Method for producing aerosol-generating article

Abstract

A method for continuously manufacturing an aerosol-generating article (1) includes: (i) providing a continuous web (34) of aerosol-generating substrate (10), the continuous web (34) including a substantially flat surface having a centerline (18); (ii) applying at least one susceptor patch (28) to the substantially flat surface substantially along the centerline (18) to leave exposed areas (90) of the continuous web (34) of aerosol-generating substrate (10) on either side of the at least one susceptor patch (28); (iii) cutting the exposed areas (90) of the continuous web (34) of aerosol-generating substrate (10) to form a plurality of aerosol-generating strips (15, 16) on either side of the at least one susceptor patch (28); and (iv) forming the plurality of aerosol-generating strips (15, 16) and the at least one susceptor patch (28) into a continuous rod (88).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to aerosol-generating articles, and more specifically, to aerosol-generating articles for use in an aerosol-generating device that heats an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user. Embodiments of the present disclosure particularly relate to a method for continuously manufacturing an aerosol-generating article. The present disclosure is particularly applicable to the manufacture of aerosol-generating articles for use with a portable (handheld) aerosol-generating device.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the popularity and use of risk reduction devices or risk modification devices (also known as aerosol-generating devices or vapor-generating devices) have grown rapidly as an alternative to the use of conventional tobacco products. A variety of devices and systems are available that heat an aerosol-generating substance to generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user.

[0003] Commercially available risk reduction devices or risk modification devices are generally substrate-heated aerosol-generating devices or so-called heat-not-burn devices. This type of device generates an aerosol or vapor by heating an aerosol-generating substrate to a temperature typically in the range of 150°C to 300°C. By heating the aerosol-generating substrate to a temperature within this range without burning or combusting the aerosol-generating substrate, vapor is generated, and the vapor is typically cooled and condensed to form an aerosol for inhalation by the user of the device.

[0004] Currently available aerosol generation devices can apply heat to an aerosol generation substrate using one of several different techniques. One such technique is to provide an aerosol generation device that employs an induction heating system. In such a device, an induction coil is provided in the device, and an induction heatable susceptor is provided to heat the aerosol generation substrate. When the user activates the device, electrical energy is supplied to the induction coil, which subsequently generates an alternating electromagnetic field. The susceptor couples with this electromagnetic field to generate heat, which is transferred to the aerosol generation substrate, for example by conduction, and when the aerosol generation substrate is heated, an aerosol is generated.

[0005] It may be convenient to provide both the aerosol generation substrate and the induction heatable susceptor together in the form of an aerosol generation article that can be inserted into an aerosol generation device by the user. Therefore, there is a need to provide a method that facilitates the manufacture of aerosol generation articles, and in particular enables the aerosol generation articles to be easily and consistently mass-produced. Summary of the Invention Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for continuously manufacturing an aerosol generation article, comprising: (i) providing a continuous web of an aerosol generation substrate, the continuous web including a substantially flat surface having a centerline; (ii) applying at least one susceptor patch to the substantially flat surface substantially along the centerline, leaving exposed regions of the continuous web of the aerosol generation substrate on both sides of the at least one susceptor patch; (iii) cutting the exposed regions of the continuous web of the aerosol generation substrate to form a plurality of aerosol generation strips on both sides of the at least one susceptor patch; (iv) forming the plurality of aerosol generation strips and the at least one susceptor patch on a continuous rod; A method is provided that includes

[0007] The aerosol-generating article produced by this method heats the aerosol-generating substrate without burning the aerosol-generating substrate to volatilize at least one component of the aerosol-generating substrate, thereby generating a heated vapor that cools and condenses to form an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the aerosol-generating device, for use with an aerosol-generating device. The aerosol-generating device is a handheld portable device.

[0008] Generally speaking, a vapor is a substance that is in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical temperature, which means that the vapor can be condensed into a liquid by increasing the pressure without decreasing the temperature. On the other hand, an aerosol is a suspension of fine solid particles or droplets in air or another gas. However, it should be noted that in this specification, the terms "aerosol" and "vapor" can be used synonymously, particularly with respect to the form of the inhalable medium generated for a user to inhale.

[0009] The method according to the present disclosure facilitates the manufacture of aerosol-generating articles and, in particular, enables the consistent and relatively easy mass production of aerosol-generating articles. Since the aerosol-generating strip is formed without cutting at least one susceptor patch in step (iii), wear during the cutting step (e.g., on the cutting unit) is minimized. The combination of the aerosol-generating strip and the susceptor (formed without cutting the susceptor patch into strips) in the aerosol-generating article manufactured by the method according to the present disclosure provides effective heat transfer from the susceptor to the aerosol-generating strip during use of the aerosol-generating article within the aerosol-generating device. This provides effective and uniform heating of the aerosol-generating strip and thus reliable vapor generation.

