Compact apparatus and system for creating and dispensing cushioning dunnage

A system for creating and dispensing material for use as void fill and cushioning dunnage, said system comprising a stand and a compact apparatus which is mounted as a unit on the stand, said compact apparatus including

• a motor and a material feeding arrangement driven by said motor, said material feeding arrangement including cooperating feed rollers having opposed circumferentially continuous cylindrical surfaces for pulling material from a supply of material and feeding the material through said apparatus;
• a plurality of material shaping members upstream of said material feeding arrangement for shaping material to convert the material into a continuous strip of cushioning product as the material is fed through said apparatus;
• and
• at least one of said feed rollers being a rotary cutting die having a plurality of cutting blades on its surface arranged at an acute angle to the roller axis for cutting slits in the material at spaced locations along the length of the material as the material is fed through said apparatus to allow an operator to rip from said apparatus a desired length of cushioning product being dispensed by said apparatus.

A system for creating and dispensing material for use as void fill and cushioning dunnage, said system comprising:

• a compact apparatus capable of being mounted as a unit on a stand, said compact apparatus including
• a motor and a material feeding arrangement driven by said motor for pulling material from a supply of material and feeding the material through said apparatus;
• a plurality of material shaping members upstream of said material feeding arrangement for shaping material to convert the material into a continuous strip of cushioning product as it is fed through said apparatus;
• and
• wherein said material feeding arrangement includes cooperating feed rollers having opposed circumferentially continuous cylindrical surfaces, at least one of said feed rollers being a rotary cutting die having a plurality of cutting blades on its surface arranged at an acute angle to the roller axis for cutting slits in the material at spaced locations along the length of said material as the material is fed through said apparatus to allow an operator to rip from said apparatus a desired length of cushioning product being dispensed by said apparatus;
• and said system further including
• a roll support for rotatably supporting a roll of material from which material to be supplied to said compact apparatus can be unwound.