Suppose the temperatures are still too high in the coolest spot in your warehouse. In that case, you will want to consider implementing climate control protocols such as air conditioning to prevent your stretch film from being compromised by heat.
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If you are storing your films in a warehouse or area exposed to extreme heat, you will want to move your films to a cooler place that will not produce tacky films.
High temperatures may cause your film to melt or become tacky, causing your films to be problematic or unusable.
Suppose you are storing your stretch film in a facility that is subject to high temperatures during summer (or other times based on your location). In that case, you need to be aware of your storage protocols.
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If you are storing your stretch films during the winter or in a place where the temperature is always cold, you will need to think about how you store your films and make some adjustments to the process.
Extreme cold can cause your stretch films to become brittle or crack. This may result in stretch films becoming unusable or even producing a safety hazard in relation to unstable loads.
If you are storing you films in a warehouse or area exposed to extreme cold, you will want to move your films to a warmer area that will not produce brittle films.
Suppose you do not have a warm enough space to prevent the adverse effects of cold temperatures on your films. In that case, you will want to consider implementing climate controls such as heating systems to control the temperature of your stretch film storage area.
Today, countless consumers demand that companies producing their favorite products "go green." Many companies are trying to source sustainable packaging to meet customer needs.
Additionally, many businesses are trying to source recyclable packaging materials in an attempt to meet consumer's sustainability demands.
One question we often get from customers is, "can you recycle stretch film?"
And the short answer is yes! However, while stretch film is recyclable, you cannot just throw the used film into a single-stream recycling bin.
Most single-stream and municipal recycling centers do not have the proper infrastructure to recycle stretch films.
But, specialized third-party stretch film recycling companies have the required infrastructure to recycle these materials.
And, some of these stretch film recycling companies will actually pay you for larger volumes of properly baled and sorted LLDPE used and waste film.
If you want to learn more about recycling stretch film and getting paid to do it, please reach out to one of our packaging specialists.
They will be able to help you find out if you can recycle your used stretch film and if you qualify to make a profit from doing so.
Many companies choose to wrap their pallets manually with hand stretch film. And this is a totally acceptable way to wrap pallets.
But, with an ongoing labor shortage, finding good laborers to work in your warehouse is not always easy. And even if you find the labor you need, you could be saving a lot of money by switching to automated stretch wrapping.
With an automated stretch wrapper, you can partially or fully automate your stretch wrapping.
With automated stretch wrapping, you can reduce the number of laborers in your warehouse, increase production speeds, improve safety, reduce film waste and save some serious coin.
But is automated stretch wrapping right for your business?
Depending on the number of laborers you can replace in conjunction with the volume of products you are wrapping, automated stretch wrapping may be able to save you a ton of money.
But how do you know if automated stretch wrapping is proper for you?
If you want to know if an automated stretch wrapper makes sense for your product palletizing and securing requirements, you will want to speak with a packaging expert.
They will help you understand how much a stretch wrapper costs, whether buying or leasing is the right choice, and how much cost savings you can reap from automating your stretch wrapping.
It should go without saying that when you choose to automate your stretch wrapping, that safety comes first.
Stretch wrappers are a form of industrial equipment that, if operated wrong, can lead to safety hazards. As such, it is imperative to educate yourself about stretch wrapper safety before purchasing, installing, and using an automated stretch wrapper.
Safety concerns that should be studied before implementation include the following items:
In an effort to provide you with the proper safety advice for automated stretch wrapping, we have compiled this guide to stretch wrapper safety that covers each of the bullet points above.
While stretch film is an excellent packaging material for palletizing and securing your loads, it may or may not be the suitable material for your needs.
Depending on what you are attempting to palletize, other materials may be better suited to your requirements (such as strapping).
To ensure transparency about using stretch film, as we suggest here, we need to note the most common problems with stretch film.
Reviewing these items will help you decide if stretch film is the correct packaging material for your business or if you should be using an alternative material such as strapping.
The most common problems with stretch film include:
In order to help you negate all of these issues, we have put together a guide to understanding each of these items.
This guide will help you understand if you can avoid these problems when palletizing your products and will also clarify whether stretch film is the right material for your needs.
After reading this guide, you should have everything you need to identify the proper type of stretch film for your stretch wrapping needs. But, you are probably wondering, where can you buy stretch film?
When it comes to purchasing stretch films, you have a few different options to choose from. Below, we will review the places where you can buy stretch film.
Online retailers are one option for buying stretch films. You can purchase stretch film from online retailers such as Uline, Amazon, or Ali Baba.
Shopping around for stretch film on online retailer's websites such as these may allow you to find the lowest price possible.
But, sellers on these sites often do not provide in-depth information on the materials, nor do they give access to packaging experts who can consult on whether or not you are purchasing the best film for your needs.
