Graphic package designers are more inclined towards shrink sleeves to produce eye-catching, contour shaping, top-to-toe coverage for their consumer products. On one hand, these beautiful design on the packaging is pivotal to brand awareness and shelf-marketing, while on the other hand producing them is as much a science as it is an art. The world of shrink sleeve labeling is an intricate one. To achieve the optimum results, you&#;ll need to make sure you&#;re using the correct combination of the following three key components: (1) type of bottle, (2) grade of shrink film, and (3) heat shrink tunnel, for the best results. Following are a few key shrink sleeving tips to ensure your package design comes out as you envisioned it&#;
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1. Containers&#; shape and material considerations
The shape and material of your container is very important. If you want a full-body sleeve, choosing a container with a radius on the bottom for the film to &#;lock down to&#; is ideal. A container with a straight-walled bottom prevents the shrink film from conforming to a radius so the film will be inclined to pull up from the bottom of the container.
2. Container and sleeve tolerances
There are various tolerances that must be taken into consideration, like the tolerance of the container. For example, glass can vary in size more than most plastics. The tolerance of the sleeve when seamed during converting as well as the print to fold tolerance on the graphics, which impacts orientation of the sleeve to non-round bottles.
Create a design that will help to hide any inconsistencies or intolerances. For instance, don&#;t pick a black bottle and white film, any pull-up on the bottom will be obvious. Avoid design elements that may be visually detectable if there is a shift due to tolerances in film, container, printing, or application. The use of curving design is preferable to strict vertical and horizontal lines.
You should strategically consider all the above tolerances and plan for the worst case. Your selected sleeve applicator provider and shrink tunnel supplier could assist you and work with you on this subject.
3. Choosing the right film
A little understanding of the film that is used to create shrink sleeves would help in producing a great final product.
The four types of shrink sleeving film used on packaging include PVC, PET/PETG, OPS, and PLA. Each has unique shrink characteristics as well as advantages and disadvantages. Some films are well suited for packaging that will have tamper evident bands, such as PVC. Others, such as OPS, and PETG-LV &#;&#;work well with full sleeve applications that have little or no radius at the bottom.
Knowing the characteristics of the various films will allow you to make the right film choice for your product and budget, with no worries or surprises. Selecting the correct film will be the most cost-effective and avoids cost overruns. It&#;s best to work with the shrink sleeve application machine manufacturer that can guide you and one that offers a testing process, so you avoid any oversights and select the correct film from the start.
4. Shrink Tunnels
A critical part of the shrink sleeve labeling process is the shrinking of the film onto the container. This is done via a shrink tunnel that mounts over the production line conveyor. Your container could encounter a wide range of temperatures depending on the type of shrink tunnel used (Hot air or Steam tunnel). In steam tunnels, for example, temperatures generally run between 79°C and 99°C. Electric tunnels can reach temperatures of 93°C up to 300°C near the heat elements.
Typically bottle deformation occurs with empty plastic containers. Filled containers, on the other hand, act as a heat sink, that transfers the heat to the substance inside the container, and so can therefore withstand higher temperatures without deforming.
If your container is plastic or it will be labeled while empty, testing it in the actual shrink tunnel to be used during production will let you know if the bottle will deform during the shrinking process.
5. Prototyping Your Package Design
This brings us to the importance of testing your product. It is best to discuss your planned design with film and heat tunnel manufacturers before moving too far along with a shrink sleeve labeling project. During the testing phase, a prototype of the proposed film on the actual container is run at production speeds in a hot air or steam tunnel.
If production labels are not available, you can test with grid printed film first in the recommended shrink tunnel. The grid will indicate how the film lays down around any contours and whether it is being pulled in a particular direction. You can then analyze the shrunk sample with grid film and take those factors into account when laying out the artwork for the printed shrink label in order to avoid any distortion issues on the final product.
Shrink sleeves allow the decoration of containers in ways that were impossible in the past. Knowing what to expect from the shrink sleeve labeling process will go a long way to producing eye-catching graphics that knocks it out of the park from the get-go.
