APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF COMPOSITE CIGARETTE FILTERS

Apparatus for the production of combined filters or recess filters for cigarettes is disclosed, the apparatus comprising: a feeder (12) for feeding a plurality of filter segments (2, 4) along a path; a wrapper downstream of the feeder (12) for wrapping the plurality of segments in a web of material (18) to form a rod (20); a combiner (52, 58, 68) operative at a location between the feeder (12) and the wrapper for forming a stream of aligned segments from the plurality of segments (2, 4) and for transporting the stream of aligned segments along the path to the wrapper, and cutting means (24, 28) for severing the rod (20) into a plurality of discrete rods each comprising a plurality of segments, the combiner (52, 58, 68) being adapted to maintain the alignment of segments in the stream of aligned segments as it transports the stream of aligned segments to the wrapper so that, in use, relative movement of the segments in the stream is substantially prevented over the entire length of the path from the combiner to the wrapper.