Tips on Shrink Wrapping Bottles
- Shrink wrapping bottles prevents damaging them during moving or shipping.two bottles image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
Shrink wrapping bottles is an excellent way for food and beverage manufacturers to protect merchandise. Shrink wrapping lets consumers know that your product is fresh and hasn't been tampered with. Whether you are a small manufacturer making only a few dozen cases or a larger scale manufacturer of beverages or snacks, shrink wrapping is a great step to ensure that your product looks professional on the shelf. - Shrink wrapping is usually done using bags or bands. For bottles, you will want to select bands. Many suppliers of shrink wrap will also have some bottles available. If possible, use the bottles supplied by the manufacture of the bands to ensue the correct size.
- When shrink wrapping, you will need to apply heat to the plastic. Purchase a heat gun and use on a low setting on your product. If you do not have a heat gun, use a blow dryer. Set the blow dryer on high. Do not place the heat source too close to the plastic wrap. You will only need to apply heat for a few seconds until band is tightly around the lid of the bottle. The heat can cause holes in the shrink wrap. Shrink wrap shrinks about 40 percent.
- Not every shrink wrapping film is created equal. Two common forms of shrink wrap are PVC and polyolefin. PVC is used more for DVDs and CDs. It is the oldest form of shrink wrapping film and least expensive. Polyolefin is stronger than PVC and is ideal for bottles. However, it is more expensive so if you are shrink wrapping just a few dozen bottles PVC is a more economical choice.
- You will need to invest in more shrink wrap film than you actually need. Shrink wrapping takes practice. At first, you might heat your shrink wrap too long causing holes and ruining the seal on your bottles.
