Knitted netting is applied to products in a machine. A chute receives products
serially through a receiving end, as from a conveyor, and discharges them serially
into netting preferably rucked on the chute. As each product arrives at the product
receiver, voiders operate to form a rope section of the netting behind the product,
at the chute's discharge end. The clipper also clips the netting, to complete the
netting of the product, and clips to create the starting end of the next netted
product. A netting handle former operates to loop the rope section behind the product,
before clipping, to form a looped handle for a product in the rope section of the
netting. The netting that is clipped behind the products is the netting formed
into the loops, and thus, the clips that are put on by the clipper secure the loops
in their size and condition. The product receiver is preferably a discharge tray,
and product guides on the tray straighten the product, to align it for netting,
and also co-operate with the voiders to help tighten the product packaging. The
clipper is also preferably uniquely structured in its clip rails to contribute
to tighter packaging. The chute is gravity driven and includes product ribs or
rails for centering and ease of movement of products. The handle former is an essentially
two-part, mechanically actuated disc and clam shell construction that reaches for
the netting, captures it, and rotates a loop into it, while tightening the packaging,
in co-ordination with the voiders.