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.

A coiler for producing tighter or smaller coils of dunnage uses a cam to move fork pins from a dunnage-receiving position inwardly to a more closely-spaced coiling position. The fork pins are coupled to pin mounts that cooperate with the cam and slots in a guide plate to move the parallel fork pins between the dunnage-receiving and coiling positions. The fork pins are mounted to extend perpendicular to and through the guide plate on opposing sides of a path of the dunnage to capture and wind a dunnage strip into a coil.

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.

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 a cart that includes a biased support that is connected to a vertical side support. The biased support is movable from an open position to a closed position with respect to opposing vertical side supports. In the closed position, the biased support is configured to at least partially block the opening between the opposing vertical side supports. In the open position, the biased support leaves the opening between the opposing vertical side supports sufficiently open to load fanfold stock material therein. The biased support is biased towards the closed position and the open position. The supply station also includes an alignment device forming a funnel positioned under its base. The alignment device receives a dunnage machine stand base causing the supply cart to consistently align with the stand base in response to the stand base being slid into engagement with the alignment device.

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.

A dunnage system may include a converting station including a converter configured for pulling in a stream of sheet material and converting the material into dunnage, and an inlet guide having an inlet surface that is coiled such that first and second ends of the inlet surface are discontinuous with each other to define a gap therebetween, the inlet surface configured to channel the sheet material into the converter. A cutter for a dunnage system may include a blade with first and second phases of serrations that are coextensive over at least a portion of the blade, the first phase providing cutting serrations for cutting the dunnage, and the second phase comprising ledges for focusing the cutting and preventing or reducing bunching of the dunnage towards a side of the blade. A method of converting dunnage may also be provided.

A packaging material production machine for manufacturing a packaging material product may include a feed funnel for introducing packaging material from a web-shaped packaging material supply into the packaging material production machine, and a deflection shaft supported rotatably in a free-wheeling manner on the packaging material production machine for introducing the packaging material into the feed hopper. The deflection shaft may include lateral end portions whose diameters continuously increase outwardly at least in sections. The packaging material may be in the form of a leporello stack or in roll form.

A dunnage system may include a converting station including a converter configured for pulling in a stream of sheet material and converting the material into dunnage, and an inlet guide having an inlet surface that is coiled such that first and second ends of the inlet surface are discontinuous with each other to define a gap therebetween, the inlet surface configured to channel the sheet material into the converter. A cutter for a dunnage system may include a blade with first and second phases of serrations that are coextensive over at least a portion of the blade, the first phase providing cutting serrations for cutting the dunnage, and the second phase comprising ledges for focusing the cutting and preventing or reducing bunching of the dunnage towards a side of the blade. A method of converting dunnage may also be provided.

A coiler for producing tighter or smaller coils of dunnage uses a cam to move fork pins from a dunnage-receiving position inwardly to a more closely-spaced coiling position. The fork pins are coupled to pin mounts that cooperate with the cam and slots in a guide plate to move the parallel fork pins between the dunnage-receiving and coiling positions. The fork pins are mounted to extend perpendicular to and through the guide plate on opposing sides of a path of the dunnage to capture and wind a dunnage strip into a coil.

In a device for machine-making a dunnage product from a single- or multi-ply continuous paper web comprising a delivery conveyor for drawing in a paper web into the device whereby a conveying direction is defined and a cutter for separating the dunnage product from a three-dimensional strand of dunnage material formed from the paper web within the device, it is provided that a removal conveyor succeeds in the conveying direction to the cutter, the removal conveyor transporting the separated dunnage product away from the cutter.