ITBO20060347A1 - CIGARETTE PACKING MACHINE - Google Patents

Abstract

A cigarette packing machine (1), wherein a packing device (2) has at least one conduit (5; 5, 70) extending through a loading station (11; 11, 68) for loading a respective succession of sheets (4; 4, 69) of packing material, and along which groups (3) of cigarettes are fed in steps in a given travelling direction (7) by a push device (12); and wherein the conduit (5; 5, 70) has folding devices (14, 49, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60; 14, 49, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 14', 49', 54', 55') for folding each sheet (4; 4, 69) of packing material about the relative group (3) of cigarettes; and the push device (12) has a number of pushers (31, 32, 36, 37, 38; 31, 32, 36, 37, 38, 32', 36', 37'), each of which is integral with the other pushers, and moves each group (3) of cigarettes forward one respective step in a sequence of steps of each group (3) of cigarettes along the conduit (5; 5, 70).

Description

DESCRIPTION

of the industrial invention entitled:

"Cigarette Packing Machine."

The present invention relates to a cigarette packing machine.

In particular, the present invention relates to a cigarette packing machine of the type comprising a device for wrapping groups of cigarettes by folding, around each group of cigarettes, at least one respective inner sheet of wrapping; and wherein the wrapping device comprises at least a first duct defining a first rectilinear channel adapted to be traversed by a succession of groups of cigarettes advancing in a direction of advance determined along a wrapping path; a conveyor for feeding internal sheets of flat wrapping along a feeding path intersecting the wrapping path and the first duct at a loading station and extending transversely to the direction of advance; folding means arranged along the first duct for folding each inner sheet of wrapping around the relative group of cigarettes for the formation, around each group of cigarettes, of an inner wrapping; and pushing means for advancing the groups of cigarettes along the first channel and through the loading station. The object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette packing machine of the type described above, which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and comprises a relatively small number of components.

According to the present invention, a cigarette packing machine is produced according to what is disclosed in the independent claim below or in any of the claims directly or indirectly dependent on the aforementioned independent claim.

The present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings, which illustrate non-limiting examples of embodiment, in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for clarity, of a first embodiment of the packaging machine according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a detail of Figure 1;

- figures 3 and 4 show the detail of figure 2 in axial section and in respective succession of operative configurations;

- figures 5 and 6 illustrate a folding sequence carried out by the detail of figure 2;

Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for clarity, of a second embodiment of the packaging machine according to the present invention; And

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a detail of Figure 8.

In Figure 1, 1 indicates as a whole a cigarette packing machine comprising a device 2 for wrapping groups 3 of cigarettes by folding, around each group 3 of cigarettes, a respective inner sheet 4 of wrapping normally made of paper metallized.

In the example illustrated, the wrapping device 2 comprises a plurality of overlapping and substantially identical wrapping ducts 5, each of which defines a respective rectilinear folding channel 6 (Figures 3 and 4) suitable for being traversed by a respective succession of groups 3 of advancing cigarettes, in a direction of advance 7 parallel to the axis of the cigarettes, along a respective wrapping path P1.

The wrapping device 2 also comprises a conveyor 8 of groups 3 of cigarettes to an inlet station 9 of the groups 3 of cigarettes themselves inside the respective wrapping ducts 5; a conveyor 10 for feeding internal sheets 4 of flat wrapping along a feeding path P2 intersecting the wrapping paths P1 and the wrapping ducts 5 at respective loading stations 11 and extending transversely to the direction of advance 7; and a thrust device 12, common to all the wrapping ducts 5, for advancing each group 3 of cigarettes along the relative wrapping channel 5 from the relative inlet station 9 to a relative outlet station 13 and through the relative loading station 11.

According to variants not illustrated, the wrapping ducts 5 can be placed side by side instead of superimposed and can be of a different number from that illustrated; at the limit, the wrapping device 2 can comprise a single wrapping duct 5.

Unless otherwise indicated, the following description will refer to a single wrapping duct 5.

With reference, in particular, to Figure 2, the wrapping duct 5 comprises an inlet portion, defined by a tubular mandrel 14, and an outlet portion 15 arranged on opposite bands of the loading station 11 and in succession in the direction of advance. 7 and defining the folding channel 6. The outlet portion 15 is fixed and has a concave inlet end 16 substantially tangent to the feed path P2 and to the loading station 11 and defining an engagement seat for a convex outlet end 17 (Figures 3 and 4) of the tubular mandrel 14, which is movable, of reciprocating motion and in the direction of advancement 7 under the thrust of known actuator means and not illustrated, from and towards a coupling position (Figure 3c) of the output end 17 of the tubular mandrel 14 and of the inlet 16 of the outlet portion 15 to each other. The outlet portion 15 is divided into two fixed portions 18 and 19 and separated from each other by a folding station 20.

