It's important to identify some specifics about your product to be packaged before diving into the details of the films available to you. Without question, a packaging supplier is key to selecting the appropriate film for your needs. Their industry experience and ability to understand your needs gives them the expertise to ascertain which types of films will and won&#;t work for your product.
HYF contains other products and information you need, so please check it out.
Some of the packaging considerations you&#;ll need to be aware of include:
What type of product you are packaging
The product&#;s weight, shape, and dimensions
Your objectives for color and labeling
Whether the film can be printed to meet your needs
How the product will be packaged into the flexible film (manually or via machine, and what type of machine
The product&#;s journey from creation to shipment to the shelf and beyond
Whether it will be handled often and/or subject to rough handling
The types of climates/environments it will experience
Whether it requires specific film additives to keep it fresh (e.g., oxygen or moisture barrier)
Requirements for anti-tampering and security of the finished good
With so many types of flexible packaging film available, you are sure to find the right packaging for your product. Whether you need an option with a high melting point, one that emphasizes durability, or one that prioritizes recyclability and sustainability, there is a shrink film product available to suit your needs. With all of the opportunities for a custom finish to any product, it&#;s always important to do your research and consider your specific needs to determine the best options.
Also, you&#;ll need to do some homework regarding equipment. If you have an automatic shrink wrapper or are planning to purchase one in the future, it&#;s important to keep an eye on your bag length and running speeds. Sometimes operators adjust the bag length from the original specs to make running the line easier. This is particularly more noticeable on older pneumatic shrink wrap equipment. Running your film at just 1" larger than necessary can equate to 2,000 extra feet of film used per day. That&#;s approximately 118 wasted rolls of film.
Be sure to think about how capable your internal maintenance technicians are. Adding a shrink film wrapper to your packaging line will require technical support on a regular and as-needed basis. Assess your internal maintenance team&#;s comfort level with working on the new machine(s), and make sure you have a backup technician for when service is needed and your internal team can&#;t handle the repair.
Before purchasing and storing shrink film, make sure you know its storage requirements. You don&#;t want to try to work with climate-compromised packaging. Your supplier should have this information available if you&#;re unsure what your material requires. Overall, shrink packaging is best stored in temperatures between 30 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Naturally, summer and winter are the seasons that require you to be most attentive to your storage environment.
Your facility will likely be subject to high heat in the summer, if not during springtime. If shrink sleeves are kept in temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, they may prematurely shrink and compromise their ability to protect your goods. During these hot months, keep your shrink materials stored in the coolest areas of your facility without subjecting them to refrigeration.
They should be kept cool, but not too cold. The coolest spots in your warehouse are typically close to the floors &#; on the lowest part of your pallet racks &#; and away from windows or places that are subject to a lot of sunlight. You&#;ll also want to keep your shrink films away from high-traffic doors because the temperatures in these areas tend to fluctuate greatly.
Additionally, try to schedule your shrink film deliveries early in the day. That way, the materials won&#;t sit in the back of a hot trailer when traveling from warehouse to warehouse. Not only will you avoid the harshest hours of the sun, but you&#;ll also give yourself more time to store them before the temperature reaches its peak.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit shrink wrap gauge chart.
:
As mentioned, packaging films tend to become especially brittle in cold temperatures, which greatly reduces their stretching and shrinking properties. While the PVC may crack, it can even shatter like glass if left in extremely cold conditions for too long.
As in the summer, store your rolls away from doors to avoid temperature fluctuations. You also want to ensure rain or snow won&#;t create unwanted moisture in the rolls. If you&#;ve been using PVC shrink film to package frozen foods or other products that spend time in a freezer truck or refrigerator, consider switching to a polyolefin film. This is a more durable, food-safe, and recyclable material that will keep your package intact during transit and packaging.
When you take shrink film out of storage, you may not know how to tell if it&#;s been compromised. One key sign is sticky rolls. If PVC rolls stick together, they were likely exposed to too much heat. Don't risk downtime on the packaging line by trying to use them anyway. Skip over the rolls that are stuck together. Bagging and sagging are also signs of overheated film. The rolls may begin to sag on the edges or show bagging within their layers. Using these rolls can interfere with the tracking on your machines, so avoid using these compromised rolls as well.
Remember, even the highest-quality shrink film and packaging materials are apt to deteriorate when subject to these environmental factors. No matter what quality film rolls you&#;re purchasing, take the time to assess how you&#;ll store them to ensure they protect and present your product exactly as you&#;ve planned.
Finally, keep your target audience at the forefront of your packaging design. The type of material you choose is a part of your brand, so any disconnect between that and your brand&#;s message will confuse consumers and make them lose trust. To appeal to your customers, you have to research and understand them enough before you make these key marketing and branding decisions. Market research is a great way to learn what your target audience values and decide how to pair those details with your budget, transportation, and sustainability needs and goals. Always listen to your key demographic and cater to their needs specifically.
