Wrapping unit and method to produce, together, two sealed wraps containing two corresponding groups of smoking articles

Abstract

A wrapping unit (13) and a wrapping method to produce, together, two sealed wraps (3) containing two corresponding groups (5) of smoking articles. The following are provided: a folding device (17), which is configured to fold, in a tube-like manner, two wrapping sheets (8) side by side around the two corresponding groups (5) of smoking articles, overlapping two opposite ends (10, 11) of each wrapping sheet (8); and a sealing device (18) configured to make, simultaneously and while the two wrapping sheets (8) are still side by side, two transverse heat seals (TS), each joining the two opposite and overlapping ends (10, 11) of each wrapping sheet (8). The sealing device (18) is configured to leave, between the two transverse heat seals (TS), a buffer zone (23), which is free of heat seals and is located astride a separation line between the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side.

Description

[0001] "WRAPPING UNIT AND METHOD TO PRODUCE, TOGETHER, TWO SEAEED WRAPS CONTAINING TWO CORRESPONDING GROUPS OF SMOKING ARTICLES"

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This Patent Application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No. 102024000012844 filed on June 5, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0005] The present invention relates to a wrapping unit and to a wrapping method to produce, together, two sealed wraps containing two corresponding groups of smoking articles.

[0006] PRIOR ART

[0007] Rigid packs for cigarettes with a hinged lid are currently the most widespread packs for cigarettes on the market as they are simple to manufacture, are easy and practical to use, and offer good protection to the cigarettes contained on their inside.

[0008] A rigid pack for cigarettes with a hinged lid comprises a wrap consisting of a group of cigarettes wrapped in a wrapping sheet and a rigid outer casing which houses the wrap on its inside. The outer casing consists of a cup-shaped container, which houses the wrap and has an open upper end, and a lid, which is also cup- shaped and is hinged to the container so as to rotate, with respect to the container, between an open position and a closed position of the open end.

[0009] In a traditional pack for cigarettes, the group of cigarettes is wrapped in a rectangular wrapping sheet made of glue-free metallized paper. In order to preserve the integrity of the tobacco of the cigarettes, it has been proposed to manufacture a sealed (waterproof) wrap consisting of a wrapping sheet made of waterproof and heat-sealable material having an extraction opening for extracting the cigarettes, which is closed by a reusable closing label.

[0010] For several years now, a pack for cigarettes commercially called “twin” has been known comprising a rigid outer container which houses on its inside two groups of cigarettes (namely “twins”, hence the commercial name of the pack for cigarettes), which are arranged side by side and wrapped in corresponding wrapping sheets. Patent application WO2023180862A1 describes a packing machine which manufactures a rigid pack for cigarettes with a hinged lid of “twin” type and in which two sealed wraps are manufactured simultaneously by operating on a double line. The packing machine comprises, among the other things, a wrapping drum which supports a plurality of pairs of pockets, each designed to contain a group of cigarettes coupled to a wrapping sheet (therefore, a pair of pockets axially side by side supports a pair of groups of cigarettes side by side and coupled to the respective wrapping sheets). The wrapping drum is coupled to three different sealing heads which are configured to make, in distinct and subsequent steps, a transverse seal on two wrapping sheets folded, in a tube-like manner, around two corresponding groups of cigarettes contained in two pockets side by side.

[0011] The packing machine described in patent application WO2023180862A1 is generally capable of guaranteeing a high final quality of the packs for cigarettes also operating at a high production speed (measured as packs for cigarettes produced in the time unit); however, it has been observed that the frequency of packs for cigarettes containing faulty sealed wraps (in particular having irregular tears at an inner edge of the wrapping sheet) is relatively high.

[0012] Patent application DE 102007004029 Al describes the actuation of a rotating drum which is rotated in a cyclic manner and cooperates with a stationary sealing element; a safety device is provided which guarantees that the rotating drum and the working element are perfectly aligned during the stop phases in which the rotating drum is in a standstill.

[0013] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] The object of the present invention is to provide a wrapping unit and a wrapping method to produce, together, two sealed wraps containing two corresponding groups of smoking articles, said wrapping unit and method being simple to manufacture and implement and allowing avoiding undesired breakings of the wrapping sheets also operating at a high production speed (measured as packs for cigarettes produced in the time unit).

