The present disclosure is directed to a web control guide for an inflation and sealing assembly of a protective packaging formation device for inflating a web material into a chain of inflated cushions. The web control guide is positioned along a material path at a transverse spacing from a first compression element and constrains a first thickness of the material path measured normal to the longitudinal and transverse directions of the material path. The transverse spacing and constrained thickness dimension are sufficiently small to prevent transverse movement of the flexible material towards the first compression element to avoid excessive heating of the web material outside a sealing zone.

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.

In accordance with a broad embodiment of the invention, a novel paper product is comprised of two or more slit sheet packing material layers, each layer having its own slit pattern design to create interlocking layers of expansion sheet packaging materials. Each layer expands to create a three dimensional open netting of cells of hexagons, and the like, and is designed to have limited nesting with its opposing layer, thereby maximizing the thickness of the combined layers as compared to nested layers. Adjacent layers have differing slit patterns and can be expanded through expander type machinery such that the expansion rates of the differing slit pattern layers can be varied to deliver the same width of exiting expanded material from each layer. Preferably the differing slit pattern produce when expanded, inclined land areas that have the same number of rows per inch, but different angles of inclination of the land areas, such that adjacent layers can interlock, that is, have a restricted amount of nesting.

An expansion device includes an unexpanded slit sheet roll that is wound on a paper core that is longer than the width of the slit sheet paper roll. The paper core is placed onto a rod member. An adjustable downward pressure is exerted on the paper core and the paper core exerts pressure on the rod member. As the paper is pulled, the downward pressure creates the friction required to enable the unexpanded slit, sheet to be unwind and fed while simultaneously expanding.

A dunnage conversion system for making a coil of dunnage from a sheet stock includes a coiler, a movable dancer upstream of the coiler and interposed in a path of the sheet stock, and a controller communicatively coupled to each of the coiler and the movable dancer. The coiler is configured to wind the sheet stock, and the controller is configured to control the speed of the coiler based on the position of the movable dancer to control tension of the sheet stock upstream of the coiler. The sheet stock drawn about the movable dancer may be a slit-sheet stock having a plurality of slits configured to expand under tension applied in a feed direction. The controller may be configured to control expansion of the slit-sheet stock upstream of the coiler allowing conversion of the sheet stock into a coil of relatively less dense dunnage prior to or during winding.

In the preferred embodiments, the present invention provides substantially improved slit sheet cushioning products by advantageously combining novel paper properties with novel slit patterns for improved features and characteristics. In some illustrative and non-limiting example embodiments, cushioning products of the present invention can include, e.g., a novel slit sheet material in combination with extensible paper employed as, e.g., a cushioning pad or as cushioning within an envelope product, wherein the cushioning product can be substantially more resilient, but, yet, e.g., thinner for better utilization of space.

In the preferred embodiments, the present invention provides substantially improved slit sheet cushioning products by advantageously combining novel paper properties with novel slit patterns for improved features and characteristics. In some illustrative and non-limiting example embodiments, cushioning products of the present invention can include, e.g., a novel slit sheet material in combination with extensible paper employed as, e.g., a cushioning pad or as cushioning within an envelope product, wherein the cushioning product can be substantially more resilient, but, yet, e.g., thinner for better utilization of space.

An application mechanism is used to apply water to wet paper in a process for producing planar cushioning material and filler material made of paper having a spatial structure with embossing on each side. The water can be applied to the paper like ink, so as to keep it sufficiently moist for the embossing process. Likewise, it is possible to use ink to apply a two-dimensional imprint, whereby sufficient wetting can also take place, but at the same time an optical effect is achieved.

The present disclosure is directed to an inflatable-cushion inflation and sealing device. The device includes an inflation assembly configured for insertion between first and second overlapping film plies. The inflation assembly includes a fluid conduit configured to direct a fluid in between the plies to form one or more cushions. The fluid conduit includes a nozzle. The inflation assembly includes a cutting member. The cutting member includes a blade holder with a blade and a blade guard mounted thereon. The blade guard has a safety position in which the blade is covered and a retracted position in which the blade is exposed. Installation of the blade holder onto the inflation assembly automatically positions the blade in the working position with the blade guard retracted. Removing the tray from the inflation assembly automatically positions the blade in the safety position by covering the blade with the blade guard.

A packing material, its use, method of manufacture, and method of production creates a curl or spiral having elastic, cushioning, form-fitting, and coherent packing properties. The curl is created from a dimension-controlled strip of cohesive paper having a cohesive side and a non-cohesive side, and formed with a leading end that is folded upon itself such that a cohesive side of the leading end contacts the cohesive side of the dimension controlled strip of cohesive paper, and a trailing end opposite the leading end that is folded upon itself such that a non-cohesive side of the trailing end contacts the non-cohesive side of the dimensioned strip of cohesive paper, wherein the dimensioned strip of cohesive paper is wound into a spiral with the cohesive side of the dimensioned strip of cohesive paper facing outward. A plurality of curls provides a clumped, cohesive mass around a packed item.