Center-fed dunnage system feed and cutter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9840056-B2
Application number	US-201113336824-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2011
Priority date	Dec 23, 2010
Publication date	Dec 12, 2017
Grant date	Dec 12, 2017

Abstract

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dunnage system, comprising:
a converting station comprising:
a converter configured for pulling in a stream of sheet material and converting the material into dunnage; and
an inlet guide that defines a throat that channels the sheet material to the converter and that has a throat axis, the inlet guide having an inlet surface that is spiraled about a length of the throat axis.

2. The dunnage system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet guide has first and second ends, and wherein the first end is substantially straight and the second end is substantially straight defining a perceived angle of intersection viewed along an axial direction.

3. The dunnage system of claim 2 , wherein the perceived angle is between approximately 75° and 105°.

4. The dunnage system of claim 1 , wherein first and second ends of the inlet surface define a gap therebetween configured for relieving stress on the pulled stream of sheet material.

5. The dunnage system of claim 4 , further comprising a supply station configured for receiving a supply roll of the sheet material, wherein:
the converter is configured for drawing the sheet material in a first direction;
the inlet guide is disposed between the converter and the supply station such that the stream exits the supply station in a second direction at an angle to the first direction, the inlet guide being configured for redirecting the stream from the second direction to the first direction, defining a bend location between the first and second directions; and
the gap is disposed on a portion of the inlet guide sufficiently near the bend location for relieving stress in the sheet material.

6. The dunnage system of claim 5 , wherein the gap is disposed laterally of the bend location relative to both the first and second directions.

7. The dunnage system of claim 6 , wherein:
the first direction is mostly horizontal;
the second direction is mostly vertical; and
the gap is disposed on a lower lateral side of the inlet guide.

8. The dunnage system of claim 5 , wherein:
the supply station is configured for holding the supply roll of the sheet material; and
the inlet guide is configured for guiding the sheet material fed therethrough as a coil to the converter.

9. The dunnage system of claim 5 , wherein the inlet surface is curved into a throat of the inlet guide, from a portion of the surface radially outside the inlet guide to a portion of the surface radially inside the inlet guide, for guiding the sheet material into the throat and preventing or reducing catching on the material.

10. The dunnage system of claim 1 , wherein first and second ends of the inlet surface are discontinuous with each other, with one of the ends being disposed closer to the converter.

11. The dunnage system of claim 1 , wherein the inlet surface faces upstream and is at the upstream edge of the inlet guide.

12. The dunnage system of claim 1 , wherein the throat axis extends in an axial direction through the inlet guide, and the inlet surface is spiraled along the throat axis in the axial direction.

13. A method of converting dunnage, comprising:
pulling a stream of sheet material through an inlet guide that defines a throat that channels the sheet material to a converter and that has a throat axis, the inlet guide having an inlet surface that is spiraled about a length of the throat axis; and
converting the material into dunnage in the converter.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the throat axis extends in an axial direction through the inlet guide, and the inlet surface is spiraled along the throat axis in the axial direction.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the pulling the stream of sheet material comprises pulling a coiled stream of sheet material, which is supplied as a roll of sheet material.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the sheet material is supplied as a stack of sheet material.

17. A dunnage system, comprising:
a converter configured for receiving a stream of sheet material and converting the material into dunnage, wherein the converter includes a pressing member having an engaged position biased against a drum for engaging and crushing the sheet material passing therebetween against the drum to convert the sheet material, the pressing member having a released position displaced from the drum to release jams, the converting station further comprising a magnetic position control system configured for magnetically holding the pressing member in each of the engaged and released positions.

18. A dunnage system, comprising:
a converting station comprising:
a converter configured for pulling in a stream of sheet material and converting the material into dunnage; and
an inlet guide that has a throat axis, the inlet guide having an inlet surface that is spiraled about a length of the throat axis, the inlet surface configured to channel the sheet material into the converter.

19. The dunnage system of claim 18 , wherein the throat axis extends in an axial direction through the inlet guide, and the inlet surface is spiraled along the throat axis in the axial direction.

20. A dunnage system, comprising:
a converting station comprising:
a converter configured for pulling in a stream of sheet material and converting the material into dunnage; and
an inlet guide configured to channel the sheet material to the converter, wherein:
the inlet guide defines a throat that directs the sheet material to the converter and that has a throat axis, and
the inlet guide has an inlet surface that is spiraled about a length of the throat axis so that a second portion of the upstream edge is coiled to a location downstream of a first portion of the upstream edge.

21. The dunnage system of claim 20 , wherein the inlet guide has an axial direction through the inlet guide, and the first and second portions of the upstream edge are overlapping and spaced in the axial direction.

22. The dunnage system of claim 20 , wherein a second end of the inlet surface is a free end, and a first end of the inlet surface is connected to a support portion in supportive association with the converting station.

23. The dunnage system of claim 20 , wherein the converter includes a rotating drum configured for pulling and crushing the stream for converting the sheet material, and guide flanges on opposite lateral sides of the drum for guiding the sheet material onto the drum from the inlet guide, the throat having an interior diameter that is between ¾ and 2 times the width of the drum.

24. The dunnage system of claim 20 , wherein the converter includes:
a rotating drum configured for pulling and crushing the stream for converting the sheet material, and
a drum guide having a radially outer edge and extending thereto from adjacent a lateral edge of the drum and being oriented for guiding the sheet material onto the drum from the inlet guide.

25. The dunnage system of claim 24 , wherein the lateral position of the drum guide is outside a respective inner lateral surface of the inlet guide.

26. The dunnage system of claim 20 , wherein the converter includes a rotating drum configured for pulling and crushing the stream for converting the sheet material, and a guide flange disposed adjacent a lateral edge of the drum, the guide flange being free to rotate relative to the drum to prevent pulling a foreign object onto the drum and through the converter.

27. The dun

Assignees

• Wetsch Thomas D
• Tegel Robert
• Pregis Innovative Packaging Llc

Inventors

• Wetsch Thomas D
• Tegel Robert

Classifications

• B31D2205/0058

  Cutting; Individualising the final products · CPC title

• B65H35/008

  Arrangements or adaptations of cutting devices · CPC title

• B65H20/26

  Mechanisms for advancing webs to or from the inside of web rolls · CPC title

• B65H2801/63

  Dunnage conversion · CPC title

• B31D2205/0047

  Feeding, guiding or shaping the material · CPC title