An apparatus for the production of a three-dimensional packaging product, such as a cushion product, from a single- or multi-layer paper strip may include a preforming station deforming the paper strip to a three-dimensional packaging product with at least one crumple hollow space extending in the strip direction, and a rotation cutter following the preforming station in the feed direction of the paper strip, which is cutting a preformed paper strip to the desired length of the packaging product from a preformed paper strip. A cutting shaft on which a blade of the rotation cutter is mounted and a counter shaft on which the cutting pad is mounted may be included. A set-on element is mounted to the cutting shaft and/or the counter shaft for enlarging the flushing radial extension of the shaft and forming a flush profile channel wall section, the flushing profile course of the set-on element extending in the axial direction of the shaft to at least half of the width of the preformed paper strip section.

A dunnage crumpling apparatus is provided having first and second entry-side crumpling members and first and second exit-side crumpling members. The first and second entry-side crumpling members define an entry therebetween. The first and second exit-side crumpling members define an exit therebetween that is disposed along the longitudinal path downstream of the entry. A crumpling zone being defined between the entry and exit. The first entry-side crumpling member is configured for moving at an first rate and is associated with the second entry-side crumpling member for moving sheet material through the entry in a first direction along a longitudinal path at an entry rate. The first exit-side crumpling member is configured for moving at an second rate and is associated with the second exit-side crumpling member for moving the sheet material through the exit in the first direction along the path at a exit rate that is slower than the entry rate to crumple the sheet material for producing dunnage. The entry and exit-side crumpling members are displaced laterally along the path with respect to each other to cause shearing of the sheet within the crumpling zone.

A cushioning conversion machine converts a sheet stock material into a relatively lower-density cushioning dunnage product. An exemplary sheet stock material includes two sheets that each overlap a common side of another sheet and are connected to respective lateral edges of the other sheet. The conversion machine includes a forming assembly having a former for shaping and randomly crumpling the sheet material, a set of adjustable guide members to guide the crumpled sheet material to a feeding assembly downstream of the forming assembly, and a severing assembly downstream of the feeding assembly that separates discrete lengths of cushioning. The severing assembly includes a window frame passage that guides the crumpled sheet material to an outlet during operation of the feeding assembly and constrains the crumpled sheet stock material during operation of the severing assembly.

A dunnage conversion machine converts a sheet stock material into a dunnage product that is relatively thicker and less dense than the stock material. The conversion machine includes a conversion assembly that draws the sheet stock material therethrough and randomly crumples at least a portion of the sheet stock material. Before severing a discrete dunnage product of a desired length from the substantially continuous length of sheet stock material, the conversion assembly temporarily advances the sheet stock material therethrough while minimizing or eliminating the random crumpling of the sheet stock material in a reduced-crumpling zone, and then cuts the sheet stock material in the reduced-cutting zone to reduce or eliminate the production of scrap shards of sheet stock material.

A machine for converting a sheet material into a relatively less dense dunnage product includes a forming assembly and a feeding assembly downstream of the forming assembly. The forming assembly is configured to form the sheet material into a tubular shape with lateral edges of the sheet material adjacent one another. A deflector at a downstream end of the forming assembly is configured to engage the lateral edges of the sheet material and to urge the lateral edges into an interior of the tubular shape. This juxtaposes lateral edge portions of the sheet material adjacent the respective lateral edges. A forming channel at a downstream end of the forming assembly faces the deflector to receive the lateral edge portions and shape them into a tab. Finally, the feeding assembly includes rotating connecting members that engage and connect the overlapping lateral edge portions of the sheet material forming the tab.

A dunnage conversion system includes a machine for converting a stock material into a strip of relatively lower-density dunnage, a coiling mechanism for winding the strip into a coil, a taping mechanism for automatically securing a trailing end of the strip to the coil, and a coil ejecting mechanism for automatically removing the coil from the coiling mechanism. The taping mechanism includes a guide surface between an outlet of the machine and the coiling mechanism to guide the strip to the coiling mechanism and to guide tape for engagement with a trailing end of the strip and to secure the trailing end of the strip to the coil. The coil ejecting mechanism includes a lever arm that pivots to push the completed coil off the coiling mechanism.

A device (1) for dispensing a cushioning and packaging element from at least one strip of paper includes at least two guides (2) around which at least one strip of paper is wound. The device (1) also includes at least one drive element for driving the at least one strip of paper. The device (1) further includes at least one creasing device (4) for creasing the at least one strip of paper. The guides (2) extend beyond the at least one creasing device (4), downstream of the at least one creasing device (4).

An apparatus for manufacturing a packaging product from a packaging-material web may include a production device for making the packaging-material web; a drawing device for drawing the packaging-material web off from a packaging-material source; a deforming device for deforming the packaging-material web; a removal conveying device for removing the packaging-material product from the apparatus; and/or a dispensing device for dispensing the packaging-material product in an aligned manner; and using a module interface, via which at least one of the functional units, forming a structural unit, can be connected in a releasable manner to an adjacent functional unit upwards and/or downwards in the conveying direction and/or changed over therewith.

A dunnage conversion machine (36) converts a sheet stock material into a dunnage product that is relatively thicker and less dense than the stock material, but is relatively thin and sufficiently flexible to function as a protective wrap. The conversion machine includes a feed mechanism (40) that advances a sheet stock material therethrough and a connecting mechanism (42) downstream of the feed mechanism. The connecting mechanism retards the passage of the sheet stock material therethrough by feeding the stock material therethrough at a slower rate than the feed mechanism feeds the stock material to the connecting mechanism. This causes the stock material to randomly crumple in a longitudinal space between the feed mechanism and the connecting mechanism. The connecting mechanism connects multiple overlapping layers of sheet stock material together as they pass therethrough, including connecting at least one crumpled sheet to one side of one other sheet.

The invention relates to a device which is used to provide cushioning material for packaging purposes. The device comprises a container for storing the cushioning material and a dispensing device for dispensing the cushioning material out of the container. The dispensing device comprises a driven conveyor for conveying the cushioning material along a conveyor path, the conveyor being supported on a movable base which can be moved out of an operating position into a release position and back, said conveyor being moved out of the conveyor path in the release position.