Dunnage system and method using a coil accumulator
AssigneeRanpak Corp.
InventorsNico Lammers, Erwin Methorst, Reinhard L. M. H. Rothkranz
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Abstract
A dunnage production system for producing coiled strips of dunnage includes a supply of strip-like dunnage, a coiler adjacent the supply and rotatable about a coiling axis for coiling a strip of the strip-like dunnage into a coil having a coiled configuration, and a tube aligned with the coiling axis. The tube has an internal diameter sized to receive the coil from the coiler in a discharge direction parallel to the coiling axis. The tube is capable of holding at least one coil in its coiled configuration until it is removed from the tube.
Claims28
A system for producing a coiled strip of dunnage, comprising:
- a supply of strip-like dunnage;
- a coiler adjacent the supply, the coiler including a coiling mechanism configured to engage the strip of dunnage, and the coiling mechanism is rotatable about a coiling axis for coiling a strip of dunnage from the supply into a coiled configuration;
- and
- a tube aligned with the coiling axis having an internal diameter sized to receive coils from the coiler in a discharge direction parallel to the coiling axis, the tube having a length dimension parallel to the coiling axis that is greater than a length of the coiling mechanism parallel to the coiling axis, whereby the tube is capable of receiving and holding at least one coiled strip of dunnage in the coiled configuration.
A method of producing coiled dunnage, comprising the following steps:
- coiling a strip of dunnage about a coiling axis;
- and
- axially displacing the coiled strip of dunnage into a tube to hold the coiled strip of dunnage in a coiled configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.