[0015] A further object of the present invention is to provide a pack for smocking articles containing two sealed wraps side by side which can be manufactured in a wrapping unit which is simple to manufacture and can operate at a high production speed (measured as packs for cigarettes produced in the time unit) avoiding undesired breakings of the wrapping sheets. In accordance with the present invention, a wrapping unit and a wrapping method are provided for producing, together, two sealed wraps containing two corresponding groups of smoking articles, according to what is claimed in the appended claims.

[0016] Furthermore, in accordance with the present invention, a pack for smocking articles containing two sealed wraps side by side is provided, according to what is claimed in the appended claims.

[0017] The claims describe embodiments of the present invention forming integral part of the present description.

[0018] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting example embodiment thereof, wherein:

[0020] • Figure 1 is a front perspective view in a closed configuration of a rigid pack for cigarettes of “twin” type, namely containing two sealed wraps side by side;

[0021] • Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the pack for cigarettes of Figure 1 in a closed configuration;

[0022] • Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the pack for cigarettes of Figure 1 in an open configuration;

[0023] • Figure 4 is a front perspective view of a single sealed wrap contained in the pack for cigarettes of Figure 1 ;

[0024] • Figure 5 is a perspective view of a group of cigarettes coupled to a reinforcement element and contained in the sealed wrap of Figure 4;

[0025] • Figure 6 is a plan view of a wrapping sheet utilized for manufacturing the sealed wrap of Figure 4;

[0026] • Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view which shows the paths followed by the components of the sealed wrap of Figure 4 in a wrapping unit which is manufactured in accordance with the present invention;

[0027] • Figure 8 is a front view with parts removed for clarity of a wrapping drum of the wrapping unit of Figure 7 ;

[0028] • Figure 9 is a perspective view with parts removed for clarity of a detail of the wrapping drum of Figure 7 ;

[0029] • Figure 10 is a perspective view with parts removed for clarity of a single sealer of the wrapping drum of Figure 7 ; and

[0030] • Figure 11 is a perspective view of two sealed wraps of Figure 4 being formed and in particular during the making of a transverse heat seal.

[0031] PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0032] In Figures 1, 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 indicates, as a whole, a rigid “twin” pack for cigarettes. The pack 1 for cigarettes comprises a cup-shaped container 2 made of cardboard or rigid paperboard and a pair of sealed wraps 3 (one of which is better illustrated in Figure 4) housed side by side inside the container 2.

[0033] The container 2 has an open upper end and is provided with a lid 4, which is cup-shaped and is hinged to the container 2 along a hinge (illustrated in Figure 2) so as to rotate, with respect to the container 2, between an open position (illustrated in Figure 3) and a closed position (illustrated in Figures 1 and 2) of the open upper end.

[0034] Each sealed wrap 3 (better illustrated in Figure 4) encloses a group 5 of cigarettes having a parallelepiped shape (illustrated in Figure 5) and has, at the top and frontally, an extraction opening 6 for extracting the cigarettes, which is delimited by a tearable preweakened line, is closed by a reusable closing label 7 and involves a portion of a front wall of the sealed wrap 3 and a portion of an upper wall of the sealed wrap 3.

[0035] According to a different embodiment not illustrated, the sealed wrap 3 is free of the extraction opening 6 and of the relative closing label 7 and has a removable upper portion, which is separate from the remaining part of the sealed wrap 3 by a tearable pre-weakened line so as to be eliminated by tear upon the first opening of the sealed wrap 3; in this embodiment, the sealed wrap 3 is preferably provided with a tearable opening tape in order to facilitate the breaking of the sealed wrap 3 along the pre- weakened line.

[0036] The sealed wrap 3 is obtained by folding a wrapping sheet 8 (illustrated in Figure 6), which has a rectangular shape, comprises at least one layer of airproof and heat- sealable plastic material, and is directly folded around the group 5 of cigarettes so as to be in direct contact with the cigarettes. Once the wrapping sheet 8 is folded around the group 5 of cigarettes for forming the sealed wrap 3, the shape of the sealed wrap 3 is stabilized by making a transverse heat seal TS (schematically illustrated in Figure 11) of the overlapping portions of the wrapping sheet 8.

[0037] The sealed wrap 3 could comprise a reinforcement element 9 (better illustrated in Figure 5), which consists of carboard or rigid paperboard, is “U”-shaped and is arranged inside the sealed wrap 3 in contact with the group 5 of cigarettes.

