Lantech, Inc.

John Fain

Patrick R Lancaster, Iii

William G Lancaster

Curtis W Martin

Phil Moore

Stuart Martin

Yoram Gordon

Kenneth J McDowell, Jr

Jim Lancaster

William F Davis

Ruth Lerner

Bill Bird

An apparatus for stretch wrapping a load with stretch wrap packaging material includes a dispenser for dispensing a sheet of stretch wrap packaging material and a turntable assembly for supporting and rotating a load about a generally vertical axis to wrap the sheet of stretch wrap packaging material around the load. The turntable assembly includes a generally horizontal support surface for supporting the load and a horizontally displaceable barrier mounted along at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the support surface a position normally spaced a greater distance from the vertical axis than the peripheral edge along which the displaceable barrier is mounted.

Wrapping apparatus with barrier

Stretch wrapping packaging material on a load includes introducing such wrapped packaging material onto tips of projecting portions of the first grooved rollers so that the packaging material spans the nonprojecting portions of the first grooved roller. The web of the packaging material on the first grooved roller are transported in the direction generally parallel to the grooves by powering the first grooved roller. The web of the packaging material spanning the nonprojecting portions of the first grooved roller is impinged by the tips of the projecting portions of an idling second grooved roller to stretch the sheet between the projecting portions of the first and second grooved rollers in a direction transverse to the direction in which the sheet is transported. The web is preferably separated from second grooved surface either before or simultaneous with its separation from the first grooved roller.

Biaxial stretch wrapping

A stretch wrapping machine includes a web dispenser and a rotatable support for providing relative rotation between the web dispenser and load to wrap a web of packaging material around the load. Cooperating engagement members are selectively and positively engageable with each other throughout the rotation of the rotatable support for stopping the rotation of the rotatable support when the engagement members are positively engaged and for permitting rotation of the rotatable support when the engagement members are disengaged. One of the engagement members is mounted on a rotatable support and the other is mounted on a fixed support. An actuator selectively engages engagement members. One engagement member preferably includes at least two stop units spaced at a distance less than the distance between the engageable formations of the other engagement member. A shock absorber is connected to one of the engagement members for decelerating the rotatable support when stopping the rotation of the rotatable support when the engagement members are engaged.

Stretch wrapping emergency stop

A stretch wrap packaging machine includes a support frame and a rotatable frame rotatably mounted on the support frame. A dispenser is mounted on the rotatable frame to follow an orbital path. The dispenser has a web tensioning system which is selectably operable in a plurality of states. At least one actuation ring is moveably mounted on the support frame for cooperation with the tensioning system and selectively rendering the tensioning system operable in each of the plurality of states of operation throughout the orbital path. An activator moves the actuation ring to cooperate with the tensioning system. The tensioning system may include prestretch rollers connected by an engageable clutch. The tensioning system may also include at least one power assisted roller which is connected by a clutch to a power source.

Stretch wrapping with tension control

Stretch wrapping packaging material on a load includes introducing stretch wrap packaging material onto V shaped tips of projecting portions of a first grooved roller so that the packaging material spans the nonprojecting portions of the first grooved roller. The web of packaging material and the first grooved roller are transported in the direction generally parallel to the grooves. The web of packaging material spanning the nonprojecting portions of the first grooved roller is impinged with V shaped tips of projecting portions of a second grooved roller. The tips of the projecting portions of the second grooved roller are transported at a speed which is less than the speed of the tips of the projecting portions of the first grooved roller. The tips of the projecting portions of the second grooved roller moves at a speed which stretches the web between the first and second grooved surfaces in a direction transverse to the direction in which it is transported and minimizes any stretching of the web in the direction in which the web is transported. The web is stretched between the projecting portions of the first and second grooved rollers in a direction transverse to the direction in which the web is transported. The web is separated from the first and second grooved surfaces and wrapped onto a load by providing relative rotation between the load and a dispensing mechanism for the web.

A method and apparatus is provided for severing packaging material which extends between successive wrapped loads during a continuous packaging process. A conveyor assembly conveys the wrapped loads along a load path in a conveying direction. The conveyor assembly includes a first conveyor portion having a discharge area and a second conveyor portion having a receiving area downstream and a step down from the discharge area of the first conveyor portion. A severing assembly includes a severing element located above the second conveyor portion for severing the packaging material between loads. A pivoting breakaway mechanism permits the severing element to pivot in the conveying direction. An escapement mechanism, responsive to load sensors, transports the severing element to a position spaced from the load path when the severing element encounters a load.

Method and apparatus for severing packaging material between successive

A method and apparatus for dispensing a top sheet and stretch wrapping includes a dispenser for dispensing a sheet from a roll of sheet material and a trough for receiving, containing and collapsing the dispensed sheet. A circulating bar draws the dispensed sheet from the trough over the top of a load by moving from a starting position to a finishing position above and across the top of the load while another bar returns from the finishing position to the starting position to position the dispensed sheet proximate to a hot wire which severs the sheet from the roll from which it is dispensed. A suspended flexible strip rests on top of the load for holding the sheet in place on top of the load. The trough, circulating bars and depending flexible strip are mounted on a frame which is movable in the vertical direction. A film web dispenser dispenses a web from a roll or sheet material and stretches the web, and a turntable rotates the load relative to the film web dispenser for wrapping the film web on the load and around the edges of the dispensed top sheet.

Top sheet dispenser for a stretch wrapping apparatus

A method and apparatus for testing the properties of stretch film include collapsing a web of stretch film into a rope, anchoring the rope web at two locations and stretching an intermediate portion of the rope web a first distance in a first direction between the locations where it is anchored. The intermediate portion of the stretched roped web is displaced a second distance along a second direction transverse to the first direction and relative to the locations where it is anchored, and the tension force in the stretched roped web is measured when it is displaced the second distance. Alternatively, peripheral portions of a sheet of stretch film are secured and a central portion of the sheet of stretch film is engaged and deformed a third distance in the second direction.

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Louisville, KY, United States of America

John Fain