Patent Publication Number: US-9896294-B2

Title: Apparatus for processing a moving web of material

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to apparatus and a method for processing a moving web of material, particularly but not exclusively to cutting and spreading a moving web of material prior to a wrapping operation, during manufacture of smoking articles. 
     BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION 
     Smoking articles are generally formed of a tobacco rod and a filter wrapped in a material, such as paper. A band of paper may be used to join together a wrapped tobacco rod and a wrapped filter. Cigarettes with different construction and configuration are possible but do generally comprise rod shaped components, such as tobacco rods and filters that are wrapped in materials in various arrangements. 
     Machinery for preparing and wrapping a moving web of material around a tobacco rod, a filter or an assembly of a tobacco rod and a filter may include a web handling system that handles thin strips of material, arranges and aligns the strips of material with the relevant components and feeds the strips into a wrapping process to wrap the strips of material around the components of the smoking article. 
     Some smoking articles require a plurality of paper portions to be wrapped around a smoking article in a spaced arrangement, with gaps between each portion. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In accordance with embodiments of the invention, there is provided a drum assembly for processing a moving web of material comprising an outer drum having an axis of rotation, a plurality of support members on which cut patches of the moving web of material are supported as the drum rotates together with said support members about said axis, and a cam disposed within the outer drum, wherein the support members and the cam cooperate with each other as the outer drum rotates relative to the cam to move the support members in an axial direction to alter the spacing between cut web patches on said support members. 
     The cam may comprise a cylindrical element mounted coaxially within the outer drum and may have cam tracks extending circumferentially around its surface, the support members may be mounted to the outer drum for movement in an axial direction and each may have a cam follower slideably received in a cam track in the cylindrical element. 
     The cam tracks may be continuous and define closed and open positions of the support members separated by transition regions during which the support members move gradually from one position to the other as the outer drum rotates. 
     The transition regions of adjacent cam tracks may be staggered so that the support members toward the outer ends of the outer drum begin to move in an axial direction prior to movement of the remaining support members. 
     The transition region of adjacent cam tracks may be configured such that axial movement of all the support members ends substantially simultaneously. 
     Each of the plurality of support members may comprise an outer face which supports the web, said outer faces may have apertures for connection to a source of negative pressure to hold the material on the outer drum. 
     The drum assembly may comprise flexible or extendable pipes extending laterally within the outer drum between the support members and a manifold that rotates with the drum and is connectable to source of negative pressure. 
     In accordance with embodiments of the invention, there is provided apparatus for processing a moving web of material including a drum assembly, as described above, and lateral and longitudinal cutting assemblies to cut the moving web of material into a series of web patches on the outer drum. 
     The lateral cutting assembly may comprise a lateral cutting drum having at least one radially extending blade, said lateral cutting drum may be located adjacent to the outer drum such that as each drum rotates the radially extending blade cuts the moving web of material on the outer drum. 
     The lateral cutting drum and the outer drum may be configured such that the radially extending blade cuts the moving web of material against, or on, a laterally extending edge of a support member. 
     The rotational speed of the outer drum and the lateral cutting drum may be configured such that the outer surface of the outer drum is travelling faster than the linear speed of the moving web of material, such that as the radially extending blade laterally cuts a portion from the moving web, a space is created between the trailing edge of the cut portion and the leading edge of the moving web of material. 
     The longitudinal cutting assembly may comprise a plurality of rotating blades arranged adjacent to each other, each blade acting against an edge of a support member to cut the moving web of material on the outer drum. 
     The apparatus may further comprise an adhesive application assembly that applies adhesive to the moving web of material prior to receipt of the moving web of material on the outer drum. 
     The adhesive application assembly may be configured to apply adhesive to selected regions of one side of the moving web of material, said regions to which adhesive is not applied corresponding to the lines along which the lateral and longitudinal cutting assemblies will cut the moving web. 
     In accordance with embodiments of the invention, there is provided a method of processing a moving web of material comprising supporting cut patches of said web on support members of an outer drum of a drum assembly as it rotates about its axis of rotation, the support members cooperating with a cam disposed within the outer drum so that the support members move in an axial direction as the outer drum rotates to alter the spacing between cut web patches on said support members. 
