Stretch Film (Stretch Wrap) Buyers Guide - What you need to know ...

Guidelines to buying stretch film?

• “I don’t have time, just ship it out!” (A costly decision!)
• Yes your stretch wrapper is running (but it is probably NOT working)
• Marriage, (the overlooked key to stretch wrapping success!)
• Stretch film and how it relates to the stretch film equipment?
• Is all stretch film created equal?
• What are the most important criteria in choosing a stretch film

I don’t have time just ship it out!

Stretch packaging your finished product for safe shipment is the last process on the production line and thus is often overlooked as an area of cost (and savings).

When we think of stretch wrapping, it is usually in the sense of “wrap it up and get it out”. In our haste to get the product out the door, we typically don’t give it much more thought than that. This can be an extremely costly mistake. Just throwing stretch film over a pallet does not make it unitized and safe for transport. Or you might be applying much more than required with. In fact in the end you could be throwing out thousands of dollars of stretch film that could easily be saved.

Goto SMART WASP to know more.

Yes, your stretch wrap machine is running (but it is probably NOT working)

Unlike some other equipment on a packaging line, a stretch wrap machine will continue to run and apply stretch film even though the machine has stopped prestretching the stretch film.

In fact, nearly 60% of all stretch wrap machines evaluated are typically operated far below acceptable efficiency levels. This not only increases the amount of stretch film applied (and thus your packaging cost) but it also dramatically reduces the strength and holding power of the stretch film, resulting in shipping damage due to packaging failure.

How much more stretch film?
“One particular customer saved over $150,000 per year in Stretch Film.”

It is very important to understand the basic fundamentals of prestretching the film to be able to realize that huge potential for cost (and savings) increases in this part of your business. It is worth the 5 minutes of your time to review our section of stretch wrap basics. It will ensure that you know more about the process than the salesman selling it to you.

Was this load wrapped with a properly functioning stretch wrap machine?

It looks good, but this pallet load will fail on the customer’s floor because the stretch film was not prestretched to the required level to obtain the required strength. The point is that although the load looks good it will fail during transit and you simply cannot determine this by looking at the load.

• Are the required load retention forces created by proper prestretching of the stretch film present?
• Have you applied too much film and are actually damaging the product with the stretch film?
• Are you spending too much in stretch film because your vendor simply does not have the necessary grasp of equipment to determine what the issues are?
  

Find out how efficiently your stretch wrap machine is operating! We have provided an online stretch wrap machine efficiency test that will let you know immediately if you are wasting money.
It WILL save you money!

Marriage, the overlooked key to stretch wrapping success!

Stretch film is a raw material whose capabilities are not optimized until properly stretched (Important, see stretch film basics for more info). You can buy the most expensive high performance stretch film on the market, but if your stretch wrap machinery is not prestretching the stretch film at the required level, then your costs skyrocket and your pallets are subject to shipping failure. One simply does not work without the other. It is absolutely critical that you (and your supplier) understand how your stretch wrap machinery and the stretch film work together to create the prestretch film that is required to unitize your product.

If your supplier is not technical enough to review, troubleshoot, and correct issues with your equipment to maximize this marriages efficiencies then find another supplier. He will cost you money in the long run. It is this marriage that maximizes your film strength and holding force while minimizing your stretch film costs!

Stretch film and how it relates to the stretch film equipment?

Stretch film products react differently based on how they were manufactured or the properties of the materials used to produce them. See the stretch film basics section for an overview of these properties.

• You may find a supplier that will sell you a great 2-sided cling stretch film at 3 cents a pound less than your current price. However, your specific stretch wrap machine may not be properly configured to run that product efficiently.
• Or you may find a great deal on a blown stretch film with extra cling, but putting such a stretch film on a high speed wrapping system will surely have the stretch film screaming off the roll and bring the noise level above allowable DB levels in your plant.
• Some carriage designs require that the tacky side of the film be against the prestretch roller to help grip the stretch film during the stretching process, however this may mean that the tack ends up on the outside of the pallet instead of the inside where you require it.

You must understand what your specific requirements of the stretch film are so that you do NOT get “a deal” that costs you more than the 3 cents you saved. If your particular equipment cannot consistently prestretch the stretch film to your minimum requirement to contain your pallet loads then paying 3 cents less for the film has actually cost you money.

Is all stretch film created equal?

NO! Deciding what you require of the stretch film determines the type, grade, and performance characteristics required of the stretch film. If you are a believer of the old adage “Stretch film is just stretch film” then you are probably not getting all the benefits, performance, and economies out of your stretch film. See the stretch film basics section for more info on the different performance characteristics of the various stretch films.

What are the most important criteria in choosing a stretch film?

The ONLY reason to buy stretch film is to ensure your product is safely unitized to get from your dock to your customer’s floor in a manner that is satisfactory to your customer. Some important criteria to consider in choosing a stretch film are:

• Optics
• Cling
• Tear resistance
• Puncture resistance
• Thickness Consistency
• Noise
• Gloss
• Load profile & height

• Load weight
• Storage location (UV?)
• Production speed
• Stacking pattern
• Product value
• Transport distance & method
• Equipment type
• Labeling & bar coding
• Cost

These criteria all have to be weighted before deciding on the correct stretch film for your specific application.

