In a method for packing a spacecraft membrane (1) which in a plane of extension comprises a longitudinal axis between opposite longitudinal corners (4) and a transverse axis running transverse to the longitudinal axis and through transverse corners into a spacecraft membrane package, two packing steps are executed: In a first packing step, the spacecraft membrane (1) is packed into a transverse package (9) along the transverse axis. In a second packing step, the transverse package (9) is packed into a longitudinal package along a longitudinal axis. The packing of the spacecraft membrane (1) in the first packing step comprises a packing of material of the spacecraft membrane (1) from or on both sides of the longitudinal axis. In the first packing step, the spacecraft membrane (1) is packed in such a way that in the created transverse package (9) the transverse corners are freely accessible. In the second packing step, the transverse package (9) is packed in such a way that in the created longitudinal package the longitudinal corners (4) are freely accessible. The longitudinal package is unpacked by pulling on the longitudinal corners (4). Subsequently, the transverse package (9) is unpacked by pulling on the transverse corners.

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for converting a sheet of elastomeric material into a continuous strip, wherein the apparatus includes a cutting section for providing a sequence of cuts in the sheet along which the sheet is separable into interconnected zig-zag sections to form the continuous strip, wherein the apparatus further includes an infeed section for feeding the sheet to the cutting section in a feeding direction along a feeding path, wherein the infeed section includes a first infeed member for feeding the sheet along the feeding path at a first infeed rate, and a second infeed member downstream of the first infeed member for feeding the sheet along the feeding path at a second infeed rate, wherein the apparatus is operable in a stretching mode in which the second infeed rate is higher than the first infeed rate.

An apparatus and method for forming zig-zag folded logs of web material is provided. The apparatus and method allows for forming logs having different sheet lengths on a same machine. Logs of web material having weakened regions at different locations between folds in the zig-zag folded web are also provided.