Shrink Wrap, also known as shrinkwrap or shrink film, is a method of protecting, storing, and packaging products using a plastic or vinyl material that is wound around the product. When heat is applied to this material, it shrinks, providing a curve-safe tight seal over whatever it is covering. Shrink wrap can be printed on and is used for customizing bottles and containers. Odd shaped containers are not a problem, as the film will hug tight to all of it's unique curves. Shrink wrapping is also extremely popular for shipping and warehouses to hold together shipments and pallets.
Now you can learn how to Shrink Wrap using our easy how-to-guide. In these shrink wrapping instructions we will review one of the most popular techniques: Using Shrink Wrap Film with I-Bar or L-Bar Shrink Wrap Machine.
What You Will Need:
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• An I-Bar Shrink Wrap Machine
• Shrink Wrap Heat Gun
• Centerfold Shrink Wrap Film
• Products to be Wrapped
How to Shrink Wrap:
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â‘ Prepare and arrange your items to be shrink wrapped. Remember, shrink wrap is transparent, so you will want your items to look good from all angles.
② Choose the correct size of Centerfold Shrink Wrap Film you will need for your item. To determine the width of shrink wrap film your item requires, measure the width of your item, add the height, and add 2" for shrinkage. For example, if your package is 16" L x 4" W x 6" H, you would take 4+6+2 = 12. You would want a 12" roll of shrink wrap. If you are unsure, always estimate high... having too much is better than not having enough.
③ Load your Shrink Wrap onto your I-Bar Shrink Wrap Machine. Pull the Shrink Wrap Film over the work table and create your first seal at the beginning of the roll.
â‘Ł Continue to pull the Shrink Wrap Film until you have enough room on your work table for the item to be shrink wrapped. Place your item in between the two layers of shrink wrap and push your item to the back left corner of the film.
⑤ Pull the handle of your Shrink Wrap machine once more to create a seal on the right side of the package. This step releases your package and shrink wrap from the roll. Turn your item and seal the last open side using the I-Bar handle.
â‘Ą Plug in your heat gun and point it toward your package. You will want to hold the heat gun at least 3-4" from your product so as not to over-shrink and create holes. Start at the bottom of the package and work your way evenly up the sides. You'll know you are finished when the shrink wrap is tight to the touch all over.
About the Author • Mallory Morsa has been the product expert at Binding101 since 2008, and has grown up in the industry. Every day she pushes herself to learn new information, incorporating real-life experiences to create solutions to the most common problems in the industry, and then present those solutions in a way that is easy to understand for everyone, from novices to experts.