     The method may include the step of cutting the moving web of material laterally and longitudinally prior to cooperation between the support members and the cam to alter the spacing between the cut web patches. 
     The method may further include controlling the rotational speed of the rotating outer drum and the linear speed of the moving web of material such that cut web portions are longitudinally spaced as the web is laterally cut. 
     The method may further include providing a negative pressure to apertures in the plurality of support members to retain the web portions on the rotating outer drum during rotation of said drum. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    show a filter rod with spaced portions of material wrapped around the filter rod, as produced in the production of smoking articles; 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic diagram of manufacturing apparatus for producing the wrapped filter rob of  FIGS. 1 a    and  1   b;    
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic representation of the some of the processes performed by the apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  shows an example of an adhesive application roller that may be used in the apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 5  shows an example of an adhesive applicator that may be used in the apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 6  shows the cutting and spreading drum of the apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 7  shows the cutting and spreading drum and the lateral cutting drum of the apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 8  shows an example of longitudinal cutting blades that may be used in the apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 9  shows an example of longitudinal cutting blades that may be used in the apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 10  shows a cross-sectional view of the cutting and spreading drum of the apparatus of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 11  shows the stationary cam of the cutting and spreading drum of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIG. 12  shows the stationary cam of  FIGS. 10 and 11  and also the cam track profile defined by the cam; 
         FIGS. 13 a  and 13 b    show different example configurations for the support members of the cutting and spreading drum of  FIG. 10 ; 
         FIGS. 14 a  and 14 b    show cross-sectional views of the cutting and spreading drum showing example open and closed positions of the support members; 
         FIG. 14 c    shows a cross-sectional view of the cutting and spreading drum showing a vacuum system. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     An example of a product with spaced portions of wrapping material formed during manufacture of smoking articles is disclosed in the applicant&#39;s co-pending application GB1113936.7, the entirety of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference. The smoking articles disclosed in this document comprise filters with spaced portions of paper wrapped around the outside to form part of the adjustable ventilation mechanism. During manufacture of these smoking articles, filter rods are provided with spaced portions of wrapping material that are wrapped around the filter one or more times. 
     The partially wrapped filter rod  1  shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    is produced during the manufacture of the smoking articles described in the applicant&#39;s co-pending patent application GB 1113936.7. The partially wrapped filter rod  1  comprises a filter portion  2 , made from acetate or a similar material, and a plurality of spaced portions  3  of material wrapped around the rod  2 , in this case paper such as tipping paper commonly used in the manufacture of smoking articles. The smoking articles disclosed in GB 1113936.7 have filters with adjustable ventilation that rely on spaced tipping paper portions to allow two portions of the filter to rotate relative to each other too alter the ventilation. The tipping paper portions may be wrapped once or twice around the filter rod in spaced relation and after wrapping the filter portion may be cut into two, three or more individual filters and then integrated with a smoking article. 
       FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    show the partially wrapped filter rod  1  with a plurality of portions of tipping paper  3  wrapped around the filter rod  2  in a spaced arrangement. The tipping paper portions  3  may also have different widths. The configuration of the position, size and quantity of the tipping paper portions  3  depends on the requirements of the smoking article and the manufacturing process and therefore may vary. In this example, the rod has seven portions of tipping paper, one located at each end  4 , 5  of the filter rod  2 , creating six gaps  6  between the tipping paper portions  3 . Two of the wrap portions  7  are double the width of the others and at a later stage in the smoking article production process the wrapped filter rod  1  is cut into several smaller filter portions along the middle of these wider wrap portions  7 . The wrapped filter rod  1  shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    may be cut into three equal size parts to create filters for smoking articles. 
     It will be appreciated that the size and arrangement of the filter rod  2  and the paper wrapped portions  3  shown is only an example and different configurations can be produced for different applications. The apparatus and method described hereinafter is for production of the particular example of the wrapped filter rod  1  shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   . However, it will be appreciated that the invention as defined in the claims is capable of processing a moving web of material in different configurations by simple modification of the processes described herein. 