Your next option for buying stretch film would be brick-and-mortar retailers. You can purchase stretch film from department stores such as Home Depot, Lowes, and similar brick-and-mortar locations.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of esd aluminum foil zip-lock bag. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
When buying from a store like this, you can physically and visually inspect the stretch film before you buy it.
And while these stores will have sales associates to help you in your buying process, they often do not have the expertise on stretch film to help you buy the proper material.
Your next option for purchasing stretch film is to buy direct from a stretch film manufacturer.
This is a popular choice for consumers as stretch film manufacturers are the premier experts on the brands of film that they manufacture.
Sales reps from stretch film manufacturers are some of the top thought leaders and experts on the stretch films that they sell.
The reps can answer any questions you may have about the films they offer and assist you in making a purchase.
With that being said, stretch film manufacturers only sell the brands of film that they make. As such, in many instances, they may try to sell you their brand of film regardless of whether or not it is the best film for your needs.
It is also essential to understand that not all stretch film manufacturing companies will sell directly to consumers. Some manufacturers only sell their films through packaging distributors.
Finally, we come to stretch film distributors. This is another popular option for many consumers when looking to buy stretch film for their company.
Stretch film distributors are brand agnostic. This means they source and sell multiple brands of stretch film under one roof.
Because stretch film distributors sell multiple brands of stretch film, their sales professionals will help you buy the correct film for your needs.
Stretch film distributors feature knowledgeable packaging experts who can review several brands of film with you to help identify the perfect film choice for your product, budget, and logistics requirements.
We should point out that Industrial packaging is a stretch film distributor. We offer some of the best brands of stretch film on the market today.
If you are interested in purchasing the stretch film that is most appropriate for your product palletizing needs, feel free to reach out to one of our packaging specialists today!
Throughout the years we have written about a variety of topics devoted to shrink wrap packaging. With so much content, videos, charts, and more, finding the right information can be difficult. This reference guide is intended to put as much information and resources as possible into one complete guide for shrink wrap packaging.
We felt the best way to present information and references would be from the beginning of the buying process until after the purchase. Not all the references listed below are our content. We have compiled resources from both of our blogs, our website, and other websites to provide the best information possible.
How Will Shrink Wrap Benefit My Company and Products?
Shrink packaging is one of the most popular forms of packaging for several reasons. One of the main reasons is cost. Compared to other forms of packaging, shrink wrapping is often much more affordable and often times more efficient. Check out some of the resources below explaining in-depth how shrink wrapping can benefit your company.
Here is a previous blog post about how shrink wrap can benefit your company and products. The article explains how shrink wrapping can be used for primary or secondary packaging and the benefits of each.
This article explains how shrink wrapping can save your business money in comparison to using corrugated packaging. The post breaks down the cost of shrink wrapping compared to corrugated packaging.
A blog post we wrote last year titled primary packaging with shrink wrap explains the advantages of using shrink wrap as primary packaging for a variety of products.
After reading about the benefits of shrink packaging, many people want to know if shrink wrap will work with their products. See the section below for references and articles explaining how shrink wrapping works with different products.
Will Shrink Wrap Packaging Work With My Products?
Anyone considering shrink wrap packaging should first determine if shrink wrapping will work with their products. The good news is, more than likely shrink wrapping will work with your products.
Shrink wrapping is used for a large variety of products across multiple industries all around the world. Food products like cookies and cupcakes up to diesel engines and metal pipes are packaged and transported using shrink wrap. See the references below to help determine if shrink wrap packaging will work with your products.
Our post about commonly shrink wrapped items points out specific shrink wrapped items found in most grocery stores. This is a great article to get familiar with some commonly shrink-wrapped items that may be close to the product you are considering shrink wrapping.
If you are considering wrapping food products with shrink wrap, read about food packaging with polyolefin shrink film. This article explains the benefits of shrink wrapping food products.
Here are the links to a three-part series titled shrink wrap what? This series breaks down products to shrink wrap from fresh produce to stationary. Click on the links to view part 1, part 2, or part 3 of the series.
After reading a couple of references listed above, you can see that most products across multiple industries can be shrink wrapped. The next question people typically want to know is how much does shrink wrapping cost?
How Much Does Shrink Wrapping Cost?
Cost is one of the main reasons shrink wrapping is popular. The use of shrink wrap to package products is a very affordable and efficient form of packaging. Shrink wrap offers small companies the ability to professionally package products with a relatively low start-up cost. High output operations can quickly and affordably produce shrink-wrapped products with the proper machines. View some of our references below for shrink wrap cost.
Our guide to shrink wrap machine cost breaks down in detail what machine is right for each level of production. The shrink wrap machine guide also gives machine cost to help determine overall start-up cost.
Shrink wrap bags are a common type of shrink wrap used to wrap everything from CDs to food products. Our post about shrink bags details the cost of shrink bags for anyone considering using them.
