5 Things to Know Before Buying Sleeve Shrink Wrapping Machine

Shrink wrapping is one of today&#;s most common secondary packaging techniques. It is widely used around the world for packaging needs, including maximizing shelf appeal, protection from external factors, bundling, multi-packaging to ease transport and storage, and last but not least, tamper-proofing. This wide array of functionality makes it an excellent option for almost all industries, from food to cosmetics or even boats and construction materials.

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Although the shrink wrapping process is relatively straightforward, many considerations go into choosing the right shrink packaging solution that best meets your needs. So, how do you identify the ideal shrink wrapping machine for your product and production needs? Here are 6 important questions and tips that will give you a head start:

• What is your product, and what is the desired outcome you expect from shrink-wrapping?
• What are the dimensions of your product, and what orientation do you want it to be packaged in?
• What production speed/capacity does your operation require?
• Do you need an inline solution or a hand-feed operation?
• What type of shrink film will you use?
• Do you need any peripheral equipment, such as extra applications or control points in the packaging line &#; such as a labeler, checkweigher, discard arm, etc.?&#;

What is your product and what result do you want to achieve with shrink-wrapping?

What is your product? Is it a frozen pizza, a wheel rim, a cosmetic product, or a book? Do you want it to be shrink-wrapped for display or logistic purposes?

Here are a few common desired results you can expect from shrink wrapping:

Display

The shiny outer packaging is to be noticed among other products while protecting the primary package. The use of printed film also adds the advantage of branding.

Protection

Fully closed shrink wrap protects the product against scratching during transport, water, dust, or any other unwanted external factors.

Tamper-Resistance

For some products, Packaging serves as proof of the first usage by the end-user. An unopened shrink wrap gives end-users the confidence to buy the product.

Grouping or Bundling of Products

Do you want to group multiple products to display or logistics purposes? Is your product heavy and do you need openings on the sides of the package to easily carry by hand? Or you have a promotion and you want to put together two products that will be sold together in the supermarket?

Logistics/Storage

To create an easy-to-carry package for heavy items.

What are the dimensions of your product and the orientation you want it to be packaged?

The minimum and maximum dimensions of the products you will shrink wrap is the second most important question to determine in terms of identifying the right shrink wrapping machine. All packages have three dimensions, the product width, length, and height. Also, the orientation that the product will be packaged is another important data needed.

Shrink wrapping machines have limitations in terms of the maximum dimensions they can package. In the L-Sealer manual or semi-automatic machine models, this limit is decided by the size of the L bar.

In fully automatic machines, there is no limit to the product length however the product height and the width do have some mechanical limitations.

Selecting the right-sized shrink wrapper optimizes the packaging cost and production capacity. Keep in mind that the size of the shrink wrapper and heat tunnel should be able to accommodate your largest product.

What is the daily production speed/capacity your operation requires?

The number of products you need to package daily is another critical piece of information in choosing the right shrink wrapping solution.

The capacity of shrink wrapping machines varies from Low Capacity to High Capacity and is typically measured as packages per minute and varies according to the length and the height of the product.

Low Capacity

These are manual shrink wrapping machines that hold the capacity to produce 5 to 10 packages per minute. These machines are run by an operator whose experience level has a considerable effect on the total packaged products per minute.

Medium Capacity

Semi-Automatic L sealers fall into this category. In semi-automatic shrink wrappers, the sealing arm is automatic. This automatic motion gives the operator time to prepare the product in line for sealing. The average output expectation for semi-automatic shrink wrapping machines is anywhere from 10 to 25 packages per minute.

High Capacity

High capacity shrink wrapping machines are Fully Automatic Shrink Wrappers. These systems can integrate into your production line if wanted. Equipped with conveyors and multiple sensors they don&#;t require an operator which in return maximizes the output and saves cost. The capacity of automatic shrink wrappers is 25 to 80 packages per minute.

It&#;s important to take into consideration your production volume growth projections at least for the following year.

Does your operation require an inline or a stand-alone hand fed shrink wrapping solution?

Do you want to integrate the shrink wrapping station into your production line is another defining question you need to answer when choosing the right shrink wrapping machine. If the answer is yes, then you would require a fully automatic shrink wrapper. In an inline system, the alignment, rotation, separation, collation, upending, dividing, or even bonding of the products must be well projected initially.

