Method of manufacturing air cell dunnage

A method of manufacturing air cell dunnage, comprising the steps of:

• (a) extruding a plastic sheet through a die having a non-uniform opening;
• (b) periodically covering preselected portions of said non-uniform opening as said plastic sheet is extruded therethrough to thereby extrude a plastic film having bubble areas which vary in thickness longitudinally and from side to side;
• (c) drawing said plastic film against a mold surface having a plurality of bubble dies to form a bubble layer;
• and
• (d) joining said bubble layer to a plastic base layer to form air cell dunnage containing a plurality of air cells.

A method of manufacturing air cell dunnage, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a mold having a mold surface including a plurality of hemispherically shaped concave areas and a plurality of flat regions interposed between said concave areas of said mold surface, each of said hemispherically shaped concave areas defining a base and a bottom, and including apertures communicating with a vacuum source;
• (b) placing a plastic film against said hemispherically shaped concave areas and said flat regions of said mold surface;
• (c) selectively applying a vacuum to said apertures in each of said hemispherically shaped concave areas, initially to apertures disposed proximal to the bases of said hemispherically shaped concave areas, and sequentially progressing to apertures disposed proximal to the bottoms of said hemispherically shaped concave areas, to thereby draw said plastic film initially from said bases to said bottoms of said hemispherically shaped concave areas;
• and
• (d) joining said drawn plastic film before it is released from the mold to a plastic base layer to form air cell dunnage containing a plurality of air cells.

A method of manufacturing air cell dunnage, comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing a mold having a mold surface including a plurality of hemispherically shaped concave areas and flat regions interposed between said concave areas of said mold surface, each of said hemispherically shaped concave areas defining a base and a bottom, and including apertures communicating with a vacuum source;
• (b) placing a plastic film against said hemispherically shaped concave areas and said flat mold surface;
• (c) selectively applying vacuum to said apertures in each of said hemispherically shaped concave areas at different suction pressures, with the suction pressures ranging from a maximum suction pressure value at the apertures disposed proximal to the bases of said hemispherically shaped concave areas, to a minimal suction pressure at the apertures disposed proximal to the bottoms of said hemispherically shaped concave areas, to thereby evenly draw said plastic film against said concave areas and flat regions interposed between said concave areas of said mold surface;
• and
• (d) joining said drawn plastic film to a plastic base layer to form air cell dunnage containing a plurality of air cells.