[0038] The formation of the sealed wrap 3 provides for initially forming the group 5 of cigarettes and then folding the reinforcement element 9 around the group 5 of cigarettes; subsequently, the wrapping sheet 8 is folded around the group 5 of cigarettes coupled to the reinforcement element 9. The modes for folding the wrapping sheet 8 around the group 5 of cigarettes coupled to the reinforcement element 9 are known and are for example described in patent application WO2023180862A1; in alternative, the two open lateral edges of the wrapping sheet 8 could be closed by means of two longitudinal sealing fins in place of the so-called “ soap fold''.

[0039] In particular and as is illustrated in Figure 7, the wrapping sheet 8 is folded in a “U”- shape around the group 5 of cigarettes such that the wrapping sheet 8 folded in a “U”- shape has two ends 10 and 11 coming out of the group 5 of cigarettes; the two ends 10 and 11 are then folded against each other so as to give a tubular shape to the wrapping sheet 8 and then the overlapping portions of the ends 10 and 11 are heat-sealed to each other so as to stabilize the tubular shape of the wrapping sheet 8 and form a sealing fin 12 on which the transverse heat seal TS is made. Finally, the overlapping and heat sealed ends 10 and 11 (namely the sealing fin 12) are folded against a lower wall of the sealed wrap 3 or against a front wall of the sealed wrap 3.

[0040] A packing machine which is designed to manufacture the pack 1 for cigarettes described above generally operates with an intermittent motion (namely a motion which provides for a cyclic alternation of motion phases and stop phases) and comprises a forming unit in which the groups 5 of cigarettes are formed in sequence, a wrapping unit 13 (schematically illustrated in Figure 7) in which around each group 5 of cigarettes a respective wrapping sheet 8 is wrapped so as to create a sealed wrap 3, and a wrapping unit in which around each pair of sealed wraps 3 coupled to each other (namely arranged side by side) a blank is wrapped so as to manufacture the container 2 provided with the lid 4.

[0041] According to what is illustrated in Figure 7, the wrapping unit 13 (which produces, together, two sealed wraps 3 containing two corresponding groups 5 of cigarettes) comprises wrapping conveyors which are designed to convey the two groups 5 of cigarettes side by side along a wrapping path (in part circular, in part straight). In particular, each wrapping conveyor supports a plurality of pairs of pockets side by side, each being shaped for receiving and accommodating a corresponding group 5 of cigarettes; in this manner, at every conveying step each wrapping conveyor conveys two pockets side by side (transverse, namely perpendicular to the wrapping path) and thus two groups 5 of cigarettes side by side contained in the respective pockets side by side.

[0042] The wrapping conveyors of the wrapping unit 13 receive the pairs of groups 5 of cigarettes already coupled to the respective reinforcement elements 9 from a forming conveyor of the forming unit and are configured to convey the pairs of groups 5 of cigarettes side by side together with the corresponding reinforcement elements 9 and together with the corresponding wrapping sheets 8 along the wrapping path so as to fold each wrapping sheet 8 around the corresponding group 5 of cigarettes.

[0043] In particular, the wrapping path passes through a coupling station S 1 in which each pair of groups 5 of cigarettes side by side couples to a corresponding pair of wrapping sheets 8 side by side.

[0044] The wrapping unit 13 comprises a series of folding devices which are configured to fold each wrapping sheet 8 around a respective group 5 of cigarettes coupled to a reinforcement element 9 so as to form (and stabilize by means of sealing) a respective sealed wrap 3.

[0045] In the coupling station SI, two wrapping sheets 8 side by side are moved along a feeding path perpendicular to, and intersecting with, a moving path of the two groups 5 of cigarettes side by side; in this manner, the wrapping sheets 8 side by side are fed in front of the two groups 5 of cigarettes such that the two groups 5 of cigarettes in their movement intercept the wrapping sheets 8 and determine the progressive folding in a “U”-shape of the wrapping sheets 8. Subsequently, each wrapping sheet 8 is folded, in a tube-like manner, around the corresponding group 5 of cigarettes and the tubular wrap (having two open lateral ends) thereby formed is stabilized by means of the transverse heat seal TS which forms the sealing fin 12.

[0046] According to what is illustrated in Figure 8, the wrapping unit 13 comprises a wrapping drum 14 (arranged vertically) which is mounted so as to rotate around a horizontal rotation axis 15, and supports a plurality of pairs of pockets 16 designed to contain a pair of groups 5 of cigarettes side by side and coupled to the respective wrapping sheets 8. The wrapping drum 14 by rotating around the rotation axis 15 moves each pair of pockets 16 side by side between the coupling station SI in which the pair of pockets 16 side by side receives a pair of groups 5 of cigarettes side by side and coupled to the respective wrapping sheets 8 and a transfer station S2 in which the pair of pockets 16 side by side yields the pair of groups 5 of cigarettes side by side and coupled to the respective wrapping sheets 8 folded in a tube-like manner.