We&#;re a global leader in shrink sleeving technology with ~38 years in the sleeve packaging industry.PDC Europe has years of expertise in helping customers choose the proper shrink film and shrink tunnels for a variety of product and packaging types. Our Shrink Lab is available to FREE test your product to ensure it will be attractive to customers and look terrific!
Contact us today at +33 (0)3 22 78 93 .
Having trouble deciding which material is best for a project that requires ease of printing and good durability? Then definitely check PETG! PETG combines the best of both worlds: easy printing and exceptional resistance. Capable of withstanding temperatures of up to 80°C and offering a shiny, smooth finish, this material is perfect for creating everything from robust mechanical parts to elegant decorative objects. Read our blog for the best tips for printing with PETG filament.
If we compare PETG with other 3D printing materials such as PLA and ABS, we will find that PETG combines the properties of these two materials. On the one hand, we have ease of printing, and on the other, industrial-grade durability. These two properties of two different materials are combined in one filament &#; PETG. Objects printed from this material can withstand temperatures up to 80°C, it does not curl during printing and the finished products have a nice shiny surface. In light of the versatile nature of PETG, the demand can touch applications like mechanical parts, enclosures, decorative objects, and even EU-compliant food-safe projects.
Our PETG filament is a piece of engineering that has been deliberately designed to display an amazing combination of overall elasticity, strength, and durability.
One of the most common questions is whether PETG is stronger than PLA. It is indeed. Compared to PLA, PETG is tougher, and more resistant to the impact of forces, so using it is the best solution for parts subject to mechanical pressure. While offering a very long list of applications such as robotics, prosthetics and tools, one just cannot miss the fact that both PETG and PLA are basically soft materials and the latter might be the easiest to 3D print. Meanwhile, PETG which is stronger and more robust is like PLA, but for practical surfaces like robots, prosthetics, and tools.
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There are many factors that are important for high-quality prints from PETG and one of them is the right set-up and settings for the printer. Below is a list explaining the key parameters in detail.
Most printers can print PETG within the 220°C to 240°C range. Printing below the recommended temperature range may result in poor bonding of the layers and separation of the printed parts while printing at higher temperatures may lead to the formation of strings and ugly blobs of melted materials on the part.
To get the best possible adhesion of the first layer it is recommended to set the print bed at 80°C. PETG prints nicely on surfaces like glass or PEI sheets, however using some sort of glue spray for example 3DLac helps to avoid prints detaching mid-print. This also avoids the excessive glueing that can destroy the build surface which can happen when using glue sticks.
To reduce the defects, the print speed should be kept in the range of 60mm/s. But if you have a newer and more powerful printer, you can print PETG up to 200mm/s. If the printer is driven at a print speed that is too high, the prints made especially with fine details also tend to have layer adhesion problems.
While PETG does not always require a cooling fan, it is practical to run a fan at a low-speed setting (approximately 20-40%) especially for printed models with overhangs or complex details, to improve the bonding of the layers without affecting adhesion.
Although print settings may seem appropriate, PETG prints may sometimes go wrong. Below are some issues along with troubleshooting tips:
Most print results containing PETG will have some stringing, for this reason, it is often not the best material for high-temperature 3D printing. In order to minimise the stringing, a longer retraction distance should be set (try starting with 5mm) and the speed of the retraction motion should be reduced. In addition, increasing the retraction temperature closer to the low-temperature edge of PETG will help marginally.
In principle, PETG does not have many problems with warping compared to ABS. This problem can still occur if we are printing larger projects or if our printing pad is poorly or insufficiently heated. It is always recommended to heat the printing pad to 80°C and to calibrate the first layer well.
If you&#;re having trouble sticking to the bed, check the cleanliness and flatness of the base. We always recommend applying a thin layer of adhesive such as 3Dlac as this prevents it from coming off mid-print and allows for easier removal from the substrate when your print is complete.
These can occur in instances where the extrusion temperature of PETG is excessive. Many of these blemishes can be reduced by slightly lowering the print temperature and modifying the retraction settings.