     A typical rod wrapping process may include a rotating drum that carries filter rods onto which patches of paper are applied. As the drum rotates, the rod is also caused to rotate about its own axis on the surface of the rotating drum, causing the paper patches to wrap around the filter rods. This type of wrapping process can be used to create the partially wrapped filter rod described with reference to  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b    if the tipping paper is fed into the wrapping process as a series of parallel and axially spaced patches of material. The manufacturing system described hereinafter is suitable for producing these parallel and axially spaced patches from a moving web of material and presenting them to a wrapping apparatus. 
       FIG. 2  shows a schematic diagram of apparatus of a manufacturing system for producing filter units wrapped with spaced tipping paper portions, such as those described with reference to  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   . The apparatus includes a cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  configured to cut a moving web of material  11  into patches, spread those patches into a desired arrangement and present those patches to wrapping apparatus  12  which combines the patches with filters rods  22 . 
     A bobbin  13  supplies material to the process as a continuous web  14  with fixed width which travels through the system on rollers and drums and through an adhesive application assembly  15  to the feed point  16  of the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10 . 
     After leaving the bobbin  13  the web  14  enters an adhesive application means  15  which applies adhesive to the moving web  14 . The adhesive is for securing the material patches in the wrapped position around the filter rod later on in the process. 
     After receiving adhesive in selected regions on one side  17 , the web  11  travels over a control roller  18 , the position of which is moveable or adjustable to control the tension in the web  11  and/or the quantity of adhesive being applied and/or the position and orientation of the web  11  relative to the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10 . The control roller  18  may act against a spring mechanism, or the position may be controlled by a pneumatic or electric actuator, and/or it may manually moveable, for example during machine set-up. 
     The web  11  with adhesive applied to one side is then fed onto the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  which is configured to process the web  11  to produce a plurality of parallel spaced patches and present them to the wrapping apparatus  12  for forming filters with spaced tipping paper portions, such as those shown in  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   . The web  11  is fed onto the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  with the side  17  to which adhesive has been applied facing outwards, away from the drum assembly  10 , with the non-adhered side of the web  11  contacting the outer face  19  of the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10 . 
     Adjacent to the cutting and spreading drum are a lateral cutter  20  and a longitudinal cutter  21  that cut the moving web  11  as it is carried on the outer face of the drum assembly  10 . The drum assembly is configured to support the web  11  as it is cut and then to spread the cut web patches into the desired arrangement. 
     The drums, rollers and any drive points, such as nip drives (not shown) of the system that pull the web of material  11 ,  14  through the different processes are actuated by a drive system which may comprise one or more electric motors, such as servo or stepper motors, individually driving each component with a central control system configured to control the speed and sequential alignment of each drum. Alternatively, a central drive motor may be used and toothed belts and/or gears and/or chain drives can be used to drive each drum from the central drive system, thereby maintaining sequential rotational alignment. It will be appreciated that not all components need to be driven. Some components may have idle rollers that turn freely as the web moves over them, or be provided with smooth surfaces that the web moves over without rotation. 
     It will be appreciated that  FIG. 2  only shows the basic components of the system and other components may be included, such as nip drive rollers to grip and drive the moving web through the system, tension control systems, buffers and/or a splice system to change (manually or automatically) to a second bobbin of material when the first bobbin is depleted. 
     A schematic operational diagram of the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  and cutters  20 ,  21  is shown in  FIG. 3 , the processes being arranged sequentially moving downwards, with arrow  23  representing the sequence as the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  rotates from the point  16  (see  FIG. 2 ) where the web  11  is received on the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  to the point where the processed and arranged patches  24  are presented or transferred to the subsequent wrapping apparatus  12  (see  FIG. 2 ). 
     Arrow  25  shows the direction that will be referred to as the axial or longitudinal Direction—along the web of material  11  in the lengthwise direction. Arrow  26  shows the transverse or lateral direction—across the web of material  11 . 
