A system includes a source of sheet material and a conversion machine. The conversion machine is configured to receive the sheet material and to form the sheet material into a fill material. The conversion machine further includes a cutting mechanism configured to cut the fill material. The cutting mechanism is configured such that, when cutting the fill material to form two pieces of fill material, uncut portions of the fill material remain between the two pieces of fill material.

A supply of single-ply, fan-folded sheet stock material includes a holder that facilitates simultaneously loading multiple plies of sheet stock material into a dunnage conversion machine for conversion into a dunnage product. The holder has inclined support surfaces and intersecting support walls that support the support surfaces in their inclined orientations. The holder has a W-shape cross-section, with inclined outer support surfaces and inclined inner support surfaces that may meet in the middle. The inner support surfaces generally are perpendicular to adjacent outer support surfaces to support a generally rectangular stack and sub-stacks of single-ply, fan-folded sheet stock material. The inclined support surfaces of the holder facilitate splitting the stack in half and supporting the two sub-stacks so that pages on top of the two stacks, connected by a center fold line, can be drawn into the conversion machine simultaneously.

A conversion apparatus is provided herein. The conversion apparatus includes a cutting member having an edge configured for cutting the dunnage material. The conversion apparatus also includes a biasing member that is located adjacent to the cutting member such that the dunnage material passes between the biasing member and the cutting member. The biasing member operably contacts the dunnage material thereby biasing the dunnage material against the cutting member. The position of the biasing member relative to the cutting member is such that in response to the dunnage material being retracted back into the conversion apparatus the cutting member begins to sever the dunnage material, but in response to the dunnage material traveling in the dispensing direction the cutting member does not begin to sever the dunnage material due to the relative position.

A drive mechanism for a packaging material web coiler for forming a wound-up packaging material cushion may include a coiler core and a rotatable gyrating mass coupled to the coiler core. The coiled packaging material web is coilable around the coiler core such that the coiled packaging material cushion is detachable from the coiler core. With the rotatable gyrating mass, the coiler core performs at least one complete winding of the packaging material web around the coiler core in response to a manual swing-actuation.

A conversion apparatus is provided herein. The conversion apparatus includes a cutting member having an edge configured for cutting the dunnage material. The conversion apparatus also includes a biasing member that is located adjacent to the cutting member such that the dunnage material passes between the biasing member and the cutting member. The biasing member operably contacts the dunnage material thereby biasing the dunnage material against the cutting member. The position of the biasing member relative to the cutting member is such that in response to the dunnage material being retracted back into the conversion apparatus the cutting member begins to sever the dunnage material, but in response to the dunnage material traveling in the dispensing direction the cutting member does not begin to sever the dunnage material due to the relative position.

A device for machine-making a dunnage product from a single- or multi-ply continuous paper web may include a delivery conveyor configured to draw the paper web into the device in a conveying direction; a cutter configured to separate the dunnage product from a three-dimensional strand of dunnage material formed from the paper web within the device; and a removal conveyor positioned after the cutter in the conveying direction and configured to remove the separated dunnage product from the cutter.

An insulated shipping container and method of forming and loading an insulated container utilizing sustainable materials including recycled post-industrial, pre-consumer natural fiber, plant-based fiber and synthetic fiber to include recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

A dunnage crumpling apparatus is provided having first and second entry-side crumpling members and first and second exit-side crumpling members. The first and second entry-side crumpling members define an entry therebetween. The first and second exit-side crumpling members define an exit therebetween that is disposed along the longitudinal path downstream of the entry. A crumpling zone being defined between the entry and exit. The first entry-side crumpling member is configured for moving at an first rate and is associated with the second entry-side crumpling member for moving sheet material through the entry in a first direction along a longitudinal path at an entry rate. The first exit-side crumpling member is configured for moving at an second rate and is associated with the second exit-side crumpling member for moving the sheet material through the exit in the first direction along the path at a exit rate that is slower than the entry rate to crumple the sheet material for producing dunnage. The entry and exit-side crumpling members are displaced laterally along the path with respect to each other to cause shearing of the sheet within the crumpling zone.

A supply of single-ply, fan-folded sheet stock material (100) includes a holder that has inclined support surfaces (114, 116, 120, 122) and intersecting support walls (124, 126) that support the support surfaces in their inclined orientations. The holder has a W-shape cross-section, with inclined outer support surfaces (114, 116) and inclined inner support surfaces (120, 122) that may meet in the middle. The inner support surfaces generally are perpendicular to adjacent outer support surfaces to support a generally rectangular stack (102) and sub-stacks (110, 112) of single-ply, fan-folded sheet stock material. A method includes laying open a stack of single-ply fan-folded sheet stock material to form two sub-stacks of sheet stock material and operating a dunnage conversion machine to simultaneously draw sheet stock material from both sub-stacks of sheet stock material, thereby providing a two-ply sheet stock material for conversion into a dunnage product.

A packing material including a plurality of discrete cushioning elements and methods for making the same. The discrete cushioning elements may be cellulosic cushioning elements. A flexible linkage may connect the plurality of discrete cushioning elements in the packing material. The packing material may also include a bottom cellulosic sheet connected to a top cellulosic sheet with the plurality of cellulosic cushioning elements positioned between the top cellulosic sheet and the bottom cellulosic sheet. The packing material may also be a molded packing material that includes bonds comprising adhesive and cellulosic fibers. The adhesive and cellulosic fibers of the bonds may be dispersed between the folds of each of the cellulosic cushioning elements.