Aerosol-generating article collation forming with increased number of hoppers

A method for forming a collation of rod-shaped aerosol-generating articles, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing multiple pockets and a feeder unit comprising a set of hoppers;
• and
• performing a number of transfer steps to form the collation in a pocket of the multiple pockets,
• wherein each transfer step of the number of transfer steps comprises arranging the pocket next to a hopper of the set of hoppers and transferring at least one rod-shaped aerosol-generating article from the hopper to the pocket,
• wherein a number of hoppers in the set of hoppers is greater than the number of transfer steps, and
• wherein a control system is configured to vertically move the pockets independently of each other relative to the hoppers and/or is configured to move the hoppers independently of each other.

A method for forming a collation of rod-shaped aerosol-generating articles, the method comprising the steps of:

• arranging a first pocket subsequently next to a first set of hoppers;
• transferring at least one rod-shaped aerosol-generating article from each hopper of the first set of hoppers to the first pocket to form a first collation;
• arranging a second pocket subsequently next to a second set of hoppers;
• and
• transferring the at least one rod-shaped aerosol-generating article from said each hopper of the second set of hoppers to the second pocket to form a second collation,
• wherein the second set of hoppers comprises at least one hopper that is not comprised in the first set of hoppers, and
• wherein the first set of hoppers and the second set of hoppers share one, two, or three common hoppers.