       FIG. 3  firstly shows the continuous web of moving material  11  which is fed onto the drum assembly  10 . The web  11  is then laterally cut  27 , in a transverse direction  26  across the web  11 , such that the web  11  is cut into a series of transverse portions  28  which are spaced from each other to create an axial spacing  32 . The transverse web portions  28  are then cut or slit  29  in the longitudinal direction  25  such that each transverse portion  28  is cut into a plurality of parallel adjacent patches  24  of the desired size and order for wrapping around the filter and forming the wrapped filter rod described with reference to  FIGS. 1 a  and 1 b   . Next, these patches  24  are spread apart  30  to create a spacing  31  between each patch  24  in the transverse direction but maintain the axial spacing  32  and longitudinal spacing such that the patches  24  are arranged in a manner suitable for directly transferring to the wrapping apparatus  12  (see  FIG. 2 ) for wrapping onto a filter rod. 
     During the process schematically depicted in  FIG. 3 , none of the web  11  is removed from the system or wasted. Both of the cutting operations  27 ,  29  separate the material without sacrificing any material—no material is cut away to create the spacing  32 ,  31  between each portion  28  or patch  24  in the transverse or axial direction, as will be explained. 
     It will be appreciated that the sequential order described with reference to  FIG. 3  may be altered, so long as the final patch  24  arrangement remains relevant for the requirements of the product being wrapped in the patches. For example, the web  11  may be longitudinally cut  29  prior to the transverse cutting  27 . Alternatively, the web  11  may be longitudinally cut  29 , then spread  30  into a plurality of spaced ribbons (not shown), then transversely cut  27  to create patches. The wrapping apparatus may itself comprise a transverse cutter that cuts spaced parallel ribbons into the patches during the wrapping process. In this case, the cutting and spreading drum may perform the longitudinal cutting and spreading operations to provide spaced parallel ribbons to the wrapping process. The apparatus described herein is for carrying out the example configuration depicted in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , although it will be appreciated that variations may still fall within the scope of the claims. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 2 , as previously explained, the adhesive application means  15  applies adhesive to one side  17  of the web  14  supplied from the bobbin  13 . Adhesive is applied to the web  14  in selected areas that correspond to the relevant areas for securing the subsequently cut patches  24  on the filter rod during the wrapping process. Adhesive is not applied to the web  11  in the regions where the web will be cut, to prevent accumulation of adhesive on the cutters. In the example shown schematically in  FIG. 2 , the adhesive application means  15  comprises an adhesive bath  33 , an adhesive pick-up roller  34 , an application roller  35  and a pressure roller  36 . The pick-up roller  34  brings adhesive from the bath  33  which is transferred to the application roller  35  which in turn applies the adhesive to the web  14 . The application roller  35  may comprise raised lands and recesses such that adhesive is applied to selected areas of the web  14  and leaves other areas free of adhesive. The pressure roller  36  provides a force that holds the web  14  against the application roller  35  to ensure adhesive is adequately transferred. 
     A possible example of the application roller  35  is shown in  FIG. 4 , with recessed grooves  37  and raised lands  38  to selectively apply adhesive to different regions of the web  14 . In this example, adhesive is applied in continuous strips along the web  14 , separated by the lines, created by the recesses  37 , where no adhesive is applied to the web  14 . Adhesive application systems such as this are known in the art and further explanation of the workings of this assembly is omitted. 
     The adhesive application means  15  may instead comprise an injection head or spray gun with multiple application points to apply a plurality of adhesive ribbons to the web  14 . An example of this is shown in  FIG. 5  with an adhesive dispensing unit  39  with multiple adhesive dispensing heads  40  applying adhesive to the web  14  travelling underneath. The application heads  40  may contact the web  14  or be spaced from the web to provide adhesive from a distance. These systems are also known in the art and further explanation is omitted. 
     The apparatus of the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  for carrying out the processes as described with reference to  FIG. 3  will now be described. 
     The cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  is shown in  FIG. 6  and comprises a rotating outer drum  41  which is supported on bearings  42   a  located at both ends  44  of the drum assembly  10 . The outer drum  41  is rotatably driven by the drive system (not shown). The outer rotating drum  41  also comprises a plurality of moveable support members  42  which form the outer surface on which the web  11  is received. Essentially, the outer circumferential face of the outer drum  41  has a plurality of moveable support members  42  with arcuate outer support faces  43  to contact and receive the web  11 . These moveable support members  42  provide positional support to the web  11  as it is cut and spread and also act as a counter-knife, or anvil, for the cutting processes, as will become apparent. 
