Highly popular in modern-day packaging of products, stretch wrapping film is made from LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene) and possesses excellent elastic recovery features that are required to keep wrapped packages bound tightly. In essence, stretch wrapping films secure products to each other and secure them to the pallet. Overall, wrapping products in stretch wrapping film encourages minimized product loss, reduces worker injury, and eliminates tampering with product loads. Let’s focus on indicators of the thickness of stretch wrapping film.
Most popular types of stretch films
- Colored stretch film
It is possible to acquire a transparent and opaque stretch wrapping film that is useful for several purposes. Major shipping companies use colored stretch wrapping film to identify loads based on color codes. Lastly, another good thing is such shipments get protection from ultraviolet light.
- Extended core stretch film
This is a version of stretch wrapping film that comes with built-in handles. This type of wrapping comes handy for businesses that must wrap products on the go.
- Hand stretch wrapping film
These are stretch films designed to fit in many brands of hand dispensers and are of the common 3” core. It is also possible to obtain an anti-static stretch wrapping film in various colors.
- Vented stretch wrapping film
This type of stretch film is perfect for enabling packaged products to breathe. The film contains die-cut holes that enable packages to breathe when loaded onto pallets. Note, vented stretch films are perfect for firewood packages.
- Machine stretch wrapping film
You can obtain machine stretch wrapping film in various gauges, or even in pre-stretched state. A majority of these stretch films can be stretched up to 250% their normal size.
In addition to this, pre-stretch film is one that is stretched up to 90%, which is its maximum stretch capability.
Procedure for stretch-wrapping a pallet
- First, it is necessary to pull out roughly a yard of stretch wrapping film from the roll, and squeeze between 8 and 10 inches to form a rope shape.
- The rope shaped part is then threaded through one corner of a pallet.
- Considering that tying knots is not required, you can then proceed to wrap the stretch-wrapping film around the package’s base.
- The base of the pallet should be wrapped at least 4 times, and keep the stretch wrapping film tight.
- After, slowly wrap your way up the box, focusing on keeping the wrap tight.
- As soon as you reach the top of the pallet, you can test the stability of the packaging.
Stretch-wrapping film thickness types
- Equivalent stretch film
This is a solid alternative to a true-gauged stretch wrapping film. It is based on a unique resin mixture combined with multi-layering, to offer quality hold, exceptional one-sided cling, and stronger packages. The difference between equivalent stretch films and true-gauge films lies in the number of resin formulas and the number of layers.
- True-gauge stretch wrapping film
This is an industry-wide standard wrapping film with incredible amounts of stretch, tensile strength, and cling. This type of wrapping film is expensive as it requires more petroleum-based resins to create, and because it is thicker.
Conclusion
Stretch wrapping film is a unique invention designed to keep product loads tightly packaged, secure, and balanced during transportation and storage. It is important to know how to tell the different gauges and widths of stretch wrapping films available in the market from each other, and to select the one that most fits your needs.