[0010] The accurate and consistent positioning of at least one susceptor patch along the centerline of the substantially flat surface of the continuous web of aerosol-generating substrate further helps to ensure that aerosol-generating articles manufactured by the method according to the present disclosure have consistent and repeatable characteristics.

[0011] Step (iii) can be carried out using a rotary cutter unit. The rotary cutter unit can include a first cutting drum and a second cutting drum. The first cutting drum can have a first cutting structure extending circumferentially. The second cutting drum can have a second cutting structure extending circumferentially. The first and second cutting structures can cooperate to cut the exposed area of the continuous web of aerosol-generating substrate to form a plurality of aerosol-generating strips. Using a rotary cutter unit can easily achieve continuous and high-speed production of aerosol-generating articles.

[0012] The first cutting drum and the second cutting drum can define a non-cutting area therebetween. The non-cutting area can accommodate at least one susceptor patch and a portion of the aerosol-generating substrate to which at least one susceptor patch is applied during step (ii). Providing the non-cutting area ensures that the susceptor patch and the portion underlying the aerosol-generating substrate (functioning as an elongated carrier strip for the susceptor patch) are not cut, while ensuring that high-speed production is achieved.

[0013] The first cutting drum can be formed without the first cutting structure in the non-cutting region. For example, the first cutting drum can include a recess extending in the circumferential direction on the surface of its non-cutting region. The second cutting drum can be formed without the second cutting structure in the non-cutting region. For example, the second cutting drum can include a recess extending in the circumferential direction on the surface of its non-cutting region. In some embodiments, both the first and second cutting drums may be respectively formed without the first and second cutting structures in the non-cutting region. In some embodiments, at least a part of at least one susceptor patch can be received in a circumferentially extending recess. These configurations ensure that the susceptor patch and the portion of the aerosol generating substrate thereunder (i.e., the elongated carrier strip) are not cut during step (iii), ensuring that high-speed manufacturing is achieved.

[0014] Each of the plurality of aerosol generating strips can have a width of about 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm, and in some cases about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm. Each of the plurality of aerosol generating strips can have a width of 1.0 mm. These width dimensions ensure that an aerosol generating article manufactured using the method according to the present disclosure includes an appropriate number of aerosol generating strips, enabling a uniform air flow through the aerosol generating article and the generation of an acceptable amount of vapor or aerosol. If the width of the aerosol generating strip is too small, the strength of the strip may decrease, and as a result, mass production of the aerosol generating article may become difficult.

[0015] Step (ii) can include adhering at least one susceptor patch to a substantially flat surface of a continuous web of the aerosol generating substrate using an adhesive. Thereby, a good bond between the susceptor patch and the continuous web of the aerosol generating substrate is achieved, ensuring that the susceptor patch does not move relative to the continuous web of the aerosol generating substrate. This can help ensure that only the exposed area of the continuous web of the aerosol generating substrate is cut during step (iii) to form the aerosol generating strips.

[0016] Step (ii) can include continuously applying a plurality of susceptor patches to a substantially flat surface of a continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate at a predetermined constant interval between each successive susceptor patch. The predetermined constant "interval" between each successive susceptor patch is the shortest distance between successive (i.e., adjacent) susceptor patches, i.e., the distance or gap between the edges of successive (i.e., adjacent) susceptor patches. Step (iii) can include cutting an exposed area of the continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate to form a plurality of aerosol-generating strips on both sides of the susceptor patches. Step (iv) can include forming the plurality of aerosol-generating strips and the susceptor patches on a continuous rod. Thereby, mass production of aerosol-generating articles is easily achieved.

[0017] At least one susceptor patch can have a length of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm. At least one susceptor patch can have a width of 0.1 mm to 7 mm, preferably 1 mm to 5 mm. At least one susceptor patch can have a thickness of 1 μm to 500 μm, preferably 10 μm to 100 μm, and in some cases 50 μm. Susceptor patches having these dimensions are particularly suitable for the manufacture of aerosol-generating articles.

[0018] The method can further include (v) cutting the continuous rod to form a plurality of individual aerosol-generating articles. Each of the individual aerosol-generating articles may include at least one susceptor patch. Thus, step (v) can include cutting the continuous rod to form a plurality of individual aerosol-generating articles each including at least one susceptor patch. Thereby, continuous mass production of aerosol-generating articles is easily achieved.