According to what is illustrated in Figure 1, the pusher device 12 comprises a frame 21 common to all the wrapping ducts 5 and in turn comprising a bar 22 parallel to the direction of advance 7 and arranged outside the wrapping ducts 5, two arms 23 and 24 extending from respective ends of the bar 22 towards the wrapping ducts 5, and two further bars 25 and 26 integral with the free ends of the arm 23 and, respectively, of the arm 24, perpendicular to the respective arms 23 and 24 and transverse to the direction of advance 7. The thrust device 12 also comprises, for each wrapping duct 5, two rods 27 and 28 parallel to the direction of advance 7 and aligned with each other, and of which the rod 27 is integral with the bar 25 and is arranged in correspondence with the relative tubular mandrel 14, and the rod 28 is integral with the bar 26 and is arranged in correspondence with the relative outlet portion 15.

Two brackets 29 and 30 L-folded towards the respective output station 13 extend towards the relative bending duct 5 and support a thrusting head 31 and, respectively, a thrusting head 32, each of which is defined by a plate integral with the respective bracket 29, 30, arranged transversely to the direction of advancement 7 and of such shape and size as to allow the plate itself to slide inside the bending channel 6.

From the rod 28 extend towards the relative bending duct 5 three brackets 33, 34 and 35 folded in an L shape towards the respective output station 13 and supporting respective thrust heads 36, 37 and 38 equal to the thrust heads 31 and 32.

The frame 21 is movable along an annular path P3 (figure 3a) comprising a first section transversal to the direction of advancement 7 and insertion of part of the thrusting heads 31, 32, 36, 37 and 38 inside the bending channel 6 through respective slots 39 made on the wrapping duct 5 transversely to the direction of advance 7; a transport section for the displacement of the thrusting heads 31, 32, 36, 37 and 38 along and throughout the bending channel 6 in the direction of advancement 7 and for the displacement of the brackets 29, 30, 33, 34 and 35 along a slot 40 formed longitudinally along the wrapping duct 5; a second section transversal to the direction of advancement 7 and extraction of part of the thrust heads 31, 32, 36, 37 and 38 from the bending channel 6 through respective slots 39; and a return section for moving the thrust heads 31, 32, 36, 37 and 38 outside the wrapping duct 5.

The execution, by the frame 21, of a succession of movement cycles along the path P3 brings each group 3 of cigarettes fed to the inlet station 9 of the relative wrapping duct 5 to be engaged in succession by the thrusting heads 31, 32, 36, 37 and 38, each of which imparts to the group 3 of cigarettes itself a respective advancement step of a sequence of advancement steps, all of a length greater than the length of the group 3 of cigarettes itself, at the end of which the group 3 of cigarettes reaches exit station 13.

The operation of the wrapping device 2 will now be described with reference to Figures 3 and 4 taking into consideration a single wrapping duct 5 and a single group 3 of cigarettes, and starting from the instant in which (Figure 3 a) the frame 21 it is arranged on the annular route P3 at the end of the aforementioned return section; and the group 3 of cigarettes, substantially having the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, is arranged in the inlet station 9 in one position (the group 3 of cigarettes arranged in this position is indicated with 3 a) coaxial to the folding channel 6, with their cigarettes parallel to the direction of advance 7, with their larger side surfaces 41 arranged vertically, with their smaller side surfaces 42 arranged horizontally, with their own end surface 43 (tobacco side) arranged anteriorly in the direction of advance 7, and with its own other end surface 44 (filter side) arranged at the rear.

Starting from this instant, the frame 21 performs a first movement cycle along the annular path P3; during this cycle, the frame 21 is moved along the insertion portion of the annular path P3 until the pushing head 3 1 is arranged (figure 3b) upstream of the cigarette group 3a, at a determined distance D (figure 5b) from the group 3a of cigarettes and in a position facing the end surface 44 of the group 3a of cigarettes. The frame 21 is then moved along the transport section of the annular path P3 so as to firstly bring the thrust head 31 into contact (Figure 3c) with the end surface 44, and then to give the group 3 a of cigarettes a first step (figure 4a) of advancing in the direction of advancement 7. The execution of this first step involves the insertion of the group 3a inside the tubular mandrel 14 and its stop in a position (the group 3 of cigarettes arranged in this position is indicated with 3b), in which the group 3b of cigarettes is arranged (Figure 4a) with its end surface 44 in contact with the thrust head 3 1 downstream of, and at a distance D from, a first slot 39 obtained through the tubular mandrel 14, and with its end surface 43 in a position close to the output end 17 of the mandrel 14.

