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 wrapping machine comprising a base and a wrapping arm connected to the base and configured to be movable relative to the base. The wrapping arm includes a carriage vertically movable on the wrapping arm, with the carriage having a roll of wrap film. The wrapping machine also includes a bumper assembly movable with the wrapping arm. The bumper assembly includes a bumper and an actuator, wherein engagement of the bumper with an external object will actuate the actuator to stop movement of the wrapping arm about the product. The wrapping arm can include side tubes connected by a connection tube, with the side tubes forming a link recess between the side tubes. Each of the side tubes includes an exteriorly facing slot, with the carriage riding on the side tubes along the slot. A link moves within the link recess to move the carriage.

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 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 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.

A pallet wrapping system with a support bar and at least two adjustment arms coupled to the support bar. The at least two adjustment arms are configured to narrow the width of a stretch film for wrapping a palletized load. Each of the adjustment arms has a captive nut, a stud, a guide, and an adjustment knob. The captive nut is coupled to and configured to translate along the support bar. The stud has a fixed end coupled to the captive nut and a free end extending away from the support bar. The guide has a cylindrical body with an aperture extending through the cylindrical body and a support flange extending outward from the cylindrical body. The stud extends through the aperture. The adjustment knob is coupled to the free end of the stud. The location of each of the adjustment arms along the support bar is adjustable.

A machine for stabilising palletised loads including an apparatus having a reel of covering tape, a gripping device to take a first end of the tape of the reel and make it integral with the load, a first movement apparatus to generate relative revolution of the apparatus around the load about a predetermined revolution axis, a second movement apparatus to generate relative translation motion of the apparatus with respect to the load in a direction parallel to the revolution direction, a cutting device placed in the apparatus to separate the tape from the reel, and a fixing device to fix a second end of the tape to the load. The apparatus also includes a tensioning fin configured to rotate around an articulation axis parallel to the reel axis and having a rectilinear end border, distal of and extending parallel to the articulation axis and configured to stay in contact with a longitudinal edge of the tape unwinding from the reel, and a spring acting on the fin to push the end border against the longitudinal edge of the tape.

A stretch film wrapping system for wrapping film about loads includes a wrap location for receiving loads to be wrapped; a film dispensing system including a film roll support mandrel assembly supported on a load cell that provides an output indicative of weight of the film roll support mandrel assembly and any film roll mounted thereon; and a control system for receiving the output of the load cell and configured to utilize load cell output to determine amount of film used for wrap operations.

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 machine for stabilising palletised loads including an apparatus having a reel of covering tape, a gripping device to take a first end of the tape of the reel and make it integral with the load, a first movement apparatus to generate relative revolution of the apparatus around the load about a predetermined revolution axis, a second movement apparatus to generate relative translation motion of the apparatus with respect to the load in a direction parallel to the revolution direction, a cutting device placed in the apparatus to separate the tape from the reel, and a fixing device to fix a second end of the tape to the load. The apparatus also includes a tensioning fin configured to rotate around an articulation axis parallel to the reel axis and having a rectilinear end border, distal of and extending parallel to the articulation axis and configured to stay in contact with a longitudinal edge of the tape unwinding from the reel, and a spring acting on the fin to push the end border against the longitudinal edge of the tape.