Method for manufacturing an aerosol-generating article

Abstract

A method for continuously producing an aerosol product article (1) includes: (i) providing a continuous web (34) of aerosol-generating substrate (10); (ii) applying at least one susceptor patch (28) to a surface of the continuous web (34) of aerosol-generating substrate (10); (iii) cutting the continuous web (34) of aerosol-generating substrate (10) and the at least one susceptor patch (28) applied thereto to form a plurality of aerosol-generating strips (16) and a plurality of susceptor strips (18); and (iv) forming the plurality of aerosol-generating strips (16) and the plurality of susceptor strips (18) 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 with an aerosol-generating device that heats the 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 aerosol-generating articles. 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 or warm an aerosol-forming 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, which 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 a user operates 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 a user can insert into an aerosol generation device. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method that facilitates the manufacture of aerosol generation articles, particularly one that enables the aerosol generation articles to be easily and consistently mass-produced. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[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; (ii) applying at least one susceptor patch to a surface of the continuous web of the aerosol generation substrate; (iii) cutting the continuous web of the aerosol generation substrate and at least one susceptor patch applied to its surface to form a plurality of aerosol generation strips and a plurality of susceptor strips; (iv) forming the plurality of aerosol generation strips and the plurality of susceptor strips into a continuous rod; is provided.

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

[0008] Generally speaking, 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 lowering 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 regard 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. The combination of the aerosol-generating strip and the susceptor strip in the aerosol-generating article manufactured by the method according to the present disclosure provides effective heat transfer from the susceptor strip 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] Step (iii) may include simultaneously cutting a continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate and at least one susceptor patch applied to its surface. The provision of a single combined cutting step can facilitate the mass production of aerosol-generating articles.

[0011] Step (iii) can be carried out using a rotary cutter unit. The rotary cutter unit may include a first cutting drum and a second cutting drum. The first cutting drum may have a first cutting structure extending in the circumferential direction. The second cutting drum may have a second cutting structure extending in the circumferential direction. The first and second cutting structures may cooperate to cut a continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate and at least one susceptor patch applied to its surface to form a plurality of aerosol-generating strips and a plurality of susceptor strips. Using a rotary cutter unit can easily achieve continuous and high-speed production of aerosol-generating articles.

[0012] Each of the plurality of aerosol-generating strips and each of the plurality of susceptor strips may 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 and each of the plurality of susceptor strips may 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 optimal number of aerosol-generating strips and susceptor 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 and / or susceptor 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.

[0013] Step (ii) may include adhering at least one susceptor patch to the surface of the continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate using an adhesive. This achieves a good bond between the susceptor patch and the continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate, ensuring that the continuous web of the aerosol-generating substrate with the adhered susceptor patch can be effectively and reliably cut during step (iii) to form aerosol-generating strips and susceptor strips.

[0014] This method may include heating the adhesive to cure or solidify the adhesive after step (ii) and before step (iii). This can help strengthen the bond between the susceptor patch and the continuous web of the aerosol-forming substrate. However, a trade-off is required as excessive heating may cause the release of one or more volatile components from the aerosol-forming substrate. The aim is that the volatile components should be released only during the heating period of the aerosol-forming article produced by this method in the aerosol-generating device. On the other hand, if the heating is insufficient, the adhesive may not cure or solidify. Therefore, based on the properties of both the aerosol-forming substrate and the adhesive, it is necessary to carefully select the heating temperature.

[0015] The continuous web of the aerosol-forming substrate provided in step (i) may include a substantially flat surface that may have a center line. Step (ii) may include applying at least one susceptor patch to the substantially flat surface substantially along the center line. The accurate and consistent placement of the susceptor patch along the center line ensures that the aerosol-forming articles produced by the method according to the present disclosure have consistent and reproducible properties.

[0016] Step (ii) may include continuously applying a plurality of susceptor patches to the surface of the continuous web of the aerosol-forming substrate at a predefined constant interval between each successive susceptor patch. The predefined 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) may include cutting the continuous web of the aerosol-forming substrate and the plurality of susceptor patches applied to its surface to form a plurality of aerosol-forming strips and a plurality of susceptor strips. This enables the mass production of aerosol-forming articles to be easily achieved.

