Tag Archives: shrink wrap film

How To Shrink Wrap Your Products

Posted on by Standard 1

Shrink wrap is exactly what it’s name conveys: It’s a plastic that shrinks when heat is applied to it. In order to properly use it, you will need a heat gun, a sealer, and the proper shrink material. Keep in mind that when sealing and applying heat to the shrink wrap film it is important to have proper ventilation.

First, measure your products. The length, width, and depth of the product being wrapped will be required for a proper fit. Shrink wrap comes in various bag sizes, tubes, and rolls. There are a multiple size formulas to use depending on the type of shrink material you choose. Consulting a knowledgeable professional is recommended before making your purchase.

Shrink tubing is great for cylindrical products that vary in length. Many users of shrink tubing do not seal the ends of the tubing. Shrink tubing is great for hoses, tubing products, candles, wires and other long cylindrical objects.

Shrink bags are great because of the efficiency they offer the user. Instead of sealing multiple sides a shrink bag only needs one side sealed. Proper measurements and bag sizes are important when using shrink bags. Shrink wrap bags are a great option for wrapping products of the same size or close to the same size. Commonly shrink wrapped items include CD’s, DVDs, books, etc. Another advantage to shrink bags and tubing is they only need an I-Bar sealer to be efficiently sealed. I-Bar sealers are less expensive than other sealers on the market.

Centerfold shrink rolls are the most common form of shrink wrap. They are versatile and often used in a variety of industries. Centerfold rolls can be used with high speed machines as well as manually operated machines for smaller operations. They are the best option for users wrapping multiple sizes of products.

The two most commonly used shrink materials for shrink packaging are PVC and polyolefin. Polyethylene shrink wrap is often the most commonly recognized shrink wrap. Polyethylene is the type of shrink wrap used to wrap cases of water and soda bottles. It is a thicker stronger wrap. It lacks the clarity polyolefin and PVC shrink wrap offers.

Below is a info-graphic we have created to show step-by-step process of “How to use shrink wrap”. Once again, we do recommend calling a professional with measurements of your products before making a purchase. This will help to ensure you have chose the proper materials and equipment.

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55 Shrink Wrapped Items All Around You

Posted on by Standard Respond

As you walk through any local stores, you may or may not notice items packaged in shrink wrap. Companies choose to use shrink wrap for packaging because it is affordable and works well for its many intended uses. Shrink wrap is everywhere! The most common reasons to shrink wrap items are:

  • Protect the items from moisture, dust, and other contaminants,
  • Bundle items in units of two or more, or keep extra parts attached to the main unit
  • Preserve freshness and prevent lid removal
  • Provide an efficient way to prevent tampering.
  • Add an additional surface to label and attach theft prevention devices.

55 shrink wrapped Items all around you:

  1. Air filters for the home: often priced per bundle of three filters shrink wrapped together for easy packaging.
  2. Air fresheners: shrink wrap is used around spray triggers and nozzles to prevent premature spray.
  3. Air hoses: wrapped with shrink film to keep coiled during transportation.
  4. Animal chew toys: shrink wrapped to preserve freshness (Chew bones or treats).
  5. Automotive Air-filters: typically packaged with a stronger 100-gauge film.
  6. Bakery items: from muffins to croissants, multiples are packaged together against a cardboard base with shrink wrap.
  7. Batteries: held with shrink film to a cardboard backing. Often times batteries included with products are shrink wrapped on a backer board to enable them to be easily found.
  8. Beauty supplies: two or more products are often shrink banded together for promotion, also used for nozzles and lid caps.
  9. Beef jerky sticks: shrink wrap is used with one side label printed.
  10. Pots and pans: often times the lid is placed upside-down and a shrink band around the top of the pot to prevent movement or separation from the lid.
  11. Macaroni and Cheese: Multiple boxes are often found bound together with printed shrink wrap. Kraft commonly uses printed shrink wrap to bundle boxes together.
  12. Butter container lids: shrink banded around the lid to prevent unintentionally opening the product before purchase.
  13. Calendars: typically lighter weight (60-gauge) shrink wrap used to keep the pages together.
  14. Candles: individual candles are shrink wrapped to prevent scratches and other damage during transportation.
  15. CDs: 60-gauge shrink bags are primarily used to deter tampering and protect the products from exterior elements.
  16. Charcoal: multiple bags are shrink wrapped together with 150-200-gauge film.
  17. Cheese: FDA approved polyolefin shrink wrap used to preserve freshness.
  18. Cleaning supplies: extension hoses and other parts are often held to the bottle with shrink wrap.
  19. Condom packages: Yes condom packages are even shrink wrapped. Boxes are shrink wrapped primarily for security reasons and provide tamper evidence.
  20. Cutting boards: cutting boards are typically wrapped in clear 75-gauge shrink wrap to prevent excess contamination and provide a surface to place the product sticker.
  21. Diet drinks: the shrink wrap is often printed upon to make packaging look more appealing. Slim-fast and other weight loss items use the printed shrink film to help appeal to customers.
  22. Disposable cups & plates: packages are shrink wrapped together for transportation and bundle sales, generally in packages of 50-100 units.
  23. Duct tape: is shrink wrapped individually or in multiples and then sticker labeled.
  24. DVD: 75-gauge shrink bags are used primarily for tamper evidence as well as protection from exterior elements.
  25. Fishing bait: multiple products are often bundled together with shrink film. Trout bait Powerbait is a common fishing bait bundled together.
  26. Folders: legal documents are often shrink wrapped for storage preservation the shrink film helps to protect from dust and moisture.
  27. Frozen items: FDA approved polyolefin shrink wrap is used for packaging a large variety of frozen items (i.e. frozen pizzas).
  28. Fruit baskets: domed shrink wrap bags conform tightly over the basket handle to secure product and preserve freshness. Fruit baskets are popular during the holiday season and domed shrink bags sales tend to pick up during that time of year.
  29. Gift baskets: domed shrink bags for the basket and some time the use of flat shrink bags used upside down. We have seen basket makers use the flat shrink bags upside down, tie the open part by the handle with a ribbon and hit the bottom part of the bag with a shrink gun.
  30. Golf balls: new and recycled boxes are wrapped for tamper evidence.
  31. Kleenex boxes: shrink wrapped to bundle multiple products together.
  32. Laundry room items: everything from ironing boards, to hampers, and several other laundry room storage items are shrink wrapped.
  33. Halogen lights: packages of 3 or 4 are often bundled together with a cardboard end piece and then shrink wrapped.
  34. Orange juice lids: shrink band around cap to prevent unintentional opening and tamper evidence.
  35. Outdoor cushions: wrapped for protection from weather conditions before sale. Wal-Mart often times stores these items in the outdoor section, the shrink wrap is great packaging to help protect the products.
  36. Over the counter meds: two or more items bundled for promotion, also shrink banding around caps.
  37. Painting kits: trays are wrapped to hold otherwise loose items. If you buy a paint kit, the brush and roller are typically in the paint tray then the tray is shrink wrapped to help hold the loose items within the tray.
  38. Photo Albums: shrink wrap is used to keep them from opening during transportation and before the sale.
  39. Picture frames: shrink wrap is used to protect appearance integrity.
  40. Plaques and awards: after engraving, to protect against exterior elements, a light gauged film is used to allow for easy opening.
  41. Boat and Marine: thick colored (typically white or blue) shrink wrap protects vehicle from weather; film used for  winterizing.
  42. Printed post cards: 60-gauge film is used for bundling multiple cards to sell as a single unit.
  43. Rope and twine: items are coiled, and then shrink banded to hold the coil.
  44. Rugs: a wide shrink band keeps rugs rolled for transportation and sale. The size of the rug determines the size of shrink film needed.
  45. Seasonal supplies: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and other seasonal and holiday products are bundled and protected with shrink wrap.
  46. Seasonings: a printed shrink band is used around seasoning lids.
  47. Sheet sets: 75-100-gauge shrink wrap is used around the box to allow easy display of the product, but help protect from exterior elements.
  48. Skateboards: used to protect board graphics, wheels and trucks against exterior elements during transportation and storage.
  49. Small auto parts: otherwise loose parts are kept bundled together with shrink wrap for shipping.
  50. Soap: lighter gauge shrink wrap is used to prevent moisture degradation, scratches or marks.
  51. Tiki torches: the tops are held on to the base pole with shrink bands.
  52. Toilet seats: the lids are held closed with 100-gauge film or higher.
  53. Tuna cans: printed shrink wrap keeps packs of 6 cans bundled together.
  54. Video games: 75-gauge shrink bag is used for tamper protection and to create a surface for the security tag.
  55. Bottled Water: cases of water are bound to a cardboard flat with 150-200-gauge shrink wrap that includes a large amount of plasticizers.