PETG is not only limited to plain 3D prints because of its exceptional attributes but rather goes on to do the following:
PETG has many good applications within the realms of mechanical and biomedical, providing strength with flexibility for medical prototypes and parts, such as prosthetics. Biocompatibility extends the use of PETG to non-implantable medical aids like prosthetic parts, dental devices, custom braces, and additional items employed in laboratories and research to support test devices and medical model applications.
When it comes to manufacturing electronics enclosures, their durability and heat resistance are very important. PETG offers just that. Heat or humidity will not affect the stability of the PETG housing. It is also resistant to moderate temperatures, which further increases the safety of the case and helps with heat resistance.
Since PETG can also have a transparent surface, it is used in the production of durable signs. This is possible due to its UV resistance compared to other materials, thus preventing yellowing and degradation of characters even on external surfaces.
As a result of its impact resistance as well as its flexibility, this material is a great choice for functional prototype projects for automotive parts. In creating prototypes of testing conditions and equipment air circulation paths, PETG is used to make prototypes for air ducts as well as some sensor covering shells and other structural protective parts.
It is ideal for making facial shields, goggles, and other safety devices that are meant to last longer and not break due to the construction material, which is resistant to shattering. Again, the other aim for the use of PETG is in cases where durability is of utmost importance.
Compared to the more rigid filaments like PLA, PETG only exhibits a medium level of flexibility. In other words, flexibility is balanced with toughness to enable this material to absorb impacts without cracking. Such a feature is suitable for rigid parts as well as flexible components, such as clips or springs.
The settings to get a smooth top layer with PETG involve the optimization of print settings.
Slowing the speed of printing for top layers up to 20-40mm/s will ensure even extrusion and, more importantly, better layer bonding.
Increase the number of top layers because usually in a range of 5-8 this should fill the gaps and give a much smoother surface.
Lower extrusion temperature slightly to avoid stringing, and blabbing yet can still stick to each layer. A usual ideal temperature is within the range of 220-235°C.
If necessary, apply ironing &#; a process where the nozzle travels over the last layer, with minimal extrusion, and tugging material for surface evenness. This can result in an extremely glossy and smooth surface.
While PETG can be printed using a variety of nozzles, a 0.4mm nozzle is commonly recommended for a balance of detail and speed. This size provides good layer adhesion and detail for most prints. However, it&#;s worth noting that larger nozzle sizes (like 0.6mm) can also be used effectively, particularly for larger prints where speed is more critical. The main consideration is to ensure the nozzle is clean and free from any obstructions, as PETG can be prone to stringing if the flow is inconsistent&#;.
PETG tends to string and ooze during printing. It does this because it must have relatively high temperatures to extrude correctly, as well as for good layer adhesion. Another challenge is sensitivity to moisture; if this filament sits around absorbing humidity, it will also cause inconsistent extrusion. Minimising these problems can be achieved by optimising retraction settings, using dry filament, and regulating print speed and cooling.
If PETG prints are coming out with imperfections, there may be a few reasons that this could be happening:
Moisture in the filament: PETG is hygroscopic, meaning that it takes water in from the air. In case of taking too much water in, the filament can cause popping and bubbling and provide a rough surface. Store PETG in a dry box, and when necessary, dry before use.
Temperature too high/low: The higher the temperature of extrusion, the more it will have stringing and blobs; on the other hand, at lower temperatures, it gives a poor bonding between layers. Start with the filament&#;s recommended range and adjust slightly to improve cleanliness.
Incorrect retraction settings: Generally speaking, PETG is going to have to be retracted mid-level in order to avoid stringing without creating gaps in prints. Using a Bowden extruder, the retraction distance should be set at about 4-6 mm; using a direct drive, about 2-3 mm.
Poor bed adhesion: If the bed adhesion is poor or inconsistent, this may be one of the reasons for layer misalignment. Go ahead and check that your bed is levelled, and put on an appropriate adhesive, such as a PEI sheet or light adhesive spray, for a better quality of the first layer.
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