[0017] At least one susceptor patch may have a length of 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably 10 mm to 30 mm. At least one susceptor patch may have a width of 0.1 mm to 5 mm, preferably 0.5 mm to 2 mm. At least one susceptor patch may 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 may further comprise (v) cutting the continuous rod to form individual aerosol-generating articles. Each of the individual aerosol-generating articles may comprise a plurality of susceptor strips formed in step (iii) by cutting a single susceptor patch. Thereby, continuous mass production of aerosol-generating articles is easily achieved.

[0019] Step (v) may comprise cutting the continuous rod at a position between the susceptor strips formed in step (iii) by cutting 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 comprises a plurality of susceptor strips formed from the individual susceptor patches, and thus the aerosol-generating articles are consistently reproducible. Also, since the susceptor strips are not cut in step (v), wear during the cutting step (e.g., on the cutting unit) is minimized.

[0020] Step (v) may include cutting the continuous rod at a substantially midpoint between the susceptor strips formed in step (iii) by cutting adjacent susceptor patches. In this way, the ends of the susceptor strips are spaced inwardly from both ends of the resulting aerosol-generating article and are not visible from either end of the aerosol-generating article. This can improve the acceptability by the user of the aerosol-generating article manufactured by the method according to the present disclosure by ensuring that the susceptor strips are not visible at the distal end of the aerosol-generating article. Further, since the susceptor strips will be completely embedded in the aerosol-generating substrate of the resulting aerosol-generating article, thereby the susceptor strips are completely surrounded by the aerosol-generating strips, and thus heat transfer from the susceptor strips to the aerosol-generating strips is maximized, and aerosol or vapor can be generated more efficiently.

[0021] At least one susceptor patch cut during the period of step (iii) to form the susceptor strip may comprise a susceptor material capable of induction heating, 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. When an electromagnetic field is applied in the vicinity during use of the aerosol-generating article in an aerosol-generating device, the susceptor strip 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 may include plant - derived materials and can in particular include 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 - not - burn 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, the above - mentioned method may 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 can include, at the proximal end of the aerosol - generating article, a filter segment containing, for example, cellulose acetate fibers. The filter segment can constitute a mouthpiece filter. The filter segment may be coaxially aligned with the aerosol - generating substrate. Some designs may also include one or more vapor - collection regions, cooling regions, and other structures.

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

[0027] Upon heating, the aerosol - forming substrate, particularly the aerosol - forming strip, may release volatile compounds. The volatile compounds may include flavor compounds such as nicotine or tobacco flavorants.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0028]

Figure 1a

Figure 1b

Figure 2a

Figure 2b

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out 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 initially to FIGS. 1a and 1b, there is shown an aerosol-generating article 1 for use with an aerosol-generating device including an induction heating system for inductively heating the aerosol-generating article 1 to thereby generate an aerosol for inhalation by a user of the device. Such devices are known in the art and will not be described in further detail herein. The aerosol-generating article 1 is elongated and has a distal end 11a and a proximal end (or mouth end) 11b and is 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 example shown, the wrapper 14 is a paper wrapper and may include cigarette rolling paper.

[0032] The aerosol-generating article 1 may have an overall length measured between the distal end 11a and the proximal (mouth) end 11b of from 30 mm to 100 mm, preferably from 50 mm to 70 mm, and in some cases about 55 mm. The aerosol-generating substrate 10 may have an overall length measured between the first end 10a and the second end 10b of from 5 mm to 50 mm, preferably from 10 mm to 30 mm, and in some cases about 20 mm. The aerosol-generating article 1 may have a diameter of from 5 mm to 10 mm, preferably from 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 that contain 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 folds, ensuring that the airflow path is not interrupted and that a uniform airflow through the article 1 can be achieved.

[0034] The inductively heatable susceptor 12 includes a plurality of elongated second strips 13 that contain an inductively heatable susceptor material. The plurality of elongated second strips 13 constitute a susceptor strip 18 and are also substantially oriented in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol - generating article 1. The elongated second strips 13 have no longitudinal folds and prevent hot spots in the aerosol - generating substrate 10.

