Effective circumference-based wrapping

摘要

A wrapping apparatus (1 00) and method utilize an effective circumference- based wrap speed model that dynamically controls the rate at which packaging material (108) is dispensed based on an effective circumference of a load (1 10) during relative rotation established between the load and a packaging material dispenser (1 06). The effective circumference of a load may be indicative of an effective consumption rate of the load, and may referto a dimension or size of a tangent circle (420) that is substantially centered at the center of rotation (408) of the load and substantially tangent to a line substantially extending between a first point (414) proximate to where the packaging material exits the dispenser and a second point (41 8) proximate to where the packaging material engages the load. The effective circumference of the load dynamically changes throughout the relative rotation of the load, and by controlling the dispense rate based at least in part on this dimension, fluctuations in tension in the packaging material may be reduced, often enabling containment force to be increased while reducing the risk of breakage in the packaging material.