8 Elements Of Shrink Film | Manufacturer

16 Dec.,2024

 

8 Elements Of Shrink Film | Manufacturer

Shrink film is a type of polymer plastic film used in packaging. It shrinks tightly over whatever it's covering when heated. Shrink wrap and shrink film are extremely adaptable packaging materials that may be utilized in a wide range of applications. Shrink wrap is commonly used to wrap food, gift baskets, cartons, toys, books, soaps, and other items. 

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You may wish to use shrink film for your product packaging for a variety of reasons. It is lightweight and robust, and it protects your items from the weather, extends shelf life and tamper-proofing, and makes them sparkle!


Believe it or not, there's a lot more to shrink film than you may think. Shrink films offer a variety of operational qualities in addition to clarity, which we all know is significant.

When choosing shrink film for your packaging, keep these eight factors in mind.


Related: 8 Packaging Options For Your Products

1. Shrink Force

This is usually expressed in PSI and indicates how much force the shrink film will exert on your goods. Understanding your shrink force is important when packing a multi-pack that has to be firmly confined without being damaged, especially when modifying your shrink gear.


This won't matter if the shrink force is high and you are packaging something sturdy like wood or metal. 


This may be important if you're packing a tiny stack of paper or light chipboard boxes. Polyolefin films had a high shrink force in the past. Films made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have a low shrinkage force. Shrink force is minimized using new polyolefin compositions.

2. Shrink Orientation 

Bi-axially or preferentially oriented shrink films are available. Films that are bi-axially orientated shrink equally in both machine and cross directions. 


Film that is preferentially orientated shrinks differently in both directions. A preferentially orientated film has the advantage of utilizing less film and reducing product deformation.


The jury is out about which film provides the best optical properties. But bi-axially oriented shrink films are providing better performance than preferentially orientated shrink films.

3. Shrink Percentage

You may change your shrink percentages by using preferentially oriented film, or you can keep it the same by using bi-axially orientated film, such as 40/40, 30/30, or 20/20.


The shrink percentage of your film is especially important when you package products with different ends, corners, and angles.


The amount of shrink-ability in a film before it comes into contact with your product is known as Free Shrink. Free shrink allows you to achieve a better-looking package on tough shapes and sizes with high degrees of free shrink.

4. Puncture Resistance

This determines how difficult it is to break the film and how difficult it is to shred it once it has been pierced. 


Films with strong puncture resistance often have lesser tear resistance, and vice versa. If you must make this trade-off, choose the more significant trait. 


Choose a shrink film that strikes a balance between product protection and ease of access to the real goods.

Puncture resistance is critical, for example, if you have a window box. 

5. Storage Conditions

Next, keep your shrink wrap in a cool place until you're ready to use it to avoid the film becoming brittle.  If the film is kept in extremely hot conditions, it may shrink inside the packaging.


Some films are cold-shrinkable, meaning that they have good recoverability at low temperatures after being stressed for a period of time.


If you're shipping to an area with cooler climates, this could be useful.

For more Resistance to Moisture PVC Shrink Filminformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

6. Antifog

Antifog films are used on both fresh and frozen food to prevent moisture from forming on the surface of the film. 


Moisture can generate a fog, which makes it difficult to see the product through the coating. Many shoppers will walk past fogged-up items in favor of those that are plainly visible on the inside.


An antifog film is a good choice for easy-to-view packaging styles.

7. Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR)

This property determines how much moisture will or will not pass through the film.


If minimal moisture transfer into or out of your packaging is vital for shelf life, you should pay attention to this feature.


This can also be impacted depending on the region you are shipping products to and from. More humid states like Florida might have different recommendations than Arizona.

8. Odor Barrier 

Odor barrier films are used to prevent unwelcome scents from entering or exiting your product. Don't let your consumers down after they've purchased your stuff by giving it a bad odor.

An aroma blocking film can be thicker and thereby a more durable shrink film style.

Order Shrink Film From Bennett Today!

There you have it, seven important characteristics of shrink film. When you are selecting packaging for your products, keep these in mind.


Good films provide many performance benefits when wrapped around your products. Shrink films offer clarity, puncture resistance, and moisture protection to name just a few. These factors apply in various degrees depending on the quality of the shrink film you choose.


Contact Bennett Packaging today for a custom quote on shrink film.