     The moveable support members  42  are constrained to move in a transverse direction  26 , towards the ends  44  of the drum assembly  10 , as the outer drum  41  rotates; the moveable support members  42  are in a closed arrangement at the point  16  (see  FIG. 2 ) at which the web  11  is fed onto the drum assembly  10 , with each of the members  42  contacting the next leaving no, or very little, space therebetween. The moveable support members  42  are circumferentially spaced around the outer face of the rotating drum assembly  10  and this spacing defines the axial spacing  32  (see  FIG. 3 ) created by the lateral cutting process ( 27 ). 
     The rotating outer drum  41  has a vacuum system that provides a vacuum holding force on the web  11  via apertures  45  in the outer support surfaces  43  of the moveable support members  42 . The vacuum force holds the web  11  against the moveable support members  42  to carry the web  11  and patches around the drum assembly  10  as the outer drum  41  rotates. The first cutting process (in this example, lateral cutting  27  (see  FIG. 3 )) occurs as the web  11  is fed on to the outer rotating drum  41  with the vacuum force acting to hold the web  11  against the moveable support members  42 . 
       FIG. 7  shows the lateral cutting drum  20  positioned adjacent to the outer rotating drum  41 . The lateral cutting drum  20  comprises a plurality of cutting blades  46  extending radially from the cutting drum  20  that sequentially contact the outer rotating drum  41  as the two drums  20 ,  41  rotate in opposite directions. The lateral cutting drum  20  is driven by the gear set  47  acting between the two drums  20 ,  41 , such that the outer rotating drum  41  drives the lateral cutting drum  20  in the opposite direction. This ensures that the speed and timing between the two drums is controlled and maintained. As the two drums rotate, each blade  46  comes into contact with the outer rotating drum  41  and cooperates with a transverse face or edge  48  of a moveable support member  42 , which acts as a counter-knife, to shear cut the web  11  into a series of transverse web portions  28 , as described with reference to  FIG. 3 . 
     To create the axial spacing  32  between the transverse web portions  28  (see  FIG. 3 ) the rotational speed of the outer rotating drum  41  is set such that the linear speed of the outer surface  43  of the support members  42  is greater than the linear speed of the web  11 . Therefore, as the web  11  is cut into transverse portions, each newly cut portion is held on the outer drum  41  by the vacuum force from the apertures  45  and moves away from the uncut web  11 , creating the axial spacing. In the time between each cut, the speed difference between the web  11  and the outer drum  41  means that the web  11  is moving at a slower speed than the outer surface of the drum  41 , creating some relative movement; the support members  42  will move underneath the uncut web  11  until the leading edge  49  of the next support member  42  is aligned with the cut edge of the web  11 , at which point in the sequence another cut occurs to create a transverse portion which is retained on the support members and carried away from the web  11 . The circumferential spacing between each of the support members  42  determines the axial spacing  32  as well as the required rotational speed of the later cutting drum  20 . The lateral cutter  20  separates each transverse web portion when it is aligned with the edges  48 ,  49  of the support members  42 . The leading edge of a transverse web portion  28  (see  FIG. 3 ) is cut against the trailing transverse edge  48  of the support member which is ahead of the support member that will carry that web portion. The trailing edge of each transverse portion is cut against the trailing transverse edge  49  of the support member  42  that will carry that web portion. The radially extending knives  46  of the lateral cutter  20  are circumferentially arranged around the lateral cutter  20  according to the cutting sequence described above. 
     The lateral cutting drum  20  shown in  FIG. 7  comprises a central shaft  50  which provides support for the plurality of radially extending blades  46  that protrude from the shaft  50  and contact the outer rotating drum  41  to cut the web  11 . The blades  46  may cut the web  11  by shear action, with each cutting blade  46  overlapping against an edge of the counter-knife edges  48  of the moveable support members  42  as the drums rotate. Alternatively, the blades  46  and moveable support members  42  may be configured to cut the web  11  by means of crush cutting; the blade  46  crushing the web  11  against a flat hard surface, such as the outer circumferential face  43  of the moveable support members  42 . It will be appreciated that the cutting blades  46  and counter-knife edges  48  may be arranged to perform other cutting actions. 
