Plastic Shrink-Wrapping Techniques to Consider

Having previously worked in the packing industry and fruitlessly being smashed by social responsibility hammer against the brick wall of corporate profit, I am finally able to come up with this post. Over the past few years, plastic waste has been a hot topic news across the globe. I mean several government and industries have made noises about reducing or eliminating the mountains of plastic the ends up on the oceans, possibly so the share price doesn’t get hit too hard. The following post is not related to saving the environment, but it’s more kind of how to select the right packaging method for your move. 

Relocation is not an easy procedure, it is very important to transport items safely and securely. For that selecting an appropriate packaging method is very important. Now “shrink wrapping” and “stretch wrapping” are often used interchangeably, even though both are synthetic plastics used for unitizing products, they are completely different. 

If we go in accordance with the definition offered by Wikipedia, it says that a stretch wrap or a stretch film is a highly stretchable plastic film that is wrapped around items. The elastic recovery keeps the items tightly bound. In contrast, shrink wrap, also shrink film, is a material made up of polymer plastic film. When heated, it shrinks tightly over whatever it’s covering.

Both the methods are equally important but the selection depends on the package. For example, stretch wrap is often used to unitize multiple items. The product typically clings together as it’s wrapped around itself. While on the other hand, shrink wrap is designed to package individual products: It can wrap products together on a pallet, but that’s less common. With the help of a heat sealer, shrink wrap can be cut around a product, which makes the film shrink around the product as heat is applied. 


Each method has its own PROs, for example- 

Stretch wrapping is:

  • Adaptable: There are several types of stretch wrapping films that suit each application on a variety of surfaces. 
  • Cost Effective: Stretch wrapping is less expensive than other types of pallet wrapping.
  • Protection: Stretch wrapping offers protection from dust, moisture and other forms of weathering. Some films even have UV protection.
  • Recyclable: Stretch film is recyclable

Shrink Wrapping is:

  • Breathability: Shrink wrap has a ventilation option, which reduces any damage that could occur from moisture.
  • Protective: Shrink wrap protects products from dust, moisture and other forms of weathering. Also, if done correctly, shrink wrapping will protect against chafing and damage during transportation or storage.
  • Recyclable: Shrink wrap is recyclable, as long as the recycling center accepts soft plastics.
If you require something to cover – top and sides, bottom left exposed or for encapsulation purposes, I personally would like to recommend you to buy Online Plastic shrink film that is best in terms of quality. Down below I would like to mention a few considerations that must be kept in mind while using such products. 
  • Choosing the right wrap- Choosing the right shrink film material means it has to be chosen on the basis of both the size of the object, how long it will be outdoors if at all, and conditions during the period of time that the material is expected to perform.
  • Preliminary concerns- Preparing for shrink wrapping project takes the most time and has the greatest impact on the outcome and performance of the application. It includes padding or softening, structure for shaping. 
  • Pulling the Shrink Wrap- once the wrap is off the roll, retrieving the wrap off of the object or turning it a different way can be tricky. So make sure that when the wind is less severe can be the best choice to complete your project in the most effective way
  • Securing the shrink wrap to the object- This includes from Strapping to Heat fusing, Strip lumber, heat application and of course, fine detailing. 
  • Taping- all heat-fused seams should be taped so that at least 1.5” of tape are stuck to each side of the fused seam, for longer periods of outdoor exposure.

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