what plastic is shrink wrap made of

How much does it cost to shrink wrap?

The cost of shrink wrap depends largely on the size of the item being wrapped. Helicopters, Boats, and Autos, are usually priced by the lineal foot and range from $12 to $16 depending on the width and mil thickness needed to provide the desired protection. How do you cover patio furniture with tarp?

What is thickness and types of shrink wrap?

Shrink film can come in a variety of different sizes. Here at The Packaging Company, we carry shrink-wrap ranging from 6”-36” in width, and several different thicknesses including 50, 60, 75, and 100 gauge shrink wrap. Browse the different types and styles of shrink wrap and their most common uses below.

What is shrink wrap and machine for what product?

What is Shrink Wrap?

• Securing boxes
• Unitizing canned goods and beverages
• Providing additional product protection
• Tamper evident sealing
• Securing large pallet loads
• Combination packaging
• Promotional packaging and sampling

How much does a shrink wrap machine cost?

The total cost for a low output shrink wrap machine can be as low as $115 for a sealer and heat gun. How does shrink wrap work? The principle of shrink wrapping is simple; it works by loosely wrapping a product in film, applied either manually, semi-automatically or in a fully automated process.

What is heat shrink wrap made of?

Heat shrink wrap is a completely different product made from different plastics. As explained above, heat shrink wrap is any material that shrinks when heat is applied. The most common shrink wrap plastics are: PVC, Polyolefin, and Polyethylene. See more detailed descriptions for each below.

What kind of plastic is heat shrink?

The four most common materials shrink wrap is made from is PVC, polyolefin, polyethylene, and polypropylene. Polyethylene and polypropylene shrink wrap are most often used for heavier shrink wrapping applications. PVC and polyolefin shrink wrap are most often used within the retail packaging industry.

Is shrink wrap PVC?

PVC is the third most produced plastic in the world. PVC Shrink Wrap was the most commonly used shrink film, until the introduction several years ago of polyolefin (POF) shrink wrap. Common PVC shrink wrap uses include packaging boxes, CD and DVD packaging, software, small canisters and other non-edible items.

Is PVC shrink wrap toxic?

The Food and Drug Administration regulates both, permitting less than a fraction of one percent of PVC and PVDC food wrap from migrating into food. At that exposure level, it's highly unlikely someone could be poisoned by their plastic wrap.

Why polypropylene is less used for shrink wrapping?

Polypropylene is comparatively less used in shrink and stretch wrapping, because it is slightly harder than the other commonly used materials. It has a higher melting temperature and is less stable when shrinking.

What type of plastic is stretch wrap?

polyethyleneWhat is Stretch Wrap? Stretch wrap is a thin, stretchable plastic film (typically made from polyethylene) that is used to lock and secure cased goods onto a pallet.

What is the difference between polyethylene and PVC?

PVC is a durable vinyl polymer whereas HDPE is a polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum. Both pipes are strong through high temperatures. When comparing failure ratings when exposed to events like rain, stress, wind, heat or cold, HDPE is proven to be more durable.

What is difference between polyolefin and polyethylene?

Both Polyolefin and Polyethylene are thermoplastic polymer materials. The key difference between polyolefin and polyethylene is that polyolefin is made from the polymerization of small alkenes whereas polyethylene is made from the polymerization of ethylene molecules. Polyethylene is a form of polyolefin.

Is shrink wrap eco friendly?

Plastic Shrink Films Are Recyclable But, they still have significantly less of an ecological impact than the most popular alternatives. This is due to their much lower carbon footprint than many forms of rigid packaging.

Is shrink wrap hazardous?

Many shrink wrap films do give off toxic fumes when heated. Usually very small amounts of molecules that break down quickly. You'll have to go to the manufacturer of the particular brand you use to get the chemical information.

Is plastic wrap carcinogenic?

The plastic-causing-cancer myth has taken on legs and has many different versions. Some people claim that freezing plastic water bottles or using plastic wrap in the microwave can cause cancer. As of yet, these concerns are unfounded in science and there has been no mention or links to colon cancer, specifically.

Does plastic wrap leach chemicals?

The bottom line: While there is no evidence to suggest that the newer, reformulated plastic wraps leach harmful compounds into food, keeping the wrap at least 1 inch from food surfaces will eliminate any potential risk.

What type of plastic is shrinkable?

Some plastics will shrink when you get them hot. Two of these are polystyrene, the material in foam cups and plastic food containers, and the other is polyester, from which soda bottles are made. You can make your own shrinking polymers by baking polystyrene in a regular oven!

Does PVC shrink when heated?

Like all materials, PVC expands with increasing temperatures and contracts with decreasing temperatures.

What is #6 plastic?

The #6 identifies the resin of the plastic which makes polystyrene, but the arrows around the number do not mean that it is recyclable. This type of plastic is either hard of soft (foam, also known as Styrofoam). Both should go in the landfill.

