'on demand' apparatus and method for producing air-cushioning product

Abstract

There is depicted and claimed 'on demand' apparatus and method for producing air-cushioning material for end-user manufacture. There are two arrangements and both provide economy of apparatus, space, labor and materials. Two thermoplastic film strips are carried from roll storage means to this air-cushioning forming means whereat the webs of film are locally heat-sealed together. A first film is fed to a heated roll whereat this film is heated sufficiently to be thermoformed on a cooled roll with cavities formed therein. These cavities are manifold-connected to a source of vacuum which draws the heated film into the formed cavities. The second strip of film is fed to another heated roll having a resilient covering material with thermoconductive metal powder as a substantial component, thus providing sufficient thermoconductivity and resilience to heat-seal or weld this second film to those areas around the cavities formed in the first film. This resilient surface or cover surface on the heated roll is sufficient to accommodate imperfections on interstice portions of the forming roll to effect full welding of those portions of film between formed cells. A cooled roll is provided to set the seal and/or welds of the strip of air-cushioning product. The product may then be stored in roll form or cut to short lengths for immediate use.