Shrink film is a versatile packaging material that is widely utilised in a wide range of industries.
Understanding the manufacturing process of shrink film is critical to recognising its unique features and applications.
What exactly is shrink film?
Shrink film is a polymer plastic film material. It makes a tight and secure wrap around the objects when heated.
More than 70% of businesses utilise this film because of its durability and safety.
The Advantages of Shrink Film
Shrink film has a number of advantages in terms of packaging and product protection. Here are some of the primary benefits of using shrink film:
Secure Packaging
Shrink film creates a tight and secure wrap around objects, protecting them during storage, shipping, and handling.
The film compresses and moulds to the shape of the product, resulting in a snug fit with minimal movement and exceptional product stability.
Visual Appeal
Shrink film improves the appearance of products by creating a smooth and glossy finish. It can enhance overall presentation, making things appear more professional and appealing on store shelves.
Compatibility:
Shrink film is compatible with a wide range of packaging methods, including manual, semi-automated, and automatic applications.
It is versatile to varied manufacturing environments since it may be utilised with various types of packing equipment.
What materials are required prior to production?
To begin, begin with high-quality polyolefin resin pellets suited for shrink film manufacture.
To improve its qualities and processing features, the resin can be combined with additives such as antioxidants or slip agents.
Devices required
Large-scale manufacturing is often done in industrial buildings outfitted with extruders, cooling systems, stretching equipment, and slitting machines.
Some critical tools are also required to ensure the quality of the shrink film:
Rotary Die Device: Improves the smoothness and consistency of the shrink film.
Control the breadth of the shrink film with the Bubble Controller.
Back-to-Back Divide the tubular film into two halves using the double winder.
Here’s how it works:
1.Extrusion: Resin pellets are melted in an extruder, which is made up of a heated barrel and a screw. The screw revolves, transporting the molten resin to a flat die. The molten resin is formed into a thin, continuous layer by the die.
2.Cooling and Solidification: After leaving the die, the molten film passes through a cooling chamber where it is rapidly chilled to solidify. To ensure that the film retains its shape and dimensions, chilled air or water-cooled rollers can be used to cool it.
3.Orientation: After the film has cooled, it may go through an orientation process. Stretching the film in the machine direction (MD) and/or transverse direction (TD) to align the polymer chains and improve the mechanical properties of the film.
4.Heat Setting: The orientated film may be heat set in some circumstances to stabilise its dimensions and minimise shrinkage during subsequent heat application.
5.Slitting and Winding: Slitting machines are used to cut the film into required widths. It is then wound onto big rolls that can be processed further or sold to clients.
The above methods are quite similar to manufacturing a stretch film, but distinction allows them to serve various objectives.