If the answer is no, then a stand-alone shrink wrapping system that will be hand-fed is what you are looking into. In this case, an operator manually feeds the products to the conveyor.

Want more information on heat shrink wrap machine? Feel free to contact us.

What type of shrink film will you use?

This takes us to this question &#; What is the desired result you are aiming for with shrink wrapping? To achieve the right outcome the shrink film you choose the film with proper specifications for your product and shrink wrapper.

You can be directed to the right film by the shrink wrapper manufacturer or your film supplier. But before doing that the following information will allow you to get familiar with shrink films.

Types of Shrink Film and Use Areas

There are different types and thicknesses of shrink film and which one you need to use depends on what you want to achieve by shrink wrapping your product. If you want to package a box of chocolate to be displayed on a market shelf then preference should be a film that gives your package an extra shine making it stand out among other products. In the case, you have multiple and/or heavy products such as a pack of soft drinks or a steel spare part then you will need a film that is strong and durable.

In choosing the right shrink film the product&#;s shape, shrink wrapping machine being used, and temperature restrictions all play a role. It is best to get a professional opinion for your unique product before purchasing a shrink film.

Polyolefin (POF) Shrink Film

Polyolefin aka POF film is preferred almost in all industries due to its versatile and environment-friendly nature. It is also safe to use for edible and non-edible products. The film is highly clear making the content of the package visible to the end-user and has a glossy appearance that makes the product presentable and attractive on the market shelf. Especially cross-linked POF film provides extra clarity and is stronger than the regular POF film. It is widely applied to products including food, toys, cosmetics, books, and stationary just being a few.

Polyethylene (PE) Shrink Film

The clarity of Polyethylene shrink film is lower than POF film. It is mostly used for heavy products mostly for industrial products. It is a highly durable and strong film making it ideal for protection and transit purposes. It is also the most cost-effective Packaging material. It is widely used for packaging products such as spare parts, doors, and window frames, bundling of cans or glass jars to name a few.

PVC Shrink Film

PVC film is a lightweight and inexpensive film option. However, the hazardous fumes, it releases when heated making it the least ideal choice of film. However, it still finds use for industrial products.

Gauge (Thickness) of The Shrink Film

Using the right thickness of shrink film will support you in a good-looking and functioning packaging. Also, the right shrink film will help you save money as the price of the film is defined by its width and thickness.

Do you need any peripheral equipment such as extra applications or control points in the packaging line  &#; such as labeler, checkweigher, or discard arm?

Labeling Unit

A labeling unit can be integrated into the shrink wrapper to add labels to the product or the package. Used to apply barcodes, product labels, etc.

Checkweigher

Checkweighers serve as a control point to ensure the correct weight of the product being packaged. If the product is lighter or heavier than indicated it will be pushed off the line with a discarded arm.

Feeders

Feeders can be used to place items on the product before it is packaged such as a sheet of paper.

Discard arm

Products that are found unfit by the sensors or the checkweigher are pushed off the packaging line via a discard arm for future inspection.

You are now ready to start looking for a shrink wrapper. You can get in touch with our Project Engineers to find the ideal shrink wrapping machine for your products.

As a leader in the packaging industry for over ~38 years providing shrink sleeving and tamper-evident machinery and shrink tunnels, there are some questions that PDC Europe gets asked all the time. Following are the most frequently asked 5 questions posed to us about shrink sleeve labeling and tamper-evidence. Read about it&#;

Q1: To What types of containers can a shrink sleeve be applied?

Shrink sleeve labels are versatile and flexible. They can be applied to just about any size or shape of rigid containers, such as bottles, jars, or cans. Package materials can be plastic, glass, metal, or even paperboard.  The process of shrinking a label over a package gives these labels the ability to conform to the shape of almost any product.

Keep in mind that non-round, asymmetrical containers or ones with complex shapes often require proper orientation of both the container and the sleeve graphics.  This requires detailed planning of the label art and the way the sleeve is converted (formed into a sleeve) and creased, so the artwork falls correctly on all the &#;panels&#; of the package.