Perforated single wound shrink wrap rolls are commonly used by printers and food producers. A blog post from last year details the cost of perforated shrink wrap rolls.
Centerfold PVC shrink wrap is one of the most popular forms of shrink film. View the cost of PVC shrink wrap per foot to help determine if centerfold PVC shrink wrap is the right product for your application.
Two forms of shrink wrap we do not have reference guides to are centerfold polyolefin shrink wrap and shrink tubing rolls. Both forms are relatively inexpensive and great options to consider when looking for the proper shrink wrap.
What Shrink Wrap Material Should I use?
The type of shrink film used is the biggest factor in the overall aesthetics of each product. The primary materials used to make shrink film are polyethylene, polyolefin, PVC, and polypropylene. Use the references below to determine which shrink film is right for your application.
This Wikipedia article about shrink wrap mentions the different types of shrink film as well as some common uses. It is a very basic article about the different types of shrink wrap film commonly available.
Here is a blog post about shrink wrap materials and their common characteristics. This post highlights PVC, polyolefin, and polyethylene shrink films. It explains the common uses for each type of film.
Our shrink film 101 page highlights the advantages and disadvantages of PVC and polyolefin shrink film.
National shrink wrap also has a useful guide for choosing the right shrink film.
Each reference listed above should help give direction to the type of shrink film to use. Many people call us after reading, still unsure exactly which film to use. This is a common issue that should be carefully considered. Feel free to call us if you are still unsure about which type of film to use. Once the shrink film material is determined, the type of film should be considered next.
What Type of Shrink Film Do I Need?
There are a variety of options to choose from when using a shrink film. The most popular forms of shrink film are centerfold rolls, bags, and tubing. Use the references below to determine the best type of shrink film to use.
We have a newer post titled, what heat shrink wrap to use. The post highlights the different shrink wrap types available and what option may be best for different applications. Whether using bags, tubing, centerfold, or single wound rolls, determining the size needed is the next important step.
What Size of Shrink Film Do I Need?
Determining the size of the shrink film needed is important to ensure the film will accommodate all products and reduce excess waste. If using a centerfold shrink wrap roll, the goal is to purchase a roll large enough to accommodate the largest product being wrapped. Shrink bags and tubing should be sized for each specific product or product close to the same size. Use the referenced articles below to choose the proper size of shrink film.
This blog post titled how to measure for shrink wrap offers videos explaining how to measure for centerfold shrink wrap and shrink tubing.
Our category page for shrink wrap bags explains at the bottom of the page the proper way to measure for shrink wrap bags.
Once the proper size of shrink film is determined, an important question to address is the thickness of the film needed.
What Thickness of Shrink Film Do I Need?
The proper film thickness can make or break shrink wrap packaging operations. Shrink film that is too thin can easily tear and cause product loss and damage. Below are some references to help determine the proper shrink film thickness.
Shrink film thickness is often measured in gauges or mils. View our thickness conversion chart for clarification of how shrink film thickness is measured.
Our blog post titled What thickness of shrink film do I need, should answer the majority of questions when determining film thickness.
Even some of the best articles and resources are no substitute for sampling and testing material thicknesses. Call us if you would like samples for different material thicknesses. Sometimes it is the best way to determine the proper film to be used.
After addressing all the questions to help determine the shrink film and machines are needed people unfamiliar with shrink wrapping generally want to know how to shrink wrap a product.
How To Shrink Wrap a Product?
The process of shrink wrapping is fairly simple no matter the type of machine or material. The film needs to be sealed with a heat sealer and then heat needs to be applied to the film to shrink it down. Use the references below for tutorials on how to shrink wrap a product.
One of the best resources we offer is our YouTube channel of videos. There are dozens of videos available showing how to shrink wrap products.
Here is an infographic to illustrate how to use shrink wrap. This graphic is a cut-and-dry graphic of the basics of the shrink wrapping process.
We also have a text blog post about how to shrink wrap products. This post explains in text, the process of shrink wrapping a product.
Once you begin shrink wrapping, you may encounter small problems that are common when shrink wrapping. The next section offers references to use when those issues are encountered.
Shrink Wrapping Problems
There are a handful of problems that can arise when you begin using shrink wrap packaging. Use the references below to address those problems and obtain the perfect look.
The shrink film 101 page off of our homepage offers common terms when shrink wrapping. These terms will help identify the problems you may be experiencing.
We have written a two-part blog series addressing shrink wrap problems. The series highlights and offers solutions to a variety of problems people may experience when shrink wrapping products. Click here for part one of the series or here for part two of the series.
If there are any questions in this guide we have not addressed, feel free to contact us at 1-800-441-5090. We would welcome the opportunity to assist with any questions or issues you may have.
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