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.
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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.
Summer:
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.
Winter
:
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.
Audience:
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.
The three main wraps used in shrink packaging material for protecting and securing products for the retail and shipping environments are polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), and polyolefin (POF). Each has different capabilities and characteristics that make them suitable for specific applications.
What are the main differences between these types of shrink wrap? Which is the best choice for your packaging needs? Read on to find out!
What is Shrink Wrap Material?
The material known as shrink wrap is a clear plastic wrap that is used to package millions of products around the world. Shrink wrap is called shrink wrap because it shrinks around the product being packaged when it is exposed to heat.
Each of these three wraps can be co-extruded into multilayer wraps with different additives offering specific barrier properties required for shelf-life or appearance. Shrink wraps can be formed into flattened roll stock, bags, overwrap, banding, and tubing, and add a form of tamper-resistant protection to packaged goods. If you aren't sure that you are using the ideal wrap for your application, here's a breakdown of the three:
PVC Shrink Wrap
Once the most commonly-used shrink packaging material in the world due to its lightweight and inexpensive multi-purpose capabilities, PVC Shrink wrap has since taken a backseat to PE and POF for many reasons. Most specifically due to the dangers in health during creation and incineration, and sustainability.
Link to Zhongfu Packaging
In its rigid form, PVC is durable and is used in many applications, including construction projects and houseware products. In terms of packaging, PVC is seen in rigid applications including blister and clamshell packaging, & flexible applications including shrink wrap, bagging. Polyvinyl chloride is a combination of three elements, carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine.
It is recommended for use in well-ventilated facilities due to the strong, harmful odors that are released when heated. Due to its chemical composition and these harmful byproducts released during its creation, and decomposition for that matter, PVC has been banned in many countries.
Brands that hold high regard for corporate & social responsibility have been joining these countries in banning PVC in packaging. This is important to consider if you have toyed with the idea of using it in your packaging, and more so if you already are using it. The Walmart Sustainability Playbook specifically targets PVC reduction in packaging materials for the manufacturers of products sold in their stores.
Need Help Choosing The Right Shrink? Check out our complete guide to Shrink Film!
Fast Facts About PVC Shrink Wrap:
- Once the most commonly used shrink wrapping material in the world
- Temperamental with hot and cold temperature changes, causing brittleness when too cold and wrinkling when too warm
- Higher resistance to propagation of tear, Polyolefin- higher resistance to puncture
POF Shrink Wrap
Polyolefin shrink is an extremely durable and versatile 'premium' shrink wrap. It has taken the place of PVC mentioned above in many applications and is also an FDA-approved food-safe material. Polyolefin materials are available with different characteristics, including cross-linked wrap that provides high-tensile strength and incredible clarity for high-speed packaging applications. The cross-linked wrap also prevents buildup on sealing components of your packaging machinery.
With added strength, the ability to create longer rolls of wrap with thinner gauges available allows for less roll change-over and increased efficiency and productivity. Polyolefin shrink wrap has excellent puncture resistance and seal strength, allowing for irregular-shaped items to have excellent protection throughout their supply chain life-cycle. POF is available in thicknesses as low as 35-gauge (.35 mil) and is more commonly available in 45,60, 75, and 100 (1 mil) gauges.
The versatility and fairly low cost that POF offers for multiple machines and packaging forms make it a go-to form of protective packaging manufacturers of any size. In some instances POF will need perforations added to the wrap; tiny holes added to the wrap before application which allows air to escape during the shrinking process for a smooth package. Pre-perforated shrink wrap is available by many suppliers for this reason.
Fast Facts About POF Shrink Wrap
- Premium quality shrink wrap, AKA high-clarity, decorative shrink wrap.
- Made of 100% recyclable materials
- Excellent clarity and glossy shelf appearance; great for
consumer products where appearance is critical (toys, games, candies, books, foods, most retail items)
- Ability to shrink quickly and completely (
shrinks when heated resulting in a finished good as soon as it comes out of the shrink tunnel)
- Durable, versatile, low cost
- Excellent for bundling multiple items together, like tissue boxes for example.
