Package having a flexible inner sheet having a first surface and a second surface. The package has an article reservoir for accepting an article to be shipped. The expansion chambers can be inflated or otherwise expanded to provide structure to the package and to protect the article in the article reservoir. The inner sheet of the package includes a shrinkable material that can be activated to immobilize articles disposed in the article reservoir.

An actuator system for fabricating a cavity within thermoplastic material includes a plurality of actuators arranged in an array. When dimensions of an item are determined, the actuator system may be programmed with data regarding such dimensions to fabricate a cavity for the item. A subset of the actuators, and distances by which each of the actuators is to be extended, may be selected based on dimensions of the item, in order to fabricate a cavity within the thermoplastic material that may accommodate the item therein. Additionally, the actuators and the distances may be selected based on intrinsic or extrinsic data regarding the item, and a cavity fabricated within the thermoplastic material may include one or more buffer zones or protective regions that are specifically formed with respect to aspects of the item.

An actuator system for fabricating a cavity within thermoplastic material includes a plurality of actuators arranged in an array. When dimensions of an item are determined, the actuator system may be programmed with data regarding such dimensions to fabricate a cavity for the item. A subset of the actuators, and distances by which each of the actuators is to be extended, may be selected based on dimensions of the item, in order to fabricate a cavity within the thermoplastic material that may accommodate the item therein. Additionally, the actuators and the distances may be selected based on intrinsic or extrinsic data regarding the item, and a cavity fabricated within the thermoplastic material may include one or more buffer zones or protective regions that are specifically formed with respect to aspects of the item.

A method to produce a stand-up pouch (S) provides to make available at least one pre-shaped pouch (PS) initially having a flat configuration, which is defined by a lateral wall (111), by a bottom wall (112) and is provided with at least one hole (113), the pre-shaped pouch (PS) being accessible in correspondence with an aperture (114) opposite the bottom wall (112), the pre-shaped pouch (PS) being positioned so that the hole (113) is aligned with respect to an axis of insertion (Z). The method then provides to manipulate the pre-shaped pouch (PS) by means of holding and shaping means (15, 16) so as to shape the pre-shaped pouch (PS) so as to make available a containing chamber (V) thereof, and to move an insertion rod (13) along the axis of insertion (Z), through the aperture (114), inside the containing chamber (V) just defined, in order to position, and temporarily hold in position, a delivery mean (117) in correspondence with the hole (113).

This box assembling and packing system is provided: a first jig which is fixed at a predetermined position and against which a side part of a body of a packing box is thrust; a second jig which is fixed at a predetermined position and against which a flap part and a tuck part of the packing box are thrust; and a robot having two articulated arms. A first articulated arm of the two articulated arms holds and moves the packing box in a flatly collapsed form by a packing box holding mechanism, folds and raises the body of the flatly collapsed packing box into a rectangular tubular shape in cooperation with the first jig, and maintains the folded and raised body of the packing box in the rectangular tubular shape by a packing box rectangular tubular shape maintaining mechanism. The second articulated arm moves a folding member into contact with the flap part and the tuck part of the packing box being held by the packing box holding mechanism of the first articulated arm, forms each of a bottom and a lid of the packing box in cooperation with the second jig, and moves an object-to-be-packed being grasped by an object-to-be-packed grasping mechanism and inserts it into the body from an end portion at a timing between forming the bottom and forming the lid.

A part packing system includes a bag holding machine including a part funnel having an opening configured to receive an end of a part and having a bag end manipulator holding first and second bag end gripper mechanisms that receive an end of the bag therebetween to open the end of the bag to form a mouth at the end of the bag. The bag end manipulator moves the first and second bag end gripper mechanisms to position the mouth of the bag immediately downstream of the opening of the part funnel. A part loading machine including a part manipulator holding the part and moving the part to a loading position upstream of the part funnel and moving the part gripper mechanism to load an end of the part through the opening in the part funnel into the mouth of the bag to load the part into the bag.

A carton sizing system that has a frame, a controller, one or more cutters movably mounted to the frame and operatively connected to the controller, one or more markers movably mounted to the frame and operatively connected to the controller. The carton sizing system also has a measuring means that is operatively connected to the controller and configured to determine, in use, the footprint of an open top carton and to determine the height of one or more objects contained within the carton. The controller is configured to position the one or more cutters based on the determined footprint and to cut vertical edges of the carton based on the determined height and also to position the one or more markers based on the determined footprint and height and to score or crease vertical walls of the carton between the vertical edges to at least partially define foldable panels.

A consumer product that includes a detergent product and a container, particularly containers that include corrugated fiberboard, where the container includes a box and a lid, the lid having a top panel and flanks, and the flanks have a first flank corresponding to a first side of the lid from a first flank corner to a second flank corner, the first flank having a first major flap that includes a first flank corrugated fiberboard layer. Methods of making and using such products and containers.

A method includes separating a portion of a flattened tube of stock packing material to a custom length to form a pouch pre-form and closing a first end of the pouch pre-form leaving a second end of the pouch pre-form open. The method can include placing product into the pouch pre-form and closing the one open end of the pouch pre-form to form a closed pouch containing the product.

A consumer product having a detergent product and a container, particularly containers that include corrugated fiberboard, where the container includes a box and a lid having a top panel and flanks, the flanks having at least a first flank that has a first major flap, the first major flap having a first flank corrugated fiberboard layer. Methods of manufacturing and using such products and containers.