Smoking substitute system

1 . A heater apparatus for a heat not burn smoking substitute device, the heater apparatus comprising:

a solid blade-type heating element adapted for insertion into a consumable for the heat not burn smoking device, the heating element comprising a longitudinal extension having a direction (L) substantially along a longitudinal axis of the heating element,

wherein the heating element has a multi-sectional cross section comprising at least two heatable sections, each of the heatable sections having a surface normal vector with a direction;

wherein the multi-sectional cross section comprises a curved heatable section which is curved in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal extension (L); and

wherein the directions of the surface normal vectors are non-parallel; and

a power source,

wherein the power source is connectable to at least one of the heatable sections,

wherein when connected to the power source the at least one heatable section is heated;

wherein each heatable section is configured to be exchanged independently from other heatable sections of the heating element.

2 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the surface normal vectors are measured substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and/or the direction of the longitudinal extension of the heating element.

3 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the heating element has a distal end, and

wherein the distal end has a cutting edge for penetration into aerosol-generating material of a consumable.

4 . The heater apparatus according to claim 3 ,

wherein the cutting edge forms at least one plane, and

wherein the plane is at an angle with a plane perpendicular to the direction of a longitudinal extension of the heating element.

5 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating element comprises more than two sections.

6 . The heater apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heating element comprises three sections.

7 . The heater apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heating element comprises four sections.

8 . The heater apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heating element comprises five sections.

9 . The heater apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heating element comprises six sections.

10 . The heater apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heating element comprises seven sections.

11 . The heater apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heating element comprises more than seven sections.

12 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the heatable sections are independently heatable.

13 . The heater apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein all sections are independently heatable.

14 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the power source comprises a positive terminal and a negative terminal;

wherein each heatable section comprises two terminals for connecting to the power source;

wherein one terminal of each heatable section is connected to one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal; and

wherein the other terminal of each heatable section is selectively connectable to the other one of the positive terminal and the negative terminal.

15 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller,

wherein the controller is controlling the connecting of heatable sections to the power source.

16 . The heater apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heater apparatus has a U-shape.

17 . A substitute smoking system comprising:

a heater apparatus according to claim 1 ; and

an aerosol-forming article.

18 . A substitute smoking system according to claim 17 , wherein the aerosol-forming article is a heat-not-burn (HNB) consumable comprising an aerosol-forming substrate, and wherein the heating element is penetrating into the aerosol-forming substrate.

19 . A method of using the substitute smoking system according to claim 17 , the method comprising:

inserting the aerosol-forming article into a smoking substitute device; and

heating the aerosol-forming article using at least one heatable section of the heating element.

20 . A method according to claim 19 , comprising inserting the aerosol-forming article into the smoking substitute device and penetrating the aerosol-forming article with the heating element upon insertion of the aerosol-forming article.