What Shrink Wrap Machine is Best For Your Business?

Shrink wrapping is an excellent packaging option for companies across many different industries. Many companies choose shrink wrapping for packaging for a variety of reasons. This post will examine common reasons companies choose shrink wrap packaging and look at the recommended shrink wrap machine for different applications. Let's begin with a list of common reasons companies choose shrink wrap packaging.

Cost - New companies often prefer shrink wrapping because the start-up costs are substantially less than many other forms of packaging. Low start-up costs allow new companies to focus capital on other areas of the business.

Existing companies rolling out a new product often choose shrink wrap packaging because of low start-up costs. Another common reason existing companies choose shrink wrap packaging is to lower overall packaging costs on existing product lines.

Professional Look - Another excellent advantage to shrink wrapping is the professional look obtained once wrapped. For minimal costs, start-up companies and existing companies can offer professional looking packaging for pennies per product.

Display - The ability to display the product on the shelf is another excellent advantage to shrink wrap. Companies can display edible and non-edible products while on the shelf.

Efficiency - Shrink wrapping with the proper machines to meet production levels can be a very efficient packaging method. Companies can package anywhere from a few products per day up to thousands of products per day with the proper machine.

The list above was a brief description of the reasons companies use shrink packaging to wrap products. The purpose of this post is to help companies determine the best shrink wrap machine for specific needs. A couple of questions should be addressed to determine what type of machine is recommended.

What is the projected output?

Output levels are a huge factor in shrink wrap machine costs. The higher the output levels the higher the upfront cost for the machine. In the long run, the higher output system will save money if the production levels justify the machine size. To help make this guide an easy read, we will list production levels and recommended machines.

Low Output (Less Than 100 Product Per Day)

The base level shrink wrapping system that would be capable of wrapping 100 products or less per day would be a hand impulse sealer and a heat gun. With these two items products can be wrapped with shrink tubing, centerfold shrink wrap, or shrink bags.

The impulse sealer is used to seal the open ends of the bag or film being used and the heat gun will shrink the film to conform to the product being wrapped. See the video to the right using an impulse sealer and heat gun to seal shrink bags of stationary.

For this setup, the most cost-effective form of shrink film is shrink bags. The bags are more efficient when used with an impulse sealer because only one side of the bag is required to be sealed.

Low to Medium Output (Less Than 250 Products Per Day)

Many companies with lower output choose to spend slightly more money and purchase an I Bar sealer. The I bar sealer will accommodate production growth up to approximately 250 products per day. The recommended film type to be used with an I Bar sealer is a centerfold shrink film.

The I Bar sealer is an all-in-one shrink wrap system that comes with film, sealing bar, film rack, heat gun, film separator, and gun rack. The film rack allows for easy centerfold film dispensing. View the video to the right to see the I bar sealer in use.

Medium Output (250 to 750 Products Per Day)

Companies producing medium output have several different machine options to choose from. One of the most affordable shrink machine options for medium output is a shrink chamber. The shrink chambers are L Bar sealers and heat chambers in one.

The product is placed into centerfold shrink film and the open ends are sealed with the L Bar sealer. After the chamber is closed it fills with heat and shrinks the film around the product. Watch the video to the right to see a shrink chamber in action.

Another affordable option close to the cost of the shrink chamber is a tabletop L Bar sealer and shrink tunnel. This combination is more efficient than a shrink chamber and very comparable in cost. The L Bar sealer seals the open ends of the shrink film and the shrink tunnel applies heat to the film for shrinking.

The tabletop L-Sealer and shrink tunnel are capable of doing more than 750 products per day. It is an excellent option for existing product lines expecting to grow into higher output.

The L Bar sealer and shrink tunnel combo is a great choice for customers planning to exceed medium output levels.  The advantage of the combo units over the table top units is the magnetic hold and discharge conveyor. The magnetic hold allows users to begin inserting products into film while the product before is being sealed. Once the seal is complete the discharge conveyor transports the products into the heat tunnel.

View the video to the right to see the L Bar sealer and shrink tunnel combo unit in action. These machines are capable of packaging in excess of 2000 products per day.

High Output (Over 750 products per day)

The L Bar sealer and shrink tunnel combo unit mentioned above is an excellent option for high output operations up to approximately 2500-3000 products per day. Once production levels reach higher than that, we recommend a fully automatic shrink wrap machine.

We do not sell fully automatic shrink wrap machines outside of our local area. Fully automatic machines require more for installation and maintenance. We recommend finding a local supplier for a fully automatic shrink wrapping machine. A local supplier will be able to assist with set up and maintenance.

What Size of Products is Being Wrapped?

The other determining factor when choosing a shrink wrapping machine is the size of the products being wrapped. Purchasing a shrink wrap machine to accommodate the largest product being wrapped will allow companies to wrap smaller products as well.

Be sure to accommodate for the height, width, and length of the largest product. If purchasing a sealer and shrink tunnel, be sure both the sealer and shrink tunnel will accommodate the product.

If you have any questions about shrink wrap machines or shrink wrap packaging, visit uspackagingandwrapping.com to find informative articles and videos. You can also call us at 1-800-441-5090 if you have any questions.

How To Choose the Right Shrink Wrap Machine