Packaging a strip of material

A package of a continuous strip of material includes a plurality of parallel side by side stacks each containing a length of the strip which is folded back and forth such that each folded portion of the stack is folded relative to the next portion about a line transverse to the strip and such that the side edges of the strip portions are aligned. The stacks are formed in a stepped fashion, with a series of separate layers being laid down for each stack. The package can be compressed to reduce the height of the stacks and maintained in the compressed condition by an evacuated sealed bag.

This invention relates to a method for packaging a strip of material using 
a technique known as "festooning" in which the strip is conventionally 
guided into a receptacle such as a cardboard box while a first 
reciprocating movement causes lengths of the strip to be laid across the 
receptacle and a second reciprocating movement causes the positions of the 
lengths to be traversed relative to the receptacle transversely to the 
lengths. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The technique of festooning has been available for many years and is used 
in packaging many different types of material but particularly material of 
a fibrous nature such as fabric, non-woven strips and the like. Normally 
the receptacle comprises a rigid rectangular container at least partly of 
cardboard having a base and four upstanding sides. 
The purpose of the festooning method is for packaging the strip for 
transportation from a converter or manufacturer of the strip to a user of 
the strip. Some users prefer the festooned package relative to a wound 
package of this type of material since both the leading end and the tail 
end of the package are available at the top of the package so that a 
series of the packages can be connected lead to tail to act as an extended 
supply. In addition since the material is simply laid into the package, 
there is less problem with tension control in the material as it is 
withdrawn from the package, in comparison with wound packages where 
tension control of large packages can be a problem due to the inertia of 
the package thus requiring a driven unwind stand as well as material 
handling equipment for moving the large rolls. There is therefore no need 
when festooned packages are used for a complex unwind stand which takes up 
more space than may be available and involves significant cost for the 
unwind stand and for the services to power the unwind stand. 
Festooned packages are formed in a stiff container or box to properly 
enclose and contain the material and within which the material is stored 
during transportation for maintaining the material against compression and 
distortion due to the transfer of loads from surrounding packages. The 
cardboard container thus provides support for other similar containers in 
stacked condition and prevents the transfer of loads from the stacked 
packages from causing compression of packages at the bottom of a stack. 
The cardboard containers and the package structures used in the 
conventional arrangement however have a number of problems. 
Firstly the container must be either recycled with the necessity of 
shipping the cardboard containers in the return direction to the supplier 
from the end user or they must be discarded, both at considerable expense. 
Secondly the cardboard containers simply receive the material without 
significant compression so that there is wastage of space within the 
container due to the packaging of air with the material. In addition the 
conventional package structure does not minimize the amount of air spaces 
formed in the structure. The transportation costs of the material 
therefore are significantly increased by the large volume of the material 
which provides a density which is significantly below the optimum for most 
efficient transport. 
Thirdly the presence of the essential box during formation of the structure 
provides a restriction to the proper control of the strip as it is laid 
down since the sides of the box provide limitations to the position and 
movement of the guide member controlling the strip. 
Fourthly it has been noted that the sides of the box which are parallel to 
the strips as they are laid down do not closely confine the sides of the 
package structure with the significant danger that the strips can fall 
down between the edge of the package and the box side. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is one object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an 
improved method of packaging a strip of material for transportation in 
which the stability of the package can be improved and in which the 
transportation of returned containers can be avoided. 
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of 
packaging a strip of material comprising: 
forwarding a strip of material from a supply thereof in a direction 
longitudinal of the strip; 
providing a generally horizontal support surface onto which the strip is 
laid for receiving and packaging the strip; 
providing a discharge guide member engaging and guiding the strip for 
discharge onto the support surface; 
causing a first relative reciprocating movement between the guide member 
and the support surface in a first direction across the support surface so 
as to repeatedly lay lengths of the strip across the support surface from 
a first edge of the support surface to a second opposed edge of the 
support surface and back from the second edge to the first edge; 
causing a second relative reciprocating movement between the guide member 
and the support surface in a second direction generally transverse to the 
first direction such that the laid lengths of the strip traverse back and 
forth across the support surface from a third edge of the base to a fourth 
opposed edge of the support surface; 
thereby building a festooned package of the strip on the support surface; 
wherein the second relative movement is arranged so as to be intermittent 
including a series of stationary positions so as to define a plurality of 
separate positions of the strip between the third and fourth edges, at 
which positions a plurality of lengths of the strip are laid directly each 
on top of an underlying length to form a step of stacked lengths and in 
between the positions the strip is traversed by said second relative 
movement from one position to a next adjacent position. 
Preferably the positions are arranged substantially side by side such that 
the edges of the step of stacked lengths at one position lie substantially 
in contact with the edges of the step of stacked lengths at the next 
adjacent position. 
Preferably the method includes wrapping the festooned package in a flexible 
packaging material such that the flexible packaging material applies 
pressure to the festooned package. 
Preferably the method includes providing a packaging enclosure enclosing 
the festooned package formed from the flexible packaging material; causing 
compression of the festooned package and extraction of air therefrom such 
that a top surface thereof moves downwardly toward the support surface and 
closing the packaging enclosure within which the festooned package is in a 
compressed condition for transportation. Preferably the packaging 
enclosure is sealed to maintain a vacuum. 