[0035] The aerosol - generating article 1 includes a plurality of elongated third strips 17 (see FIG. 1b) that contain an aerosol - generating material. Also, the elongated third strips 17 constitute an aerosol - generating strip 16 and are substantially oriented in the longitudinal direction of the aerosol - generating article 1. The elongated third strips 17 have the same length as the elongated first strips 15, and thus all the aerosol - generating strips 16 within the aerosol - generating article 1 have the same length. The elongated second strips 13 are adhered to the elongated third strips 17, and the elongated second strips 13 and the elongated third strips 17 have the same width. Also, in a preferred embodiment, the elongated first strips 15 have the same width as the elongated second strips 13 and the elongated third strips 17.

[0036] The elongate first strip 15, the elongate second strip 13, and the elongate third strip 17 are arranged to form a substantially rod-shaped aerosol-generating article 1 and can be randomly distributed across the entire cross-section of the rod-shaped aerosol-generating article 1, whereby they have a plurality of different orientations within the cross-section of the aerosol-generating article 1. Although not apparent from FIG. 1b, it will be understood that a sufficient number of elongate first strips 15 are provided to substantially fill the cross-section of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and that a smaller number of elongate first strips 15 are shown for illustrative purposes only. It should also be noted that any suitable number of elongate second strips 13 can be arranged within the aerosol-generating substrate 10 depending on the heating requirements. Each of the elongate second strips 13 is preferably surrounded by the elongate first strips 15, thereby ensuring that heat transfer to the elongate first strips 15 is maximized and the possibility of contact between the elongate second strips 13 is minimized.

[0037] As best shown in FIG. 1a, each of the plurality of elongate first strips 15 has a distal end 15a and each of the plurality of elongate second strips 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 forms 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 third 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 is not visible at the distal end 11a of the aerosol-generating article 1.

[0038] 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 to hold the components in place and form the rod-shaped aerosol-generating article 1.

[0039] In the illustrated embodiment, the mouthpiece segment 20 includes the following components arranged sequentially and coaxially in the downstream direction, that is to say, 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 the heated vapor flows from the aerosol-generating substrate 10 towards the proximal (mouth) end 11b of the aerosol-generating article 1, the vapor is cooled and condensed 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.

[0040] The elongated first strip 15 and the elongated third strip 17 typically include a material derived from a plant such as tobacco. The elongated first strip 15 and the elongated third strip 17 can advantageously include reconstituted tobacco including tobacco and any one or more of cellulose fibers, tobacco stem fibers, and inorganic fillers such as CaCO3.

[0041] The elongated first strip 15 and the elongated third strip 17 typically include an aerosol former such as glycerin or propylene glycol. Typically, the elongated first strip 15 and the elongated third 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 third strip 17 release volatile compounds, which may optionally include flavor compounds such as nicotine or tobacco flavorants.

[0042] 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 third strip 17, heating the elongated first strip 15 and the elongated third 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 inhalation by the user through the filter segment 24.

[0043] [Manufacture of aerosol generating articles] Here, with reference to FIGS. 1a and 1b, an apparatus 30 and a 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.

[0044] Referring to FIG. 2a, a schematic view of an apparatus 30 and a 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.

[0045] The apparatus 30 includes a substrate supply reel 32 (e.g., a first bobbin) that carries a continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 having a substantially flat surface, and a first feed roller 36 for controlling the feed of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10. The apparatus 30 can 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.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] [Preparation of Susceptor Patches] During 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 the adhesive regions 60 that alternate in the direction of movement of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material.

[0049] 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 may have a width of about 140 mm, whereas the continuous web 40 of susceptor material, and thus the susceptor patches 28, may have a width of about 0.1 mm to 5 mm. In some embodiments, the susceptor patches 28 may have a length of about 5 mm to 50 mm in the direction of movement of the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and may have a thickness of about 1 μm to 500 μm.

[0050] For the purpose of minimizing 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.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 5, the susceptor cutting unit 48 includes a rotary cutting unit 64 that includes a support drum 66 and a cutting drum 68. The support drum 66 supports the continuous web 40 of susceptor material on its outer periphery and includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced recesses 70 on its outer periphery. The support drum 66 is typically a suction drum, and the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and the susceptor patches 28 are supported on the outer periphery of the suction drum by the suction force applied through the suction ports 67. The cutting drum 68 includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutting elements 72, such as projecting cutting blades, around its periphery, 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.