[0047] The wrapping unit 13 comprises a folding device 17 which is coupled to the wrapping drum 14 and is configured to fold, in a tube-like manner, each wrapping sheet 8 around the corresponding group 5 of cigarettes, namely to overlap the two ends 10 and 11 of the wrapping sheet 8 on each other.

[0048] A sealing device 18 is provided which is coupled to the wrapping drum 14 and is configured to make the transverse seal on two wrapping sheets 8 side by side and folded, in a tube-like manner, around the corresponding pair of groups 5 of cigarettes. According to a preferred embodiment, the sealing device 18 comprises three different sealing heads 19 (better illustrated in Figure 9) arranged in sequence around the wrapping drum 14 such that the transverse seal on each wrapping sheet 8 folded in a tube-like manner is made in three distinct and subsequent steps.

[0049] According to what is illustrated in Figure 10, each sealing head 19 comprises a single operating body 20, which is heated (typically by means of electric resistor) at the desired sealing temperature and simultaneously makes the seal of two wrapping sheets 8 side by side. Each operating body 20 is radially movable so as to cyclically move along a radial direction (namely perpendicular to the rotation axis 15) between a sealing position, in which the operating body 20 is in contact (exerting a predetermined pressure) with the overlapping portions of the ends 10 and 11 of each wrapping sheet 8, and a moving position, in which the operating body 20 is detached from the wrapping sheets 8 so as to allow the sealed wraps 3, which are located inside seats 16 of the wrapping drum 14, to move without touching (sliding against) the operating body 20.

[0050] The wrapping unit 13 comprises an actuator device which is configured to move each operating body 20 between the sealing and moving positions; in particular, the actuator device 27 cyclically moves each operating body 20 between the sealing position during the stop phases of the wrapping drum 14 and the moving position during the motion phases of the wrapping drum 14.

[0051] According to what is illustrated in Figure 10, each operating body 20 has an active surface 21, which, in use, comes into contact with the overlapping portions of the ends 10 and 11 of two wrapping sheets 8 side by side so as to simultaneously make two transverse heat seals TS (schematically illustrated in Figure 11) and then simultaneously make two sealing fins 12. The active surface 21 of each operating body 20 centrally has a recess 22 (i.e. a “hole”), which avoids making the transverse heat seals TS in a central area (as is illustrated in Figure 11), namely avoids making the transverse heat seals TS in a boundary area between the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side; then, as is illustrated in Figure 11, in each wrapping sheet 8, the sealing fin 12 interrupts at a certain distance (different from zero) from an edge that separates the wrapping sheet 8 from the adjacent wrapping sheet 8 and a buffer zone 23, which is free of heat seals, is located between the two transverse heat seals TS (i.e. astride the separation line between the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side).

[0052] By way of example, the buffer zone 23, which is free of heat seals, could have an overall width of several mm (for example 2-10 mm), namely could extend from the edge of each wrapping sheet 8, for example, by a width of 1-5 mm.

[0053] Preferably, each pocket 16 of the wrapping drum 14 also comprises a countering body 24 (illustrated in Figure 9) which is arranged in a fixed position and on which the two ends 10 and 11 of each wrapping sheet 8 rest when they are folded (overlapped) on each other; in use, the operating body 20 of each sealing head 19 presses the two ends 10 and 11 of each wrapping sheet 8 against the respective countering body 24. According to a possible embodiment, each countering body 24 is perfectly smooth (namely has no recesses at the recess 22 of the operating bodies 20); in alternative, each countering body 24 has a recess at the recess 22 of the operating bodies 20.

[0054] In the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying figures, each sealing head 19 comprises a single common operating body 20, which simultaneously makes both the transverse heat seals TS on the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side; according to a different embodiment not illustrated, each sealing head 19 comprises two operating bodies 20, which are separate (distanced) from and independent of each other and each make the transverse heat seal TS of a respective wrapping sheet 8. Regardless of the actual shape of each sealing head 19, the important thing is that each sealing head 19 is shaped so as to simultaneously make two transverse heat seals TS on two wrapping sheets 8 side by side leaving between the two transverse heat seals TS a buffer zone 23 which is free of heat seals and is located astride the separation line between the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side.