The completion of the first movement cycle along the annular path P3 involves (Figure 4b) a backward movement, of length equal to D, of the frame 21 until the thrust head 31 is brought into alignment with the first slot 39, the extraction (Figure 4c) of the pushing head 31 through the first slot 39 and subsequent alignment (Figure 3 a) of the head 32 with the first slot 39 itself.

During the execution of this first step, the group 3 a of cigarettes undergoes a lateral squeeze, since the portion, indicated with 6a, of the bending channel 6 defined by the mandrel 14 is tapered towards the outlet end 17.

At this point, the frame 21 performs a second movement cycle along the annular path P3; during this cycle, the frame 21 is moved along the insertion portion of the annular path P3 until the thrusting head 32 is inserted through the first slot 39 and the thrusting head 32 itself is arranged (Figure 3b) at the distance D from the end 44 of the cigarette group 3b. During the insertion of the thrust head 32 through the first slot 39, the mandrel 14 is stopped in its rearward position (Figure 3b) so as to define, with the portion 18 of the wrapping duct 5 and in correspondence with the loading station 11, a space, through which an internal wrapping sheet 4 is fed, which is arranged through the wrapping path PI with its longitudinal axis perpendicular to the plane of figure 3. When the frame 21 is then moved along the transport section of the annular path P3 so as to impart to the group 3b of cigarettes a step of advancement in the direction of advancement 7, the mandrel 14 is advanced in the direction of advancement 7 in such a way that, before the pushing head 32 has reached the end 44 of the cigarette group 3b, the outlet end 17 of the tubular mandrel 14 engages (Figure 3c) the inlet end 16 of the portion 18 of the rip wrapping duct 5 U-shaped the inner wrapping sheet 4 so as to define (Figure 5b) a first end wall 45 and two major side walls 46 and 47, opposite each other, of an inner wrapping 48 (Figure 6h). The completion of this step of advance firstly determines the contact of the end surface 43 of the group 3b of cigarettes with the end wall 45; then the insertion (figure 4a) of the group of cigarettes 3b and the relative inner sheet 4 of U-folded wrapping inside the portion 18 of the wrapping duct 5; and finally the arrest of the group 3b of cigarettes (the group 3 of cigarettes arranged in this position is indicated with 3c) inside the portion 18 of the wrapping duct 5.

As illustrated in Figure 5b, the inner wrapping sheet 4 has a width greater than the width of the larger side surfaces 41 of a group 3 of cigarettes, and the larger side walls 46 and 47 have a length that exceeds the length by a distance D of the major lateral surfaces 41 of a group 3 of cigarettes. Since the folding channel 6 has, along the portion 18 of the wrapping duct 5, a section substantially equal to that of a group 3 of cigarettes, Γ insertion of the group 3b of cigarettes inside the portion 18 determines the formation (figure 5c ), by interference with two fixed folders 49 arranged at the inlet end 16 of the portion 18, of a first portion 50, adjacent to the end wall 45, of two smaller side walls 51 (figure 6e), opposite each other, of the the internal casing 48 and, for each first portion 50 of the minor side wall 51, of two lateral fins 52 and 53 longitudinal (Figure 5c), each of which protrudes outwards from the relative first portion 50 of the minor side wall 51, is coplanar to a respective larger side wall 46, 47 and engages a respective helical folder (Figure 2) defined by a respective helical slot 54, 55 formed along the portion 18 of the wrapping duct 5 .

At the end of the advancement step described above, the cigarette group 3c is arranged (Figure 4a) with the rear end of the larger side walls 46 and 47 immediately downstream of a second slot 39 obtained through the portion 18 of the wrapping duct 5 in proximity of the inlet end 16, and with its own end surface 44 in contact with the thrust head 32 and at a distance D downstream of the second slot 39.

The completion of the second movement cycle along the annular path P3 involves a backward movement (figure 4b), of length equal to D, of the frame 21 until the pushing head 32 is brought into alignment with the second slot 39, the extraction (Figure 4c) of the thrusting head 32 through the second slot 39 and subsequent alignment of the thrusting head 33 with the second slot 39.

