Packaging a strip of material

摘要

A package of strip material includes a plurality of stacks of the strip side by side where each strip forms a stacked fan folded supply of the strip which is spliced to or arranged so that it can be subsequently spliced to a next adjacent strip for supply of a continuous strip from the package. The side by side stacks are simultaneously built up from the bottom by moving a carriage back and forth below a stationary bottom surface of the stacks with the strips supplied side by side through a slot in the carriage. The stacks are supported side by side as they are built up by rigid side walls of a chute or rectangular container into which the package is to be packaged for transportation. Splice tail portions extend from the strips and are supported or arranged so that they are ready for splicing when the package is completed before transportation. Transfer of the completed stacks is effected simultaneously by a slip sheet arrangement or by moving one of the belts of the carriage as an ejection belt. A method for forming a package of a plurality of side-by-side stacks of continuous strips of material in a rectangular container is also provided. Each strip is folded back and forth about first and second fold lines to form a stack of a plurality of folded overlying strip portions which are arranged side-by-side so that the side edges are aligned. The fold lines are transverse to the strip and arranged at opposite ends of the stack. A splice tail portion extending from a first strip end portion of each stack is spliced to a second strip end portion. The stacks are compressed such that their height is equal to that of the container and the splice tail portions remain loose and uncompressed.