[0019] Step (v) may include cutting the continuous rod at a position between adjacent susceptor patches. By cutting the continuous rod in this way, it is ensured that each of the individual aerosol-generating articles formed by cutting the continuous rod includes a susceptor patch, and thus the aerosol-generating articles are consistently reproducible. Also, since the susceptor patches are not cut during step (v), wear (e.g., on the cutting unit) during the cutting step is minimized.

[0020] Step (v) may include cutting the continuous rod at a substantially midpoint between adjacent susceptor patches. In this way, the susceptor is spaced inwardly from both ends of the resulting aerosol-generating article and is not visible from either end of the aerosol-generating article. This can improve the user acceptability of the aerosol-generating articles produced by the method according to the present disclosure. Further, the susceptor is completely embedded in the aerosol-generating substrate (i.e., the aerosol-generating strip) of the resulting aerosol-generating article, whereby the entire susceptor is surrounded by the aerosol-generating strip, and thus heat transfer from the susceptor to the aerosol-generating strip is maximized, so that aerosol or vapor can be generated more efficiently.

[0021] Each susceptor patch may include a susceptor material that is inductively heatable, such as, but not limited to, one or more of aluminum, iron, nickel, stainless steel, carbon steel, and alloys thereof, such as nickel chromium or nickel copper. During use of the aerosol-generating article within the aerosol-generating device, when an electromagnetic field is applied in the vicinity, the susceptor material can generate heat due to eddy currents and magnetic hysteresis losses, resulting in an energy conversion from the electromagnetic field to heat.

[0022] The aerosol generating substrate can be any type of solid or semi-solid material. Exemplary types of aerosol generating solids include powders, granules, pellets, shreds, strands, particles, gels, strips, loose leaf, cut leaf, cut filler, porous materials, foamed materials, or sheets. The aerosol generating substrate can include plant-derived materials, particularly tobacco. It can include, for example, reconstituted tobacco containing tobacco and one or more of inorganic fillers such as cellulose fibers, tobacco stem fibers, and CaCO3.

[0023] Therefore, an aerosol generating device intended to be used together with an aerosol generating article can be referred to as a "heated tobacco device", a "heat non-combustion tobacco device", a "device for vaporizing tobacco products", etc., and is interpreted as a device suitable for achieving these effects. The features disclosed herein are equally applicable to devices designed to vaporize any aerosol generating substrate.

[0024] The continuous rod may be surrounded by a paper wrapper. Therefore, this method can further include wrapping the continuous rod with a paper wrapper.

[0025] The aerosol-generating article may be substantially formed in the shape of a stick and may generally resemble a cigarette having a tubular region with an aerosol-generating substrate disposed in a suitable form. The aerosol-generating article may include, at the proximal end of the aerosol-generating article, a filter segment including, for example, cellulose acetate fibers. The filter segment may constitute a mouthpiece filter and may be coaxially aligned with an aerosol-generating substrate constituted by a plurality of aerosol-generating strips. Some designs may also include one or more vapor collection regions, cooling regions, and other structures. For example, the aerosol-generating article may include at least one tubular segment upstream of the filter segment. The tubular segment may function as a vapor cooling region. Advantageously, the vapor cooling region may enable the heated vapor generated by heating the aerosol-generating strips to be cooled and condensed to form an aerosol having suitable characteristics for inhalation by the user, for example, through the filter segment.

[0026] The aerosol-generating substrate may include an aerosol former. Examples of aerosol formers include polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin or propylene glycol and mixtures thereof. Typically, the aerosol-generating substrate may include an aerosol former content of from about 5% to about 50% on a dry weight basis. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating substrate may include an aerosol former content of from about 10% to about 20%, optionally about 15% on a dry weight basis.

[0027] When heated, the aerosol-generating substrate (i.e., the aerosol-generating strip) may release volatile compounds. The volatile compounds may include flavor compounds such as nicotine or tobacco flavorants.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028]

Fig. 1a

Fig. 1b

Fig. 2a

Fig. 2b

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] Here, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Referring first to FIGS. 1a and 1b, an example of an aerosol-generating article for use with an aerosol-generating device including an induction heating system for inductively heating the aerosol-generating article and thereby generating an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the device is shown. Such devices are known in the art and will not be described in further detail herein. The aerosol-generating article 1 is elongate and substantially cylindrical. The circular cross-section facilitates handling of the article 1 by the user and insertion of the article 1 into the cavity or heating compartment of the aerosol-generating device.