Can you shrink wrap any plastic?

Shrink wrap is a plastic film that you can wrap around any object, no matter what the size or shape. Heat is then applied to the surface, which causes the plastic to shrink. As it shrinks, it conforms to the shape of your object and seals itself. There are several ways to shrink wrap.

What kind of plastic is shrink wrap?

When it comes to shrink wrap and its uses, there are different films available for various jobs, all of which are made from distinctive plastics. Below, we have looked at the different kind of plastic found in shrink wrap, to help clarify matters:

What is shrink wrap film?

The most commonly used shrink wrap film is low-density polyethylene, or as it is more commonly referred, polythene (PE). The primary use for PE is as a transit medium, where it allows packs to be wrapped individually or together, and offers the best combination of unit cost and protection when compared to the alternative packing methods.

What is PVC shrink film used for?

The uses of PVC shrink film include packaging boxes, CD and DVD packaging, small canisters and non-edible items.

Does polyethylene shrink in heat?

Unlike other shrink films, polyethylene does not shrink at the presence of heat, rather, it shrinks after exposure. However, it still offers elasticity for puncture resistance.

Is PVC shrink wrap good for equipment?

However, PVC films do have a particularly easy sealing and shrinking features and continue to be used on older equipment. They also tend to be used on very flexible packs, particularly those that are heat sensitive.

What is shrink wrap?

Shrink wrap, also shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied, it shrinks tightly over whatever it is covering. Heat can be applied with a handheld heat gun (electric or gas), or the product and film can pass through a heat tunnel on a conveyor .

Why is shrink wrap used?

It can be the primary covering for some foods such as cheese, meats, vegetables and plants. Heat-shrink tubing is used to seal electric wiring.

How is shrink wrap applied?

It is then heated by a heat gun or sent through a shrink tunnel or oven for shrinking.

Why is PVC banned?

PVC has been banned in many countries, due to the harmful products created by its decomposition. PVC has some negative qualities including, it is not good for bundling, leaves carbon deposits, and has a low shrink force. Polyolefin or POF shrink wrap is a premium shrink wrap, as it's extremely durable and versatile.

What are the properties of shrink film?

With regard to shrink properties, there are onset temperature, free shrink, shrink force, shrink temperature range, memory, and overall package appearance.

Which direction does shrink film shrink?

A shrink film can be made to shrink in one direction (unidirectional or mono-directional) or in both directions (bidirectional).

Can you shrink wrap cucumbers?

Vegetables such as cucumbers can be individually shrink wrapped to extend the shelf life. Software on carriers such as CDs or DVDs are often sold in boxes that are packaged in shrink wrap. The licenses of such software are typically put inside the boxes, making it impossible to read them before purchasing.

What is shrink wrap?

Shrink Wrap. Shrink wrap is a term used to describe a variety of products and materials. In order to correctly describe what shrink wrap is, it is important to start by pointing out what shrink wrap is not. See the images below to see what products are often mistaken for shrink wrap.

What is industrial shrink wrap?

Industrial Shrink Wrap - Made from a thicker polyethylene shrink wrap and often and used with a propane heat gun to apply heat. Industrial shrink wrap is used to winterize boats, wrap large objects for weather protection, and wrap and enclose pallets of goods. 2. Wire Shrink Tubing - Shrink tubing is used in many different manufacturing processes ...

What is shrink bundling film?

It is most commonly a lay-flat shrink film made from polyethylene. Shrink bundling film is used with a shrink bundling machine to bundle cases of heavy items. Shrink bundling film shrinks during cool down after heat has been applied.

What is shrink sleeves?

Shrink sleeves are pre-cut tubing like neck banding except they are often printed on for advertising and marketing purposes. Shrink sleeves can be made from many different materials including PVC and PET. Some shrink sleeves require heat from steam to properly shrink the sleeve around the bottle.

What is the most distinguishing factor in shrink wrap?

For industrial shrink wrap, shrink wrap packaging, and shrink tubing, the most distinguishing factor is heat. When heat is applied to a shrink wrap material, the film shrinks down and conforms to the product being wrapped. Shrink wrap can be made from different materials and varies dramatically based on the intended use.

What is wire shrink tubing?

2. Wire Shrink Tubing - Shrink tubing is used in many different manufacturing processes to protect and secure electrical wires together. Most wire shrink tubing uses an electrical or butane heat gun to heat and shrinks the tubing tightly around the wires being wrapped. 3.

What is vacuum packaging?

Vacuum packaging uses an air vacuum to remove air from the packaging. The removal of air creates a shrunk look to the package resembling shrink wrapping. 3. Cling Wrap - Cling wrap (Saran Wrap) is a food grade plastic wrap that has tact on one or more sides.

How is shrink wrap made?

