Apparatus and methods for manufacturing cigarettes

A cigarette manufacturing apparatus, comprising:

• a supply of cigarette wrapping paper;
• a supply of tobacco filler;
• a garniture comprising a forming mechanism for forming a cigarette rod having a finite length for making a defined plurality of cigarettes;
• a means for delivering an amount of the tobacco filler from the supply of tobacco filler onto a finite length of the wrapping paper in the garniture, the amount of the tobacco filler sufficient to form the cigarette rod;
• a cutting device for cutting the cigarette rod into the plurality of cigarettes while the cigarette rod is stationary;
• a means for transferring the cigarette rod from the garniture to the cutting device;
• a means for orienting the plurality of cigarettes in the cutting device by turning each of the plurality of cigarettes approximately 90 degrees to place the cigarettes in side-by-side alignment, and comprising a cigarette support member for each cigarette to be cut from the cigarette rod, the cigarette support members interconnected with a pivot arm;
• a means for moving the plurality of cigarettes from the cutting device to a tipping device;
• and
• a cigarette tray having a plurality of parallel surface grooves, the cigarette tray removable from the apparatus and adapted to be placed adjacent the cigarette support members in the cutting device such that each groove is aligned with one of the plurality of cigarettes for receiving that cigarette.