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Over the past
five decades, shrink wrap has become a well-known material for
packaging.
In manufacturing shrink wrap,
the molecules in the material are stretched, and when the material is
subjected to heat, the elastic memory of the plastic is activated,
causing it to shrink around the product.
Packaging is traditionally divided into two applications: transit and
display. The latter type of packaging is further divided into food and
non-food applications.
Cost is the deciding factor in using shrink wrap for transit. It is used
when its application provides the lowest cost solution for delivering
the product safely from the manufacturer to the customer. A sleeve
sealer and polyethylene film are used to produce transit wrap. A bundled
wrap achieves transit at the lowest cost. Using a sleeve, the wrap has
two opens sides; other equipment may be used instead of a sleeve,
although this is not required.
The strength of polyethylene depends on its thickness combined with
shrink ratio and slip. A customer can specify the thickness and shrink
ratio for the strength desired to ensure a tight wrap. Slip can be
adjusted to enable bundles or packs to stack properly.
Further benefits of shrink wrap include easy identification of product,
easy waste disposal after delivery, and protection from moisture. It is
also easy to see whether the product has been tampered with before
purchase. Products may also be collated for transit using shrink wrap.
Shrink wrap comes in colored and printed films as well as clear film.
Polyethylene is not especially good for enhancing the appearance of
products, however, as its surface is naturally soft and cloudy, and it
scratches easily. It also attracts and retains dust. However,
polyethylene may frequently offer sufficient optics so that it is
acceptable in these applications.
As technology has advanced, new applications for shrink wrap have been
found. Certain transit packs use normal display films with better optics
and machine-ability. They are more expensive but offer more marketing
benefits that justify the cost. These specialized display films are as
strong as polyethylene.
Display shrink wrap is traditionally used in non-food point-of-sale
packaging for product enhancement and overall protection. In display
packaging, a total wrap is generally used instead of the sleeve wrap.
The result is a tight bag completely covering the product.
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