushing roller 84 is provided with a mechanism for pushing the elements of the group S1 together such that the rods R1, R2 and the additional segment E are in contact after being pushed together. The group of elements R1, E, R2 without a gap is designated as S2. The conveying and pushing roller 84 is adapted to convey the group S2 of the elements R1, E, R2 that have been pushed together together with a segment of the second wrapping material W2. The winding unit 83 is adapted to wrap a segment of the second wrapping material W2 around the group S2 on the winding roller 83A. The rod thus formed is designated as P. In other embodiments, intermediate steps may be employed to gradually push the segments together, for example, by performing an additional quality control process. In other embodiments not shown, only selected segments are pushed together, and at least one gap is maintained between the segments of the group of segments that have been pushed together.

[0042] In Figure 2a the multi-segment rod manufacturing process shown in a simplified manner in, the feeding module 20 cuts the rod MA into segments A and feeds two segments A into the assembling unit 30 (stage a), the feeding module 20' cuts the rod MB and feeds the segment B (stage b), the feeding module 20" cuts the rod MC and feeds two segments C (stage c), and the feeding module 20"' cuts the rod MD and feeds two segments D (stage d). The segments A, B, C, D are conveyed within the assembling unit 30 with gaps. The assembling unit 30 transfers the group G1 including the segments A, B, C, D with gaps to the first wrapping module 40. Within the wrapping module 40, the segments A, B, C, D are pushed together, and then the segments A, B, C, D form a group G2 in which there is no gap between the segments (stage e). In the wrapping module 40, a plurality of segments of the first wrapping material MW1 are cut from the stranded first wrapping material W1 and wrapped around the group G2 (stage f), and after being wrapped on the winding roller 43A by the winding unit 43B, R is formed (stage g). The rod R is cut into two semi-multi-segment rods R1 and R2 by the cutting unit 50 (stage h), wherein the rods R1 and R2 are adjacent to each other and coaxially positioned through the semi-segment B. The rods R1 and R2 are reoriented in the reorienting unit 60 (stages i, j, k, l, m, n) such that after reorientation, they are again coaxially positioned, have a gap, and the ends are opposite to the initial ones, that is, the semi-segments B are oriented away from each other, and the segments D are oriented towards each other. In Figure 2aDuring the process of reorienting rods R1 and R2 as shown, the reorientation is performed by rotating rods R1 and R2 shown in rotation stage k. Stages j and I represent the movement of the rods before and after rotation, and these stages can be omitted. The additional feeding module 70 cuts the rod ME into segments E and feeds the segments E between rods R1 and R2. After pushing the segments E together, a group S1 including rod R1, segment E, and rod R2 is formed (stage o), where the gaps between rod R1, rod R2, and segment E are maintained. After pushing rod R1, R2, and segment E together, a group S2 is formed where there is no gap between rod R1, R2, and segment E (stage p). In the second wrapping module 80, multiple segments of the second wrapping material MW2 are cut from the stranded second wrapping material MW2 and wrapped around group S2 (stage r). After wrapping on the winding drum 83A by the winding unit 83, a rod P is formed (stage s).

[0043] In Figure 2b In the process of manufacturing a multi-segment rod in the second embodiment shown in a simplified manner, the feeding module 20 cuts the rod MB into segments B and feeds the segments B to the assembly unit 30 (stage a in Figure 2). The feeding module 20' cuts the rod MA and feeds two segments A (stage b). The feeding module 20'' cuts the rod MD and feeds two segments D (stage c). The feeding module 20''' cuts the rod MC and feeds two segments C (stage d). Process stages e to h are carried out as described for the first embodiment. In stages i and j, the semi-multi-segment rods R1 and R2 are displaced transversely to the axes of rods R1 and R2. In stages k, l, and m, rods R1 and R2 are reoriented such that after axial displacement of rods R1 and R2, the semi-segments B are oriented away from each other, while the segments D are oriented towards each other. In stages m and n, rods R1 and R2 are displaced transversely to their axes such that rods R1 and R2 are coaxially positioned. The further process is carried out as in the first embodiment.

