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 packaging station comprising a deformation device for converting a web of packaging material drawn from a supply of packaging material web, such as a leporello folded stacked web, into a dunnage material and a conveyor structure for receiving the drawn web of packaging material and for feeding the drawn web of packaging material into the deformation device, wherein the conveyor structure comprises a conveyor track extending from a reception of the conveyor structure to the deformation device and being dimensioned such that, after passing the reception, the web of packaging material is able to bear over its entire surface on the conveyor track in the conveying direction for at least the twofold of the width of the web.

An apparatus for the provision of packaging material includes a forming unit for producing a cushion or tubular-like packaging material from a paper strip and for ejecting the packaging material. A feeding unit draws in the paper strip from a Leporello stack-shaped paper strip supply having two feed rollers opposing each other for driving the paper strip and a motor for operating the feed rollers. A preforming station is positioned upstream the feed unit in paper feed direction for transverse compression of the paper strip. A guiding unit is positioned upstream the preforming station in paper feed direction for aligning the paper strip for the preforming station and a frame, on which the preforming station is pivotably supported between a working position and a loading position.

An apparatus for the production of a cushion product from a single or multi-layer continuous paper strip includes a chute-like preforming station for the compression of a paper strip in the transverse direction and a deformation station following the preforming station in the feed direction of the paper strip having two embossing rollers engaging into each other in a deformation area in order to form the paper strip to a cushion product with at least one crumple hollow space extending in the longitudinal direction. The preforming station has a lifting unit and is positioned upstream in the feed direction of the embossing rollers for lifting a central area of the paper strip.

The invention relates to a device for providing cushioning material for packaging purposes, comprising a converting unit for turning over at least one lateral edge of a web-type starting material in the direction of a center of the starting material, creating an intermediate product, and a crumpling mechanism for crumpling the intermediate product into the cushioning material. According to the invention, the housing has a first coupling portion, which is complementary to a corresponding second coupling portion of the converting unit, and the converting unit is one of a set of at least two converting units, wherein the converting units of a set all have the same second coupling portion, and wherein the converting units of a set are designed to convert different starting materials.

An inflatable protective packaging unit and associated inflation systems are disclosed. The unit can include an inflatable component that includes overlaid flexible plies connected to each other to define a fluid chamber therebetween. The inflatable component can define an inflation region in fluid communication with the fluid chamber to allow fluid from the inflation region into the fluid chamber. The unit can further include a receiver separably attached to the inflatable component at the inflation region and configured to direct fluid into the inflation region. The inflation system can be configured to discretely engage the inflatable protective packaging unit and provide fluid for inflation. Once inflated, the system may eject the unit, and cause the inflatable component to separate from the receiver.

Various embodiments for stock material for dunnage systems are provided with multi-directional perforation lines, including laterally and longitudinally extending perforations. The stock material can be configured in fan-fold or rolled form, and can be pre-folded. The perforations can help weaken the configured stock material to conform to holding trays. The holding trays can hold horizontally aligned fan-fold stacks of the stock material. Also, the configured stock material can be fed to a dunnage system have forming members that rotate about a vertical axis to generate cushioning strips with a vertical width greater than a horizontal width. Various methods and systems are also provided for making and using the same.

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 method of manufacturing endless pallet chain sheet material is provided. The method includes: (a) providing a pallet having a longitudinal direction and a lateral direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; (b) providing a chain sheet material; (c) positioning the chain sheet material on the pallet to include a first row and a second row, wherein: the first row and the second row are arranged along the lateral direction; the first row is disposed at a layer the same as or below that disposed at by the second row; each of the first row and the second row includes N bundles arranged along the longitudinal direction, wherein N?2; and each of the N bundles includes an upper portion and a lower portion; and (d) connecting the lower portion of the first bundle of the first row with the upper portion of the N-th bundle of the second row.

Disclosed herein are protective packaging stock material units that are used in a dunnage system. A dunnage system includes a dunnage conversion machine and a supply station. The supply station is configured to receive fanfold stock material and manipulate the fanfold stock material into being withdrawn from the supply station in a non-planar configuration. The supply station is associated with the dunnage conversion machine such that the dunnage conversion machine operably draws fanfold stock material from the top of a stack of fanfold stock material.