     The length of the transverse web portions  28  (see  FIG. 3 ) created by the transverse cutting process is selected to match the circumference of the filter around which the patches  24  will be wrapped. The length of these portions will be wrapped circumferentially around the filters in a subsequent operation so the length of the lateral cuts will be selected for a single wrap (once around the filter), double wrap (twice around the filter) or any other configuration that is desired for the filter. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 3 , following the lateral cutting operation  27 , the transverse web portions  28  are cut into patches  24 . A longitudinal cutting or slitting operation  29  cuts the transverse portions  28  into the desired number of patches  24  and the moveable support members  42  of the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  again support the patches and act as a counter-knife to cutting blades, as shown in  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 8  shows the longitudinal cutter  21  (see  FIG. 2 ) with a plurality of longitudinal cutting blades  51  positioned adjacent to the outer rotating drum  41  such that each cutting blade  51  cuts the transverse web portions into patches. Each longitudinal cutting blade acts against or with a longitudinal edge  52 , or the outer face  43  of a moveable support member  42 , to shear slit or crush cut the transverse web portions longitudinally into parallel adjacent patches, as was described with reference to  FIG. 3 . The blades  51  are mounted on a rotating shaft  53  and the separation between the longitudinal cutting blades  51  defines the cut width of the patches and should be set according to the product being made. Also shown in  FIG. 8  is an arrangement of sharpening blades  54 , positioned adjacent to the longitudinal cutting blades  51  to sharpen them as the machine operates, maintaining the cutting effectiveness of the blades  51 . 
     The shaft  53  on which the longitudinal cutting blades  51  are mounted is free to rotate on bearings and is not driven. The shaft  53  and the blades  51  can rotate freely and turn due to the reaction forces from the cutting interaction with the outer rotating drum  41 , which is driven, and the web  11 . 
     Alternatively, the longitudinal cutting operation may be carried out by a plurality of separate slitting knives  54 , such as those shown in  FIG. 9 . Several of these knives  54  can be arranged adjacent to each other and each knife  54  is operable under pneumatic pressure to push the freely rotating disk blade  55  against the edge  52  or face  43  of the moveable support member  42  to create a shear or crush cutting action that cuts the transverse web portions into patches. 
     As explained previously, adhesive is applied prior to the cutting and spreading operations and is applied to the side  17  of the web  11  facing outwards during the cutting and spreading operations. Selected areas of the web  11  remain adhesive free and these areas are configured to align with the cutting blades so that the blades cut through the web in regions with no adhesive. This prevents adhesive accumulating on the blades and maintains the cutting effectiveness. This selective adhesive application can be defined by the lands  38  and recesses  37  on the gluing roller  35  (see  FIG. 4 , as shown in  FIG. 4 , or the electronic control and positioning of the adhesive applicator heads of  FIG. 5 . 
     Once the patches have been laterally and longitudinally cut and are held against the outer faces  43  (see  FIG. 6 ) of the support members  42  by the vacuum force, the spreading mechanism begins to move the support elements  42  apart, towards the ends  44  of the drum  41 , to create the transverse spacing between the patches. 
       FIG. 10  shows a detailed cross-section of the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  with the outer rotating drum  41  and a fixed stationary cam  56  located within the rotating outer drum  41 . The moveable support members  42  each comprise an arcuate outer support surface  43  that supports the moving web, transverse patches and cut patches during the cutting and spreading processes. Each moveable support member  42  also comprises a body  57 , each with two bores  58  for receiving linear slide rods  59 . Linear slide bearings  60  may be mounted in the bores  58  in the moveable support members  42  to slide along the linear slide rods  59  that extend transversely across the outer rotating drum  41 . The linear slide rods  59  and linear slide bearings  60  may alternatively be substituted with any type of linear-motion bearing, such as a rail and slider or ball bearing arrangement. Extending radially inwards from each body  57  is a cam follower  67 , such as a rotating element on an arm, that interacts with the stationary cam  56  positioned within the outer rotating drum  41 . The transverse position of each of the moveable support members  42 , along the linear slide rods  59 , is defined by cam tracks in the outer surface of the cam  56 . 