[0031] The aerosol generating article 1 includes an aerosol generating substrate 10 having a first end 10a and a second end 10b, and an inductively heatable susceptor 12. The aerosol generating substrate 10 and the inductively heatable susceptor 12 are disposed within and thereby surrounded by a wrapper 14. The wrapper 14 comprises a substantially non-conductive and non-magnetic material. In the illustrated example, the wrapper 14 is a paper wrapper and can include cigarette rolling paper.

[0032] The aerosol generating article 1 may have an overall length measured between a distal end 11a and a proximal (mouth) end 11b of 30 mm to 100 mm, preferably 50 mm to 70 mm, and in some cases about 55 mm. The aerosol generating substrate 10 may have an overall length measured between a first end 10a and a second end 10b of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm, and in some cases about 20 mm. The aerosol generating article 1 may have a diameter of 5 mm to 10 mm, preferably 6 mm to 8 mm, and in some cases about 7 mm.

[0033] The aerosol generating substrate 10 includes a plurality of elongated first strips 15 containing an aerosol generating material. The plurality of elongated first strips 15 constitute an aerosol generating strip 16 and are substantially oriented in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 1. The elongated first strips 15 typically have no longitudinal creases, ensuring that the air flow path is not interrupted and that a uniform air flow through the article 1 can be achieved.

[0034] The inductively heatable susceptor 12 includes an elongated second strip 13 containing an inductively heatable susceptor material. Thus, the elongated second strip 13 can be regarded as an elongated susceptor 12 in strip or blade form that is also substantially oriented in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol generating article 1. As can be clearly seen in Figure 1b, each of the elongated first strips 15 has a width that is smaller than the width of the elongated second strip 13.

[0035] The aerosol-generating article 1 comprises at least one elongated carrier strip 17 having first and second major surfaces 17a, 17b. The elongated carrier strip 17 contains an aerosol-generating material and thus also constitutes an aerosol-generating strip 16. The elongated carrier strip 17 is substantially oriented in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 1. The elongated carrier strip 17 has the same length as the elongated first strip 15, and thus all the aerosol-generating strips 16 within the aerosol-generating article 1 have the same length.

[0036] The elongated second strip 13 is adhered to the elongated carrier strip 17, and as clearly seen in FIG. 1b, the elongated carrier strip 17 has a width greater than the width of the elongated second strip 13. The elongated second strip 13 has first and second opposing surfaces 13b, 13c. The second surface 13c is adhered to the second major surface 17b of the elongated carrier strip 17 and is entirely covered by the elongated carrier strip 17, more specifically by the second major surface 17b.

[0037] The elongated first strip 15, the elongated second strip 13, and the elongated carrier strip 17 are arranged to form a substantially rod-shaped aerosol-generating article 1, and the elongated first strip 15 can be randomly distributed across the cross-section of the rod-shaped aerosol-generating article 1 such that they have a plurality of different orientations within the cross-section of the aerosol-generating article 1. Although not apparent from FIG. 1b, a sufficient number of elongated first strips 15 are provided to substantially fill the cross-section of the aerosol-generating substrate 10, and it will be understood that a smaller number of elongated first strips 15 are shown for illustrative purposes only. The elongated second strip 13 and the elongated carrier strip 17 are arranged substantially centrally within the cross-section of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and thus the aerosol-generating article 1. Such an arrangement helps to ensure uniform heat transfer from the elongated second strip 13 to the elongated first strip 15.

[0038] As best shown in FIG. 1b, an elongate carrier strip 17 disposed centrally and an elongate second strip 13 adhered thereto define first and second regions 5, 6 within the cross-section of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and thus within the cross-section of the aerosol-generating article 1. The first region 5 faces the first major surface 17a of the elongate carrier strip 17, and the second region 6 faces the second major surface 17b of the elongate carrier strip 17. Both the first and second regions 5, 6 include a plurality of elongate first strips 15.

[0039] As best shown in FIG. 1a, each of the plurality of elongate first strips 15 has a distal end 15a, and the elongate second strip 13 has a distal end 13a. The distal end 15a of the elongate first strip 15 forms the first end 10a of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and, correspondingly, the distal end 11a of the aerosol-generating article 1. The elongate second strip 13 is shorter than the elongate first strip 15 and the elongate carrier strip 17. The distal end 13a of the elongate second strip 13 is disposed inwardly from the distal end 15a of the elongate first strip 15. Thus, the distal end 13a of the elongate second strip 13 (i.e., the elongate susceptor 12) is not visible at the distal end 11a of the aerosol-generating article 1.