[0052] [Application of Susceptor Patches] As shown, for example, in FIGS. 2b and 4, susceptor patches 28 provided by a susceptor cutting unit 48 may be applied to the surface of a continuous web 34 of an aerosol-generating substrate 10 such that a predefined constant spacing 74 is provided between the edges of each successive susceptor patch 28. The predefined constant spacing 74 may be, for example, between 1 mm and 20 mm. In order to create the predefined constant spacing 74 between the edges of successive susceptor patches 28, the susceptor cutting unit 48 allows relative movement between the continuous web 40 of susceptor material carried by a support drum 66 and the support drum 66 over a predetermined period immediately after the continuous web 40 of susceptor material has been cut by a cutting drum 68 to form the susceptor patches 28. This relative movement allows the continuous web 40 of susceptor material to remain stationary or to move at a reduced speed for a short time after the susceptor patches 28 have been cut from the continuous web 40 of susceptor material. For example, the relative movement between the continuous web 40 of susceptor material and the support drum 66 may be achieved by reducing the suction force applied to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material by the support drum 66 while simultaneously maintaining an appropriate suction force between the cut susceptor patches 28 and the support drum 66 to ensure no relative movement between the cut susceptor patches 28 and the support drum 66. In this way, the susceptor patches 28 cut from the continuous web 40 of susceptor material by the susceptor cutting unit 48 are carried at a faster speed for a short time than the continuous web 40 of susceptor material from which the susceptor patches 28 have been cut, thereby creating the desired predefined constant spacing 74 between the edges of successive susceptor patches 28.

[0053] The susceptor patch 28 coated with the adhesive 47 is adhesively attached continuously and sequentially to the surface of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-forming substrate 10 along the centerline of the substantially continuous web 34. Successive susceptor patches 28 are spaced apart in the direction of movement of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-forming substrate by a defined constant spacing 74 between the edges of the susceptor patches 28 that occurs when the susceptor patches 28 are formed by the susceptor cutting unit 48. To ensure sufficient adhesion between the susceptor patch 28 and the substantially flat surface of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-forming 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-forming substrate 10, so that a pressing force is applied to successive susceptor patches 28 but not to the spaced regions between successive susceptor patches 28.

[0054] Depending on the properties of the adhesive 47 applied by the adhesive application unit 46 to the continuous web 40 of susceptor material (and thus to the susceptor patch 28), the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-forming 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 surface of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-forming substrate 10. To ensure sufficient heating to cure or solidify the adhesive 47 while at the same time avoiding or at least minimizing the release of volatile components from the aerosol-forming substrate 10, the heating temperature must be carefully selected based on the properties of both the aerosol-forming substrate 10 and the adhesive 47.

[0055] [Strip cutting] A continuous web 34 of an aerosol-generating substrate 10 having spaced-apart susceptor patches 28 adhered to its surface is fed to a strip cutting unit 52 (best shown in FIG. 6) that simultaneously cuts the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the susceptor patches 28 to form a plurality of continuous aerosol-generating strips 16 and a plurality of susceptor strips 18. In one embodiment, the strip cutting unit 52 cuts the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the susceptor patches 28 to form aerosol-generating strips 16 and susceptor strips 18 having a strip width of about 1 mm. Thus, if the susceptor patches 28 have a width of 5 mm as described above, it will be understood that five susceptor strips 18 are formed by cutting each susceptor patch 28.

[0056] The end portions of the susceptor strips 18 formed by cutting the susceptor patches 28 are longitudinally spaced apart by the same predefined constant spacing 74 that existed between the edges of the successive susceptor patches 28. 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 circumferentially, and the second cutting drum 82 includes a second cutting structure 86 extending circumferentially. The first and second cutting structures 84, 86 cooperate (e.g., engage) to shear cut the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 and the susceptor patches 28 in the direction of movement of the continuous web 34 to form a plurality of aerosol-generating strips 16 and a plurality of susceptor strips 18. As can be understood from FIGS. 2b and 6, the aerosol-generating strips 16 formed by cutting the central region of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10 to which the susceptor patches 28 are adhered have the susceptor strips 18 (i.e., the elongated second strips 13) adhered thereto, and it is the aerosol-generating strips 16 formed by cutting this central region that constitute the elongated third strips 17. On the other hand, for the aerosol-generating strips 16 formed by cutting the side regions of the continuous web 34 of the aerosol-generating substrate 10, on both opposite sides of the susceptor patches 28, the aerosol-generating strips 16 do not have the susceptor strips 18 adhered thereto, and it is the aerosol-generating strips 16 formed by cutting these side regions that constitute the elongated first strips 15.

