What Are the Advantages of low shrink force？

7 Characteristics Of Shrink Film You Need to Know

Shrink film is a packaging material made up of polymer plastic film. When heat is applied, it shrinks tightly over whatever it's covering. Shrink wrap and shrink film are very versatile materials and can be used in a variety of packaging applications. Some common uses of shrink wrap include wrapping food, gift baskets, boxes, toys, books, and soaps.

There are many reasons you may want to utilize shrink film for your product packaging. Along with being lightweight and durable, it keeps your products safe from outside elements, increases shelf life, and offers tamper-proofing. It also makes your product shine!

Believe it or not, there is much more to know about shrink film. Beyond clarity, various operating characteristics of shrink films are crucial. Here are seven characteristics to consider when choosing the shrink film for your packaging needs.

Want to learn how you can save on your shrink wrap costs? Check out our Shrink Wrap Cheat Sheet to find out:

1. Shrink Force (AKA Shrink Energy)

Shrink force, typically measured in PSI, indicates the amount of force the shrink film will exert on your product. If you're packaging a multi-pack that needs to be tightly contained without damage, understanding your shrink force is very helpful, especially for adjusting your shrink machinery accordingly. If the shrink force is high and you're packaging wood, this won't matter.

However, if you are packaging a small stack of paper or lightweight chipboard boxes, this could matter. Historically, Polyolefin films are high shrink force films. Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) films have low shrink force. New polyolefin formulations offer reduced amounts of shrink force.

2. Shrink Orientation

Shrink films are either bi-axially oriented or preferentially oriented. Bi-axially oriented films shrink equally in both directions (Machine Direction or Cross Direction). Preferentially oriented film shrinks differently in either direction. The benefits of a preferentially oriented film include using less film and preventing product distortion.

3. Shrink Percentages

Aside from using preferentially oriented films, you can also lower the shrink percentage and remain with a bi-axially oriented film, for example, 40/40, 30/30, or 20/20.

Another related characteristic is Free Shrink. Free shrink is the amount of shrink-ability in a film before it makes contact with your product. High levels of free shrink allow you to get a better-looking package on difficult shapes and sizes.

For more information, please visit embrace shrink label.

4. Resistance to Puncture / Tear

This measures how hard it is to break the film and how hard it is to tear the film once it has been punctured.

Often, films with high resistance to puncture have lower resistance to tear, and vice versa. If you need to make this trade-off, select the characteristic that is more important (e.g., if you have a window box, puncture resistance is very important). Choose a shrink film that balances the security of your product with ease of access to the actual product. Be sure to keep your shrink wrap stored in a cool (but not too cool) storage area to prevent any weakening of the film prior to use.

5. MVTR (Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate)

This characteristic measures how much moisture will or will not travel through the film.

If low moisture transmission into or out of your package is important, you should pay attention to this characteristic for improved shelf life.

6. Antifog

Antifog films are used on food (fresh and frozen) to mitigate moisture build-up on the film. Moisture can cause a fog that affects the viewing of the product through the film. If I'm buying something, I'll skip over the fogged-up package for the one with the product I can actually see.

7. Odor Barrier

Odor barrier films are used to prevent unacceptable odors from traveling into or out of your package. Don't disappoint your customers after they've purchased your product with a foul smell.

There you have it, seven important characteristics of shrink film. When selecting packaging for your products, keep these in mind. Is your supplier ensuring all these bases are covered with your product, or can you teach them a thing or two?

Begin to understand shrink characteristics and how they can affect your bottom line, and you'll be shrinking costs in no time. Do you discuss these items with your current supplier? Or better yet, do they talk to you about these?

If the answer to that question is the latter, get in touch.

Advantages of Shrink Wrapping for Various Industries

Shrink Wrapping is used in various industries, from paper products to car parts.

Below we explore a collection of different industries and learn how shrink wrap provides different benefits for each application.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit pvc material shrinkage.