[0040] The aerosol-generating article 1 includes a mouthpiece segment 20 disposed downstream of the aerosol-generating substrate 10. The aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the mouthpiece segment 20 are coaxially aligned inside a wrapper 14 so as to hold the components in place, forming a rod-shaped aerosol-generating article 1.

[0041] In the illustrated embodiment, the mouthpiece segment 20 includes the following components, arranged sequentially and coaxially in the downstream direction, that is, from the distal end 11a to the proximal (mouth) end 11b of the aerosol generating article 1: a cooling segment 22, a central hole segment 23, and a filter segment 24. The cooling segment 22 includes a hollow paper tube 22a having a thickness exceeding the thickness of the paper wrapper 14. The central hole segment 23 can include a cured mixture containing cellulose acetate fibers and a plasticizer, and functions to enhance the strength of the mouthpiece segment 20. The filter segment 24 typically includes cellulose acetate fibers and functions as a mouthpiece filter. When heated vapor flows from the aerosol generating substrate 10 towards the proximal (mouth) end 11b of the aerosol generating article 1, the vapor cools and condenses when passing through the cooling segment 22 and the central hole segment 23 to form an aerosol having characteristics suitable for inhalation by the user through the filter segment 24.

[0042] The elongated first strip 15 and the elongated carrier strip 17 typically include materials derived from plants such as tobacco. Advantageously, the elongated first strip 15 and the elongated carrier strip 17 can include reconstituted tobacco, including tobacco and any one or more of inorganic fillers such as cellulose fibers, tobacco stem fibers, and CaCO3.

[0043] The elongated first strip 15 and the elongated carrier strip 17 typically include an aerosol former such as glycerin or propylene glycol. Typically, the elongated first strip 15 and the elongated carrier strip 17 include an aerosol former content of about 5% to about 50% on a dry weight basis. When heated, the elongated first strip 15 and the elongated carrier strip 17 release volatile compounds, optionally including flavor compounds such as nicotine or tobacco flavorants.

[0044] During use of the article 1 in the aerosol generating device, when a time-varying electromagnetic field is applied near the elongated second strip 13, heat is generated in the elongated second strip 13 due to eddy currents and magnetic hysteresis losses. The heat is transferred from the elongated second strip 13 to the elongated first strip 15 and the elongated carrier strip 17, heating the elongated first strip 15 and the elongated carrier strip 17 without burning them, releasing one or more volatile compounds, thereby generating vapor. When the user inhales through the filter segment 24, the heated vapor is drawn downstream through the article 1 from the first end 10a of the aerosol generating substrate 10 towards the second end 10b of the aerosol generating substrate 10 and towards the filter segment 24. As described above, when the heated vapor flows through the cooling segment 22 and the central hole segment 23 towards the filter segment 24, the heated vapor is cooled and condensed to form an aerosol having properties suitable for the user to inhale through the filter segment 24.

[0045] [Manufacture of aerosol generating articles] Here, with reference to FIGS. 1a and 1b, an apparatus 30 and method suitable for manufacturing an aerosol generating article according to the present disclosure, such as the aerosol generating article 1 described above, will be described.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 2a, a schematic view of an apparatus 30 and method for manufacturing the aerosol generating article 1 described above with reference to FIGS. 1a and 1b is shown. FIG. 2b is a plan view of the aerosol generating substrate 10 and the susceptor patch 28 when moving in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2b through the apparatus 30.

[0047] The apparatus 30 includes a substrate supply reel 32 (e.g., a first bobbin) that carries a continuous web 34 of an aerosol-generating substrate 10 having a substantially flat surface with a centerline 18, and a first feed roller 36 for controlling the feed of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10. The apparatus 30 may also include a web tension adjuster and a web edge control system, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, but these additional components are not essential in the context of the present disclosure and are thus omitted for simplicity.

[0048] The apparatus 30 includes a susceptor supply reel 38 (e.g., a second bobbin) that carries a continuous web 40 of susceptor material, feed rollers 42, 44 for controlling the feed of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, an adhesive application unit 46, and a susceptor cutting unit 48.

[0049] The apparatus 30 further includes an optional heater 50, a strip cutting unit 52, a feed roller 54, a rod forming unit 56, and a rod cutting unit 58.

