摘要: Perforation of tipping paper is critical and in some cases essential for adjusting the ventilation of cigarettes to achieve specific smoke deliveries. Tipping paper perforation can be separated into online-laser perforation directly inside the cigarette machine and offline or pre-perforation performed by tipping paper manufacturers. Until recently, offline perforation could only be carried out mechanically and by means of pulsed laser radiation or electrostatic discharge. In this study, plasma perforation was introduced as an advanced technology to produce pre-perforated tipping paper. Plasma perforation was performed with a so-called low-temperature plasma within an inert gas environment which facilitates the generation of small perforation holes and high hole densities via local material evaporation. The comparison of plasma perforation with conventional perforation methods regarding the stability of the air permeability, filter ventilation and draw resistance was the first step to gain profound knowledge about this latest development. As a second step, smoke analysis was carried out to demonstrate the effect of plasma perforation on the control of the basic smoke yields with the aim to optimize the carbon monoxide (CO)/tar and nicotine/tar ratios. Physical and geometrical parameters of this perforation type served as basis for the third step which was to determine the quasi-diffusion effect accompanying regular filter ventilation processes and reducing the CO yields in mainstream smoke. The findings confirmed that plasma perforation can be used as an alternative way to create natural-like permeabilities with the desirable cigarette product quality.