Modular THP maker

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important issue in the tobacco industry for both conventional cigarettes and heated tobacco products. One item coming under scrutiny is the filter. Filter development is switching from cellulose acetate, which the EU considers a plastic under its singleuse plastic directive, to biodegradable material. A biodegradable filter disintegrates naturally after a period of time. It is an ambitious task to develop and produce such sustainable products: environmental regulations must be met and consumer tastes must be matched.

Composed of different components and materials, heated tobacco products pose special challenges in this respect. One of these segments is the mouthpiece, which is made of crepe paper instead of acetate in its ecological version, for example. “Cigarette manufacturers are working with different concepts in this respect. However, no matter what biodegradable filter types our customers prefer, our machines are designed to process all products easily and ensure consistently high quality,” states Thorsten Hoffmann, Strategic Product Manager at Körber Technologies. “We also offer suitable solutions for machines that are already in operation at our customers’ sites.” Hoffmann sees Körber Technologies' role as providing flexible, pioneering solution platforms for basic filter production and combining: “To achieve this, we are continuously optimising the existing portfolio together with our customers. In doing so, we always keep close track of the latest market developments and are best placed to remain one step ahead of the times.”

Strength of modularity

The Multi Segment Maker (HAUNI MSM) is the crown jewel in the Körber Technologies portfolio. It not only combines the functions of several machines with one another but also allows complex products to be manufactured. These primarily include heated tobacco products, for which the number and composition of individual segments vary greatly as a general rule. Then there are also the different types of biodegradable filters “No problem for the HAUNI MSM,” explains Hoffmann. “The HAUNI MSM also shows its modular strengths with biofilters.”