A pad production (supply) and packaging
system, and method, for automatically producing
dunnage pads and inserting one or more of the produced
dunnage pads into a container for packaging of an article in the container. The invention is characterized by a pad
discharge assembly and / or pad
insertion assembly to provide an automatic pad production and packaging
system, and method, that afford advantages over existing pad production and packaging arrangements. The
discharge assembly, which provides for controlled
discharge of
dunnage pads produced by a pad producing
machine, includes a gating device for effecting passage of the pad out of the holding zone in a direction transverse to the pad length. A controller causes the discharge assembly to release a pad held in the holding zone for passage onto a working surface and preferably a conveyor in synchronous relation to movement of the conveyor for controlled deposition of pads onto the conveyor. The conveyor conveys the pad into a pad
insertion zone in a first direction, and a pusher assembly is operative to push the pad from the pad
insertion zone in a direction transverse to the first direction. The pusher assembly includes a
plunger for engaging and pushing a pad located at the pad insertion zone; and the pad insertion zone includes an opening over which a pad is conveyed by the conveyor, and the
plunger is operable to push the pad through the opening for insertion into a container. A sensor curtain is disposed near the holding zone and / or pad insertion zone to detect the insertion of a
foreign object and provide an output for disabling a severing operation. One or more pad insertion assemblies can be swivelly mounted to a stand to permit relative rotatable movement therebetween from an operating position to a loading / servicing position and vice versa.