-
The invention herein described relates generally to a cushioning conversion machine for converting sheet-like stock material into a dunnage product and, more particularly, to such a machine with a novel stock material forming assembly.
-
In the process of shipping an item from one location to another, a protective packaging material is typically placed in the shipping container to fill any voids and/or to cushion the item during the shipping process. Some commonly used protective packaging materials are plastic foam peanuts and plastic bubble pack. While these conventional plastic materials seem to perform adequately as cushioning products, they are not without disadvantages. Perhaps the most serious drawback of plastic bubble wrap and/or plastic foam peanuts is their effect on our environment. Quite simply, these plastic packaging materials are not biodegradable and thus they cannot avoid further multiplying our planet's already critical waste disposal problems. The non-biodegradability of these packaging materials has become increasingly important in light of many industries adopting more progressive policies in terms of environmental responsibility.
-
The foregoing and other disadvantages of conventional plastic packaging materials have made paper protective packaging material a very popular alternative. Paper is biodegradable, recyclable and renewable; making it an environmentally responsible choice for conscientious companies.
-
While paper in sheet form could possibly be used as a protective packaging material, it is usually preferable to convert the sheets of paper into a relatively low density pad-like cushioning dunnage product. This conversion may be accomplished by a cushioning conversion machine, such as that disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Patent No. 5,123,889. The therein disclosed cushioning conversion machine converts sheet-like stock material, such as paper in multi-ply form, into relatively low density pads. Specifically, the machine converts this stock material into a continuous unconnected strip having lateral pillow-like portions separated by a thin central band. This strip is coined along its central band to form a coined strip which is cut into sections, or pads, of a desired length. The stock material preferably consists of three superimposed webs or layers of biodegradable, recyclable and reusable thirty-pound Kraft paper rolled onto a hollow cylindrical tube. A thirty-inch wide roll of this paper, which is approximately 450 feet long, will weigh about 35 pounds and will provide cushioning equal to approximately four fifteen cubic foot bags of plastic foam peanuts while at the same time requiring less than one-thirtieth the storage space.
-
The cushioning conversion machine disclosed in the above-identified US patent includes a stock supply assembly, a forming assembly, a feed gear assembly, a cutting assembly, and a post-cutting constraining assembly. The cushioning conversion machine further includes electrical circuitry which electrically controls the feed gear assembly and the cutting assembly.
-
The present invention provides a cushioning conversion machine that employs a novel forming assembly that is simpler and less expensive than presently known triangular shape wire formers. The new forming assembly enables easier threading of the stock material through the former of the machine.
-
According to one aspect of the invention, a cushioning conversion machine which converts stock material into a cushioning product comprises a feed assembly which feeds the stock material through the machine, and a former assembly which forms the stock material into a strip of cushioning. The forming assembly includes a chute and a roller device upstream of the chute. The roller device has axially outer edges laterally offset from a centerline of the path of stock material through the machine and positioned relative to said chute and an entry path for stock material to initiate folding of opposite side portions of the stock material prior to entering said chute.
-
In a preferred embodiment, the roller device includes a pair of laterally spaced apart rollers respectively forming the laterally offset outer edges of the roller device. The rollers cooperate with converging side walls of the chute to cause inward rolling of the lateral sides of the stock material to form a strip of cushioning. The feed assembly, located downstream of the chute, operates to connect the strip of cushioning along a central band intermediate pillow-like portions, whereby a strip of cushioning product is formed. Preferably, there also is provided a cutting assembly which cuts the strip into cut sections.
-
There now follows a description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, by way of example, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:
-
Fig. 1 is a top view of a cushioning conversion machine according to the present invention, the machine including an automatic loading assembly.
-
Fig. 2 is a side view of the machine shown in Fig. 1 showing the components of the loading assembly.
-
Referring now to the drawings in detail and initially to Fig. 1, a preferred embodiment of a cushioning conversion machine according to the present invention is designated generally by reference 10. The exemplary machine 10 depicted in Fig. 1 is a cushioning conversion machine which converts a sheet-like stock material, such as one or more layers of recyclable and reusable Kraft paper, into a dunnage product having lateral pillow-like portions separated by a thin central band. The dunnage product is used as an environmentally responsible protective packaging material typically used during shipping.