During a subsequent third movement cycle along the annular path P3, the pushing head 36 penetrates (Figure 3b) inside the bending channel 6 through the second slot 39, it moves along the bending channel 6 in the forward direction 7 until it comes into contact with the end surface 44 of the group 3c of cigarettes, and then the group 3c of cigarettes advances along the helical slits 54 and 55 to square fold the longitudinal side wings 52 and 53 and complete the formation of the smaller side walls 51 so as to define a tubular casing 56 (Figure 6e) containing a relative group of cigarettes, which is indicated with 3d in this position, and closed at one end by the end wall 45 and having, at the opposite end, a tubular appendix 57 protruding beyond the end surface 44 of the 3d group of cigarettes.

The completion of the third movement cycle along the annular path P3 involves a backward movement, of length equal to D, of the frame 21 until the thrusting head 36 is brought into alignment with a third slot 39, the extraction of the thrust 36 through the third slot 39 and the subsequent alignment of the thrust head 37 with the third slot 39.

During a subsequent fourth movement cycle along the annular path P3, the pushing head 37 penetrates inside the bending channel 6 through the third slot 39, it moves along the bending channel 6 in the forward direction 7 until it penetrates the 'inside of the tubular appendage 57 and to come into contact (Figure 3c) with the end surface 44 of the group 3d of cigarettes, and then advance (Figure 4a) the group 3d of cigarettes through the folding station 20 so as to insert the group 3d of cigarettes and the relative tubular casing 56 inside the portion 19 of the wrapping duct 5.

At the end of this advancement step, the group of cigarettes, which in this position is indicated with 3 and, is arranged (Figure 4a) with its end surface 44 coplanar to a folding plane P4, orthogonal to the direction of advance 7 , and along which three folders 58, 59 and 60 act (figure 2), which are provided with reciprocating motion to and from a position of interference with the tubular appendage 57.

The completion of the fourth movement cycle along the annular path P3 involves a backward movement (figure 4b), of length equal to D, of the frame 21, the extraction of the pushing head 37 through the bending station 20, the following alignment of the thrust head 37 with the third slot 39 and the positioning of the thrust head 38 on the folding plane P4. In this regard, it should be noted that the distance existing between the thrust heads 37 and 38 exceeds the distance between any other pair of adjacent thrust heads by an amount equal to D.

During the completion of the fourth displacement cycle, the folders 58, 59 and 60 are operated. In particular, the folders 58 and 59 are arranged opposite each other and are moved towards each other to engage the smaller side walls of the tubular appendage 57 and form two smaller fins 61 and 62 (figure 6f) in contact with the end surface 44 of the group 3 e of cigarettes, while the folder 60 is arranged on the opposite side of the wrapping path P1 with respect to the pusher 12 and is moved towards the device 12 to engage a respective major side wall of the tubular appendage 57 and form (Figure 6g) a respective major fin 63 in contact with the end surface 44 of the group 3 e of cigarettes.

During a subsequent fifth movement cycle along the annular path P3, the pushing head 38 penetrates inside the bending station 20, moving along the bending plane P4 and engages the tubular appendage 57 forming (figure 6h) a further major flap 64, which defines, with the minor fins 61 and 62 and the other major fin 63, an end wall 65 of the internal casing 48, which is thus completed so as to define an internal package 66. The subsequent displacement of the head thrust 38 in the direction of advancement 7 causes the internal packet 66 to come out of the folding duct 5.

Obviously, the pushing heads 31, 32, 36, 37 and 38 carry out the relative advancement steps all at the same time; therefore, at each movement cycle of the frame 21 along the annular path P3, a group 3 a of cigarettes enters the mandrel 14 and an internal packet 66 exits from the portion 19 of the wrapping duct 5.

In the case in which an external casing (not shown) of the rigid type is to be formed around the internal packet 66, the internal packet 66 itself is fed to a wrapping unit (not shown) for rigid packets.

If, on the contrary, an external cup-shaped casing 67 (figure 7) of the soft type is to be formed around the internal package 66, the internal package 66 can be fed, according to the variant of figures 7 and 8, to a further wrapping duct 68 coaxial with the wrapping duct 5, arranged downstream of the wrapping duct 5 itself in the forward direction 7, defining a further folding channel 69 extending through a further loading station 70, similar to the loading station 11 , for outer sheets 71 of wrapping fed to the loading station 70 by a conveyor 71 a similar to the conveyor 8.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the wrapping duct 68 comprises an axially movable tubular mandrel 14 'and substantially identical to the tubular mandrel 14, but not internally tapered, and a fixed portion 18' substantially identical to the portion 18 of the wrapping duct 5 . The tubular mandrel 14 'and the fixed portion 18' are arranged along the wrapping path P1 from opposite bands of the loading station 70. The parts of the wrapping duct 68 are marked with the same reference numbers, but accented, which mark the corresponding parts of the wrapping duct 5.

