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Temperature Guide for Using a Shrink Wrap Heat Gun
Before you purchase a shrink wrap to use for packaging products at your business, you must consider a few factors when choosing the correct material. Polyethylene could provide better strength and stability than polyolefin in certain scenarios and vice versa. Read on to learn five things to consider when choosing your shrink wrap.
Shrink wrap can be used to cover a multitude of products and components—anywhere from pallets to packaging to aircraft or water vessels. First, determine what you need the material for. Any food items might require a film with antifog properties to minimize the amount of moisture that accumulates inside, while a pallet may need more durable material to limit damage during transport.
Are you wrapping a product that needs protection from solar radiation? If you produce items that need these special requirements, keep this in mind when selecting a film. For example, white or blue polyethylene is excellent for outdoor protection because it contains UV inhibitors. Due to the special grade of the material, it’s also perfect for protecting marine vessels from sun and heat damage.
Another major component to consider when choosing your shrink wrap is the size and shape of your product. When your product is more cumbersome with sharp edges, you’ll likely need an industrial shrink wrap with a higher thickness gauge for better protection. However, if your items are light and smaller, you can use a thinner gauge to wrap more products per shrink roll. Remember, one size does not fit all!
What you use to wrap your product can also be a determining factor in the material you choose. When you use a machine to wrap your pallets for you, you will need a more durable film with the strength to provide the best stretch over the products without wasting excess material. However, if you’re wrapping manually, a lighter and smaller roll of shrink wrap works best.
The summer and winter months can make it difficult to store your shrink wrap because the climate could potentially damage the material. Also, if your products are temperature controlled—for example, frozen food items—they could also harm the integrity of the wrap. Consider temperature requirements when choosing a shrink wrap, and know that you may need to avoid film such as PVC because it can crack in cold conditions.
For all your shrink wrap needs, Buffalo Shrink Wrap has you covered. We offer many films to choose from that will accommodate all your stretch wrap packaging needs.
