A method for adhering polylactic acid-based (such as polylactic acid resin (PLA) foam) custom product packaging to a corrugate surface is provided. The corrugate surface is heated to a suitable temperature and the PLA foam may be pressed against the corrugate surface for a second or seconds to rapidly adhere the PLA foam to the corrugate surface. The adhesion between the corrugate surface and the PLA foam may be sufficient to maintain the adhesion, but may also allow for the PLA foam to be removed from the corrugate surface.

Packaging may include a base box having a cavity to receive a product, and a first paper spring extending from an interior of a first sidewall of the base box and a second paper spring extending from an opposing interior of a second sidewall of the base box. Each of the first and second paper springs may be formed from the same blank as the first sidewall. The first and second springs are flexible such that the cavity may accommodate products of different lengths, and may resiliently absorb vibrations or impact forces during shipping.

According to some illustrative embodiments, a protective product is provided that includes: at least one expandable slit paper sheet, said at least on expandable slit paper being expanded between opposing ends of said slit paper; a first embossed paper sheet facing said expanded slit paper sheet and a second paper sheet facing an opposite side of said at least one expanded slit paper sheet, at least one of said first embossed paper sheet and said second paper sheet being fixed to said expanded slit paper sheet at the opposing ends of said expanded slit paper sheet and thereby maintaining said expanded paper in its expanded state, said first embossed paper sheet having a plurality of embossings that increase the rigidity of said embossed paper sheet, whereby inhibiting deformation of said embossed paper sheet that is fixed to said expanded slit sheet paper.

The present invention discloses a method of producing at least a pair of interlocking adjacent layers of a paper packaging product, the pair of interlocking adjacent layers being formed of a sheet of slit paper having a slit pattern, the slit pattern upon expansion, forming cells that include land regions that are inclined with respect to a plane of an unexpanded sheet. The method comprises slitting the sheet of slit paper with beveled blades that have a first wedge angle on one side of the blades and a second wedge angle on the other side of the blades, wherein the first wedge angle is wider than the second wedge angle to produce slits that upon expansion, produce the lands regions that have angles of inclination in a range for 50 to 85 degrees.

A packaging system for a hot water heater includes an outer box, a top insert, an offset filler, a base insert, and one or more side panels. The top insert contacts a top surface of the hot water heater and a top inside surface of outer box. The offset filler is coupled to the top insert and is sandwiched between the hot water heater and the outer box. The base insert contacts the bottom surface of the hot water heater and a bottom inside surface of the outer box. The base insert includes raised perimeter structures that form a shape that matches a shape of the bottom surface of the hot water heater. The raised perimeter structures and the offset filler position the hot water heater off-center with respect to a center axis of the outer box. Each side panel includes a raised pattern.

A packaging material including one or more expandable layers that provide protection to contents of a packaging enclosure formed with the packaging material. The packaging material includes at least a first layer and a second layer bonded to one another. The first layer is pulled or extended in a first direction that is effective to cause the second layer to expand in a second direction. The second layer is a cut-patterned layer which increases in thickness and provides structural strength to the packaging material when expanded.

A packaging material including one or more expandable layers that provide protection to contents of a packaging enclosure formed with the packaging material. The packaging material includes at least a first layer and a second layer bonded to one another. The first layer is pulled or extended in a first direction that is effective to cause the second layer to expand in a second direction. The second layer is a cut-patterned layer which increases in thickness and provides structural strength to the packaging material when expanded.

In accordance with a broad embodiment of the invention, a novel paper product is comprised of two or more slit sheet packing material layers, each layer having its own slit pattern design to create interlocking layers of expansion sheet packaging materials. Each layer expands to create a three dimensional open netting of cells of hexagons, and the like, and is designed to have limited nesting with its opposing layer, thereby maximizing the thickness of the combined layers as compared to nested layers. Adjacent layers have differing slit patterns and can be expanded through expander type machinery such that the expansion rates of the differing slit pattern layers can be varied to deliver the same width of exiting expanded material from each layer. Preferably the differing slit patterns produce when expanded, inclined land area that have the same number of rows per inch, but different angles of inclination of the land areas, such that adjacent layers can interlock, that is, have a restricted amount of nesting.

In one embodiment, a packaging material can be used to form a package such as a bag or a box. The material has a substrate and a plurality of insulation members, each having a body that is adhered to a surface of the substrate and each having a plurality of expandable microspheres. The bodies are a pattern such that the bodies are spaced apart from one another by gaps. The expandable microspheres expand in response to the application of energy such that the insulation members to expand towards one another to at least partially fill in the gaps. In another embodiment, the material has microspheres that are activated such that the insulation members include extensions that extend from their respective bodies towards one another to fill in the gaps.

A paper based cellulosic dunnage for use during transportation of goods. The dunnage may include an inner core, with a plurality of vertically aligned cellulosic cells that may be hexagonal in shape. The dunnage may include a top linerboard, attached to the top surface of the inner core, and corner boards, attached to the top and side surfaces of the inner core.