In the wrapping duct 68, each internal packet 66 is loaded into the relative mandrel 14 'directly from the relative thrust head 38, and is advanced through the loading station 70 and along the fixed portion 18' by means of three further thrust heads 32 ', 36' and 37 'made integral with the bar 22 of the frame 21 of the thrust device 12 by means of a further arm 72, a further bar 73 and a further rod 74.

According to a variant not shown, the portion 19 of the wrapping duct 5 is made axially movable to move axially with reciprocating motion like the tubular mandrel 14, the mandrel 14 'and the thrust head 32' are eliminated, and the loading station 70 is interposed between the portion 19 and the portion 18 'which, in this case, constitutes the entire wrapping duct 68.

Claims (19)

CLAIMS 1) Cigarette packing machine comprising a device (2) for wrapping groups (3) of cigarettes by folding, around each group (3) of cigarettes, of at least one respective inner sheet (4) of wrapping; and in which the wrapping device (2) comprises at least a first duct (5) defining a first rectilinear channel (6) able to be traversed by a succession of groups (3) of cigarettes advancing in a determined direction of advance (7) along a wrapping path (PI); feeding means (10) for internal sheets (4) of flat wrapping along a feeding path (P2) intersecting the wrapping path (PI) and the first duct (5) at a loading station (11) and extending transversely to the direction of advancement (7); folding means (14, 49, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 38) arranged along the first duct (5) to fold each inner sheet (4) of wrapping around the relative group (3) of cigarettes for the formation of a relative internal envelope (48); and pushing means (12) for advancing the groups (3) of cigarettes along the first channel (6) and through the loading station (11); the packing machine (1) being characterized in that the pushing means (12) are step pushing means and comprise a plurality of first pushing heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38) integrally connected to each other; each first thrusting head (31; 32; 36; 37; 38) being adapted to impart to each group (3) of cigarettes a respective step of advancement of a sequence of steps of advancement of each group (3) of cigarettes along the first channel (6). 2) Packaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the first duct (5) comprises a first and a second portion (14, 15) arranged in succession in the direction of advancement (7) and defining the first channel (6), and wherein the second portion (15) is fixed and has a concave inlet end (16), and the first portion (14) has a convex outlet end (17); and wherein the feed path (P2) and the loading station (11; 69) are substantially tangent to the inlet end (16); and the first portion (14) is movable, of reciprocating motion and in the direction of advancement (7), to and from a position of coupling of the output end (17) and of the input end (16) to each other to fold each sheet inside (4) of U-shaped wrapping. 3) Packaging machine according to claim 1 or 2, in which the pushing means (12) comprise a frame (21) supporting all the first pushing heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38) and movable along an annular path ( P3) comprising a first section transversal to the direction of advancement (7) and introduction of the first thrust heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38) inside the first channel (6); a transport section for the displacement of the first thrust heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38) along the, and inside the, first channel (6) in the direction of advancement (7); a second section transversal to the direction of advancement (7) and extraction of the first thrust heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38) from the first channel (6); and a return section for displacement of the first thrust heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38) outside the first duct (5). 4) Packaging machine according to claim 3, in which each first pushing head (31; 32; 36; 37; 38) has a respective bracket (29; 30; 33; 34; 35) arranged transversely to the direction of advancement (7 ) and connecting the first thrust head (31; 32; 36; 37; 38) itself to the frame (21). 5) Packaging machine according to claim 4, in which the first duct (5) has a longitudinal slot (40) for the passage of the brackets (29, 30, 33, 34, 35) and a plurality of transverse slits (39) intersecting the longitudinal slot (40) and inlet-outlet slot of the first thrust heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38). 6) Packing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which each feed step has a length greater than the length of the group (3) of cigarettes. 7) Packaging machine according to any one of claims 2 to 6, in which the sequence of advancement steps comprises a step for inserting the group (3) of cigarettes into the first portion (14) of the first duct (5). 