The kind of film you choose is especially important because achieving a flawless appearance of the shrink sleeve requires precise coordination of the sleeve materials, label sizing, and size tolerance of the container itself.

Q2: Can you apply shrink sleeve labels to either empty or filled products?

Determining at what point on your production line your product will be labeled is an important decision. Bottles can be labeled either empty or full. If your product is going to be labeled after being filled, consider the implications of spillage or condensate, which might form on cold products. Bottles must be free of product and clean when labeled. In the case of condensation, air knives may be required to dry the bottles before labeling.

Another important consideration is the way a container reacts to the heat to which it is exposed during the shrink process. Shrink sleeving technology uses moderate to high temperatures to shrink the label onto your product. Empty plastic bottles and other containers deform at certain temperatures, requiring testing in advance and very precise temperature controls. Full containers are much less likely to deform.

Q3: What is the cost difference between a shrink sleeve and a wrap-around label or pressure-sensitive label? How about the benefits?

Shrink sleeve labeling tends to be a more expensive way to decorate your package than wraparound or pressure-sensitive labels. However, the benefits of shrink sleeves are many. For one, shrink sleeves can provide a dramatically increased &#;billboard&#; space on a package, as it can be fully printed from head to toe. This allows for more eye-catching graphics, plus more information for the consumer displayed on the package.

Shrink sleeve labels can also decorate many differently shaped containers which traditional labels can&#;t. Pressure-sensitive labels require a flat surface on which to adhere in order to avoid wrinkling.  Shrink sleeves easily conform to compound curves and varying dimensions. Shrink sleeves are also good for products that may be used in humid or moist environments, such as showers and refrigerators.

If your product requires tamper evidence, shrink sleeves can easily be extended up over the cap of a container.  The sleeve is perforated where the cap meets the neck, creating a tamper-evident seal which is removed when the package is opened. This ensures that the product is protected, has not been altered in any way, and is safe to use &#; an important added value to the consumer. And it is visible at the point of purchase, unlike inner seals.

Q4: What&#;s the difference between Steam and Hot Air shrink tunnels?

Steam shrink tunnels are highly versatile in what they can shrink. They are very forgiving and ideal for product lines where high quality and distortion-free graphics are most important. For example, they are great for full sleeve label applications on contoured containers.

Steam tunnels are also optimal for use on empty bottles to avoid deformation since they operate at lower temperatures (180-200ºF) than dry heat shrink tunnels (200º-600ºF). They are also used with containers under pressure, such as aerosols, or when a low flash point or flammability is a factor, again due to lower operational temperatures.

Hot air tunnels are ideal for neckbanding tamper evidence and shrink sealing full body sleeves on small containers.

An important consideration with hot air tunnels is that conveyors, conveyor belts, and wear strips must be made of materials appropriate for the temperatures generated, which can range from 200ºF in the tunnel to 600ºF (measured at the elements).  Conveyors passing through steam tunnels must be constructed to operate with moisture and condensate.

A5: Are there biodegradable shrink sleeve labels? How about recycling?

PLA (Polylactic acid) shrink sleeve film is made of fully biodegradable and environmentally-friendly materials. PLA is a corn-based film, not petroleum-based, so it comes from a renewable resource and is ASTM Certified Compostable.

In general, because shrink sleeve labeling uses heat to adhere the label to the product instead of adhesive, it can be easily removed for recycling the container. The addition of removable sleeves with vertical perforations allows the consumer to remove the sleeve prior to recycling the container.

Hope the above questions about shrink sleeving machinery presented you with a clear picture of sleeves and machinery.

Conclusion

There are many considerations when embarking on a new labeling or tamper-evident banding project. PDC Europe has ~38 years of expertise and understanding of film chemistry, performance, as well as printing and converting processes. We work closely with our customers to make certain container designs shrink-friendly and compatible with the line speeds they require. We prototype packages under real conditions to make sure your package can be manufactured easily.

We are fully vertically integrated! From engineering to the machine shop to fabrication, PDC Europe maintains full control of every aspect of each machine and tunnel system to make sure your packaging looks the best time after time and year after year.  Give us a call today at +33 (0)3 22 78 93 15 with any questions you may have or write to us at .

We help you find the right solution for your unique packaging needs!

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