How is shrink wrapping film made? In general terms, the film extrusion process starts with mixing the blend of plastic beads and other additives for characteristics such as shrink, UV inhibiting or flame resistant additives and heating it to a molten state. The molten plastic blend is pushed through a precision machine called an extruder and then blown with air, usually upwards to cool then slit and wound on a roll to the desired film length. The “film bubble” forms a tube whose circumference, when cut lengthwise along the “tube”, produces the desired film width. The size of the bubble and the thickness of the film are precisely controlled by the extruder machine. The quality of any shrink film can be judged both by its consistency in thickness across the product as well as the performance of the blend under its intended conditions.

What is a heat shrink wrap?

Heat Shrink Wrap - Also referred to as shrink film, is a thin film like material made up of polymer plastic blends. When heat is applied to the material it shrinks tightly over the object that it is covering. Heat can be applied manually with a hand held heat gun or the product can pass through heat applicators in a heat tunnel or on a conveyor.

How to test tensile strength of shrink wrap?

Tensile Properties – under strict testing guidelines, all of our stock films tensile strength has been tested by pulling a strip of the plastic shrink wrap material until it breaks in order to measure elongation strength under load and strength at break. For example, our stock seven (7) mil shrink films have an elongation or stretch-ability of 650% and a break point of 3000 PSI.

How thick is a 6 mil film?

Gauge or Thickness – Gauge is measured in increments of one one-thousandth of an inch or MIL; for example, our six mil films measure .006” or six thousandths of an inch to avoid confusion the industry simplifies this to six mil. Mr. Shrinkwrap stocks rolled films ranging from six to twelve mil and shrink film pallet bags in four mil; many of our customers request custom mil thicknesses and sheet dimensions to accommodate their specific applications

What temperature does a 6 mil film shrink?

Shrink Temperature – the temperature that our stock 6 through 10 mil shrink film begin to shrink is 275 degrees Fahrenheit, twelve mil films begin to shrink at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

What is a film bubble?

The “film bubble” forms a tube whose circumference, when cut lengthwise along the “tube”, produces the desired film width. The size of the bubble and the thickness of the film are precisely controlled by the extruder machine.

Does Husky shrink wrap ship free?

Get Free Shipping on select Husky Brand Shrink Wrap Rolls! (Continental U.S. Only!) Rolls of shrink wrap which weigh 70lbs or less will ship free! The price of these rolls will contribute to the offer below of free shipping on purchases of $300 or more!** Shrink wrap rolls which are eligible for free shipping have been added to our specials page. Click this link to view them now!

What is the name of the plastic that is used in food wraps?

The year that Ralph Wiley, a Dow Chemical employee, accidentally discovered polyvinylidene chloride, a type of plastic that found common use in wraps, particularly Saran Wrap, starting in the 1950s. The high quality of the material, initially developed as a a spray, made it desirable as a food wrap, because of its ability to hold in odors, survive microwaving, and cling to itself. Despite the success of this material, current owner SC Johnson eventually reformulated the PVDC out of Saran Wrap as a result of outcry from environmentalists.

Who invented the shrink wrap?

In fact, it should be noted that Cryovac’s Bill Baird, who helped develop the shrink-wrap technology for the firm, actually met with Raychem founder Paul Cook, the inventor of heat shrink, to see if there were any lessons that could be gained. Turned out, there was. Not long after this meeting, which could potentially be described as the plastics version of Steve Jobs visiting Xerox PARC, Baird applied the concepts of irradiated polyethylene to turkey bags. And it turned out, it worked!

Why wrap a boat in shrink wrap?

But wrapping that boat in shrink-wrap (particularly colored shrink-wrap, so folks can’t see inside of the boat and it’s protected from sunlight) could prove a useful way to protect the equipment from the elements.

Why shrink wrap sneakers?

Whatever the case, shrink-wrap is going to be with us for a long time, as a way for sneaker-heads to ensure random people don’t put their feet into their valuable kicks, or as a way to ensure your checked luggage isn’t tampered with .

Why is shrink wrap important?

While somewhat controversial today because of the perceived effects that plastic may have on foodstuff, shrink-wrap made it possible to pre-package items like fruits and raw meat so that they could store better and better withstand the elements. While the technology started with whole turkeys, it did not end there.

What is the effect of electromagnetic waves on plastic?

In the 1950s, it was discovered that treating plastic with electromagnetic waves, also known as ionizing radiation, had the effect of shaking up the molecules, so that with a little heat, the plastic would become malleable, rather than something that would be likely to melt.

What is a ziploc bag made of?

Ziploc bags and their generic counterparts tend to be made up of a variant of plastic that’s also used in many forms of shrink-wrap, polyethylene—and heat (ofter in the form of a heat sealer) is often a key tool used in the creation of those products.

Overview

Composition

Manufacture

Use

See also

Further reading