- Cross-linked POF is great for high-speed applications, providing added strength without compromising clarity and preventing build-up on sealing components
- Polyolefin is more expensive but more durable- not as affected by temperature changes
- FDA approved for food contact
- Excellent tensile-strength and propagation-to-tear
- Pre-perforated POF is available and allows for an even shrink surface, no air pockets
PE Shrink Wrap
Polyethylene is a type of polyolefin, meaning it is a single monomer wrap that is formed with the addition of ethylene during polymerization. PE is used in several forms of flexible protective packaging including shrink wrap and stretch wrap and performs very differently for each.
There are multiple forms that PE can take, but the three most common would be Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), & High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE). Each of these is best used in different industrial applications, but for shrink packaging, LDPE would be the most common form.
The benefits of using LDPE over the other forms of shrink packaging would be added strength and durability for heavier, larger items, like multipacks of beverages. These wraps are also printable and can have excellent graphics added while still maintaining the image and the strength required.
Where POF and PVC are limited in gauge thickness to usually around 100 gauge, higher gauges of PE are possible up to gauge! These thicknesses are used in Marine industrial applications, like shrink-wrapping a boat for storage. The disadvantages of PE for shrink are that it doesn't have a high shrink rate, usually around 20%, and it has significantly lower clarity than the other wraps.
The Difference Between Shrink Wrap And Stretch Wrap
Shrink wrap and stretch wrap are often confused as they look very similar, but they perform very differently. When PE is used in a shrink wrap application, it is loosely placed over a single item or multiple items and will shrink around them when heat is applied, creating a tight, tamper-resistant seal of protection. When PE is used in stretch applications, it is formulated differently to be able to stretch around items.
The elastic memory of the wrap, along with its ability to cling to itself, keeps a tight layer of protection around the items. Stretch wrap is generally used for palletizing, AKA unitizing, multiple items on a pallet to keep them from shifting during shipment. Stretch wrap usually stretches about 100-300% where shrink wrap will typically only stretch to around 50-75% before breakage occurs.
Fast Facts About PE Shrink/Stretch Wrap
- LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene)- low melting point, good stretch & strength - commonly used for foods and meat products and stretch wrapping/palletizing
- LLDPE (Linear Low-Density Polyethylene)
- thinner than LDPE, just as strong, decent clarity - used for bulk foods, frozen foods, prints, grocery, trash bags, palletizing/stretch wrapping
- HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene)
- one of the most common polymers in plastics packaging - USDA/FDA-approved for food contact, lightweight, durable, water-resistant, bad O
2
-resistance- good for certain foods, retail products, clothing, stretch wrap for pallets
- Good for lower-end applications and unitization (24-pack of waters), replacement of master corrugated shippers, larger items
- More expensive, but durable
- Polyethylene shrink wraps are recyclable
- Thicker- offering more stretch-ability
- Shrinks as it cools rather than heats, requiring additional cooling space at the end of the tunnel
- Applications include large heavy items including bundling multipacks of water
- In thicker gauges and larger applications, wrapping boats for storage
Final Thoughts On Shrink Wrap And Stretch Wrap
No matter what the application, knowing your options can help save you money in the long run. It's always best to connect with a supplier that can answer any of your questions that you haven't found clear answers to. They can also help you with custom packaging solutions that match your needs for efficiency, protection, and visual presentation.
If you are using shrink wrap to package your products, we've created a Shrink wrap Cheat Sheet to reduce your packaging costs and increase your packages-per-roll!
Once you have decided on the right wrap for your specific packaging needs, take a look at a minimum of three vendors. Take some time to review product ratings on different brands of wrap. Contact the three chosen vendors and ask each of them for a quote.
Take notes on the quality of the customer service experience from each vendor. Also note the dynamics of the wrap products offered including price, shipping cost, and expected time of delivery. You will want to choose a vendor who treats you like a human rather than a number. If possible, speak to a human being and avoid companies that use a completely automated system with robotic or artificial voice commands and prompts.
Sometimes paying a little extra for better customer service is worth a few extra dollars. In the end, you will want to find a balance between quality customer service and quality products. By utilizing all the information above, you will be armed with the knowledge needed to make the best choice in regards to your wrap and the supplier you buy from.