Abstract: An all-electric web feeding, cutting and sheet dispensing machine includes a bi-directional cutting knife on a reversible carriage driven by a reversible-rotation knife-drive shaft. The carriage includes a ball-bearing-wheeled linear actuator riding on the knife-drive shaft propelling the carriage along this shaft in cutting strokes in one or the other direction as this shaft is rotated in one or the other sense of rotation for cutting sheets off from a web of resilient packaging material. A combined knife-guard and clamp jaw (guard/clamp) holds the web and protects the moving knife from contact with foreign objects while the knife is traveling during each cutting stroke. At the end of each cutting stroke a cam on the knife carriage lifts the guard/clamp in readiness for feeding another length of web.

Abstract: A web feeding, cutting and dispensing machine includes a pneumatic cylinder for moving a hot wire to cut measured-length sheets from web stock. A pneumatic clamp cylinder moves a clamp bar for momentarily clamping the web during cutting. Upon pressing a start button, a pneumatic control valve sequentially operates the respective cutting and clamping cylinders for quickly retracting the hot wire, while more slowly retracting the clamp. Conversely, after the next measured web length has advanced, this control valve again sequentially operates these two cylinders in reverse order for quickly clamping while slower cutting. This dual control by one valve is advantageously achieved (1) by throttling air flow in retracting the clamp cylinder relative to retracting the cut cylinder, and conversely (2) by throttling air flow in advancing the cut cylinder relative to advancing the clamp cylinder.

Abstract: Packaging of series of relatively small articles between long webs of wide packaging laminates having faces of resilient heat sealable foam. One web is fed foam-face-up across a table, the articles to be packaged placed on it in spaced locations, heated melting shoes applied to web edges to melt the foam surfaces there, and a second web applied foam-face-down over the spaced articles and heat sealed to the lower web at its melted edges. Melting shoes can have their surfaces treated to make them essentially non-wetable by the melted foam. Transverse heat sealing and severings are effected between successive articles. The heat sealings can be set by cold pressings. Web backings can be made relatively non-porous to minimize bleed-through of melted foam. Before sealing, sandwiched articles and be pressed between upper and lower resilient fingers to urge articles to level at which they project up as much as they project down, from plane of web edges.

Abstract: Packaging of series of relatively small articles between long webs of wide packaging laminates having faces of resilient heat sealable foam. One web is fed foam-face-up across a table, the articles to be packaged placed on it in spaced locations, heated melting shoes applied to web edges to melt the foam surfaces there, and a second web applied foam-face-down over the spaced articles and heat sealed to the lower web at its melted edges. Melting shoes can have their surfaces treated to make them essentially non-wettable by the melted foam. Transverse heat sealing and severings are effected between successive articles. The heat sealings can be set by cold pressings. Web backings can be made relatively non-porous to minimize bleed-through of melted foam. Before sealing, sandwiched articles can be pressed between upper and lower resilient fingers to urge articles to level at which they project up as much as they project down, from plane of web edges.

Abstract: A web of foam material is fed to a cutting station by upper and lower rollers drawing the web from a supply roll and along a low-friction table surface. A cutter station has a knife bar and blade, with a clamp bar coupled with the knife bar. The lower draw roller has its axle mounted in a pair of pivoted arms depressible by presser feet on a presser foot bar carried by the knife bar. When a desired length of web has been drawn past the cutter station, actuation of the knife bar lowers the blade toward a grooved anvil, while the presser feet swing the arms down to depress the lower roller away from the web to stop drawing it. Immediately after interrupting drawing action, the web is clamped by the clamp bar, and then immediately thereafter cutting occurs. The table has bridge-like fingers extending downstream through grooves in the movable lower feed roller. These fingers support the web when the lower roller is swung down.

Abstract: Fully automated method and apparatus are provided for labelling containers, including supplying and applying labels. A supply provides a web of preprinted labels which may be pre-perforated for easy separation. This web of labels is fed past a sensing device and an adhesive applicator. A clamp temporarily clamps the web in response to signals from the sensor during separation of the leading label from the web. The leading edge of each label is fed to a label-engaging station with the adhesive-coated surface facing the container to which it is to be applied. Conveyor means continually transport a sequence of individual containers to said station where the respective container contacts the adhesive-coated label end. Immediately, the container begins to be rolled in a labelling channel defined between a continuously revolving belt having a friction surface and an opposed stationary wall for wrapping the label firmly around the container rolling along this channel.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are described for making cushioned shipping packet bags. A pocket within the cushioned bag is defined between two resilient, lightweight, flexible cushioning layers of polypropylene microfoam material which advantageously exhibits a relatively "non-slip" frictional gripping action on the item or items contained within the sealed packet bag. The cushioned bag is produced on a continuous motion machine having capability for adjusting the length and width of the cushioned bags produced. Two packages can be simultaneously produced end-to-end when their combined lengths do not exceed the overall width of the machine. To enable the protective outer kraft paper layers of the bag to be sealed together in spite of the intervening polypropylene material, this material is burned away from between the outer layers during the heat sealing of a polyethylene coating on the inner surfaces of the kraft paper enclosure by heat energy conducted through the kraft paper.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for forming a stack of neatly aligned sheets of microfoam plastic material from a web of microfoam material. The method and apparatus provide for supplying the web of material to a cutting station and transporting an edge of the material a predetermined distance beyond the cutting station, restraining motion of the web and captivating it at a location adjacent to the cutting station, and cutting the web in a transverse direction. The web advancement, restraint and captivation, and cutting are repeated until a predetermined number of sheets of the material have been accumulated in a stack. The stack is then released from captivation and is conveyed from the cutting station.

Abstract: Large diameter long rolls of soft, spongy resilient material, for example, such as "microfoam" padding and packaging material which are to be cut into narrower sub-rolls are positioned in a support frame having means for restricting the rotational movement of the roll in one direction in the frame. A long knife blade and its reciprocating drive are positioned on the frame and with the knife blade being initially tangentially disposed with respect to the periphery of the roll. The reciprocating drive is positioned for reciprocally driving and incrementally advancing the knife blade inward with the knife blade rotating the roll on the push stroke of the blade while cutting and advancing inward along an arc on the pull stroke of the reciprocating drive.

Abstract: Two webs of different widths of microfoam are fed from web rolls by a continuously driven roller and a pinch roller through a heated-wire cutting station. At the cutting station, a single cutting wire extends across the path of both webs; a single set of clamping plates is also provided. The feed of the webs may be alternately interrupted by a clamping device which includes a pivotal clamp support that can be swung in a rocking motion back and forth about its pivot axis. A pair of U-shaped channels located on either side of the support pivot axis extend across the width of both webs and can be swung respectively toward and away from the webs. Removable clamping segments are fitted into a portion of each U-shaped channel to define adjustable length clamping elements which extend across the widths of respective webs for accommodating various sizes of webs. By swinging the clamp support between two positions, the clamping device alternately clamps one or the other web against a fixed clamp bar.

Abstract: A pneumatically operated stapling apparatus and method for driving a staple into a workpiece whenever the workpiece is moved into a stapling position between a staple driver and a backing member. The method and apparatus are particularly suited for stapling difficult to handle workpieces of the type including a panel and a sheet of flexible material to be mounted thereon, and the method and apparatus are able to advantageously use a pneumatic stapling gun of a known type having a staple driving mechanism controlled by a valve plunger positionable either to advance the staple driver toward the backing member, or to retract the staple driver.