[0044] Embodiments of the present invention also disclose a method of manufacturing a multi-segment article in the description of the device, including the following steps: In the first feeding module 20, rods MA, MB, MC, MD are fed from a hopper 21 for storing rods MA, MB, MC, MD through a receiving drum 22 for receiving rods MA, MB, MC, MD from the hopper 21; the rods MA, MB, MC, MD are cut into segments A, B, C, D by a cutting head 24, and the cutting head 24 is located at a transfer drum 23 for cutting the rods MA, MB, MC, MD into individual segments A, B, C, D. Subsequently, the segments A, B, C, D are fed to an assembly unit 30 via a shifting drum 25 for changing the relative positions of the segments A, B, C, D and an alignment drum 26 for forming at least one stream of the segments A, B, C, D. In the assembly unit 30 provided with an assembly drum 31 and a transfer drum 32 for receiving the segments A, B, C, D from the feeding module 20, a segment group G1 is formed. Subsequently, in a wrapping module 40, a fragment of a first wrapping material W1 is fed and the segment group G1 supplied from the assembly unit 30 is wrapped to form a multi-segment rod R. In addition, in the first wrapping module 40, the group G1 of segments A, B, C, D is received with a gap by a transfer and pressing drum 44, and then the group G1 of segments A, B, C, D is pushed together by pressing mechanisms 45, 46, 47, 48 such that the segments A, B, C, D in the group G1 contact each other after being pushed together. Subsequently, the group G2 of the segments A, B, C, D that have been pushed together is transferred together with a fragment of the first wrapping material W1 by the transfer and pressing drum 44, and then the group G2 of the segments A, B, C, D that have been pushed together is wrapped with the fragment of the first wrapping material W1.

[0045] In addition, in the method according to the present invention, the wrapped segment group G2 is cut into semi-multi-segment rods R1, R2, and then an additional rod ME is fed into an additional feeding module 70, the additional rod ME is cut, and the additional segment E obtained by cutting the rod ME is fed between the semi-multi-segment rods R1, R2.

[0046] In a second wrapping module 80, other steps of the method can also be performed, in which multiple fragments of a second wrapping material W2 are fed and the two semi-multi-segment rods R1, R2 and the additional segment E are wrapped.

Claims

1. An apparatus (1) for manufacturing a multi-segment article, comprising a feeding module (20, 20’, 20”, 20”’), said feeding module (20, 20’, 20”, 20”’) being adapted to cut rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) into segments (A, B, C, D) and feed the segments (A, B, C, D) to an assembly unit (30), said feeding module (20, 20’, 20”, 20”’) including: a hopper (21) for storing the rods (MA, MB, MC, MD), a receiving roller (22) for receiving the rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) from the hopper (21), a cutting head (24) located at a transfer roller (23) for cutting the rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) into individual segments (A, B, C, D), a shifting roller (25) for changing the relative positions of the segments (A, B, C, D), an aligning roller (26) for forming at least one stream of segments (A, B, C, D), an assembly unit (30) provided with an assembly roller (31) and a transfer roller (32) for receiving the segments (A, B, C, D) from the feeding module (20, 20’, 20”, 20”’) and forming a segment group (G1), a first wrapping module (40) for feeding a piece of first wrapping material (W1) and wrapping the segment group (G1) supplied from the assembly unit (30) to form a multi-segment rod (R), characterized in that the first wrapping module (40) includes a transfer and pushing roller (44) adapted to receive a group (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D) having gaps therebetween, and the first wrapping module (40) is provided with a pushing mechanism (45, 46, 47, 48) for pushing the group (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D) together such that the segments (A, B, C, D) in the segment group (G1) are in contact with each other after being pushed together. In addition, the transfer and pushing roller (44) is adapted to transfer the pushed-together group (G2) of segments (A, B, C, D) together with the piece of the first wrapping material (W1).

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pushing mechanism is a cam mechanism (48) located on the transfer and pushing roller (44), and the cam mechanism (48) is provided with a support element (48A) for holding and transferring the segments (A, B, C, D) in a direction parallel to the axes of the segments (A, B, C, D).

