Carrier for Fan-Folded Sheet Material Splicing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dunnage conversion machines face issues with severe jamming and adhesive failure when attempting to splice multiple pages together, leading to inefficient use of stock material and increased risk of damage during transport and conversion.
Innovation Solution
A carrier system with removable protective extensions for fan-folded sheet material, featuring a central portion and longitudinally-spaced extensions joined along a weakened tear line, allows for secure splicing by separating the extensions and using bale ties and adhesive to bond pages together, preventing inward folding and jamming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the bottom layer of the stack is inwardly folded under the stack during transport, then the stack is protected from damage, but multiple pages are secured together and pulled as a unit into the dunnage conversion machine, resulting in severe jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is divided into a central portion and separable extensions. The extensions can be removed from the central portion along a tear line, allowing the carrier to be segmented into functional parts: the central portion remains to provide structural support, while the extensions are removed to prevent page securing and jamming during conversion.
Solution Approach 2:
The extensions are extracted from the carrier before the stack enters the conversion machine. This extraction removes the harmful function of the extensions (which cause multiple pages to be secured together) while retaining the beneficial function of the central portion (which provides structural support and protection during transport).
2Ease of operation
If the carrier and strapping are both removed, then the bundle can be handled more easily, but the likelihood that the bundle will unfold like a released spring greatly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier is segmented into a central portion and extensions. The central portion is retained after removing the extensions, providing continued structural support to prevent the bundle from unfolding. This segmentation allows selective removal of only the problematic extensions while maintaining the stabilizing function of the central portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The central portion acts as an intermediary structure that maintains the bundle's structural integrity after the extensions are removed. It serves as a temporary support that prevents the bundle from unfolding like a spring, while still allowing easy handling by the operator.
3Manufacturing precision
If adhesive is applied to splice pages together, then proper splicing is achieved, but adhesive failure occurs when multiple pages are secured together
Solution Approach 1:
The extensions are extracted from the carrier before splicing occurs. This extraction ensures that only the necessary pages remain secured together during the splicing process, preventing adhesive from bonding multiple pages together and failing. The central portion remains to provide structural support during the splicing operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of loading a stack of sheet stock material for use by a dunnage conversion machine, includes the following steps: (i) providing first and second stacks, the second stack being protected by a carrier having a central portion and longitudinally-spaced extensions that bound a central portion, the extensions and the central portion being joined along a weakened area defining a tear line, the central portion and the longitudinally-spaced extensions forming a planar bottom panel and a planar side panel, each panel extending substantially the length of the stack, and at a right angle to each other about a fold line over a bottom and an adjacent side of the stack, and one or more bale ties longitudinally inwardly of the tear lines holding the carrier to the stack; (ii) removing the extensions from the carrier; (iii) setting the second stack on top of the first stack; and (iv) removing the bale ties and the carrier, whereby an adhesive bonds the top page of the first stack to the bottom page of the second stack.