Polygonal Dunnage Forming Machine for Void Volume Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dunnage products do not efficiently fill void volumes in shipping containers, leading to potential damage and shifting of items during transport, and they lack sufficient cushioning and packing efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A dunnage conversion machine that converts sheet stock material into a dunnage product with a polygonal, tubular cross-section, featuring a forming assembly that crumples and shapes the material into a tubular form with a ridge for enhanced stiffness and packing efficiency, allowing for improved cushioning and void-fill capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional dunnage products are used to fill void volumes, then shipping containers can be packed, but the dunnage products do not efficiently fill the void volumes leading to potential damage and shifting of items during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The dunnage product is formed into a tubular shape with curved surfaces that can conform to irregular void spaces in shipping containers. The forming assembly creates a tube with rounded cross-sections that efficiently occupy three-dimensional void volumes, unlike flat sheet material that leaves gaps. This curvature enables the dunnage to adapt to various container geometries and provide reliable protection without wasting space.
2Productivity
If sheet stock material is converted into dunnage products with traditional shapes, then dunnage products can be produced, but the yield and volume occupied per unit area of sheet stock material is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transforms two-dimensional sheet stock material into a three-dimensional tubular structure by rolling and forming the edges. This dimensional transformation allows a single sheet to create a volumetric dunnage product that occupies significantly more space. The forming assembly rolls the lateral edges of the sheet toward each other to create a tubular shape, effectively utilizing the entire sheet area to generate maximum volume per unit of input material.
3Strength
If the lateral edges of sheet stock material are rolled towards one another to form a tubular shape, then the dunnage product gains improved cushioning properties, but the lateral edges require additional forming steps to achieve proper juxtaposition
Solution Approach 1:
The forming assembly combines multiple functions into a single integrated structure: it rolls the lateral edges toward each other, guides them into proper alignment, and forms the tubular shape in one continuous operation. The forming assembly includes rollers and guides that work together to simultaneously perform edge rolling, positioning, and shaping, eliminating the need for separate forming steps and reducing overall device complexity while achieving the desired cushioning properties.
Data Source
AI summary
A machine for converting a sheet material into a relatively less dense dunnage product includes a forming assembly and a feeding assembly downstream of the forming assembly. The forming assembly is configured to form the sheet material into a tubular shape with lateral edges of the sheet material adjacent one another. A deflector at a downstream end of the forming assembly is configured to engage the lateral edges of the sheet material and to urge the lateral edges into an interior of the tubular shape. This juxtaposes lateral edge portions of the sheet material adjacent the respective lateral edges. A forming channel at a downstream end of the forming assembly faces the deflector to receive the lateral edge portions and shape them into a tab. Finally, the feeding assembly includes rotating connecting members that engage and connect the overlapping lateral edge portions of the sheet material forming the tab.