How does a shrinking machine work?
Posted by Rodrigo Barrientos on
When it comes to the shipping and manufacturing industry, one thing we know for certain is that businesses want their products to be shipped securely and in excellent condition. Our shrink wraps are puncture and tear resistant, extremely durable, and FDA approved for direct contact with food. They can be used on any manual, semi-automatic, or fully automatic L-bar system.
Shrink wrapping is typically done using one of several methods - manually, automatically, or a combination of both. If you’re shipping smaller items with less volume, a shrink wrap heating gun may work fine. However, for larger products and larger quantities, a shrink wrap machine is far more efficient.
What is a shrink wrap machine?
A shrink wrap machine is a machine used in heat shrink packaging. The machine generally includes a sealer and heat source to apply heat to the shrink wrap, however there are several types. Some of the types include heat sealers, shrink wrapping combination systems, shrink tunnels and fully automatic shrink wrap machines.
How do shrink machines work?
Most shrink wrap machines use some form of heat sealer to seal the open ends of the shrink wrap. However, the overall function work in different ways.
Heat sealer (I-Bar): An I-Bar sealer works by using a single sealing bar to seal and cut the shrink film in one motion to enclose the package or product. This manual sealer usually works best with lower output processing.
Heat sealer (L-Bar): L-Bar sealers work at higher speeds and have two sealing bars that are positioned in the shape of an L (hence the name). As this is also a manual sealer, it is also best for lower output operations.
Shrink tunnels: These are great for medium to high-speed, large output operations. They are typically paired with an L-Bar sealer to amp up the efficiency of the machine. They also come in various sizes and dimensions and are suitable for persons wrapping 150 or more products per day.
Shrink wrapping combination systems: As the name suggests, this machine is a combination of two in one: The L-bar sealer and shrink tunnels. This system usually comes with different functions, two of which are a magnetic hold and discharge conveyor option.
The magnetic hold function keeps the L bar sealer in a sealing position until the seal is complete. This allows users to position the next product while the seal finishes, hence improving efficiency.
The discharge conveyor transports products into the shrink tunnel. This saves time users from having to touch the product after the initial seal.
Fully automatic shrink wrap machines/Conveyors: As you can imagine, these machines are best for high output, high speed operations. The fully automatic shrink wrap machines have powered conveyors to feed products into the shrink wrap machine continually. Conveyors are used at the exit of a shrink wrap tunnel.
Whether you have a small or large operation, there is a shrink wrap machine available to help you improve your efficiency and packaging. We have quality shrink wrap material available for you. Check out our shrink wrap rolls!