A machine for unwinding and rewinding a covering tape (800) includes a first support shaft to coaxially receive a reel of covering tape, a second support shaft, parallel to and distanced from the first support shaft, which is adapted to coaxially receive a tubular support, a motor adapted to put the second support shaft in rotation around its own axis, a plurality of contrast rollers arranged around the second support shaft and oriented parallel thereto, and a movement apparatus adapted to move the contrast rollers towards and away from the axis of the second support shaft.

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 packaging method includes feeding products, ordered into two rows, into a first ring winding unit of extensible film and winding the products in a first film having a first rotation direction to form a continuous packaging or bundle; feeding the wound products to a second ring winding unit of extensible film in a second film having a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction to form a continuous packaging or bundle with two layers of film; and feeding the continuous packaging or bundle into a cutting unit, which moves in synchrony with, and cuts, the continuous packaging or bundle transversely into finished groups of products. A ring winding machine is provided at each of the two ring winding units, obtaining a continuous winding also when the film becomes exhausted in at least one of the two ring winding machines. A packaging machine is also provided.

Packaging method using extensible film and machine therefor includes feeding the groups of products, spaced apart and separate from each other, into a first and a second winding units to wind the groups of products with a first and a second extensible film disposed in opposite rotation directions to form a continuous packaging wrapped in two layers of film in opposite directions; and advancing the continuous packaging into a cutting unit, which cuts the continuous packaging transversally into finished groups of products. The winding step in each of the two ring winding units is selectively and alternately actuated with one of two ring winding machines provided at each of the two ring winding units, thereby achieving a continuous winding of groups of products even when the extensible film in at least one of the two ring winding machines at each of the two ring winding units is exhausted.

An apparatus for packaging piece goods compilations includes a first wrapping device for wrapping up the piece goods with a film element, and a further wrapping device for wrapping up the piece goods with a film element, wherein the piece goods can be fed to the first wrapping device so as to be wrapped up with a film element, and wherein during working operation of the apparatus, the first wrapping device and the further wrapping device can be selectively used in order to wrap the piece goods up.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a new method and apparatus for fixing the end of a roll of wrapping film web to and releasing the end of the roll of wrapping film end from a circular guide wrapping machine when a new roll of wrapping film web is installed or when the wrapping film web has torn apart.

An orbital stretch wrapping apparatus is provided and includes a base frame, a circular ring mounted on the base frame and rotatable with respect to the base frame about an axis of rotation, a stretch film dispenser mounted on the circular ring and rotatable with the circular ring about the axis of rotation, the stretch film dispenser having a subframe fixed to the circular ring, a roll of stretch film mounted to the subframe and rotatable with respect to the subframe, a first feed roller mounted to the subframe and rotatable with respect to the subframe, a second feed roller mounted to the subframe and rotatable with respect to the subframe, and a brake member connected to the first feed roller and the second feed roller.

A wrapping machine for wrapping groups of products (100) with an extensible plastic film (50) in order to form bundles (200), comprises first conveyor means (2) for supporting and moving a group of products (100) along an advancing direction (A) inside the wrapping machine (1), supporting means (3; 103) for receiving from the first conveyor means (2) and supporting the group of products (100), a wrapping unit (10) for wrapping a portion (51) of film (50) having a preset length around the group of products (100), supported by the supporting means (3; 103), in order to form a bundle (200), a supplying unit (30) of the film (50) to supply the wrapping unit (10) with the film portion (51) having a preset length, separated from the film (50) unwound from a respective reel (55); the supporting means (3; 103) include first gripping means (4; 104) arranged to hold an initial flap (51a) of the film portion (51) during the wrapping of the group of products (100); containment means (6; 60) are provided to abut at least sidewalls of the group of products (100) in order to support and guide said products (100) when moved along the advancing direction (A) through the wrapping unit (10) and/or to support and restrain the group of products (100) during the wrapping with the portion (51) of film (50).

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, apparatus and program product may determine load stability for a load to be wrapped based upon sensing the response or reaction of the load to a disturbance applied to the load, e.g., through intentionally moving, shaking, tilting, pushing, impacting or otherwise applying an input force to the load and sensing the response using one or more sensors. The sensed response may then be used to determine a load stability parameter that may be used in the control of a load wrapping apparatus when wrapping the load.