Preferably the compression of the festooned package is effected by sealing 
the packaging enclosure, physically compressing the top of the package and 
extracting air from the packaging enclosure. 
Preferably the festooned package is free from confining side walls at end 
steps of the package as it is being formed. 
Preferably the support surface comprises a pallet and the festooned package 
is wrapped onto the pallet by a flexible wrapping material. 
Preferably the package is maintained stationary during formation and the 
first and second relative movements are effected by movement of the guide 
member. 
Preferably the method includes providing at least one generally horizontal 
support member in the package on top of a plurality of steps at each end 
step of the package so as to form a horizontal support surface for further 
steps on each end step.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts 
in the different figures. 
DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
A strip of a material is indicated at 10 for packaging in a festooning 
system generally indicated at 11. The strip 10 is slit from a web 12 of 
the material using slitter knives 13 carried on a slitter bar 14. The 
supply system is shown only schematically since it is well known to one 
skilled in the art and only one festoon packaging system is indicated 
although of course the strips slit from the web would all be wound in 
similar packaging systems (not shown). 
The strip 10 is forwarded on a feed roller 15 to a guide system 16 having a 
fixed point 17 over which the strip passes. A guide member 18 is pivotally 
mounted at the fixed point 17 and actuated to pivot back and forth by an 
actuating mechanism generally indicated at 19 and shown only schematically 
since this again is well known to one skilled in the art. Two positions of 
the guide mechanism 18 are indicated in full line and in dotted line at 
18A, The pivotal movement takes place about an axis which lies transverse 
to the strip so that the tension in the strip is not altered by the back 
and forth movement of the guide mechanism 16. 
The structure of the guide mechanism 16 can be selected in accordance with 
requirements and can be a tubular member through which the strip passes 
having dimensions so as to receive the strip in sliding movement through 
the tubular member. Alternatively the guide mechanism may include a 
support plate and guide rollers at the lower end of the plate which rotate 
to feed the strip forwardly at a rate similar to the feed rate from the 
roller 15 and to lay the strip onto the package. 
The guide mechanism 18 thus defines a discharge member 20 which confines 
and guides the strip so that it follows the movement of the guide member 
18. 
Thus the discharge member 20 moves in a first reciprocating action in a 
direction 22 longitudinal to the strip between extreme positions. This 
reciprocating movement 22 causes the strip to be laid in lengths folded 
back and forth on top of one another with the ends of the lengths defined 
by the extreme positions. The strip is compressed at the ends of the 
stroke by a tamper or other device such as a roller which forms a crease 
in the strip. 
The packaging system further includes a second traversing system generally 
indicated at 21 which causes movement in a direction of the arrow 24 in a 
direction generally at right angles to the first movement 22. 
The movement 24 thus causes the lengths to traverse so that instead of 
being laid directly on top of one another, there is an additional movement 
at right angles to the lengths. 
The packaging system further includes a horizontal support 23 defined by a 
vertically movable pad 23A carried on actuators 23B and carrying a pallet 
23C. The actuators move an upper horizontal support surface 23D of the 
pallet vertically downwardly as indicated at 23E as the package is built 
so that the discharge member sweeps across the top surface of the package 
as close as possible to the package at all times through the build of the 
package. 
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the movement 24 effected by the actuator 21 is 
intermittent so as to form a series of stationary positions 25, 26, 27, 
28, 29, 30, 31 and 32. At these positions the traversing movement 24 is 
held stationary for a period of time during which the lengths are laid 
directly each on top of the previous layer to form a stack of the lengths. 
Thus a first stack of the lengths indicated at 25A is formed at the 
position 25. Similarly further stacks 26A through 32A are formed at the 
positions 26 through 32. When each stack is completed, the movement 24 is 
restarted by the actuator 21 so as to traverse the strip in a diagonal 
direction as indicated at 33 so that the strip moves from the top of the 
stack 25A to the bottom of the stack 26A. When the traverse is moved to 
the position 26, the stack 26A is formed on top of the traversed portion 
of the strip. 
This process is repeated to form the stacks 26A through 32A following which 
the traverse movement is reversed so as to form stacks 32B and 32C. As 
shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the traverse movement 24 has been reversed after 
formation of the stack 32A to form the stack 32B which is positioned 
directly on top of the stack 32A. After this movement is complete, a 
further traverse movement 34 is effected moving the strip on top of the 
stack 31A so as to form the partially formed stack 318 as shown. 
As indicated, the stacks of the lengths are arranged substantially 
immediately adjacent one another with only sufficient spacing to allow the 
traverse to occur and to continue to lay down the lengths in an orderly 
manner. In each stack the lengths lie directly each on top of the next so 
that the edges are aligned. In this way the edges of one stack lie 
substantially immediately adjacent or in contact with the edges of the 
next adjacent stack. 
The process is continued through a further series of stacks up to a top row 
of stacks indicated at 25X through 32X. At this point, the package is 
completed to a predetermined required height and the formation of the 
package is terminated. The completed package can then be removed from the 
packaging system and packaging further carried out on a next package with 
the process being repeated. 