     This arrangement constrains movement of the support members  42  to a transverse direction, towards the ends  44  of the drum (see  FIG. 6 ) along the linear slide rods  59 , so that the interaction between the cam followers  67  and cam tracks  61  in the stationary cam  56  defines the transverse position of each moveable support member  42  during rotation of the outer drum  41  about the cam  56 . 
     The stationary cam  56  is shown in  FIG. 11  and has a central bore  62  for mounting on a fixed spigot (not shown) so that the outer rotating drum  41  rotates around the outside of the cam  56 . The outer circumferential face  63  of the cam  56  has a series of cam tracks  61  cut into the surface and the profile created by these cam tracks  61  is shown in  FIG. 12 , which is described in more detail later. The cam tracks  61  themselves should be compatible with the cam followers  67 ; the width of each cam track  61  may be selected within a tolerance of the size of the cam followers  67  and the cam track  61  may be hardened. The radius of each curve of the cam tracks  61  may also be selected within a tolerance defined by the width of the cam track  61  and size of the cam follower  67 . 
     The profile of the cam tracks  61 , which define the positions and separation of the moveable support members  42  during rotation of the outer drum  41 , is shown in  FIG. 12 . As can be seen, the cam profile has two positions and as the drum  41  rotates the support members  42  change between these positions and back again. The first position  64  is a ‘closed’ arrangement, with the cam tracks  61  arranged such that the support members  42  are immediately adjacent to each other. This position is also shown in  FIG. 14 a    which shows each of the moveable support members  42  contacting each other. The support members  42  are in this first, closed position when the web  11  is first received on the drum assembly  10  (see  FIG. 3 ) and, in the example described above, through the transverse and longitudinal cutting processes  27 ,  29 . The overall width of the support members  42  in the closed position  64  matches the width of the web  11 . The second position  65  is an open, spaced out arrangement which defines the spacing between the patches for wrapping onto the filter rod. The second position  65  is also shown in  FIG. 14 b    which shows the spacing between each of the support members  42 . As can be seen, in this example, there are an odd number of support members  42  and so the central support member  66  does not move, which will result in a patch being wrapped around the centre of the filter rod, as shown in  FIGS. 1 a    and  1   b.    
     In this example, each of the patches has the same spacing so the profile of the cam tracks  61  is designed to achieve this. However, it will be appreciated that the cam track profile would be defined by the desired spacing of the patches on the filter rod being produced, which may include uneven spacing. In the example cam track profile shown, the start points for movement from the first position  64  to the second position  65  of each cam track  61  are staggered, with the end points occurring simultaneously. Therefore, as the outer drum  41  rotates and the spreading motion begins, the outermost support members begin to move first, with the innermost support members beginning to move lastly. However, as the outermost support members have to move a greater distance, each of the support members reaches the second position  65  simultaneously. 
     The orientation of the support members  42  remains the same as the cam tracks  61  and cam followers  67  push the support members  42  outwards along the linear slide rods  59 ; only sideways movement along the linear rods  59  occurs. Therefore, the arrangement of the patches of web material being held on the support members  42  is maintained, except that the patches are moved apart from each other to create the spacing in between them. 
     The patches have been cut along and against the edges of the support members  42  and therefore the cut patches will be same size as the outer surfaces  43  of the support members  42 . If a single wrap patch is desired (once around the filter rod) then the arcuate outer surfaces  43  of the support members  42  and the cutting operations may be configured to cut patch with the appropriate length, for example 27 mm. Further, if a double wrap is desired then the support members  42  and cutting operations may cut a double length patch, for example 54 mm long. The same logic applies if other patch lengths are required. 
     Examples of different support members  42  are shown in  FIGS. 13 a  and 13 b   .  FIG. 13 a    shows a short length support member  42  for a single wrap patch and  FIG. 13 b    shows a longer support member  42  for a double wrap patch. The radial separation of the lateral cutting blades  46  and/or rotational speed of the lateral cutter  20  may also be changed depending on the desired patch length. 
