Apparatus for perforating cigarette paper or the like

In a machine which produces and/or processes rod-shaped articles constituting or forming part of smokers' products of the type having at least one tubular envelope constituting a section of a web of flexible wrapping material and surrounding at least one rod-like filler, the combination of means for advancing the wrapping material along a predetermined path;

• a prime mover operative to determine the rate of production and/or processing of rod-shaped articles and arranged to drive said advancing means;
• and an apparatus for making perforations in the wrapping material, said apparatus comprising a source of coherent radiation, energizing means operable to energize said source so that the latter emits a beam of coherent radiation, optical means for focusing said beam upon the wrapping material in said path, mobile beam reflecting means interposed between said source and said optical means, moving means actuatable to move said reflecting means between a plurality of positions in each of which said optical means focuses said beam upon a different portion of the wrapping material in said path, means for operating said energizing means in synchronism with the operation of said prime mover, and means for actuating said moving means in synchronism with the operation of said prime mover.