Dunnage Conversion Machine Random Crumpling Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dunnage conversion machines struggle to produce wrappable dunnage products on demand that are both flexible and protective, as traditional materials like cardboard are difficult to produce quickly and require drying time, while plastic bubble wrap is slow and environmentally costly.
Innovation Solution
A dunnage conversion machine that converts sheet stock material, such as kraft paper, into a multi-ply dunnage product with randomly crumpled sheets, which provides cushioning and can be produced quickly without pleating rollers, using a feed mechanism and connecting mechanism to crumple and connect sheets at different rates, allowing for immediate use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If cardboard is used to produce wrappable dunnage products, then protective cushioning properties are improved, but production speed deteriorates due to drying time requirements and difficulty in on-demand production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state and structure of paper from flat sheets to randomly crumpled three-dimensional forms. This parameter change creates air pockets and voids within the material structure, providing cushioning properties without requiring drying time or complex pleating rollers, thus maintaining high production speed while achieving protective capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces curvature and three-dimensional random crumpling of paper sheets instead of using flat or regularly pleated structures. This curvature creates void spaces and irregular surfaces that provide cushioning protection, enabling on-demand production without the need for expensive pleating rollers or drying processes
2Strength
If plastic bubble wrap is used to produce wrappable dunnage products, then protective cushioning properties are improved, but production speed deteriorates and environmental impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses inexpensive paper material that can be rapidly converted into protective dunnage products. The process creates single-use protective packaging from disposable paper sheets, eliminating the need for expensive plastic materials and complex bubble wrap manufacturing processes while maintaining production speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms flat paper sheets into three-dimensional crumpled structures through random crumpling, creating air pockets and voids that provide cushioning properties similar to bubble wrap but without the slow production process or environmental concerns associated with plastic materials
3Shape
If regular sinusoidal pleating rollers are used to produce cardboard-like wrapping dunnage, then structural form is improved, but device complexity and cost worsen due to expensive rollers and drying requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces regular symmetric sinusoidal pleating with asymmetric random crumpling patterns. This asymmetry is achieved through simple mechanical feeding and crumpling mechanisms rather than complex precision rollers, reducing device complexity while creating effective three-dimensional protective structures with irregular void spaces
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential protective function from complex pleating rollers and drying systems by using simple random crumpling. The invention removes unnecessary complexity by achieving structural form and cushioning properties through basic mechanical deformation rather than expensive specialized equipment
4Stability of the object's composition
If glue is used to hold cardboard layers together, then structural integrity is improved, but production time worsens due to drying time requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces chemical bonding (glue) with mechanical bonding through random crumpling and interlocking of paper layers. The three-dimensional crumpled structures physically interlock and entangle, providing structural integrity without requiring adhesive materials or drying time, thus eliminating the time loss associated with glue drying
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The machine produces a flexible, protective dunnage product that is thicker and less dense than the stock material, offering effective cushioning and reducing storage space, while eliminating the need for expensive pleating rollers and minimizing environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
The feed mechanism advances at least a first web of sheet stock material therethrough at a first rate. The connecting mechanism retards the advancement of the sheet stock material by passing the sheet stock material therethrough at a second rate that is less than the first rate, thereby causing the first web to randomly crumple
Data Source
AI summary
A dunnage conversion machine (36) converts a sheet stock material into a dunnage product that is relatively thicker and less dense than the stock material, but is relatively thin and sufficiently flexible to function as a protective wrap. The conversion machine includes a feed mechanism (40) that advances a sheet stock material therethrough and a connecting mechanism (42) downstream of the feed mechanism. The connecting mechanism retards the passage of the sheet stock material therethrough by feeding the stock material therethrough at a slower rate than the feed mechanism feeds the stock material to the connecting mechanism. This causes the stock material to randomly crumple in a longitudinal space between the feed mechanism and the connecting mechanism. The connecting mechanism connects multiple overlapping layers of sheet stock material together as they pass therethrough, including connecting at least one crumpled sheet to one side of one other sheet.