Conveyor and method of aligning rod-shaped articles

A method for holding rod-shaped articles in a conveyor, comprising the following steps:

• providing a conveyor for aligning rod-shaped articles, each rod-shaped article comprising a plurality of particles or fibers having a given transverse size or a filling material, wherein the conveyor comprises:
• a succession of flutes moved along a feed path and configured to hold respective rod-shaped articles or groups of rod-shaped articles, wherein the flutes are oriented perpendicularly to the feed path, and wherein the conveyor further has,
• at least for each flute, an abutment portion, disposed at a respective end of the flute to define an abutment surface for one end of the rod-shaped article or group of rod-shaped articles housed in the flute, the abutment portion being provided with a suction zone to hold the end of the rod-shaped article or group of rod-shaped articles by suction against the abutment portion;
• wherein the suction zone is defined by a plurality of suction perforations, connected or connectable to a negative pressure source and whose transverse size is smaller than the transverse size of the particles or fibers of the rod-shaped article or of the filling material of the rod-shaped article;
• preparing a succession of the rod-shaped articles, each article comprising a plurality of the particles or fibers having the given transverse size, or the filling material;
• inserting the succession of rod-shaped articles into respective flutes of the conveyor;
• simultaneously with or after the step of inserting, axially moving at least some of the articles along the respective flutes until the front ends of the articles come into abutment against the abutment portion of the respective flute;
• holding the end of the respective rod-shaped article by suction provided through the abutment portion,
• wherein the step of holding by suction is accomplished by a plurality of the suction perforations whose transverse size is smaller than the transverse size of the fibers or particles of the rod-shaped article or of the filling material of the rod-shaped article, so that these fibers or particles are not sucked in through the suction perforations.