[0050] [Preparation of Susceptor Patches] In operation, the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 is continuously supplied from the substrate supply reel 32. At the same time, the continuous web 40 of susceptor material is continuously supplied from the susceptor supply reel 38 to the adhesive application unit 46 via the feed rollers 42, 44. The adhesive application unit 46 applies an adhesive 47 to the surface of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material. In the illustrated example, the adhesive application unit 46 applies the adhesive 47 intermittently and across the entire width of the web 40 to the surface of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material. In this way, separate adhesive regions 60 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) are formed on the surface of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, and non-adhesive regions 62 are formed between adjacent adhesive regions 60 in the direction of movement of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material.

[0051] The continuous web 40 of susceptor material is supplied from the adhesive application unit 46 to a susceptor cutting unit 48 that continuously cuts the continuous web 40 of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches 28. As best shown in FIG. 2b, the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, and thus the susceptor patches 28, have a width that is substantially smaller than the width of the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10. For example, the continuous web 34 of aerosol-generating substrate 10 can have a width of about 140 mm, while the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, and thus the susceptor patches 28, can have a width of about 0.1 mm to 7 mm. In some embodiments, the susceptor patches 28 can have a length of about 5 mm to 50 mm in the direction of movement of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and can have a thickness of about 1 μm to 500 μm.

[0052] To minimize fouling of the susceptor cutting unit 48 by the adhesive 47 applied to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material by the adhesive application unit 46, the susceptor cutting unit 48 cuts the continuous web 40 of susceptor material in a non-adhesive region 62, i.e., at a position between the adhesive regions 60 on the surface of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material. This can be achieved by synchronizing the operation of the susceptor cutting unit 48 with the movement of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 5, the susceptor cutting unit 48 includes a rotary cutting unit 64 having a support drum 66 and a cutting drum 68. The support drum 66 supports a continuous web 40 of susceptor material therearound and includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses 70 therearound. The support drum 66 is typically a suction drum, and the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and the susceptor patches 28 are supported around the suction drum by a suction force applied through suction ports 67. The cutting drum 68 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting elements 72, such as projecting cutting blades, therearound, and the cutting elements 72 cooperate with (e.g., extend into) the circumferentially spaced recesses 70 during synchronous rotation of both the support drum 66 and the cutting drum 68 in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 5. This results in a continuous shear cut of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material to form a plurality of susceptor patches 28. As will become apparent from the following description, each susceptor patch 28 corresponds to the elongated second strip 13 (i.e., the elongated susceptor 12) of the completed aerosol-generating article 1 described above with reference to FIGS. 1a and 1b.

[0054] [Application of Susceptor Patches] The susceptor patch 28 provided by the susceptor cutting unit 48 can be applied to the surface of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 2b and 4 for example, there is a certain predetermined interval 74 between the edges of each successive susceptor patch 28. The certain predetermined interval 74 can be, for example, between 1 mm and 20 mm. To create a certain predetermined interval 74 between the edges of adjacent susceptor patches 28, the susceptor cutting unit 48 permits relative movement between the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and the support drum 66 for a predetermined period immediately after the continuous web 40 of susceptor material carried by the support drum 66 has been cut by the cutting drum 68 to form the susceptor patch 28. By this relative movement, after the susceptor patch 28 has been cut from the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, the continuous web 40 of susceptor material can remain stationary or decelerate and move for a short time. The relative movement between the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and the support drum 66 can be achieved, for example, by reducing the suction force applied to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material by the support drum 66 while at the same time maintaining an appropriate suction force between the already cut susceptor patch 28 and the support drum 66 to ensure no relative movement between the susceptor patch 28 and the support drum 66. In this way, the susceptor patch 28 cut from the continuous web 40 of susceptor material by the susceptor cutting unit 48 is carried for a short time at a speed faster than the continuous web 40 of susceptor material from which the susceptor patch 28 was cut, thereby creating the desired certain predetermined interval 74 between the edges of adjacent susceptor patches 28.

[0055] The susceptor patch 28 coated with the adhesive 47 is continuously adhered along substantially the center line 18 to the flat surface of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10. The exposed side regions 90 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate are thereby formed on both sides of the susceptor patch 28 (see FIG. 2b). This is because, as described above, the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is substantially wider than the susceptor patch 28. Adjacent susceptor patches 28 are also spaced apart in the direction of movement of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10 by a certain predetermined interval 74 between the edges of the susceptor patch 28 that occurs when the susceptor patch 28 is formed by the susceptor cutting unit 48.

[0056] To ensure sufficient adhesiveness between the susceptor patch 28 and the substantially flat surface of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10, the susceptor patch 28 can be pressed against the substantially flat surface by a cam roller 76 schematically shown in FIG. 2a. The rotation of the cam roller 76 is synchronized with the movement of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10, so that the pressing force is applied to the continuous susceptor patches 28 but not to the spaced regions between the continuous susceptor patches 28.

