By Umer Farooq
In this guide, our main focus will be the types of shrink wrap machines that exist and what they can be used for. If you want more information, you can see details on this page about shrink machines.
Sealers:
Each type of shrink wrap can be divided into the kind of sealer(s) used by it. Some of these are:
Impulse Sealers –These are said to be the most basic types of sealers. They also have sub-types, namely flat-wire and round-wire sealers. They most commonly make use of heat guns for sealing purposes. Flat-wire sealers are used for heavier tasks as compared to round-wire sealers. They need the addition of a cutting blade to be able to cut and seal the wrapping.
Round-wire sealers use the centerfold type of shrink wrap and are able to cut and seal the wrap in a single motion, which makes it a very fast and efficient method of shrink wrapping. Keep n mind that this method is not recommended for heavy use.
I-bar Sealers – The I-bar wrapping system also makes use of the centerfold type of shrink wrap material. It is used for a moderate load of shrink wrapping products. They can come in a fixed and portable form. The portable I-bar sealers are used to wrap around a product instead of inserting the product in the sealer.
L-Bar Sealers – So called for their L-shaped sealing bars, these can be used for moderate and heavy loads of shrink wrapping products. They are much more efficient in use compared to I-bar sealers.
L-bar sealers come as manual and automatic sealers. The manual kinds take up medium loads efficiently and the automatic kinds are used for quite heavy operations. They are usually used in a combination with heat guns or shrink tunnels. Some of the most efficient and heavy duty types of shrink wrap sealers are ones with the L-bar sealer and Shrink Tunnel combo.
Foot Sealers –As the name suggests, foot sealers are operated with the use of foot pedals. They can also be used in a combination with shrink tunnels or heat guns, depending on the kind of workload you have.
Shrink Tunnels –Shrink tunnels are very commonly paired with L-bar sealers for maximum efficiency. The heating system in a shrink tunnel is much more efficient than a heat gun, thus giving it the ability to handle much higher loads. The shrink tunnel/L-bar sealer combination can come in a semi-automatic or an automatic machine, depending on the budget and load you are offering.
Types of Shrink Wrap:
Centerfold –The most common type of wrap, it is made of PVC and comes in a roll.
Shrink Bag – They come as bags with one open end and are commonly made of PVC.
Shrink Tape – This is mainly used for wrapping electrical wires by applying heat.
Shrink Tubing – Commonly made of PVC or polythene, this wrap comes on a roll and is used for packaging liquids, canned products or objects that are great in length.