[0055] In the feeding station SI, two wrapping sheets 8 side by side can be already completely separate (namely there is no residual joining point between the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side which thus are completely independent of each other) or the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side can be joined by one or more tearable joining points which will be torn further on for definitively separating the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side (as is described in patent application EP3653518A1).

[0056] The embodiments described herein can be combined with one another without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0057] The wrapping unit 13 described above has numerous advantages.

[0058] Firstly, the wrapping unit 13 described above allows producing a pack 1 for cigarettes containing two sealed wraps 3 side by side operating at a high production speed (measured as packs 1 for cigarettes produced in the time unit) guaranteeing at the same time a high final quality of the sealed wraps 3.

[0059] This result is (also) obtained thanks to the fact that during the making of the transverse heat seal TS of a wrapping sheet 8, the transverse heat seal TS is interrupted slightly before (slightly more inward) with respect to the edge contiguous to the other wrapping sheet 8 side by side; in this manner, it is avoided that a bad positioning of a wrapping sheet 8 (namely when a wrapping sheet 8 ''invades ' the other wrapping sheet 8 side by side overlapping the other wrapping sheet 8 side by side) can determine an undesired joining of the two wrapping sheets 8 through the transverse heat seal TS.

[0060] In other words, during the side by side movement of the two wrapping sheets 8, a partial overlapping could occur between the edges of the two wrapping sheets 8 since one wrapping sheet 8 could laterally deviate “invading” the zone of the other wrapping sheet 8 and this “invasion” could overlap the two transverse heat seals TS (even only one millimetre of overlapping is sufficient) creating a very strong undesired joining between the two wrapping sheets 8 which causes relevant damage of the wrapping material when the two wrapping sheets 8 are inevitably separated (moved away) from each other more downstream. This problem is simply avoided by “discharging” the transverse heat seals TS in the zone where the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side are adjacent, since even if there were an undesired overlapping of the two wrapping sheets 8 side by side in the overlapping zone, no transverse heat seal TS would be made and thus there would not anyway be an undesired joining between the two wrapping sheets 8.

[0061] The embodiments illustrated in the accompanying figures refer to the manufacturing of a pack for cigarettes, but the present invention is applicable without substantial modifications also to the manufacturing of any other type of pack for smoking articles (for example a pack for cigars, a pack for electronic cigarettes of the liquid vaporization type, a pack for next generation heat-not-burn cigarettes. .

[0062] LIST OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS OF THE FIGURES

[0063] 1 pack for cigarettes

[0064] 2 container

[0065] 3 sealed wrap

[0066] 4 lid

[0067] 5 group of cigarettes

[0068] 6 extraction opening

[0069] 7 closing label

[0070] 8 wrapping sheet

[0071] 9 reinforcement element

[0072] 10 end

[0073] 11 end

[0074] 12 sealing fin

[0075] 13 wrapping unit

[0076] 14 wrapping drum

[0077] 15 rotation axis

[0078] 16 pockets

[0079] 17 folding device

[0080] 18 sealing device sealing heads operating body active surface recess buffer zone countering body transverse heat seal coupling station transfer station