       FIGS. 13 a  and 13 b    also show an enlarged view of the moveable support members  42 , with the body  57  being slideably mounted on the linear slide rods  59  which extend transversely within the rotating outer drum  41 . The cam followers  67  are mounted to the body  57  and extend radially inwards towards the stationary cam  56 . The outer support faces  43  are provided with a vacuum along the fluid paths  68 ,  69  which extend transversely through each moveable support member  42  and then up to the apertures  45  on the support surfaces  43  where the web is received. As shown in  FIGS. 13 a  and 13 b   , the support surfaces  43  themselves may be detachable from the body  57  of the support members  42  so that the configuration of the support surface can be changed without having to disassemble the rotating drum  41 . For example, a single length support surface may be replaced by a double length support surface to change the filter rod configuration being produced in the wrapping apparatus. 
     Whether the rotating outer drum  41  and support members  42  are arranged for double or single length patches, the number of support members  42  per drum should be sufficient for carrying out each of the cutting operations and the spreading and provide sufficient circumferential space for feeding the web into the drum assembly  10  and transferring the cut patches to the wrapping apparatus. For example, the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  may be provided with twelve support members  24 , as shown in  FIG. 10 . Alternatively, the cutting and spreading drum assembly  10  may be provided with any number of support members  42 , each additional support member increasing the diameter of the drum and/or changing the axial spacing  32  between the patches. Also, the circumferential spacing between the support members  42 , which also affects the rotational speed of the other components of the system, can be changed to alter the size and configuration of the rotating drum assembly  10 . 
     The vacuum holding force that holds the web and patches on the support members  42  relies on a constant negative pressure being provided to the apertures  45  on the support faces  43  of the support members  42  throughout the web in-feed, cutting and spreading operations. The vacuum force releases the patches during the transfer to the wrapping apparatus. The cross-section of the outer rotating drum  41  shown in  FIG. 14 c    shows the vacuum input pipe connections  70  that connect to a negative pressure pipe of a vacuum pump via a rotating manifold, slip-ring or similar connector (not shown) that allows the vacuum to function during rotation of the outer drum  41 . As represented by the shaded area in  FIG. 14 c   , these connections are in fluid communication with the apertures  45  in the support members  42  through transverse channels  68  and radial channels  69  in the support members  42  and drum  41 . Telescopic pipes  71  connect the support members to the manifold in the rotating part of the drum. The telescopic pipes maintain fluid communication between the vacuum input pipe connections and the apertures on the support surfaces during the transverse movement of the support members. As the support members move together and apart from each other the telescopic pipes  71  slide into and out of the transverse channels  68  in the support members  42  to maintain the fluid connection. Ring seals, o-rings or linear slide seals may be used to seal the vacuum fluid path. 
     It will be appreciated that the apparatus and method described may be modified in various ways and still fall within the scope of the invention defined in the claims. For example, the system may be modified to produce parallel ribbons of web material or the order of the operations described in the description of  FIG. 3  may be altered. Furthermore, the adhesive application stage may occur after or during the cutting and spreading process or may not be required at all if the final wrapped filter rod does not rely on adhesive. 
     Moreover, the apparatus described may be used for purposes other than that described herein and still fall within the scope of the claims. For example, the moving web processes described may be applied to packaging of different items such as food products or others. The apparatus described herein may be applied to any processing of a moving web of material that requires transverse cutting and/or longitudinal cutting and/or spreading of ribbons or patches of material. 
     In order to address various issues and advance the art, the entirety of this disclosure shows by way of illustration various embodiments in which the claimed invention(s) may be practiced and provide for superior apparatus and method for processing a moving web of material. The advantages and features of the disclosure are of a representative sample of embodiments only, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. They are presented only to assist in understanding and teach the claimed features. It is to be understood that advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures, and/or other aspects of the disclosure are not to be considered limitations on the disclosure as defined by the claims or limitations on equivalents to the claims, and that other embodiments may be utilised and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the disclosure. Various embodiments may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, various combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc. In addition, the disclosure includes other inventions not presently claimed, but which may be claimed in future.