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support element (48A) is provided with rollers (48A) moving in a groove (49) of a drum cam, and the groove (49) is formed in a cylinder (49A) located on the transfer and pushing roller (44).

4. The device according to claim 2, wherein The support element (48A) is provided with rollers (48A) moving in a groove (49) of a drum cam, and the groove (49) is formed on the circumferential surface of the transfer and pushing roller (44).

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pushing mechanism (46) includes rotating pressure rings (46A, 46B) which are adapted to press the outermost segment in a group of segments (G1) that are not pushed together.

6. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pushing mechanism (45) includes fixed arched elements (45A, 45B) which are adapted to press the outermost segment in a group of segments (G1) that are not pushed together.

7. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pushing mechanism (47) includes a fixed pushing roller (47A) which is adapted to press the outermost segment in a group of segments (G1) that are not pushed together.

8. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, A gap is maintained between the segments (A, B, C, D) in the group of segments (G1) that are not pushed together and are assembled in the assembly unit (30).

9. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, It further includes a cutting unit (50) for cutting the formed rod (R) into semi-segment rods (R1, R2).

10. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, It further includes an additional feeding module (70) for cutting an additional rod (ME) and feeding an additional segment (E) between the semi-multi-segment rods (R1, R2), and the additional feeding module (70) includes: A hopper (71) for storing the rod (ME), A receiving roller (72) for receiving the rod (ME) from the hopper (71), A cutting head (74) located at a transfer roller (73) for cutting the rod into individual segments (E), A shifting roller (75) for changing the relative positions of the segments (E), An aligning roller (76) for forming at least one stream of segments (E).

11. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, It further includes a second wrapping module (80) for feeding a segment of a second wrapping material (W2) and wrapping two semi-multi-segment rods (R1, R2) and an additional segment (E).

12. A method of manufacturing a multi-segment article, comprising the steps of: Wherein in the feeding modules (20, 20’, 20”, 20”’), The rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) are fed from a hopper (21) for storing the rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) through a receiving roller (22) for receiving the rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) from the hopper (21), The rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) are cut into segments (A, B, C, D) by a cutting head (24) located at a transfer roller (23) for cutting the rods (MA, MB, MC, MD) into individual segments (A, B, C, D), The segments (A, B, C, D) are fed to the assembly unit (30) via a shifting roller (25) for changing the relative positions of the segments (A, B, C, D) and an aligning roller (26) for forming at least one stream of segments (A, B, C, D), and then In the assembly unit (30) provided with an assembly roller (31) and a transfer roller (32) for receiving the segments (A, B, C, D) from the feeding module (20), a group of segments (G1) is formed, and then A segment of the first wrapping material (W1) is fed into the wrapping unit (40) and wraps the segment group (G1) supplied from the assembling unit (30), thereby forming a multi-segment rod (R). Characterized in that In the first wrapping module (40), a group (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D) with gaps is received by the conveying and pushing rollers (44), and then the group (G1) of segments (A, B, C, D) is pushed together by the pushing mechanisms (45, 46, 47, 48) such that the segments (A, B, C, D) in the group (G1) contact each other after being pushed together. Then, the group (G2) of segments (A, B, C, D) pushed together is conveyed through the conveying and pushing rollers (44) together with a segment of the first wrapping material (W1), and then the group (G2) of segments (A, B, C, D) pushed together is wrapped with the segment of the first wrapping material (W1).

13. The method according to claim 12, further characterized in that the rod (R) formed by wrapping the group (G2) of segments (A, B, C, D) pushed together is cut into semi-multi-segment rods (R1, R2), and then an additional rod (ME) is fed in an additional feeding module (70), the additional rod (ME) is cut and the additional segments (E) obtained by cutting the rod (ME) are fed between the semi-multi-segment rods (R1, R2).

14. The method according to claim 13, further characterized in that a plurality of segments of the second wrapping material (W2) are fed into the second wrapping module (80), and the two semi-multi-segment rods (R1, R2) and the additional segments (E) are wrapped.

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