A machine for converting sheet stock material into void fill material comprises an improved, angled inlet chute, an outlet chute, and an internal drive assembly comprising a motor and power transmission system for rotating a plurality of opposed crush wheels that pull the sheet stock from the inlet chute and push the void fill material to the outlet chute in a downstream direction. The internal drive assembly comprises a frame securing a motor and a first power transmission set to rotate a drive axle and a first set of crush wheels. The assembly comprises a subframe securing a driven axle and a second set of crush wheels that are rotated by a second power transmission set. The subframe is pivotably attached to the frame at a pivot point that allows the driven axle to pivot away from the drive axle at least partly in upstream and downstream directions.

A packaging material includes a web of pouches and an outer skin. One panel of the web has an inflation pattern that is not inflated. The web has a continuous inflation channel that is in fluid communication with the inflation pattern. Each of the pouches of the web can be inflated by inflating the inflation pattern while the outer skin already attached to the outside of the web. The outer skin is attached to the web only along edge lines of the pouches. The outer skin is detached from the web between the edge lines of the pouches. The outer skin is attached to the outside of the web such that the continuous inflation pattern extends above the outer skin.

Stock material units that may be used in a dunnage conversion machine. For example, stock material units include sheet material that may be fed into the dunnage conversion machine and may be converted thereby into dunnage.

A dunnage conversion machine includes (i) a pair of gripping rollers configured to rotate at a first rotational speed to advance a slit-sheet material in a downstream direction; (ii) a pair of expansion rollers configured to rotate at a second rotational speed, faster than the first rotational speed, creating a stretching force on the slit-sheet material and further advancing the slit-sheet material, causing expansion of the slit-sheet material to a fully expanded state; and (iii) a pair of relaxation rollers configured to rotate at a third rotational speed, slower than the second rotational speed, reducing the stretching force and further advancing the slit-sheet material, allowing the slit-sheet material to relax to a partially expanded state. The pair of relaxation rollers (iii) also are configured to capture the slit-sheet material in the partially expanded state between a top cover sheet and a bottom cover sheet to form a dunnage pad.

A thermal insulation article includes a thermally insulating pad shaped to be positioned in a cavity of a rectangular prism shipping container. The pad includes a solid compostable panel formed primarily of starch and/or plant fiber pulp that holds together as a single unit, and a water-proof or water-resistant film forming a pocket enclosing the panel. The panel includes a first section, a second section, and a third section connecting the first section to the second section, the first and second section each having a central portion and two flaps that extend from the central portion beyond the third section, and wherein the panel is foldable into an open box.

An inflatable web is disclosed. The web includes first and second film plies sealed together via a plurality of generally transverse seals to define a first and second inflatable chambers and an inflation region. The chambers are inflatable with a fluid and operable to contain the fluid. The sealed plies have a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge. The web defines a separation region extending at least partially transversely across the web between the first and second inflatable chambers and is configured to facilitate separation thereof. The separation region includes a tear propagation line extending transversely across at least a portion of the web with an end of the tear propagation line terminating proximal to the first longitudinal edge of the web. The separation region includes a tear initiation feature including edges spaced apart from one another longitudinally to form a permanent opening in the web.

A device for the production of padding products has a product guide, a product drive along a drive axis (Y), and a product crumpling device. The guide is attached to a part of the device mechanically at at least a part of its section and is held on another part of the device by magnetic repulsion forces.

An apparatus for the provision of packaging material includes a forming unit for producing a cushion or tubular-like packaging material from a paper strip and for ejecting the packaging material. A feeding unit draws in the paper strip from a Leporello stack-shaped paper strip supply having two feed rollers opposing each other for driving the paper strip and a motor for operating the feed rollers. A preforming station is positioned upstream the feed unit in paper feed direction for transverse compression of the paper strip. A guiding unit is positioned upstream the preforming station in paper feed direction for aligning the paper strip for the preforming station and a frame, on which the preforming station is pivotably supported between a working position and a loading position.

The application relates to a method for zigzag folding a material web, the method having the following steps: continuously feeding a material web to be folded into a folding apparatus along a feed direction, alternately gripping the material web in a proximal region of the folding apparatus by means of gripping devices, holding and conveying the material web by means of the gripping devices into a distal region of the folding apparatus, the material web being zigzag folded thereby, and releasing the material web from the gripping devices and depositing the material web in a stack (9) with folds in the distal region, a distance between adjacent gripping devices (4, 5) being equal to a fold length. Furthermore, the application also relates to an apparatus for zigzag folding a material web.

There is disclosed a method of making a filter element or mouthpiece (300) comprising the steps of: advancing filtering material in the longitudinal direction; drawing the advancing filtering material into a shaping element (110), to thereby form a longitudinally extending rod of filtering material comprising a channel extending longitudinally through the rod of filtering material; wherein the shaping element (110) comprises a chamber and a shaping rod (200) which extends longitudinally within the chamber, the inner surface of the chamber shaping the advancing filtering material to form the longitudinally extending rod of filtering material, and the shaping rod (200) shaping the advancing filtering material to form the channel extending longitudinally through the rod of filtering material; and wherein the shaping element (110) applies an additive to the filtering material.