A tape head assembly—which tapes flaps of boxes on a conveyor—includes power-assist functionality to stretch a first spring used to power a trailing roller to press tape against a trailing case sidewall of a case. A force by the case moving on the conveyor acting upon a leading roller may provide some of the energy to stretch the first spring. However, a roller-assist air cylinder uses compressed air to assist or fully stretch the first spring. A knife assembly may be used to cut the tape applied to a case. A second spring may be stretched by the force of the moving case acting upon a knife arm. The second spring may be used later operate the knife blade. However, a knife-assist air cylinder uses compressed air to assist or fully stretch the second spring. Both assist assemblies may be turned off to operate the tape head in a conventional manner.

A containment force apparatus and method a containment force apparatus for measuring containment force on a load, the apparatus comprising a first element configured to contact the load; a second element configured to engage at least a portion of a packaging material on the load and move between a first position associated with the first element to a second position perpendicular to the first position and spaced from the first element a measured distance; an actuator configured to urge the second element to move between the first position and the second position; and a force sensor configured to measure a force exerted on one of the first element or the second element.

A containment force apparatus and method a containment force apparatus for measuring containment force on a load, the apparatus comprising a first element configured to contact the load; a second element configured to engage at least a portion of a packaging material on the load and move between a first position associated with the first element to a second position perpendicular to the first position and spaced from the first element a measured distance; an actuator configured to urge the second element to move between the first position and the second position; and a force sensor configured to measure a force exerted on one of the first element or the second element.

A method, apparatus and program product control a dispense rate of a packaging material dispenser of a stretch wrapping apparatus by utilizing a combination of a sensed rate of packaging material exiting the dispenser and a predicted geometric relationship between the packaging material dispenser and the load.

A sensing and digital display type weighing and code scanning integrated machine with a damping and dust-proof smart case includes a case device. A weigher is placed at an upper end of the case device. A code scanning device is fixedly connected to the upper end of the case device. The case device includes a case, a guide hole, a threaded hole, a through groove, a groove, a fan, a case door, a magnet, a guide rod, a first spring, a host base, a first clamping groove, a computer host, a filter cartridge, a circular groove and an efficient filter screen. The case door is hinged to the case. The magnet is fixedly connected to the case door. The guide rod is slidably nested in the case. The host base is fixedly connected to an upper end of the guide rod. The computer host is clamped in the host base.

An apparatus and a method for closing containers with closures is disclosed. The apparatus includes a transport wheel, a feed device, and a closing device. The transport wheel continuously transports the containers and includes a plurality of transport wheel receptacles. Each transport wheel receptacle is able to receive a container. The transport wheel is designed to be rotatable about a transport wheel axis. The feed device is capable of clocked feeding of the containers to the transport wheel in a feed region of the apparatus. The closing device is arranged to close containers while they are accommodated in the transport wheel receptacles of the transport wheel. A method for closing the containers includes feeding containers to the transport wheel and closing the containers with a closing device.

A strapping machine configured for and method for actuating the belt drive mechanism of a strapping machine during a loss of band carrying out the following steps: (1) polling the detector as to a proper shooting of the strapping band in the shooting direction up until the end of the shooting trajectory, and (2) for an improper shooting of the strapping band, activating the shooting and retrieval unit to retrieve the strapping band with a definite retrieval speed for a defined retrieval time so that the strapping band emerges from the shooting and retrieval unit opposite the shooting direction, and (3) actuating the drive of the back-tensioning unit so that the back-tensioning unit transports the strapping band back into the shooting and retrieval unit in the shooting direction.

A strapping machine configured for and method for actuating the belt drive mechanism of a strapping machine during a loss of band carrying out the following steps: (1) polling the detector as to a proper shooting of the strapping band in the shooting direction up until the end of the shooting trajectory, and (2) for an improper shooting of the strapping band, activating the shooting and retrieval unit to retrieve the strapping band with a definite retrieval speed for a defined retrieval time so that the strapping band emerges from the shooting and retrieval unit opposite the shooting direction, and (3) actuating the drive of the back-tensioning unit so that the back-tensioning unit transports the strapping band back into the shooting and retrieval unit in the shooting direction.

A method, apparatus and program product monitor a wrap force during a wrap cycle to dynamically control the dispense rate of a packaging material dispenser to meet a desired containment force to be applied to a load. A conversion may be performed between wrap force and containment force for the monitored wrap force or a containment force parameter to facilitate the performance of a comparison between the monitored wrap force and a containment force parameter associated with the desired containment force to be applied to the load. A wrap force parameter may also be dynamically adjusted, and in some instances, the dynamic adjustment may be responsive to monitored wrap force, and may be used to meet a load containment force requirement for a load. In other instances, the dynamic adjustment may be responsive to monitored packaging material breaks to reduce the occurrence of packaging material breaks.

A method, apparatus and program product monitor a wrap force during a wrap cycle to dynamically control the dispense rate of a packaging material dispenser to meet a desired containment force to be applied to a load. A conversion may be performed between wrap force and containment force for the monitored wrap force or a containment force parameter to facilitate the performance of a comparison between the monitored wrap force and a containment force parameter associated with the desired containment force to be applied to the load. A wrap force parameter may also be dynamically adjusted, and in some instances, the dynamic adjustment may be responsive to monitored wrap force, and may be used to meet a load containment force requirement for a load. In other instances, the dynamic adjustment may be responsive to monitored packaging material breaks to reduce the occurrence of packaging material breaks.