-
The machine 10 includes a housing, indicated generally at 12, having an upstream end 14 and a downstream end 16. The Kraft paper from which the packaging material is made is supplied from a source (not shown) near the upstream end 14 of the machine. The paper passes through the machine 10, and emerges at the downstream end 16. The housing includes base or bottom wall 18, side walls 20 and a downstream end plate 22 which together form a frame structure. The housing also includes a top cover (not shown) for closing the top of the housing, as in well-known manner. A generally rectangular outlet opening in the end plate 22 allows the converted strip of cushioning product to pass therethrough. The machine 20 further includes a stock supply assembly 24, a forming assembly 26, a feeding/connecting assembly 28 powered by a feed motor 30 through a motion transfer assembly 32, and a cutting assembly 34 powered by a cut motor 36 through a solenoid and clutch arrangement; all of which are mounted to and/or in the housing 12. A post-cutting constraining assembly 40 is located downstream of the cutting assembly 34 and is mounted on a removable closure 42 at the downstream end 16 of the machine 12.
-
In operation of the machine 10, stock supply material is supplied from the stock supply assembly 24 through an opening in the upstream end of the housing to the forming assembly 26. The forming assembly 26 causes an inward rolling of the lateral edges of the sheet-like stock material to form a continuous strip of cushioning having lateral pillow-like portions. Then the material is drawn through the nip of two cooperating and opposed gears of the feeding/connecting assembly 28. The feeding/connecting assembly 28 performs dual functions in the operation of the machine 10. One function is a "feeding" function, the gears pulling the stock material from a source and then through the forming assembly 26. The material is then discharged by the feeding/connecting assembly through the rectangular opening in the end plate 22. The second function performed by the feeding/connecting assembly 28 is a connecting function. Specifically, the feeding/connecting assembly 28 connects the continuous strip by two opposing gears coining and preferably perforating the formed stock material along a central band to form a connected strip. As the connected strip travels downstream from the feeding/connecting assembly 28 through the opening in the end plate 22, it passes through the cutting assembly 34 which cuts the strip into sections of a desired length. These cut sections then travel through the post-cutting constraining assembly 40, which includes a converging portion and rectangular tunnel portion. The coined strip then emerges from the post-cutting constraining assembly where an operator may remove the coined strip from the machine 10. Although the rotating feed elements are referred to as gears, this reference to gears is intended to encompass any other type of paired rotating elements between which the stock material may be engaged for continued passage therebetween.
-
In preparation for operation of the machine, the stock supply assembly 24 is loaded with stock material. The stock supply assembly may include or have associated therewith a stock dispenser such as a stock roll holder 56 (Figure 2) onto which a stock roll can be loaded and then supported for paying off stock material during operation of the machine. As will be appreciated, other forms of stock holders may be used. For example, the stock holder may be a cart onto which a roll of stock material may loaded and then the cart rolled into position at the back of the machine 10 for supplying stock material to the downstream components of the machine. As shown in Figure 2, the stock roll holder is formed by the lower arms of C-shape brackets secured to the rear end of the housing 12. Also, in the illustrated embodiment, the stock material supply includes in known manner a constant feed roller 57 and separators 58a-c, the former providing a constant point of entry for the stock material regardless of the diameter of the stock roll and the latter serving to separate the plies or layers of stock material prior to passage to the forming assembly 26. Reference may be had to U.S. Patent Nos. 4,026,198, 4,650,456, 4,750,896, 5,123,889 and 5,322.477 for further details of the illustrated stock material supply and stock roll holder, as well as for examples of alternative stock material supply arrangements.
-
The leading portion of the stock material coming from the separators may be manually threaded through the forming assembly 26. This threading typically entails folding the leading portion of the stock material in a triangular-like fashion and manually pushing this leading portion through the forming assembly (e.g., a forming frame and a converging chute) so that the "point" of the triangle was positioned between the gears of the feed/connecting assembly.
-
The forming assembly 26 includes a roller device 70 and a chute 72, the latter preferably being of conventional converging type disclosed in the aforesaid patents. The roller device includes one long or, more preferably, two laterally spaced apart rollers 76. The rollers 76 are rotatably supported in clevises 78 secured to a transverse frame member 80 spanning the width of the housing. As shown, the rollers are equally laterally spaced from a centerline through the forming assembly which coincides with the centerline of the stock material path through the machine. The rollers respectively form axially outer edges 82 of the roller device that are laterally offset from a centerline of the path of stock material through the machine and positioned relative to said chute and an entry path for stock material to initiate folding of opposite side portions of the stock material prior to entering said chute. The rollers cooperate with converging side walls 86 of the chute to cause inward rolling of the lateral sides of the stock material to form a strip of cushioning.
-
Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to an exemplary embodiment thereof, it is obvious that equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of the specification. The present invention includes all such equivalent alterations and modifications.
