Abstract: A machine for wrapping generally cylindrical articles, includes a supply reel rotatably mounted in the machine for unreeling a web of sheet material, a conveyor for transporting the articles along a predetermined path, an inclined infeed table for supplying the articles by means of a gravity feed to the conveyor, and an article infeed mechanism disposed adjacent the infeed table for successively feeding the articles to the conveyor. The articles infeed mechanism is movable between a first position in which it stops the feed of the articles fed thereto and a second position in which the articles are allowed to successively move by gravity forward for deposit on the conveyor. A device is provided for successively adhering the leading edge of the sheet material to the articles and a transverse parting wire serves to sever a predetermined portion of the sheet material so that it may be wrapped around the article as it rolls forward toward the conveyor. A method for wrapping cylindrical articles is also disclosed.

Abstract: A machine for wrapping generally cylindrical articles includes a web supply reel, an endless conveyor composed of a multiplicity of spaced-apart rollers for moving the articles along a predetermined path, a device for guiding and feeding the web on to the rollers, a device for feeding articles on to the web at a location at which it has already been guided on to the rollers, and transverse cutters for severing a predetermined portion of the web after an article has been placed thereon. An abutment is mounted along the predetermined path and disposed to tangentially engage the rollers to cause their rotation which, in turn, causes rotation of the articles thereby wrapping a predetermined portion of the web around themselves. The machine also includes an integral heat tunnel and an electronically-controlled drive for accelerating and decelerating the conveyor in timed relation with respect to the movement of the web. A method for wrapping cylindrical articles is also disclosed.