Claims

C L A I M S1) A wrapping unit (13) to produce, together, two sealed wraps (3) containing two corresponding groups (5) of smoking articles; the wrapping unit (13) comprises: a folding device (17), which is configured to fold, in a tube-like manner, two wrapping sheets (8) side by side and in mutual contact around the two corresponding groups (5) of smoking articles, overlapping two opposite ends (10, 11) of each wrapping sheet (8); and a sealing device (18) configured to make, simultaneously and while the two wrapping sheets (8) are still side by side and in mutual contact, two transverse heat seals (TS), each joining the two opposite and overlapping ends (10, 11) of each wrapping sheet (8); the wrapping unit (13) is characterized in that the sealing device (18) is configured to leave, between the two transverse heat seals (TS), a buffer zone (23), which is free of heat seals and is located astride a separation line between the two wrapping sheets (8) which are side by side and in mutual contact, namely are at a zero distance from each other.2) The wrapping unit (13) according to claim 1, wherein the sealing device (18) comprises at least one sealing head (19) provided with a single common operating body (20), which simultaneously makes both the transverse heat seals (TS) on the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side and in mutual contact.3) The wrapping unit (13) according to claim 2, wherein the operating body (20) has one single continuous, namely free of interruptions, active surface (21), which, in use, comes into contact with the overlapping portions of the ends (10, 11) of both the wrapping sheets (8) side by side and in mutual contact so as to simultaneously make the two transverse heat seals (TS) and centrally has a recess (22), which avoids making the transverse heat seals (TS) in a central area astride the separation line between the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side and in mutual contact.4) The wrapping unit (13) according to claim 1, wherein the sealing device (18) comprises at least one sealing head (19) provided with two operating bodies (20), which are separate from and independent of each other and each make the transverse heat seal (TS) of a respective wrapping sheet (8).5) The wrapping unit (13) according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein each operating body (20) is mounted in a movable manner so as to cyclically move between a sealing position, in which the operating body (20) is in contact with the overlapping portions of theoverlapping ends (10, 11) of each wrapping sheet (8), and a moving position, in which the operating body (20) is detached from the wrapping sheets (8) so as to allow the wrapping sheets (8) to move without sliding against the operating body (20).6) The wrapping unit (13) according to one of the claims from 1 to 5 and comprising a wrapping drum (14), which is mounted so as to rotate around a rotation axis (15), supports a plurality of pairs of pockets (16) designed to contain a pair of groups (5) of smoking articles side by side and coupled to the respective wrapping sheets (8) and is coupled to the folding device (17) and the sealing device (18).7) The wrapping unit (13) according to claim 6, wherein the sealing device (18) comprises at least one sealing head (19), which is arranged around the wrapping drum (14) and is provided with an operating body (20), which is radially movable so as to cyclically move along a radial direction between a sealing position, in which the operating body (20) is in contact with the overlapping portions of the overlapping ends (10, 11) of each wrapping sheet (8), and a moving position, in which the operating body (20) is detached from the wrapping sheets (8) so as to allow the wrapping sheets (8) to move without sliding against the operating body (20).8) The wrapping unit (13) according to one of the claims from 1 to 7 and comprising: a feeding device configured to feed the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side and joined by at least one tearable joining point; and a separating device arranged downstream of the feeding device and configured to completely separate the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side interrupting the joining point.9) The wrapping unit (13) according to claim 8, wherein the separating device is arranged upstream of the sealing device (18) such that, upon making the two transverse heat seals (TS), the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side are already completely separate from each other.10) The wrapping unit (13) according to claim 8, wherein the separating device is arranged downstream of the sealing device (18) such that, upon making the two transverse heat seals (TS), the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side are still joined by the tearable joining point.ID A wrapping method to produce, together, two sealed wraps (3) containing twocorresponding groups (5) of smoking articles; the wrapping method comprises the steps of: folding, in a tube-like manner, two wrapping sheets (8) side by side and in mutual contact around the two corresponding groups (5) of smoking articles, overlapping two opposite ends (10, 11) of each wrapping sheet (8); and making, simultaneously and while the two wrapping sheets (8) are still side by side and in mutual contact, two transverse heat seals (TS), each joining the two opposite and overlapping ends (10, 11) of each wrapping sheet (8); the wrapping method is characterized in that between the two transverse heat seals (TS) there is left a buffer zone (23), which is free of heat seals and is located astride a separation line between the two wrapping sheets (8) which are side by side and in mutual contact, namely are at a zero distance from each other.12) The wrapping method according to claim 11, wherein, upon making the two transverse heat seals (TS), the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side and in mutual contact are already completely separate from each other.13) The wrapping method according to claim 11, wherein, upon making the two transverse heat seals (TS), the two wrapping sheets (8) side by side and in mutual contact are joined by at least one tearable joining point.14) A pack (1) for smoking articles comprising: a container (2); two groups of smoking articles (5); two sealed wraps (3), which are housed side by side in the comprising container (2) and each consist of a wrapping sheet (8), which is folded around the group (5) of smoking articles and has two opposite ends (10, 11), which are joined to each other by means of a transverse heat seal (TS) so as to give the wrapping sheet (8) a tubular shape; the pack (1) for smoking articles is characterized in that, in each sealed wrap (3), the transverse heat seal (TS) of the wrapping sheet (8) ends before an edge of the wrapping sheet (8) adjacent to the other sealed wrap (3).15) The pack (1) for smoking articles according to claim 14, wherein, in each sealed wrap (3), the transverse heat seal (TS) of the wrapping sheet (8) ends before the edge of the wrapping sheet (8) adjacent to the other sealed wrap (3) by a width of 1-5- mm.

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