Expansion Apparatus and Method for Producing Interlocking Expanded Slit Sheet Packaging Material
A paper product comprised of two or more slit material layers, each layer having a pattern design to create interlocking layers of expansion sheet packaging materials. Each layer expands to create a three dimensional open netting of cells of hexagons, and the like, and is designed to have limited nesting with its opposing layer, thereby maximizing the thickness of the combined layers as compared to nested layers. The layers having differing slit patterns that produce when expanded, inclined land areas that having different angles of inclination of the land areas, such that adjacent layers can interlock, that is, have a restricted amount of nesting.
1 . The method of expanding slit sheet material that upon expansion, form two or more layers of interlocking hexagonal cells,
comprising the steps of expanding a slit sheet,
wrapping the expanded slit sheet around a product and forming at least two layers of overlying layers,
said overlying layers forming layers being in direct contact with substantially across the width of the layers, with adjacent layers having differing angles of inclination of the land areas, and adjacent layers having interlocking patterns
wherein expanded layers resist contraction and nesting.
2 . The method of expanding slit sheet material that upon expansion, form two or more layers of interlocking hexagonal cells,
comprising the steps of expanding a first slit sheet material,
expanding a second slit sheet material, said first slit sheet material being in interlocking contact with said second slit sheet material,
wrapping the expanded first slit sheet material and said second slit sheet material around a product and forming at least two layers of overlying layers,
said overlying layers forming layers in direct contact substantially across the width of the layers, with adjacent layers having differing angles of inclination of the land areas, and adjacent layers having interlocking patterns,
wherein expanded layers resist contraction and nesting.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said first slit sheet material is fed to an expansion region from a first roll of slit sheet material and said second slit sheet material is fed to said expansion region from a second roll of slit sheet material.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said first and said second slit sheet material neck down due to the steps of expanding said first slit sheet material and expanding said second slit sheet material.
5 . A method of protecting a object for shipping by wrapping and cushioning said object in an expanded sheet material, said expanded sheet material in expanded form being at least one sheet of extendible sheet material said at least one sheet of extendible sheet material being flexible, non-woven fibrous material, having a plurality of spaced parallel rows of individual slits in a slit pattern extending transversely from one end of the fibrous sheet material to the opposing end of said at least one sheet, each of said rows having interval spaces between consecutive slits, said slits in each row being positioned adjacent the interval space between consecutive slits in the adjacent parallel row of slits, comprising the steps of:
a) expanding a length of at least one sheet of an extendible sheet material by extending the opposing ends of said at least one sheet, to form at least one expanded sheet having an array of openings,
said flexible, non-woven fibrous sheet material and said slit pattern, in combination producing an extendible sheet characterized by
i) forming upon expansion, an array of hexagonal openings, said openings being bound by land areas and leg areas, and being generally similar in shape and size, DELETED in a consistent, uniformly repeating pattern, and opening in generally a continuous non-repeatable pattern extending transversely from one end of the fibrous sheet to the opposing end and also adjacent to the first set of rows non-repeatable traversing from one end to the opposing end of the fibrous sheet material.
ii) said land areas being dually rotatable to an angle of at least about 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees and rotatable to an angle of at least 135 degrees and less than 90 degrees from its unexpanded position in the direction of,
b) wrapping said at least one expanded sheet around an object, and
c) placing the wrapped object in a package.
6 . A method of protecting an object for shipping by wrapping and cushioning said object in a combination of two sheet layer expanded sheet material, said expanded sheet material in expanded form being at least one sheet of extendible sheet material said at least one sheet of extendible sheet material being rotatable to an angle of at least about 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees from its unexpanded position being flexible, non-woven fibrous material, having a plurality of spaced parallel rows of individual slits in a slit pattern extending transversely from one end of the fibrous sheet material to the opposing end of said at least one sheet, each of said rows having interval spaces between consecutive slits, said slits in each row being positioned adjacent the interval space between consecutive slits in the adjacent parallel row of slits, combined with one sheet of extendible sheet material said at least one sheet of extendible sheet material being rotatable to an angle of at least about 135 degrees and less than 90 degrees from its unexpanded position being flexible, non-woven fibrous material, having a plurality of spaced parallel rows of individual slits in a slit pattern extending transversely from one end of the fibrous sheet material to the opposing end of said at least one sheet, each of said rows having interval spaces between consecutive slits, said slits in each row being positioned adjacent the interval space between consecutive slits in the adjacent parallel row of slits comprising the steps of:
a) expanding a length of at least two sheets of an extendible sheet material by extending the opposing ends of said at least one sheet, to form at least a two layer expanded sheet having an array of openings,
said flexible, non-woven fibrous sheet material and said slit pattern, in combination producing an extendible sheet characterized by
i) forming upon expansion, an array of hexagonal openings, said openings being bound by land areas and leg areas, and being generally similar in shape and size, with each layer comprising of a consistent, uniformly repeating pattern with;
ii) the first layer having said land areas being rotatable to an angle of at least about 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees and;
iii) said second layer having said land areas being rotatable to an angle of at least about 135 degrees and greater than 90 degrees.
ii) said land areas being rotatable to an angle of at least about 45 degrees and less than 90 degrees from its unexpanded position,
b) wrapping said two expanded sheets around an object, and
c) placing the wrapped object in a package.