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 inflatable packaging for storing multiple glass bottles made from a sheet that has a longitudinal axis and a traverse axis. The sheet is folded along six or more traverse fold lines spaced from each other to form a row of two or more pouches. The inflatable packaging can have two or more of such rows separated by a line of weakness. Each pouch has a front wall, a rear wall, a base, and an open-top for storing the glass bottle. Two adjacent pouches are separated by a dividing panel, wherein the dividing panel is corrugated in a biconcave shape.

An elongate flattened thermoplastic tube has an inflation edge and an opposite edge. The tube includes spaced transverse seals that define sides of pouches. The tube includes lines of weakness that allow adjacent dunnage units to be separated. A frangible line of connection is disposed in one two superposed layers of the tube proximate to the inflation edge. This frangible connection may be broken to permit inflation of the inflatable pouches.

A gas filling method includes the steps of: intermittently transferring a bag to arrange the bag at a gas blowing processing position; inserting a blowing nozzle into a gas guide path of the bag in the gas blowing processing position; pinching the blowing nozzle arranged in the gas guide path from outside of the bag with a pair of pinching members in the gas blowing processing position; causing the blowing nozzle to eject the gas in such a manner that the gas is sent to the gas accommodation portion in the gas blowing processing position in a state where the blowing nozzle is pinched via the bag by the pair of pinching members; and closing the gas accommodation portion in an airtight manner in the gas blowing processing position in a state where the blowing nozzle is arranged in the gas guide path.

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.

A gas cushion bag includes two layers, and the two layers are overlapped with each other and partially connected with each other to form a plurality of connecting portions and at least one gas storage unit. Each of the at least one gas storage unit is sealed circumferentially and includes at least one first segment and a plurality of second segments communicated with the at least one first segment. The at least one first segment and the plurality of second segments are alternatively arranged in a first direction. Wherein as viewed along the first direction, a cross-sectional profile of each of the at least one first segment is smaller than a cross-sectional profile of one of the plurality of second segments when the at least one gas storage unit is inflated.

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 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.

A protective packaging formation device is provided herein. The device includes an inflation assembly having a fluid conduit that directs fluid between overlapping plies of a polymeric web. The device also includes a driving mechanism that drives the film in a downstream direction. The device also includes a sealing mechanism that includes a thin film heater that heats the plies to create a longitudinal seal that seals the plies of film together. The driving mechanism drives the web such that the web slides across the heating assembly in a downstream direction to trap fluid between the plies.

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.