Also known as shrink film, shrink wrap refers to a polymer plastic film, which shrinks when you apply heat to it. Once a package is perfectly wrapped using a high quality shrink wrap and heat is applied to it, the film forms a tight-fitting, sealed package by getting shrunk. Though it’s a simple and fast process, the use of high quality shrink wraps has become a common practice in a wide range of industries. In the application process, you only need to take care of two fundamental elements – buying the right type of shrink film and heat. Just be sure to buy the shrink wrap from a reputable company like LLAMA. This is because its customer reviews clearly state that Llama supplies best shrink wraps in San Francisco CA.
As high quality shrink wraps offer a multitude of crucial advantages, a huge number of companies are using this method to package their items. In this article, we’re going to take a detailed look at the applications, types, and how to choose the right high quality shrink wraps for your packages.
Applications of high quality shrink wraps
Here’re the most common packaging applications of shrink wraps.
Tamper-proofing
As it isn’t possible to release shrink wrapping, this method has proved to be an effective tamper-evident and tamper-proofing mechanism. You may have seen that computer software disks, books, electronic items, etc arrive sealed in a clear, high quality shrink wrap.
Bundling
In many industries, high quality shrink wraps are used to bundle products. For instance, PET bottles, which are used to package soft drinks and drinking water, are typically wrapped using shrink wraps. It’s also a common application used for groceries, stationery items, books, etc.
Storage
High quality shrink wraps are frequently used to store products. It isn’t uncommon to see vehicles like cars, boats, etc are wrapped using them to protect them from storage damages. The product is also used to ship vehicles.
Packaging lamination
In product packaging, shrink wrap is used to provide the product with an additional protective cover that protects it from wear and tear.
Different types of shrink wraps
Now that you know that high quality shrink wraps can help keep your items safe and secure, it’s time to learn about different types of shrink wraps available in the market. Using the right kind of shrink wrap will not only increase the shelf-life of your products but will improve your customers’ buying experience as well. While shrink wraps can be of different types, there’re three major kinds that are used the most – PVC, POF, and PE. Understanding the specific pros and cons of each of these would help you choose the right one for your application.
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
Once PVC was the most commonly used material in shrink packaging. It’s inexpensive, lightweight, and can be used for multiple purposes. A wide number of industries use PVC due to its characteristics. These include building and construction, electronics, healthcare, among others.
Pros:
PVC is thin and relatively more affordable than many other types of shrink wraps. It also offers high resistance to puncturing and tearing and helps the packaged product attain a shiny, clear appearance, which makes it visually appealing.
Cons:
In very low temperatures, PVC becomes brittle and hard while it wrinkles and softens in very high temperatures. PVC contains three components – carbon, chlorine, and hydrogen. It means PVC releases detrimental odors and harmful byproducts during its application. It also leaves carbon deposits during the process, meaning proper maintenance is a must for regular operation. Finally, as PVC becomes more brittle once it gets shrunk, it isn’t the perfect option for bundling multiple products together.
PE (Polyethylene)
During the polymerization process, Polyethylene is created by the addition of ethylene to Polyolefin. Polyethylene comes in three main forms – Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE). Note that PE is used in multiple forms including stretch film and shrink film. So, you need to know the actual form that you’d need for your purposes.
Pros:
Polyethylene is highly durable and has the ability to stretch more than other high quality shrink wraps. It’s frequently used to wrap multiple packs of heavy-weight products like a large number of water bottles or beverages. You can also print these wraps and add clear graphics to them while keeping the strength and image intact. One notable thing about Polyethylene is that you can scale it up to 1200 gauges whereas PVC and POF come with much lower gauge thickness, which is around 100. Due to this higher thickness, PE is widely used to wrap vehicles like boats for storage.
Cons:
It’s more expensive than other high quality shrink wraps and offers a lower shrink rate of about 20% generally. It also lacks clarity compared to other wraps.
POF (Polyolefin)
Extreme versatility and durability are two key characteristics that have made Polyolefin the go-to option for many industries. You can find different POF-materials having different characteristics to serve your exact purposes. These shrink wraps are commonly used for wrapping foods, candies, books, games, etc. Note that you can combine additives to Polyolefin to get exactly what you need to do with this film.
Pros:
As POF doesn’t contain chloride, it’s approved by FDA for food contact and it generates much less odor during the application process. The film offers an outstanding, glossy appearance along with exceptional clarity, making it a great choice for consumer products. It can also withstand a much broader range of temperature fluctuations during storage. Finally, Polyolefin is 100% recyclable, which makes it an environmentally-friendly choice.
Cons:
POF is costlier than PVC and you may need additional perforations before application to eliminate the presence of air pockets.
How to choose a shrink wrap machine?
If you need to use high quality shrink wraps for a minimal number of products, the use of a handheld heat gun might be good enough. But if you do applications on a large-scale, a shrink wrap machine is what you should look for. Here’re the key things that you need to consider when buying such a machine.
Try to down gauge
While the use of high quality shrink wraps can help you reduce the cost significantly, many businesses utilize heavier gauge film than what is actually required. Obviously, using premium wraps can help you manage various shortcomings such as inexperienced operators and less efficient machines, it increases the overall operational cost as well. In fact, high quality shrink wraps suppliers like Llama that supplies best shrink wraps in San Francisco CA are offering inexpensive yet premium films, which you can use by downgauging.
Consider the length of the shrink tunnel
Shrink wraps take a certain amount of time to get heated up and shrunk. If you’re wrapping at a higher speed, the tunnel might become long and a target for reducing footprint. Also, tunnels having small chambers may tend to be hotspots, which can lead to poor packages.
Consider the working environment
You already know that heat is one of the fundamental elements of using shrink wraps. Therefore, if an item gets affected by high temperature, it isn’t advisable to use shrink wrapping. However, if this isn’t the case and optimal product visibility is critical, using high quality shrink wraps would probably be your best option.
Consider the size of the products
The size of the products that need to be wrapped varies dramatically – from pencils to large trays. The beauty of high quality shrink wraps is that you can wrap almost anything using them. If you’ve got items of varying sizes, there’s no need to buy different machines for different products. Simply select the largest product and buy a high quality shrink wrap machine accordingly, and it’ll wrap the smallest items efficiently.
Consider the cost
Shrink wrap machines come in a broad range of capabilities and their costs vary accordingly. Therefore, the machine that would serve your purposes in the best possible manner while letting you maintain profitability will be heavily dependent on your products and how you want to handle the operations. If you want the fastest and most complicated machine for the job, it may cost you many thousand dollars. However, this is a one-time investment and as the cost of high quality shrink wraps is quite low, you should be able to balance the cost easily. On the contrary, if you want a standalone shrink wrap machine, the cost will be much lower.
Final words
As you can see, high quality shrink wraps bring you a wonderful opportunity to leverage sustainable packaging options while maintaining versatility and low-cost. Whether you’re a small business or a large facility, it can prove to be an effective option to stand out from the competition. If you haven’t explored this method till now, this is the best time to do it. Just keep the above-mentioned things in mind when selecting the shrink wraps for your products and partner with a leading company such as Llama that supplies best shrink wraps in San Francisco CA.