[0057] Depending on the properties of the adhesive 47 applied to the continuous web 40 of the susceptor material (and thus to the susceptor patch 28) by the adhesive application unit 46, the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10 and the susceptor patch 28 adhered to its surface can be heated by an optional heater 50. This helps to cure or solidify the adhesive 47, thereby ensuring a good bond between each susceptor patch 28 and the flat surface of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10. The heating temperature is carefully selected based on the properties of both the aerosol generating substrate 10 and the adhesive 47 to ensure that sufficient heating is achieved to cure or solidify the adhesive 47 while avoiding or at least minimizing the release of volatile components from the aerosol generating substrate 10.

[0058] [Strip cutting] A continuous web 34 of an aerosol-generating substrate 10 having spaced susceptor patches 28 adhered to its flat surface is fed to a strip-cutting unit 52. The strip-cutting unit 52 cuts only the exposed side-region 90 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10, without cutting the susceptor patches 28, to form a plurality of continuous aerosol-generating strips 16 along the susceptor patches 28. In one embodiment, the strip-cutting unit 52 cuts the exposed side-region 90 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 to form aerosol-generating strips 16 having a strip width of about 1 mm.

[0059] As shown in FIGS. 2a and 6, the strip-cutting unit 52 is a rotary cutter unit 78 and includes first and second cutting drums 80, 82. The first cutting drum 80 includes a first cutting structure 84 extending in the circumferential direction, and the second cutting drum 82 includes a second cutting structure 86 extending in the circumferential direction. The first and second cutting structures 84, 86 cooperate (e.g., engage) to shear-cut the exposed side-region 90 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 in the direction of movement of the continuous web 34 to form continuous aerosol-generating strips 16, specifically, to form the elongated first strips 15 shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b.

[0060] To form the elongated first strip 15 by cutting only the exposed side region 90 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10, the first and second cutting drums 80, 82 define therebetween a non-cutting region 92 that houses the susceptor patch 28 and the portion of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10 to which the susceptor patch 28 is adhered. In the illustrated embodiment, the first cutting drum 80 is formed without the first cutting structure 84 in the non-cutting region 92. Similarly, the second cutting drum 82 is also formed without the second cutting structure 86 in the non-cutting region 92. Further, since the first cutting drum 80 includes a circumferentially extending recess 94 in the surface of the non-cutting region 92, at least a portion of the susceptor patch 28 can be received in the circumferentially extending recess 94 during the cutting of the exposed side region 90 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10. Thus, when the exposed side region 90 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10 is cut to form the elongated first strip 15 by the cooperation between the first and second cutting structures 84, 86 on the first and second cutting drums 80, 82 respectively, the central portion of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10 that is received in the non-cutting region 92 and not cut into the strip will be understood to constitute the elongated carrier strip 17 described above with reference to FIG. 1b.

[0061] [Rod formation] The aerosol generating strip 16, the elongated carrier strip 17, and the adhered susceptor patch 28, which are formed by cutting the exposed side region 90 of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol generating substrate 10, are conveyed to the rod forming unit 56, where they are formed into the rod 88. Optionally, a continuous sheet of wrapping paper (not shown) can be supplied from a supply reel (not shown) to the rod forming unit 56 or to another wrapping unit (again from the supply reel) that can be arranged downstream of the rod forming unit 56. When the sheet of wrapping paper is transported and guided through the rod forming unit 56 or a separate wrapping unit, the wrapping paper can be wound around the aerosol generating strip 16 and the susceptor patch 28, so that the continuous rod 88 is surrounded by the wrapper 14.

[0062] [Rod cutting] The continuous rod 88 (optionally surrounded by the wrapper 14) is then transferred to the rod cutting unit 58, where it is cut to a predetermined length at appropriate positions to form a plurality of aerosol generating articles 1. The aerosol generating articles 1 formed by the rod cutting unit 58 can have a length of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm. It will be understood that this length corresponds to the length of the aerosol generating substrate 10 described above with reference to FIGS. 1a and 1b. The continuous rod 88 is preferably repeatedly cut by the rod cutting unit 58 at substantially the midpoint between the edges of the susceptor patch 28. In this way, the susceptor patch 28 is not cut by the rod cutting unit 58, thereby reducing the wear of the cutting element. Further, since the susceptor patch 28 is shorter than the aerosol generating strip 16, the ends of the individual susceptor patches 28 (i.e., the elongated second strip 13) are not visible at either end of the aerosol generating articles 1 formed by the rod cutting unit 58. It will be understood that this type of method is particularly suitable for the mass production of aerosol generating articles 1.

