Dual head straw wrapper

An improved method and apparatus for individually wrapping drinking straws applies a web of wrapping material to sequentially supplied straws while providing separately: (i) a crimping station for the wrapping material which secures it about the straws by providing longitudinal and transverse crimps and (ii) a cutting station for separating the wrapped straws. The discrete locations of the crimping and cutting stations enables faster and more reliable production by separating operations, which reduces the amount of mechanical interaction between dies at a single location, thereby reducing die bounce. Speed increases of 15-20 percent are readily achieved.