Reefing under stretch

A wrapping machine for wrapping an object with tubular film, the tubular film having an unstretched perimeter length, the wrapping machine comprising:

• multiple gathering fingers each including a contact roller, wherein the gathering fingers are movable laterally outward relative to one another from a gathering configuration to a wrapping configuration, wherein when the gathering fingers are in the gathering configuration, the contact rollers define a gathering perimeter having a gathering perimeter length greater than the unstretched perimeter length of the tubular film, and wherein when the gathering fingers are in the wrapping configuration, the contact rollers define a wrapping perimeter having a wrapping perimeter length greater than the gathering perimeter length;
• multiple gathering rollers, each gathering roller operatively connectable to one of the contact rollers;
• multiple gathering drives, each gathering drive operatively connected to one of the gathering rollers to drive that gathering roller, and
• a controller configured to:
• when the gathering fingers are in the gathering configuration, control the gathering drives to drive the gathering rollers to gather the tubular film onto the gathering fingers;
• after the tubular film is gathered onto the gathering fingers, control the gathering fingers to move to the wrapping configuration;
• and
• after the gathering fingers have reached the wrapping configuration, control the gathering drives to drive the gathering rollers to discharge the tubular film from the gathering fingers and onto the object.