Shrink Wrap Machines for Amazon FBA

Shipping products via Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) can require packaging methods not previously used. Amazon has a full list of packaging requirements for sending products to fulfillment centers. Shrink wrapping is an approved packaging method for shipping many products via Amazon FBA. The right shrink wrap machine for Amazon FBA can be found by answering 3 questions about the products being wrapped.

How many products do you anticipate packaging daily?

What are the dimensions of the largest and smallest product being wrapped?

What thickness of shrink wrap will be required for wrapping your products?

Once these questions are answered, you can make an informed decision in finding the right shrink wrap machine. Below are shrink wrap machines to consider based on your answers to the 3 questions specified above.

How many products do you anticipate packaging daily?

Be sure to forecast future growth. Do not only consider the products being wrapped now but the potential within the next year or two. Saving on an inefficient shrink wrap machine will cost a lot if production increases.

Less than 500 Products Daily – Most companies choose a chamber shrink wrap machine if production is anticipated to be less than 700 products daily. A shrink chamber has a hood that opens and closes after the film shrinks. They are perfect for tight spaces and moderate production levels.

700 Products to 4,000 Products Daily – A shrink wrap combo system is ideal for medium volume FBA packaging. The shrink combo system uses an L bar sealer with a shrink tunnel to quickly and efficiently package products. Most operators can attain 4 - 6 seals per minute with a combo system. Spending the money to buy a quality combo system makes a difference when using the machine all day.

4,000+ Product Daily – For wrapping products in excess of 4,000 products daily we would recommend a fully automatic machine. There is also the option of a second combo shrink wrap machine, but with labor costs and lost productivity, a fully automatic machine should be considered. A fully automatic shrink wrap machine will package between 20 – 40 products per minute. Product speeds depend on product size. Smaller products can run through the machine faster than larger products. Workers are needed for both the infeed conveyor and the exit conveyor.  

What are the dimensions of the largest and smallest product being wrapped?

Determining the largest and smallest product size will help determine the size of the shrink wrap machine needed. Each type of machine whether chamber, combo, or automatic should have different models and sizes available.

It is important to determine if the machine being purchased will wrap the largest product you anticipate being wrapped. If the variation from the largest product to the smallest product is several inches, be sure the machine can wrap the variety of sizes needed. All of the capabilities should be detailed in the machine specifications.

What thickness of shrink wrap will be required for wrapping your products?

This is a very important question to determine before ordering a shrink wrap machine. Thinner shrink film takes less heat to seal and shrink. If you are purchasing a shrink wrap machine for Amazon FBA read the shrink wrapping requirements and ask an Amazon coach if you can not find the specific thickness for your product.

If you need to use a thicker shrink wrap, a shrink chamber unit mentioned above is not recommended. The chamber does not maintain a consistent temperature and does not perform well with heavier shrink film. Any shrink wrap thicker than 100 gauge or 1 mil should be used with a shrink wrapping combo system of fully automatic machine. Heavy polyethylene shrink wrap requires a shrink bundler which is a different style of machine. Bundlers are made heavy duty to wrap and seal thick materials.

Conclusion

We did not include any manual shrink wrap machines with a heat gun. Most of the customers we help are shipping pallets of products to Amazon for FBA each time. For efficiency, we would not recommend manual shrink wrap machines for companies wrapping pallets of products.

This guide will help offer a general idea of what shrink wrap machine you should consider when shipping Amazon FBA. No matter which machine or supplier you choose, be sure parts are available on demand. Shrink wrap machines have wearable parts that need to be replaced no matter which brand. The worst decision that could be made is buying a cheap machine with no parts or service when something goes wrong.

We understand each project has specific details unique to the project. We are always here to help. Call us and we can test your products in-house to ensure the right shrink wrap machine will work. We look forward to hearing from you.