Ranpak Corp.

An automated pouch package-making apparatus includes a dunnage conversion apparatus and an enveloping apparatus. The dunnage conversion apparatus includes a layering device to layer an upper cover sheet material upon a lower cover sheet material with an expanded slit-sheet material therebetween, and a cross pressure applicator to apply a pressure to the layered product to bond via an adhesive a lower surface of the upper cover sheet material to an upper surface of the lower cover sheet material, thereby forming a strip of expanded dunnage. The enveloping apparatus includes a folding device to fold the strip upon itself, at a cross-wise extending crease, such that an upper surface of a first strip portion overlays an upper surface of a second strip portion, and to compress the opposite longitudinal sides of the strip along respective locations of longitudinally extending adhesive to bond the opposite longitudinal sides of the strip.

A conversion assembly for a dunnage conversion machine includes both a downstream pair of rotatable members and an upstream pair of rotatable members upstream of the downstream rotatable members. The downstream rotatable members include a pair of gears, and each gear has a plurality of teeth and is rotatable about a respective axis. The gears are positioned so that the teeth of one gear are sequentially interlaced with the teeth of the other gear as the gears rotate. The upstream rotatable members include a pair of feed wheels, and the gears and the feed wheels define a path for a sheet stock material from between the upstream pair of feed wheels to between the downstream pair of gears. The rate at which the sheet stock material is advanced by the feed wheels is the same as the rate at which the sheet stock material is advanced by the gears.

A cushioning conversion machine converts a sheet stock material into a relatively lower-density cushioning dunnage product. An exemplary sheet stock material includes two sheets that each overlap a common side of another sheet and are connected to respective lateral edges of the other sheet. The conversion machine includes a forming assembly having a former for shaping and randomly crumpling the sheet material, a set of adjustable guide members to guide the crumpled sheet material to a feeding assembly downstream of the forming assembly, and a severing assembly downstream of the feeding assembly that separates discrete lengths of cushioning. The severing assembly includes a window frame passage that guides the crumpled sheet material to an outlet during operation of the feeding assembly and constrains the crumpled sheet stock material during operation of the severing assembly.

A packaging system for end-of-line box processing includes two or more end-of-line box processing stations each configured to perform one or more end-of-line processing operations, an autonomous vehicle, and a controller. The box processing stations include a supply of boxes, a product delivery station where objects to be shipped are placed in a box, and a sensor for detecting characteristics of the box and the objects in the box. The autonomous vehicle is configured to autonomously transport the box from the product delivery station to selected ones of the two or more box processing stations. The controller is in communication with the sensor and the autonomous vehicle, and is configured to selectively direct the autonomous vehicle to transport the box from the product delivery station to other selected ones of the two or more box processing stations, based at least in part on information from the sensor.

A dunnage conversion machine includes a bunching assembly that randomly crumples at least two plies of sheet stock material into modified plies having a relatively thicker three-dimensional shape, and a feeding assembly that advances and connects together longitudinally-extending portions of the modified plies to form a dunnage strip. A diverter minimizes overlap of and encourages separation of lateral edges of the modified plies from one another, and a severing assembly severs distinct dunnage products from the strip. An exemplary resultant dunnage product includes two or more plies of crumpled sheet material interconnected along a longitudinally-extending portion having interconnected overlapped portions of each of the plies and a longitudinally-extending line of connection. Each ply may extend laterally outwardly along randomly crumpled edge portions having a crumpled lateral width greater than a lateral width of the longitudinally-extending portion, the edge portions extending from the line of connection to opposed, laterally-extending free edges.

A dunnage conversion assembly includes a supply of expandable sheet material and a dunnage conversion apparatus configured to expand the expandable sheet material. The apparatus includes a frame, a supply support mounted to the frame to support a supply of sheet material, and first and second expansion members rotatably mounted to the frame downstream of the supply support to receive the sheet material therebetween. At least one of the first expansion member or the second expansion member is rotatably driven. A drive assembly of the apparatus includes a drive member and a motive device that drives rotation of the drive member to dispense the sheet material from the supply. The drive member is movable between an operating position adjacent the supply support and a disengaged position spaced from the supply support. The drive member in the operating position is biased toward the supply support.

A method for wrapping a product for shipment includes advancing a base layer in a downstream direction and placing a product for wrapping on the base layer. After the product is placed on the base layer, an adhesive is deposited onto the base layer at a location adjacent the product. A cover layer is then applied over the top of the product and the base layer. The cover layer is secured to the base layer via the adhesive, and the product is secured to the base layer by the cover layer being secured to the base layer both upstream and downstream of the product. The base layer is then transversely folded over both the cover layer and the product to securely wrap the product for shipment.

A printing system that allows printing directly on surfaces of random-height packages includes features to adjust the height of a printer to accommodate differences in heights of different packages. A macro adjustment of printer height may made of the printer relative to a frame. A conveyer, for example a high-friction belt, moves the package into a printing region between the printer and the belt, where the printer prints information on the package, such as address information and/or other information that might normally be printed on a label. The printer height may be adjusted by a lifter that raises the printer relative to the frame to an individual height suitable for printing on that package. As the package passes through the printing region the printer may be maintained at that individual adjusted height suitable for that particular package.

A lifting device ( 20 ) for lifting and transporting a dunnage conversion machine ( 30 ) to and from an elevated position has a small footprint that allows for better maneuverability in tight spaces difficult for a forklift to access. The lifting device includes a base frame ( 42 ), an upright support ( 44 ) that is fixed relative to the base frame, and an extendable support ( 48 ) that is adjustable between a lower position and a higher position. The lifting device also includes a lifting unit ( 46 ) coupled to the extendable support to raise and lower the extendable support relative to the base frame between the lower position and the higher position. The extendable support is configured to be attached to the dunnage conversion machine by a machine interface bracket ( 60 ).