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.

An exemplary air cushion inflation machine includes: a first terminal connected to a direct current input; a second terminal; a reference resistor powered by the direct current input; an op-amp; and a transistor. The first terminal of the op-amp is connected to a variable voltage source and the second terminal of the op-amp is connected to the reference resistor. The transistor has a base connected to an output of the op-amp, an emitter connected to the reference resistor, and a collector connected to a first terminal of a sealing band apparatus having first and second terminals. A meltable material placed between the first and second terminals is melted by resistance of current flowing between the first and second terminals. The variable voltage source changes voltage based on a voltage drop measured across the first and second terminals by a voltage measurement device and the constant current.

In a cushion supply system for a logistic center, for example a warehouse or a dispatch hall, which comprises a cushion source for providing cushion products, such as cushion pads, in particular paper cushion pads; several packing stations at which containers can be loaded with goods and filled with cushion products; and a cushion transport system, such as a belt conveyor, for transporting the cushion products from the cushion source to the packing stations, the one cushion source is configured to supply said plurality of packing stations.

A packaging apparatus with an improved pinch roller apparatus, fluid supply apparatus, and/or a sealing apparatus. The pinch roller apparatus (e.g., comprising one or more guide and/or pinch rollers) is used to deliver film material to the fluid supply apparatus (e.g., nozzle and blower apparatus, or the like) that fills one or more chambers of the film material with fluid (e.g., air, gas, or other like fluid), and the film material is then sealed by a sealing apparatus (e.g., using one or more heating elements with an improved temperature sensor configuration) that seals the fluid within the one or more chambers in order to form the inflated article (e.g., inflated packaging material). In particular, the sealing apparatus provides improved sealing through the improved accuracy of the temperature reading in the heating zone, in part, by locating a sensor between a heating element and a protective member that covers the sensor.

An apparatus for the production a cushion product from a single- or multi-layer continuous paper strip includes a feed unit for drawing the paper strip into the apparatus, a cutting unit for cutting the cushion product from the paper strip, and control electronics for the activation of the cutting unit according to a predetermined motion profile. A sensor captures a rotation angle position of the feed unit. The control electronics are configured to activate the feed unit continuously and to start an activation of the cutting unit for a discontinuous cutting operation during capturing a predetermined actual rotation angle position of the feed unit.

A connective protective packaging element is provided. The connective protective packaging element may include a protective body in a high-density supply configuration. The protective body may be configurable into a low-density configuration for cushioning packaged products. The body may include an exposed surface in the low-density configuration. The connective protective packaging element may also include a bonding element attached to the exposed surface that operably bonds the exposed surface to an abutting surface by contact with the bonding element.

A machine for pulling paper off of a roll and crumpling the paper increasing the surface area and bulk of the compressible crumpled paper. The crumpled paper is used as packing material, cushioning packaged parts and filling package voids.

An inflator inflates inflatable webs. The inflator includes a web supply holding device that holds a supply of an inflatable web, a first gas moving device having a first inlet for receiving gas and a first outlet for expelling gas, a second gas moving device having a second inlet for receiving gas and a second outlet for expelling gas, and a nozzle. The first outlet is coupled to the second inlet such that gas expelled from the first outlet is received by the second inlet. The nozzle is coupled to the second outlet and inserts gas expelled from the second outlet into the inflatable web to inflate the inflatable web. Parameters of the first and second gas moving devices are selected based on a type of the inflatable web.

A system includes a source of sheet material and a conversion machine. The conversion machine is configured to receive the sheet material and to form the sheet material into a fill material. The conversion machine further includes a cutting mechanism configured to cut the fill material. The cutting mechanism is configured such that, when cutting the fill material to form two pieces of fill material, uncut portions of the fill material remain between the two pieces of fill material.

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.