An inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device is provided. The device includes an inflation assembly that inflates with a fluid a cushion cavity disposed between overlapping portions of first and second plies of a film, which plies form a flexible structure. The device also includes a sealing mechanism having a first compression element having a curved surface operable to bend the flexible structure about a bend axis, a second compression element positioned such that the first and second compression elements are operable to receiving the flexible structure at a first pinch area in which the first compression element and the second compression element are positioned against the flexible structure to pinch the flexible structure, and a third compression element configured for receiving the flexible structure at a second pinch area in which the first compression element and the third compression element contact the flexible structure.

Methods and structures are provided for a dunnage system to facilitate efficient coupling together of supply units of pre-configured sheet stock material, such as, for example, separate units of fanfold stacks of pre-configured sheet stock material, in a manner of continuous supply with a continuous pocket extending longitudinally between the separate supply units, so that they can interact with an expander of the dunnage system without disruption as one supply unit is depleted and a next supply unit is fed through the dunnage system. Also, various methods, apparatus, and systems are provided to facilitate smooth operation of a dunnage machine of the dunnage system to reduce a tendency of the pre-configured sheet stock material to jam and to increase the tendency of dunnage product generated to reflect a desired shape and stability.

A drive mechanism for a packaging material web coiler for forming a wound-up packaging material cushion may include a coiler core and a rotatable gyrating mass coupled to the coiler core. The coiled packaging material web is coilable around the coiler core such that the coiled packaging material cushion is detachable from the coiler core. With the rotatable gyrating mass, the coiler core performs at least one complete winding of the packaging material web around the coiler core in response to a manual swing-actuation.

A guide can be used to improve inflatability of web material. The guide can be in a system that also includes a supply of a web material and an inflation and sealing system. The web material includes chambers that are in fluid communication with a common channel. The web material in the supply is folded about a longitudinal fold such that lengths of the chambers are folded. The inflation and sealing system is configured to inflate and seal the chambers as the web material is fed from the supply. The guide has a guide mechanism configured to be located between portions of the web material as the web material is being fed from the supply. The guide mechanism is configured to at least partially unfold the longitudinal fold in the web material at a point in the system where the inflation and sealing system is configured to inflate the chambers.

The present disclosure is directed to a compression belt for inflation and sealing devices. The device may include an inflation assembly, a heating assembly, and a drive mechanism. The inflation assembly may direct fluid between first and second overlapping plies of a flexible web material to inflate chambers between the plies. The heating assembly may be operable to heat the first and second plies of the web material to create a longitudinal heat seal that seals the fluid in the inflated chambers. The drive mechanism may drive the web material in a downstream direction. The drive mechanism may tension the web material against the heating assembly. The drive mechanism may include a first belt including a high grip material on a surface that contacts the web material to grip the web material during heating by the heating assembly.

A conversion apparatus is provided herein. The conversion apparatus includes a cutting member having an edge configured for cutting the dunnage material. The conversion apparatus also includes a biasing member that is located adjacent to the cutting member such that the dunnage material passes between the biasing member and the cutting member. The biasing member operably contacts the dunnage material thereby biasing the dunnage material against the cutting member. The position of the biasing member relative to the cutting member is such that in response to the dunnage material being retracted back into the conversion apparatus the cutting member begins to sever the dunnage material, but in response to the dunnage material traveling in the dispensing direction the cutting member does not begin to sever the dunnage material due to the relative position.

Disclosed is a buffering air cushion machine, wherein the angle between a heat-sealing cooling transmission module as a core component of the buffering air cushion machine and a horizontal plane is between 20-50 degrees, thus greatly decreasing the transverse dimension of the buffering air cushion machine, so as to decrease the size of the whole machine and decrease the space occupied by the buffering air cushion machine; an inflation guide rod of a bent type may release some tension on a sealing side (an inflating passage) of a air cushion film, and may prevent wrinkles and bends from forming on the sealing side of the air cushion film during heat-sealing, so as to improve the quality of heat-sealing; furthermore, an upper coiling film guide rod and a lower coiling film guide rod may block the inflating passage connecting two air cushion films, and may prevent the air in the air cushion film which is filled with air but not sealed yet from travelling forward, so as to form a sealed high-pressure region and maintain the pressure in an inflation region, thus maintaining the pressure in the air cushion film after heat-sealing.

A machine for converting two different types of webs of inflatable material to two different types of inflated cushioning material includes an inflation arrangement, a sealing arrangement, and a tensioning device. The inflation arrangement is configured to provide air at a lower pressure to a first web of a first type of inflatable material to inflate the first type of inflatable material, and to provide air at a higher pressure to a second type of inflatable material to inflate the second type of inflatable material. The inflation arrangement includes a guide pin configured to the first and second webs and align the first and second webs on the machine. The sealing arrangement is configured to seal the first type of inflatable material and the second type of inflatable material to create the two different types of inflated cushioning material. The tensioning device is configured to provide a lower tensioning force to the first web as the first web moves between the inflation arrangement and the sealing arrangement, and to provide a higher tensioning force to the second web as the second web moves between the inflation arrangement and the sealing arrangement.

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.