An ice vending machine is provided that has a minimal footprint, while still being able to quickly and efficiently fill bags of ice. The machine has a cabinet, a frame within the cabinet, and an ice maker mounted to the cabinet and/or the frame. Once the ice maker has made ice, the ice is deposited into a hopper. The ice vending machine may have multiple hoppers through which the ice is guided to a bagging system. Once the ice has been inserted into a bag by the bagging system, the filled bag is sealed. Once the bag has been sealed, it can be delivered to a customer, otherwise it can be stored in a cooler section. The ice vending machine has a number of high power motors that enable fast movement of the ice to generate the bags of ice in minimal time.

An apparatus for packaging containers of devices for pharmaceutical use includes a robotic arm movable from a gripping position, in which it picks up a container previously sealed by at least one protective sheet, to a release position in which it inserts the container into a bag through a suitable opening provided on a side of the bag; wherein the robotic arm is connected to at least one position control camera configured to read coordinates of a midpoint of the opening with respect to a lying plane on which the bag lies and/or an angle of rotation of the bag with respect to an axis perpendicular to the lying plane, so as to ensure the correct positioning and release of the container inside the bag.

A method and apparatus for forming packages including articles enclosed between first and second continuous paper sheets having their edges joined by a thermally-activated adhesive, wherein the first and second continuous paper sheets are heated while subjected to a longitudinal tension.

Control of a load wrapping apparatus may be based at least in part on packaging material grading and/or factory profiles.

Control of a load wrapping apparatus may be based at least in part on packaging material grading and/or factory profiles.

A method, apparatus and program product may evaluate a packaging material to determine various metrics associated with the packaging material. A test apparatus may be used to evaluate packaging material using a take up drum capable of sensing containment force imparted upon the drum by packaging material applied thereto, and in some instances, simulated flaws may be formed in a web of packaging material to evaluate a packaging materials response to such flaws when under tension.

A method, apparatus and program product may evaluate a packaging material to determine various metrics associated with the packaging material. A test apparatus may be used to evaluate packaging material using a take up drum capable of sensing containment force imparted upon the drum by packaging material applied thereto, and in some instances, simulated flaws may be formed in a web of packaging material to evaluate a packaging materials response to such flaws when under tension.

A system includes a wrapping machine for dispensing film to wrap a load disposed on a pallet, a plurality of sensors configured to detect operation of the machine, and a controller operably and communicatively connected with the sensors. The controller is configured to establish desired values of operating parameters of the machine, the parameters including a wrap pattern, weight of the film, a number of revolutions, a percent of stretch of the film, and a tension of film, during operation of the machine, monitor actual values of the operating parameters using data from the sensors, and in response to a difference between the desired values and the actual values being greater than a threshold, issue a command to adjust operation of the machine such that the difference is less than the threshold.

A system includes a wrapping machine for dispensing film to wrap a load disposed on a pallet, a plurality of sensors configured to detect operation of the machine, and a controller operably and communicatively connected with the sensors. The controller is configured to establish desired values of operating parameters of the machine, the parameters including a wrap pattern, weight of the film, a number of revolutions, a percent of stretch of the film, and a tension of film, during operation of the machine, monitor actual values of the operating parameters using data from the sensors, and in response to a difference between the desired values and the actual values being greater than a threshold, issue a command to adjust operation of the machine such that the difference is less than the threshold.

Control of a wrapping apparatus is facilitated by enabling an operator to input a load containment force requirement and/or a minimum number of layers of packaging material to be applied to a load, with a wrap control system automatically determining wrap force and other parameters required to meet user input requirements and/or parameters to minimize the expertise required of an operator and to provide more consistent and reliable wrapping of loads. In addition, a wrapping apparatus may be controlled to apply at least a minimum number of layers of packaging material to a load throughout a contiguous region thereof.