Centerfold shrink wrap is the most common type of film purchased for high speed machines and low output operations. The most common types of centerfold film are PVC and Polyolefin centerfold shrink film. Both of these shrink films are ideal products when used properly.

Many types of shrink wrap are blended with plasticisers. plasticisers allow the shrink wrap to be flexible and resilient like the plastic used for cases of bottles of water. Lower levels of plasticisers make more brittle plastic that is less malleable.

If you have any questions about shrink wrap supplies or and shrink wrap film mentioned in the article, call us at 1 (800) 441-5090 or visit our website. One of our sales associates will gladly assist you with your inquiries.

Common Shrink Wrap Problems

Posted on by Standard Respond

There are a variety of issues that can occur when using shrink wrap film. Some names the shrink wrap industry has chosen for common issues are interesting to say the least. We are going to go over a few issues that are common with shrink wrap film, what they mean, and what may cause them. Keep in mind that some issues are pretty common and you should not panic if you are experiencing them. The best thing to do is go through the checklist and see if you can address the problem.

Dog Ears

Dog ears are a common issue and something we often see when buying a shrink wrapped product in the store. Shrink wrap Dog Ears are triangular protrusions of the shrink film at the corners of the product. There are several causes of dog ears and most shrink wrapped packaging  has some form of dog ears.

The triangular protrusions of dog ears indicate insufficient shrinkage of the shrink film. There are a variety of issues that can lead to the corners not being shrunk.

1. The easiest issue to address is checking the heat of you shrink gun or tunnel to be sure it is putting out the proper amount of heat for proper shrinkage.

2. To large of shrink film, bag, or tubing. Using the wrong size of shrink film can result in dog ears. Try to downsize the shrink wrap you are using.

3. Poor Quality shrink film. It is often more common to see dog ears in PVC shrink wrap than Polyolefin shrink wrap. Polyolefin shrink wrap is considered a better quality shrink wrap, but comes at a higher price.

4. Non-uniform corner shapes and sizes. Sometimes the corner shapes of the packaging you are sealing will play a role in the possibility of dog ears.

There are dog ears in many retail shrink wrapped packages found in stores all over. If you have minor dog ears in the corners of your shrink wrapped packages it is not the end of the world. Be sure the dog ears are not to large and make the package look bad.

Crow’s Feet

Often accompanied with dog ear’s, crow’s feet are wrinkles extending from the corners of shrink wrapped packages. When troubleshooting for dog ears there is often the possibility you can find the source of crow’s feet as well. The two most common causes of crow’s feet are listed below.

1. Excessive film on corners of the product. Try using a smaller centerfold shrink wrap, shrink bags, or shrink tubing.

2. Insufficient heat has been applied to the package. Check your heat source to be sure the proper amount of heat is being applied.

Fish Eyes

Fish eyes are round or oval patterns on a package that has been poorly shrunk. Fish eye’s are an issue that needs to be addressed because of the ability to make you shrink packaging look very poor. The two main causes of fish eyes are listed below.

1. Inadequate heat. Check your heat source to be sure it is applying the proper amount of heat.

2. Improper air velocity. Make sure your heat source is pushing enough air velocity when applying heat.

Angel Hair

Angel hair are thin strands of shrink film between the product being sealed and the sealed end of the the shrink wrap film. Because of the size of the angel hair, it is often not  a major issue in most packaging situations. Below are some  common causes.

1. Sealing Wire temperature is to low. Try to turn up sealing temperature. Try clean sealing wire or replace sealing wire.

2. Make sure clamp pressure on sealer is even.

3. Sealing cycle has not completed before sealer is opened.

We are going to write a second part about common shrink wrap issues people have. That post will focus on ballooning, hot spots, and splitting seals.