System for manufacturing and packaging cigarettes

A system for manufacturing and packaging cigarettes comprising

• (a) at least one cigarette making machine,
• (b) packaging machines associated with said at least one cigarette making machine for packaging the cigarettes in packages, cartons and boxes,
• (c) a conveying system for the transport of pallets with bobbins of raw materials allocated for each single article from a central store to a plurality of supply and removal stations of an intermediate store station which is associated with a production unit comprising said at least one cigarette making machine and the associated packaging machines,
• (d) a portal spanning at least some of the supply and removal stations,
• (e) at least one portal robot for lifting bobbins of raw materials from a selected supply station,
• (f) the at least one portal robot being movable longitudinally and transversely of an elongated crosshead of the portal and taking bobbins of raw materials from the selected supply station,
• (g) transport means for conveying bobbins of raw materials to the at least one cigarette making and the associated packaging machines, and
• (h) an automatic tool changer at the at least one portal robot, comprising:
• (i) a bobbin changer associated with each bobbin supply station,
• (j) the portal spanning both the supply stations and the associated bobbin changers, and
• (k) the at least one portal robot supplying the bobbins from the bobbin supply stations to the bobbin changers.