[0063] [Final assembly] Additional units (not shown) can be arranged downstream of the rod cutting unit 58 to provide one or more additional components such as the above-described mouthpiece segment 20, and these can be configured to be assembled with the individual aerosol generating articles 1 formed by the rod cutting unit 56 to form a completed aerosol generating article 1 of the type shown, for example, in FIG. 1. In this case, a separate wrapping unit can be provided downstream of the rod cutting unit 58 to enable the assembled components to be simultaneously wrapped to form the completed aerosol generating article 1. The additional unit may form part of the apparatus 30 or may be a separate stand-alone unit forming part of the final assembly line.

[0064] Although exemplary embodiments have been described in the foregoing paragraphs, it should be understood that various modifications can be made to these embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the breadth and scope of the claims should not be limited to the exemplary embodiments described above.

[0065] Unless otherwise stated herein or clearly inconsistent with the context, any combination of the above-described features in all possible variations is encompassed by the present disclosure.

[0066] Throughout this specification and the claims as a whole, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, words such as "comprise", "comprising", etc. are to be construed in an inclusive sense, i.e. in the sense of "including, but not limited to", as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense.

Claims

1. A method for continuously manufacturing an aerosol generating article (1), comprising: (i) providing a continuous web (34) of an aerosol generating substrate (10), said continuous web (34) comprising a substantially flat surface having a center line (18); (ii) applying at least one susceptor patch (28) to said substantially flat surface substantially along said center line (18), leaving exposed regions (90) of said continuous web (34) of the aerosol generating substrate (10) on both sides of said at least one susceptor patch (28); (iii) cutting said exposed regions (90) of said continuous web (34) of the aerosol generating substrate (10) to form a plurality of aerosol generating strips (15, 16) on both sides of said at least one susceptor patch (28); (iv) forming said plurality of aerosol generating strips (15, 16) and said at least one susceptor patch (28) on a continuous rod (88). A method as described above.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (iii) is carried out using a rotary cutter unit (78). The method according to claim 1.

3. Said rotary cutter unit (78) includes a first cutting drum (80) having a first cutting structure (84) extending in the circumferential direction and a second cutting drum (82) having a second cutting structure (86) extending in the circumferential direction, wherein said first and second cutting structures (84, 86) cooperate to cut said exposed regions (90) of said continuous web (34) of the aerosol generating substrate (10) to form said plurality of aerosol generating strips (15, 16). The method according to claim 2.

4. Said first cutting drum (80) and said second cutting drum (82) define a non-cutting region (92) therebetween for accommodating said at least one susceptor patch (28) and a part (17) of the aerosol generating substrate (10) on which said at least one susceptor patch (28) is applied during step (ii). The method according to claim 3.

5. Either said first cutting drum (80) is formed without said first cutting structure (84) in said non-cutting region (92), or said second cutting drum (82) is formed without said second cutting structure (86) in said non-cutting region (92). Alternatively, both of the first and second cutting drums (80, 82) are each formed in the non-cutting region (92) without the first and second cutting structures (84, 86). The method according to claim 4.

6. The first cutting drum (80) includes a recess (94) extending circumferentially on its surface within the non-cutting region (92). At least a part of the at least one susceptor patch (28) is received in the circumferentially extending recess (94). The method according to claim 4 or 5.

7. Each of the plurality of aerosol generating strips (15, 16) has a width of about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, preferably a width of 1.0 mm. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Step (ii) includes adhering the at least one susceptor patch (28) to the substantially flat surface of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol generating substrate (10) using an adhesive (47). The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. Step (ii) includes continuously applying a plurality of susceptor patches (28) to the substantially flat surface of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol generating substrate (10) at a predetermined constant interval (74) between each successive susceptor patch (28). Step (iii) includes cutting the exposed region (90) of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol generating substrate (10) to form a plurality of aerosol generating strips (15, 16) on both sides of the susceptor patch (28). Step (iv) includes forming the plurality of aerosol generating strips (15, 16) and the susceptor patch (28) on a continuous rod (88). The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. (v) further including cutting the continuous rod (88) to form a plurality of individual aerosol articles (1) each including at least one susceptor patch (28), the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The at least one susceptor patch (28) has a length of 5 mm to 50 mm. Preferably, the at least one susceptor patch (28) has a length of 10 mm to 30 mm. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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