An orbital wrapping apparatus generally includes a base frame, a circular ring assembly, a cutting assembly mounted to the base frame and, an air exhaust assembly mounted above. The stretch film dispenser includes a roll of stretch film dispensing the stretch film by rotation of the circular ring assembly, a subframe fixed to the circular ring assembly and the roll of stretch film is mounted on a loading assembly attached to the subframe, and a first feed roller and a second feed roller are mounted to a portion of the subframe that is movable between a first position adjacent to an axis extending through the first and second end caps and a second position spaced further apart from the axis. The cutting assembly is adapted to cut and hold the stretch film while the air exhaust assembly is adapted to release wrapping that could be clinging to the cutting assembly.

The present invention relates to a method for processing a covering roll sheet (20) of a package, wherein the covering roll sheet (20) covers a package body (51) in the manner of a lid, comprising the steps of: drawing the covering roll sheet (20) off an endless roll (22), tensioning the covering roll sheet (20), determining an offset between a first marking on the covering roll sheet (20) and a second marking (34) on the package body (51), and stretching the covering roll sheet (20) in a manner dependent on the determined offset between the first marking (33) and the second marking (34).

Methods and means for evaluating and summarizing physical quality metrics associated with stretch films and other plastics are provided. According to one aspect of the invention, a processor- or computer-enabled business method such as a software program or mobile application capable of calculating and comparing stretch film data and conveying easily understood summaries of film characteristics and cost impacts associated therewith is provided. According to a second aspect, the system and method provides a vast plurality of film performance metrics, costs factor, environmental impacts, and so, calculated and presented in a dashboard-type user interface.

An improved expandable slit-sheet stock material is configured to aid in temporarily restricting opening of a plurality of slits of the slit-sheet stock material, such as during winding of the unexpanded stock material or during expansion of the stock material. Each slit of the plurality of slits includes one or more un-slit reinforcement portions, such as reinforcement ties, extending fully between opposite longitudinal sides of the slit, and disposed between opposed transverse endpoints of the slit. The reinforcement ties minimize or prevent tearing of the stock material during the winding or expansion. A dunnage conversion system for expanding the slit-sheet stock material includes an expander having a pair of opposed rollers. The rollers engage the stock material to effect breaking of the un-slit reinforcement portions and expansion of the slit-sheet stock material.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a stretch-wrapping machine with self-adjusting pinch rollers configured to reorient themselves to compensate for misalignment relative to their respective pre-stretch rollers. This ensures the pinch rollers press the entire width of the film against their respective pre-stretch rollers as the film is drawn through the rollers.

A carriage for a stretch wrap assembly including a base, a top housing, and a pre-stretch assembly. A bottom portion of the film is formed into a roped or creased portion between an area wherein the film leaves a roll of stretch wrap and the pre-stretch assembly.

A method, apparatus and program product implement top layer containment operations to optimize containment of various types of loads such as loads with top/slip sheets, ragged topographies, and/or inboard portions. Bidirectional control of the elevation of a web of packaging material may be performed within one or more revolutions between a load and a packaging material dispenser to selectively engage one or more corners of the load with a web of packaging material while passing the web of packaging material inwardly of one or more other corners of the load.

A method for wrapping a load with a film uses a wrapping machine. The wrapping machine is provided with an unwinding apparatus including pre-stretching rollers, a return roller and a force sensor to measure a wrapping force of the film. The method includes rotating the unwinding apparatus and the load relative to one another with a rotation speed and unwinding the film, measuring an effective wrapping force of the film, filtering the effective wrapping force by a first filter, to obtain a filtered wrapping force, and calculating by a PID control algorithm an instant film length to be supplied per rotation based on the filtered wrapping force. The method also includes filtering the instant film length by a second filter, calculating an instant rotation speed of one pre-stretching roller based on the instant filtered film length and the rotation speed, and rotating the pre-stretching roller with the instant rotation speed.

A method, apparatus and program product perform automatic load profiling to optimize a wrapping operation performed with a stretch wrapping machine. Automatic load profiling may be performed, for example, to determine a density parameter for a load that is indicative of load stability such that one or more control parameters may be configured for a wrapping operation based upon the density parameter. Automatic load profiling may also be performed, for example, to detect a load with a nonstandard top layer, e.g., a load with a top or slip sheet, a load with an easily deformable top layer, a load with a ragged top surface topography and/or a load with an inboard portion, such that a top layer containment operation may be activated during wrapping to optimize containment for the load.

A method for wrapping a load with a film of stretchable plastic material, comprises unwinding a first film of stretchable plastic material from a first reel and at least one second film of stretchable plastic material from a respective second reel; superimposing the at least one second film to the first film so as to form a longitudinal overlapping band of the two films; stretching by a couple of pre-stretching rollers the first film and the at least one second film superimposed along the longitudinal overlapping band with a definite stretching percentage so as to obtain a single composite film formed by the first film and the at least one second film joined and sticking tightly to each other at the overlapping band due to the effect of said stretching; wrapping the load with a plurality of bands of the composite film.