What is PVC shrink film? + Features and benefits

Pvc shrink film is used as a packaging plastic and has many advantages. Shrink is an outer layer that protects against dirt, dust and other external threats. This flexible plastic is entirely malleable and conforms to products. PVC shrink plastic generally has two types, uniaxial and biaxial. The biaxial shrink wraps horizontally and vertically, offering excellent quality and stability. Uniaxial film folds in only one direction.

PVC film is incredibly resistant to heat and weather effects. It is also lightweight and generally waterproof and fireproof, making it an excellent protective layer when handling and packaging products. Using this film makes transportation easier. Another advantage of PVC plastic is the ability to print, a mandatory feature for food factories.

What is PVC?

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) was first produced in by the German chemist Eugen Baumann. He exposed vinyl chloride gas sealed in a tube to sunlight and had a white solid called PVC. It was in that the German chemist Friedrich Klatte received the first PVC patent for the method of polymerization of vinyl chloride using sunlight. By World War I, Germany was producing many flexible and rigid PVC products that were used as a substitute for corrosion-resistant metals.

PVC is a white and brittle solid material in powder or granule form. Because of its features such as light weight, durability, low price and easy processing, it is now replacing traditional building materials, such as wood, metal, concrete, rubber, ceramics etc., in many industries. This strong thermoplastic is widely used in producing drinking water and sewage pipes, medical equipment and devices, wire and cable insulation, packaging films, etc., and is the third most produced synthetic plastic polymer in the world, after polyethylene and polypropylene.

Advantages of PVC shrink film

High resistance to UV rays, acids, alkalis, oils and many corrosive mineral chemicals are the critical features of PVC plastic. By heating, the film shrinks and tightens around the products. Other features of PVC plastic include:

  • Low-cost production
  • Flexible and impact resistant
  • Good electrical insulation
  • Non-flammable
  • Easy processing
  • High transparency
  • Good heat sealing
  • Good toughness
  • Uniform thermal shrinkage
  • Suitable for high-speed and automatic packaging

Disadvantages of PVC nylon sheathing

  • Its properties may change over time.
  • Some of its grades are affected by contact with chlorinated and aromatic hydrocarbons, esters, some ethers and aromatic amines and nitro compounds.
  • At high temperatures, it is destroyed, and its structure changes.
  • It is not suitable for packaging food and health products.
  • It has less chemical resistance compared to other packaging films.

Applications of PVC shrink film

PVC film is used in food, medicine, beverage and mineral water, alcohol, electrical products, electronic goods, toys, etc. Before the production of polyethylene film, it was the first choice of companies for packaging this plastic. But due to environmental concerns, recycling, the toxic odors it emits when heated, is less popular these days.

How to use PVC shrink film

The process of packing with pvc shrink film is the same as other packing films. Shrink rope is used for the final packaging of products in factories and retail stores. Heat is applied to the film by a heat tunnel or electric or gas heat gun. The heat catalyzes the film to wrap tightly around the contents. The cover created is a transparent and durable barrier for protection.

PVC film is usually produced in rolls. At first, the sheet is randomly cooled and has no specific structure. When the film is heated, in the unstructured areas, the chains straighten and align in the same direction. The molecules are oriented from their initial random pattern to match their contents&#; template. If the film is adequately cooled, its properties will change; it will shrink and stretch.

Printing on PVC

Usually, shrink-wrap nylon is used without any label, but in some cases, we need printing. For example, some mineral water companies use colored shrink wrap or nylons with logos. Colored shrink wraps are printable, and you can customize them in different colors and designs.

Why is PVC film not good?

PVC packaging film is viral due to its low price, but in recent years, its production has been dramatically reduced and replaced by polyolefin and polyethylene film. There are several reasons for this replacement that we have discussed in the previous sections of this article, but if we want to review it once again briefly, the reason for removing PVC is as follows:

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Personal Care PVC Shrink Film. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

  • pvc shrink film is brittle in cold weather and changes in hot weather, so its sealing strength is reduced and does not provide good protection. On the other hand, polyolefin has high-temperature resistance and can be used in a wide temperature range without any structural changes.
  • When sealing, PVC film releases some hydrogen chloride and carbon deposits into the air. Polyolefin shrink film creates fewer odors when sealed because it is chlorine-free and does not produce hydrochloric gas as a by-product.
  • This film has destructive effects on the workers. When pvc shrink film is heated, it releases hydrochloric gas, which is dangerous to the health of factory workers during production and the general public when incinerated or decomposed. Many countries have banned the use of PVC.
  • PVC creates carbon deposits on the packaging. Therefore PVC requires special storage conditions for the packaging to maintain its properties, but polyethylene does not require maintenance.