Wrapping it Right: Three Shrink Wrap Packaging Challenges and How to Beat Them
Shrink wrap packaging is a ubiquitous material in fast-paced commercial enterprises around the globe. Distribution networks habitually incorporate “just in time” delivery methods that require superior organization, packaging, and loading techniques, and any delays at the point of origin produce cascading slowdowns that affect the entire length of the distribution chain.
With all the potential problems facing distribution centers, the last thing that should be on your mind is whether or not your shrink wrap is performing as it should. Unwrapping and re-wrapping packages is a time-consuming operation that adds unnecessary expense to your bottom line and decelerates productivity.
In hundreds of operations studied, shrink wrap re-packaging on a per-package basis averages nearly 20%, and reaches as high as 65% in exceptionally inefficient organizations. This level of re-work would be unacceptable in many other mechanical applications, leading to insolvency of the entire enterprise – but for shrink wrap, managers too often shrug and accept the costs in time and material of re-wrapping packages that should have been properly packaged out of the gate.
Thankfully, this process is largely avoidable by taking steps to ensure that the most common challenges in shrink wrap packaging are understood and planned for in advance.
Overall, there are three primary categories of shrink wrap problems that your operation needs to take into account and be prepared to address: 1) improper appearance, 2) faulty seals, and 3) mechanical failure of wrapping machinery.
Shrink Wrap Packaging Improper Appearance
Any problems or inconsistencies with the physical appearance of shrink wrap packaging are nearly always due to errors that occur doing the shrinking phase. If heat is not uniformly applied to the packaging material, a variety of physical defects can emerge:
Angel Hair – When extremely thin strands of shrink wrap film appear between the cut end of the shrink film and the product being wrapped.
Ballooning – A pillowing effect created when shrink film is non-uniformly exposed to hot air, causing trapped air to expand before slowly escaping through the vent holes.
Crow’s Feet – A series of wrinkles emitting out from the corners of an overwrapped package.
Dog Ears – Triangular protrusions of shrink film at corners of the trim seal.
Fish Eyes – A scalloped surface of rounded or oval areas on a shrink film package that are improperly constricted.
All of these physical defects can be overcome by ensuring that hot air is uniformly applied to the package being shrink wrapped.
If you use stretch wrap on your pallets, don’t forget to download our free report on getting the most out of it with essential PreStretch tips.
Shrink Wrap Packaging Faulty Seals
Any inconsistent, weak, or unsightly side seals generally have a common cause with the physical defects above: improper application of heat. If the top half of a package receives more heat faster than the bottom half, shrink wrap material will be excessively stretched and can potentially tear along the fault that straddles the heat differential.
As with the physical anomalies above, simply applying uniform heat solves most faulty seal challenges with shrink wrap packaging.
Shrink Wrap Packaging Mechanical Failure
The leading factors associated with downtime in shrink wrapping are the side-seal, cross-seal and trim-winder systems. Many mechanical problems emanate from tooling that cuts and seals with the same surface: As a build-up of melted film develops on the cut/seal surface, poor seals and poor shrinking result.
While such machinery may initially perform at peak efficiency, this build-up gradually decreases seal quality until the operator is obligated to halt the machinery and run a clean-up. Unfortunately, the last packs off the line prior to this clean-up are typically in need of re-wrap, which require time and effort and slows the entire process down.
Common Solution: Appearance and Seals
There is a common fix that addresses the appearance and sealing shrink wrap challenges listed above. After several years of studying shrink wrapping technology and methodology, and carefully considering user observations, a common denominator emerged: shrinking film uniformly is the key to efficient shrink wrap packaging. While this may sound elementary, it’s surprising how often this simple fact is overlooked.
Replacing existing forced-air systems with new convection systems eliminate nearly all of the heat uniformity problems associated with improper appearance or faulty seals. Like a pizza oven, convection wrappers “cook” packages to a uniform heat across all surfaces simultaneously. With no hot spots, cold spots, or air blasts, convection wrappers can maintain peak efficiency over extended hours of use.
Solution: Mechanical Failure
Many operators suggest that selecting custom or high-quality shrink wrap film will alleviate mechanical slow-downs or failures and associated losses in efficiency, but our research says otherwise.
A powered, vertical center folder requires just 8 sq. ft. of floor space, and a roll-in/roll-out center folder operates on standard 110V current. The independent drive ensures the film enters the machine under constant tension for the most consistent tracking.
New machinery technology is the most effective answer for shrink packagers, not custom films. Users can enjoy the cost advantage of using commodity films, while still achieving efficiency and quality that, until recently, were unattainable or required special and expensive wrapping material.
Wrap-Up
By choosing the right equipment for your operation, you can save a tremendous amount of time and energy that would otherwise be wasted on needless maintenance or repackaging, and solidify your bottom line without adding costly labor.
In hundreds of operations studied, shrink wrap re-packaging on a per-package basis averages nearly 20%, and reaches as high as 65% in exceptionally inefficient organizations. This level of re-work would be unacceptable in many other mechanical applications, leading to insolvency of the entire enterprise – but for shrink wrap, managers too often shrug and accept the costs in time and material of re-wrapping packages that should have been properly packaged out of the gate…