A transfer and dispensing apparatus is disclosed for the conveying and separation of packaging material, cushions or pillows when needed by the operator. When a packer working over a conveyor receives a box that requires void fill, an operating switch such as a foot pedal is depressed to dispense pillows from the apparatus and into the box in a connected strip. When the operating switch is released, the apparatus stops dispensing pillows, separates the continuous strip of pillows along a transverse perforation in the strip, and ejects the end of the separated segment. The packer can then complete packing the box by placing the severed end of the pillows into the box, advance to the next box, and repeat the process. The transfer and dispensing apparatus may be positioned in any convenient location including adjacent to, above or attached to the inflation device.

A device for machine-making a dunnage product from a single- or multi-ply continuous paper web may include a delivery conveyor configured to draw the paper web into the device in a conveying direction; a cutter configured to separate the dunnage product from a three-dimensional strand of dunnage material formed from the paper web within the device; and a removal conveyor positioned after the cutter in the conveying direction and configured to remove the separated dunnage product from the cutter.

A transfer and dispensing apparatus is disclosed for the conveying and separation of packaging material, cushions or pillows when needed by the operator. When a packer working over a conveyor receives a box that requires void fill, an operating switch such as a foot pedal is depressed to dispense pillows from the apparatus and into the box in a connected strip. When the operating switch is released, the apparatus stops dispensing pillows, separates the continuous strip of pillows along a transverse perforation in the strip, and ejects the end of the separated segment. The packer can then complete packing the box by placing the severed end of the pillows into the box, advance to the next box, and repeat the process. The transfer and dispensing apparatus may be positioned in any convenient location including adjacent to, above or attached to the inflation device.

Exemplary embodiments pertain to a combined shipping and expansion device for shipping a roll of unexpanded slit sheet material and for expanding the slit sheet material. In some examples, the device includes: a container made with recyclable paper or board; a roll of slit sheet material wound around a core member and positioned within the container; the roll of slit sheet material having a slit pattern that forms open cells upon expansion; the core member being made with recyclable paper or board and having a length greater than a width of the roll of slit sheet wound around the core member and having protrusions that extend beyond each side of the roll of slit sheet material; a plurality of yoke members within the container, including at least one yoke member that rotatably receives a first of the protrusions and at least one yoke member that rotatably receives a second of the protrusions; and the container having a dispensing opening through which the slit sheet material wound around the core member can be extended and pulled, causing the core member to rotate relative to the yoke members via rotation of the roll of slit sheet material. The combined shipping and expansion device is made from substantially entirely recyclable paper or board materials, whereby after complete dispensing of the slit sheet material from the shipping and expansion device, the combined shipping and expansion device can be recycled in a paper recycling facility.

A bundle of packing material includes at least two strips of packing material folded into a compact configuration. The strips of packing material include a top strip having a length dimension between first and second end portions and a central portion between the first end portion and the second end portion, and a bottom strip having a length dimension between first and second end portions and a central portion between the first end portion and the second end portion. The central portion of the top strip overlays the central portion of the bottom strip and the length dimension of the top strip is oriented orthogonal to the length dimension of the bottom strip. The first and second end portions of top strip are folded over the central portions, and the first and second end portions of the bottom strip are folded over the central portions.

A method of making a dunnage product includes the following steps: (a) converting a sheet stock material into a lower density strip of dunnage having a width and a height that is less than the width; and (b) cutting the strip of dunnage to form a discrete dunnage product of a desired length by cutting across less than the width of the strip of dunnage to maintain a connection between the strip of dunnage and the discrete dunnage product. The connection between respective dunnage products in a string of connected dunnage products keeps the dunnage products together, in the order in which they were produced, and helps to ensure that the dunnage products do not shingle and can assist in feeding the dunnage products to a packing station.

A stock material unit for a dunnage conversion machine is provided herein. The stock material includes a first strip of sheet material at least partially defining a three-dimensional configuration. The strip of sheet material includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The stock material includes a splice member mounted with respect to the sheet material in a first position. The splice member includes a connector that has a bonding member configured to stick to the first end. The connector is releasable from the first position and repositionable to a second position in which it is affixed to the first end by a connecting portion. In the second position, the connecting portion has an exposed area for affixing to a second end of a second continuous sheet of the material to daisy chain the first and second strips of sheet material.

A manually-operated dunnage conversion apparatus includes a housing, a support mounted in the housing and configured to support a supply of sheet material for dispensing from the dunnage conversion apparatus, and one or both of (a) a guide member mounted in the housing downstream of the support and providing a resilient surface across which the sheet material may be drawn to restrict tearing of the sheet material as it is drawn from the dunnage conversion apparatus, and (b) a tensioning assembly mounted in the housing and configured to apply a compressive force between opposite axial sides of the housing to control the force necessary to dispense the supply of sheet material. Except for the tensioning assembly, the apparatus may be made of paper-based products, making the apparatus recyclable, reusable, and composed of a renewable resource, as well as inexpensive to manufacture.

A coiler for producing tighter or smaller coils of dunnage uses a cam to move fork pins from a dunnage-receiving position inwardly to a more closely-spaced coiling position. The fork pins are coupled to pin mounts that cooperate with the cam and slots in a guide plate to move the parallel fork pins between the dunnage-receiving and coiling positions. The fork pins are mounted to extend perpendicular to and through the guide plate on opposing sides of a path of the dunnage to capture and wind a dunnage strip into a coil.

A stock material unit for a dunnage conversion machine is provided herein. The stock material includes a first strip of sheet material at least partially defining a three-dimensional configuration. The strip of sheet material includes a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The stock material includes a splice member mounted with respect to the sheet material in a first position. The splice member includes a connector that has a bonding member configured to stick to the first end. The connector is releasable from the first position and repositionable to a second position in which it is affixed to the first end by a connecting portion. In the second position, the connecting portion has an exposed area for affixing to a second end of a second continuous sheet of the material to daisy chain the first and second strips of sheet material.