Do not let salesmen cloud the key requirements of your application with a smoke and mirrors presentation that speaks only to prestretch capability or cost. Do your homework first to make sure that any stretch film that is offered meets all the other criteria you have. This way you will ensure that your package meets your customer’s requirements.

It's time to pack and ship your products, and you're unsure which stretch wrap is right for you. Have no fear-- Mr. Shrinkwrap is here! Whether you are packaging products to ship or wrapping equipment for storage, with the proper guidance in this article, you will be able to choose the very best stretch wrap for the job-- ensuring a safe transit for your products, limiting the amount of wrap used/money spent on each pallet or job, and providing maximum safety and efficiency for your company's employees.

What Is Stretch Wrap Gauge ?

Gauge is a measure of a stretch wrap’s thickness. Generally, the higher the gauge, the higher its resistance to breakage. General purpose 80-gauge wrap is the industry standard, and can secure loads up to 2,400 lbs.

Higher gauge wraps tend to be more expensive, but are thicker and do not need to be wrapped around as many times on a job.

Gauge can be converted into mils, microns or other units. Here is a conversion chart:

Gauge

Mil

Micron

Millimeter

Inch

35

0.35

8.9

0.

0.

45

0.45

11.4

0.

0.

50

0.50

12.7

0.

0.

60

0.60

15.2

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Pallet Stretch Film. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

0.

0.

80

0.80

20.3

0.

0.

100

1.00

25.4

0.

0.001

120

1.20

30.5

0.

0.

150

1.50

38.1

0.

0.

180

1.80

45.7

0.

0.

200

2.00

50.8

0.

0.002

Popular Stretch Wrap Gauges

37 Gauge: A pre-stretch wrap suitable for light, uniform loads of up to 800 lbs

60 Gauge: A light true-gauged film suitable for light to medium loads up to 1,600 pounds.

80 Gauge: A versatile, medium-duty true-gauged film for loads up to 2,400 pounds. This is the most common stretch film thickness.

100 Gauge: A heavier-duty true-gauged film that can hold loads up to 3,000 pounds. Machine stretch wrap in this gauge can be used to wrap pallets of heavy, irregular objects such as steel beams or 55-gallon drums.

150 Gauge: A heavy-duty true-gauged stretch film for extremely heavy loads, loads with many sharp points or corners, and heavy irregular objects that may shift during transit. Typically must be machine-applied to achieve proper tension.

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Types of Stretch Wrap

• Pre-Stretched Stretch Wrap has been mechanically stretched prior to rolling, so it is thinner than its true-gauged equivalent. Pre-stretching 80-gauge film results in a 37-gauge pre-stretch film. This creates a lighter wrap, but with a similar hold to its true-gauge counterpart.
• True-Gauge Stretch Wrap has not been pre-stretched. The thickness it has afte the extrusion process is the thickness it has on the roll.
• Hand Films are great for small shipping and containment applications, and can be used to bundle items, or hold items in place on a pallet. A single operator can wrap a pallet with hand film in just a few minutes by stretching the film while walking around the pallet. Hand wrapping is typically ideal for those who unitize less than 10 pallets per day, have decentralized warehousing or need a backup to powered stretch wrapping equipment.

• Opaque/Product Concealing Wraps are completely solid in color, not clear or tinted. These wraps provide privacy, conceal shipments, and help to prevent theft.
• Corrosion Inhibiting Wraps protect shipments that are prone to corrode from moisture.
• Anti-Static Wraps protect shipments that contain sensitive electronics from static discharge.
• Machine Film is used with powered stretch wrapping equipment. There are several different types of powered stretch wrapping equipment available today. The most common are rotary spiral pre-stretch machines. The Rotary Spiral Pre-Stretch machine wraps the pallet load in a spiral fashion using film widths of 20” or 30”.
• Colored/Tinted Stretch Film is used to organize and identify pallets and products.

Things to Consider When Choosing Your Stretch Wrap

• The weight of the load. The heavier the load, the stronger your stretch wrap gauge will need to be.
• The shape of the load. Uniform loads, such as pallets of same-size boxes, require less holding power and durability (and a lower gauge) than highly irregular or unstable loads with lots of sharp corners and edges.

• Do you and your staff have the proper tools and training? Large, heavy, and oddly shaped items that require high-gauge stretch wrap may require the use of stretch-wrapping machines in order to be wrapped safely and efficiently. These machines unfortunately are not typically cheap, and you want to make sure that any staff using such machines is properly trained in order to maximize the machine's benefits and prevent any workplace incidents. (For wrapping of any kind, proper training is also highly recommended to save money long-term; if an employee is over-using stretch wrap on each load, or using a thicker and more expensive wrap than is needed, over time these costs will add up!)
• Do my products have special needs? Some products need added protection from one thing or another, and this needs to be put into consideration when wrapping. For example, certain electronics might benefit from anti-static wraps, and more expensive products may benefit from opaque wraps to better conceal their value. Consider everything before finalizing your stretch wrap purchase.
• Do I need a stretch wrapping machine? You will need to evaluate your shipping volume, staff size, and product types in order to answer this question. There are all types of machinery you can purchase to help apply your stretch wrap thoroughly and efficiently. Certain large, bulky, and oddly shaped products will highly benefit from the uniform tension of machine-applied stretch wrapping.