[0057] [Rod formation] The aerosol - forming strip 16 and the susceptor strip 18 are conveyed to the rod - forming unit 56 where they are formed into the continuous rod 88. If desired, 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 (also from a supply reel) that can be arranged downstream of the rod - forming unit 56. The sheet of wrapping paper is transported and guided through the rod - forming unit 56 or a separate wrapping unit while the wrapper 14 wraps the continuous rod 88 around the aerosol - forming strip 16 and the susceptor strip 18 such that the wrapper 14 surrounds the continuous rod 88.

[0058] [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 - forming articles 1. The aerosol - forming 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 - forming 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 mid - point between the ends of the susceptor strip 18 formed by cutting the continuous susceptor patch 28. In this way, the susceptor strip 18 is not cut by the rod - cutting unit 58, thereby reducing wear of the cutting elements. Further, since the susceptor strip 18 is shorter than the aerosol - forming strip 16, the ends of the susceptor strip 18 are not visible at either end of the aerosol - forming 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 - forming articles 1.

[0059] [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 mouthpiece segment 20 described above, 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 so that the assembled components can be simultaneously wrapped to form the completed aerosol generating article 1. The additional units may form part of the apparatus 30 or may be separate stand-alone units forming part of the final assembly line.

[0060] Although exemplary embodiments have been described in the preceding 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.

[0061] Any combination in any possible variation of the features described above is included in the present disclosure, unless separately presented herein or clearly inconsistent with the context.

[0062] Throughout this specification and the claims, 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".

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); (ii) applying at least one susceptor patch (28) to a surface of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol-generating substrate (10); (iii) cutting the continuous web (34) of the aerosol-generating substrate (10) and the at least one susceptor patch (28) applied to its surface to form a plurality of aerosol-generating strips (16) and a plurality of susceptor strips (18); (iv) forming the plurality of aerosol-generating strips (16) and the plurality of susceptor strips (18) on a continuous rod (88). A method as described above.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein step (iii) comprises simultaneously cutting the continuous web (34) of the aerosol-generating substrate (10) and the at least one susceptor patch (28) applied to its surface.

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

4. The rotary cutter unit (78) includes a first cutting drum (80) having a first cutting structure (84) extending circumferentially and a second cutting drum (82) having a second cutting structure (86) extending circumferentially. The first cutting structure (84) and the second cutting structure (86) cooperate to cut the continuous web (34) of the aerosol-generating substrate (10) and the at least one susceptor patch (28) applied to its surface to form the plurality of aerosol-generating strips (16) and the plurality of susceptor strips (18). The method according to claim 3.

5. Each of the plurality of aerosol-generating strips (16) and each of the plurality of susceptor strips (18) has a width of about 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm, preferably 1.0 mm. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein step (ii) comprises adhering the at least one susceptor patch (28) to the surface of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol-generating substrate (10) using an adhesive (47).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein after step (ii) and before step (iii), the adhesive (47) is heated to cure or solidify the adhesive.

8. The continuous web (34) of the aerosol - generating substrate (10) provided in step (i) includes a substantially flat surface having a centerline, and step (ii) includes applying the at least one susceptor patch (28) to the substantially flat surface substantially along the centerline. The method according to any one of claims 1 - 7.

9. Step (ii) includes continuously applying a plurality of susceptor patches (28) to the surface of the continuous web (34) of the aerosol - generating substrate (10) at a predefined constant interval (74) between each successive susceptor patch (28). Step (iii) includes cutting the continuous web (34) of the aerosol - generating substrate (10) and the plurality of susceptor patches (28) applied to its surface to form a plurality of aerosol - generating strips (16) and a plurality of susceptor strips (18). The method according to any one of claims 1 - 8.

10. 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 - 9.

11. The method includes (v) cutting the continuous rod (88) to form a plurality of individual aerosol - generating articles (1). The method according to any one of claims 1 - 10, further comprising.

Images