Therefore, the package is formed from the series of stacked positions 25 
through 32 with the stacks at those positions being in immediately 
adjacent or contacting relationship with the interconnecting traversed 
portions throughout the stacks as will be apparent from the previously 
described process. 
The package is formed on the horizontal support surface without any support 
container. Thus the edges 46 and 47 of the base or support surface 23D lie 
parallel to the first movement 22. The edges 48 and 49 of the base lie 
parallel to the movement 24. Thus the package formed is rectangular with 
vertical sides. 
The pallet 23C carries a packaging container 50 of a flexible plastics 
packaging material which is shaped with a base and upstanding sides 52 
which can be folded at right angles to the base. The container is formed 
from a flexible heat sealable plastics material with upper edges 53 which 
can be pulled upwardly to a position exposed beyond the top of the 
container 40. 
The plastics container 50 is then closed by folding in the exposed edges 53 
and the edges 53 are engaged into a vacuum extraction system generally 
indicated at 60 which includes a heat sealing member and a vacuum duct so 
as to extract air from the packaged material and to draw the top 53 
downwardly onto the top of the package material thus acting to compress 
the packaged material. A physical compression of the top of the package 
can also be effected to assist the extraction of air. 
Some materials can be compressed to the maximum extent physically possible 
to minimize transportation and storage dimensions. 
Other materials, particularly those of a fibrous nature having a 
predetermined loft or height in an initial rest position, have a 
predetermined requirement for loft or height for processing in the next 
operation. In this case, the amount of compression is effected to a 
predetermined amount which is determined so that the material when 
withdrawn from the package achieves the pre required loft or height of the 
material for further processing. It will be appreciated that excessive 
compression of the material for an extended period of time after packaging 
can compress the fibrous material to a degree which is unacceptable for 
the further processing. Therefore the amount of compression is carefully 
predetermined so that it allows the material to produce the pre-required 
height or loft. 
The vacuum packaging system 60, after compression by vacuum extraction and 
possibly mechanical compression to the required height completes a seal of 
the plastics material thus fully enclosing and sealing the packaged strip 
within the container 50. In this condition the packaged container 50 with 
the material contained and compressed therein can be withdrawn from the 
support pad 23A for transportation. Normally the pallet 23C is attached to 
the package for transportation and this can be effected by attaching the 
plastics bag 50 to the pallet before forming the package or by shrink 
wrapping the package and pallet with a wrapping 65 after the package is 
complete and the container 50 sealed. 
In FIG. 5 there is shown a cross-section of a part only of the package. The 
number of layers in each step portion can be a minimum of one layer in 
each intermediate step 26 to 31 and a minimum of two layers in each end 
step 25 and 32. The maximum number of layers depends upon the width and 
thickness of the material in that the step portion cannot be so high that 
the traverse portion joining each step to the next cannot pass between the 
steps without distortion or twisting. In most cases each intermediate step 
portion will include a number of layers of the order of 2 to 10 and each 
end step will include approximately twice that number. The length of the 
strip which is included in each traverse portion will normally be one 
length of the material from one edge to the opposite edge, but a reduced 
traverse speed can be used to take more than one length to effect traverse 
if the material will accommodate this. The traverse thus starts as the 
strip is reversed at one edge and ends at the other edge of the package. 
It will be noted that the side of the package at the left side of the step 
25 and similarly at the right edge of step 32 is completely unsupported by 
a side support element such as a box side. In addition, the ends of the 
steps are unsupported. In this way the wand or guide 18 is unencumbered by 
side walls and is free to move in any direction above the top surface of 
the package as it is being formed. Other movements than the pendulum 
motion of the wand as shown can therefore be used for more accurate 
control of the laydown of the strip, including the use of guide rollers 
for acting as lay-on rollers contacting the top of the step being formed. 
It will also be noted that the edges at the steps 25 and 32 have a tendency 
to form inclined layers, as indicated at IL in FIG. 5, due to the traverse 
portions 33 entering and leaving those steps from only one side. If this 
becomes excessive during formation of a package, a stiff leveling plate 
can be placed in the package structure as indicated at 80 to define a 
further horizontal surface for restarting the layers in a horizontal 
orientation. The plate 80 can have a filler element which is triangular to 
fill the inclined space so as to reduce the rigidity required. 
In another arrangement not shown, the steps can be formed only at the end 
positions 25 and 32 and the strip traversed in conventional manner across 
the area therebetween. 
The arrangement described above, therefore, provides a technique for 
enhanced transportation of a festooned package in that the package is 
contained within a heat sealed plastics material which does not need to be 
recycled. Furthermore the package is of reduced dimensions so that its 
density is increased for improved efficiency and transportation. Yet 
further the package remains in a predetermined condition and dimensions to 
avoid distortion or further compression of the material while avoiding the 
use of stiff support containers which must be recycled and using only 
inexpensive wrapping material and pallets which can be discarded or the 
pallets re-used. 
Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above 
described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made 
within the spirit and scope of the claims without departing from such 
spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the 
accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and 
not in a limiting sense.