For a quick look at some additional considerations regarding your use of shrink wrap film, check out this free shrink film cheat sheet.
Whether it&#;s for a warehouse, distribution center or even a smaller-scale shipping department, it's vital to choose the right stretch wrap gauge or stretch wrap thickness. This flexible and versatile material &#; stretch wrap &#; can be one of the most useful tools at your disposal. Wrapping palletized items, affixing packages together and securing loads to the pallet are just a few of the ways stretch wrap can protect your items during shipping and guard them against potential damage or loss.
Moreover, tightly bundling your shipments with stretch wrap also aids in deterring against theft and makes it easy to see if your items were tampered with. Nonetheless, not all types of stretch wrap are suitable for the same tasks, which makes it essential you choose the right stretch wrap thickness for the job.
At AAA Polymer, we offer an expansive selection of different stretch films and stretch wraps. Our wide selection and in depth product knowledge means we'll help you choose the right stretch wrap gauge for your specific shipping needs. Our team can also advise you on which stretch wrap gauge thickness is best suited for your purposes. In the meantime, continue reading to learn all about the different stretch wrap gauges and their intended uses.
Before we get into the different stretch wrap thickness and stretch wrap gauges, it&#;s first important to make sure you understand why using the correct gauge is so essential. The specific type of stretch wrap&#;blown, cast, machine, etc.&#;plays an important role in determining both how easy the wrap is to stretch and apply and also its overall strength, toughness and resistance to tearing.
These factors are undoubtedly important when determining which stretch wrap to use as well how much stretch wrap is enough. Nonetheless, equally as important is the stretch wrap&#;s resistance to breaking, i.e. how much force or weight it can withstand before failing, and this is precisely what the gauge or thickness of the stretch wrap tells you.
Essentially, each stretch wrap gauge is rated to secure up to a specific amount of weight. For instance, the industry-standard 80-gauge wrap is typically capable of securing loads of up to 2,400 lbs., which means you&#;ll usually need to opt for a higher gauge if the total weight of your load exceeds this amount.
On the other hand, if you typically only ship lighter loads, you may be able to cut down on your shipping costs simply by using a thinner stretch wrap since lighter gauges tend to be less expensive than the thicker, heavier gauge wraps.
Now you know why choosing the right stretch wrap gauge is so essential, it&#;s time to look at the different gauges and what each one is best used for.
This gauge of stretch wrap is a bit different from most others. The reason is that 37 gauge stretch wrap is actually 80-gauge film that&#;s already been pre-stretched for easy application with minimal exertion. Still, the fact that this film has been stretched so thin already means it is best used for lighter, uniform loads up to 800 lbs.
This is another unique gauge, which is typically referred to as an equivalent or hybrid stretch wrap. Essentially, this type of stretch wrap is made using a different type of resin that provides for a stiffer, tighter film with a lower stretch capacity.
As a result, equivalent film typically has the retention power and strength of a higher gauge film despite not measuring as thick. In the case of 47-gauge film, it has the retention power of a standard 60-gauge film, which means it is suitable for loads up to approximately 1,800 lbs.
This is a true-gauged film, which means it should measure exactly 60 microns if you were to measure it with micrometer. As with 47-gauge film, this wrap should be perfectly suited for most uniform loads up to 1,800 lbs.
Although it is only 3 microns thicker than the 60-gauge film, this slightly higher gauge provides even better resistance against puncturing and tearing and is typically suitable for loads up to 2,200 lbs.
Eighty-gauge stretch wrap is typically considered the industry standard due to its wide versatility. Nonetheless, 70-gauge film is also popular and can provide similar strength and protection. In terms of total weight capacity, both 70- and 80-gauge film are rated for loads of 2,200 to 2,400 lbs.
Ninety-gauge is considered the starting point for heavy-gauge stretch wrap, which tend to much stronger and more resistant to punctures, tears and other damage. Typically, 90-gauge film is rated for loads up to 2,600 lbs. You can also find 100- and 115-gauge films are suitable for use when shipping loads up to 3,000 lbs. or more.
As the thickest gauge of stretch wrap available, 150 stretch wrap gauge is ideal for securing irregularly shaped or sharp items. This thicker stretch wrap gauge is also the best choice for securing much taller loads.
As you can see, stretch wrap comes in a wide variety of different thicknesses. Choosing the right thickness can hold the key to both minimizing shipping costs and limiting the potential for loss or damage during shipping.
Fortunately, you don't have to make this decision alone! The experts at AAA Polymer bring decades of experience helping facilities choose the best stretch wrap thickness for their unique shipping needs.
Contact AAA Polymer today to learn how our selection of stretch wrap can help you achieve your goals in the most efficient, effective way possible.
Are you interested in learning more about can shrink sleeves? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!