Crumpling mechanism for creating dunnage

A method of producing a transversely crumpled dunnage unit, comprising:

• operating a first set of entry-side crumpling members engaged with opposite faces of a stock material at a first entry-engagement location on a first transverse side of a first transverse region of the stock material, to advance the stock material on the first transverse side along a path at an entry rate;
• and
• operating a first set of exit-side crumpling members engaged with the opposite faces of the stock material at a first exit-engagement location downstream of the first set of entry-side crumpling members and on a second transverse side of the first transverse region of the stock material transversely opposite from the first transverse side, such that the first set of entry-side crumpling members and the first set of exit-side crumpling members define a crumpling zone therebetween in the first transverse region, to move the stock material at an exit rate that is slower than the entry rate, thereby retarding the advancing stock material on the second transverse side and causing a shearing within the stock material in the crumpling zone, which shearing creases the stock material in the first transverse region, which creasing forms a first crimped region along the first transverse region that includes interlocked compressed folds,
• wherein the first set of entry-side crumpling members and the first set of exit-side crumpling members are offset laterally to define a space laterally adjacent to the exit-side crumpling members directly downstream along the path from the entry-side crumpling members and to define another space laterally adjacent the entry-side crumpling members directly upstream along the path from the exit-side crumpling members, and
• wherein a size of the space is selected to cause sufficient shearing to increase creasing while preventing tearing of the stock material.