8) Packaging machine according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the sequence of advancement steps comprises a step for transferring the group (3) of cigarettes and the inner sheet (4) of wrapping inside the second portion ( 15) of the first duct (5) with the formation of both a first end wall (45) and two first side walls (46, 47), opposite each other, of the internal casing (48), and of a first portion ( 50), adjacent to the first end wall (45), of two second side walls (51), opposite each other, of the inner casing (48) and, for each first portion (50) of the second side wall (51), of two longitudinal side wings (52, 53), each of which protrudes outwards from the relative first portion (50) of the second side wall (51) and is coplanar to a respective first side wall (46; 47). 9) Packaging machine according to claim 8, in which the folding means (14, 49, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 38) comprise first fixed folders (49) arranged at the inlet end (16) of the second portion (15) of the first duct (5) to form each first portion (50) of the second side wall (51) and each longitudinal side fin (52; 53). 10) Packaging machine according to claim 9, in which the folding means (14, 49, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 38) comprise second fixed folders (54, 55) arranged along the second portion (15) of the first duct (5) to square the longitudinal side flaps (52, 53) against the relative group (3) of cigarettes and complete the formation of the second side walls (51) to define a tubular casing (56) containing the group (3 ) of cigarettes, closed at a first end by the first end wall (45) and having, at a second end opposite the first end, a tubular appendage (57) projecting beyond a relative end of the group (3) of cigarettes; the sequence of advancing steps comprising a step of advancing the group (3) of cigarettes and the inner sheet (4) of wrapping along the second portion (15) of the first duct (5) and in engagement with the second fixed folders (54, 55). 11) Packaging machine according to claim 10, in which the folding means (14, 49, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 38) comprise a plurality of movable folders (58, 59, 60, 38) to carry out the folding of the tubular appendage (57) and forming a second end wall (65) of the inner casing (48); the mobile folders (58, 59, 60, 38) being mounted in a bending station (20) arranged along the second portion (15) of the first duct (5) to move with reciprocating motion through the first channel (6) transversely to the direction of travel (7). 12) Packaging machine according to claim 11, wherein the movable folders (58, 59, 60, 38) comprise one (38) of the pushing heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38). 13) Packaging machine according to any one of claims 2 to 12, wherein the sequence of steps comprises a step for extracting the group (3) of cigarettes and the inner wrapper (48) from the second portion (15) of the first duct ( 5). 14) Packaging machine according to one of claims 2 to 13, in which the first channel (6) has, along the first portion (14) of the first duct (5), a tapered shape towards the second portion (15) to apply a squeeze transversal to the group (3) of cigarettes during the advancement (7) of the group (3) of cigarettes itself through the first portion (14) itself. 15) Packaging machine according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the wrapping device (2) comprises a second conduit (68) defining a second straight channel (69) extending through a further loading station (70) and arranged along the wrapping path (PI) in a position aligned with the first duct (5) and downstream of the first duct (5) itself in the direction of advancement (7); conveying means (7a) for feeding external sheets (71) of flat wrapping to the further loading station (70); further folding means (14 ', 49', 54 ', 55') arranged along the second duct (68) to fold each outer sheet (71) of wrapping around the inner wrapper (48) of the relative group (3) of cigarettes for the formation, around each group (3) of cigarettes, of a cup-shaped outer wrapper (67); and additional pusher means (32 ', 36', 37 ') to advance the groups (3) of cigarettes and their internal wrappers (48) along the second channel (69) and through the additional loading station (70). 16) Packing machine according to claim 15, wherein the further pushing means (32 ', 36', 37 ') are step pushing means (12) and comprise a plurality of second pushing heads (32', 36 ', 37 ') jointly connected to each other; each second thrusting head (32 '; 36'; 37 ') being adapted to impart to each group (3) of cigarettes a respective advancement step of a sequence of advancement steps of each group (3) of cigarettes along the second canal (69). 17) Packaging machine according to claim 3 or 16, in which the second thrust heads (32 ', 36', 37 ') are integral with the first thrust heads (31, 32, 36, 37, 38). 18) Packaging machine according to claim 2 or any of claims 15 to 17, wherein the second conduit (68) comprises a first (14 ') and a second portion (18') arranged in succession in the direction of advance (7 ) and defining the second channel (69); and in which the first and second portions (14 ', 18') of the second duct (68) are arranged on opposite sides of the further loading station (70). 19) Packaging machine according to claim 15, wherein the first and second portion (14 ', 18') of the second duct (68) are substantially identical to the first (14) and, respectively, apart from (18) of the second portion (15) of the first duct (5).