Dunnage conversion machine and method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dunnage conversion machines struggle to produce a wrappable dunnage product that is flexible, cushioned, and environmentally friendly, as traditional materials like cardboard are space-intensive and slow to produce, while plastic bubble wrap is expensive and environmentally detrimental.
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, providing cushioning and flexibility without the need for pleating rollers, and includes a movable output chute to prevent jamming of short products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cardboard is used to make wrappable dunnage products, then the products have good protective properties, but the production speed is slow and the process is complex due to pleating rollers and glue drying requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the pleating rollers and glue application mechanisms from the dunnage conversion machine, eliminating the complex multi-step process required for traditional cardboard dunnage production. This allows for simpler, faster production while maintaining protective properties through alternative means.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention pre-forms the stock material into a configuration that inherently provides protective properties without requiring subsequent pleating or gluing steps. The stock material is fed and converted in a single continuous process that achieves the desired protective structure before the product exits the machine.
2Adaptability or versatility
If plastic bubble wrap is used for wrappable dunnage products, then on-demand production is possible, but the production speed is very slow and material costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the material parameter from plastic to paper-based stock material, and changes the structural parameter from pre-formed bubbles to on-demand crumpled configuration. This allows the machine to produce wrappable dunnage at speeds comparable to traditional paper dunnage while maintaining the on-demand flexibility of plastic bubble wrap.
3Reliability
If conventional dunnage products are used for wrapping, then they provide basic protection, but they are too narrow and stiff to be effectively used as protective wrapping
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a dynamic crumpled configuration in the dunnage product that allows the material to flex and conform to wrapped objects. The crumpled structure provides both stiffness for protection and flexibility for wrapping, as the individual crumples can compress and rearrange during the wrapping process.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds vertical dimensionality to the dunnage product by creating a crumpled three-dimensional structure from flat stock material. This gives the product loft and volume that enable it to wrap around objects effectively, transforming a two-dimensional flat sheet into a three-dimensional wrapping material.
4Device complexity
If the output chute is fixed in position, then the structure is simple, but dunnage products of varying lengths cause jams in the conversion assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention makes the output chute dynamic by allowing it to move between different positions. The chute can be adjusted to accommodate dunnage products of varying lengths, with longer products engaging the chute for guidance and shorter products bypassing it to avoid interference and potential jams.
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.