Using machine stretch film is a great way to streamline your packaging process and dramatically increase packaging efficiency. It’s also ideal for securing goods and can even save on overall packaging costs in the long run. This article will detail four handy tips you should keep in mind when using machine stretch film.
Ensure it’s the Right Film for Your Purposes
There are many types of stretch film on the market, so ensuring you’re using the right one for your purposes is crucial to ensuring maximum efficacy of the wrap. Machine stretch film is known for having superior clinging capabilities and high puncture resistance. This makes it the ideal wrap for securing large pallets. Wrapping larger loads can be time consuming, so sharing some of the labour with a machine means you can dramatically cut down packaging times and increase overall productivity.
Use Only High-Quality Stretch Film
As with any product that has a competitive market, affordable products are often introduced in order to compete with premium products. When it comes to cheap machine stretch film however, affordability is usually all that lower-priced stretch films can offer you. This is because cheaper stretch films tend to have significantly reduced durability, meaning you’ll end up having to use more wrap per roll in order to achieve the same results as a premium stretch film. So while the cheaper price tag may look more attractive at first glance, it’s highly likely you’ll actually end up spending more money in the long run. Paying a little extra will guarantee that your products are protected properly, which in turn will save you money and hassle by not having to deal with damaged pallets and unhappy customers.
Make Sure Overlap is Calibrated
When wrapping pallets or securing loads, it’s necessary to overlap the film, which means to layer the stretch film over itself in order to ensure maximum security and protectiveness. Generally, you should be aiming for a 25-50% overlap on all of your wraps. Any less and you’ll likely end up with a load that can be easily punctured, which won’t guarantee extra protection and will likely end up being a waste of extra wrap. Keeping a careful eye on how your overlap is calibrated will ensure you’ll get the most out of each roll of machine stretch film so you can minimise wastage.
Check that Rollers Are Clean & Wrap is Threaded Properly
While it can be a tedious process, it’s wise to ensure that the rollers of your machine are clean and that the film is threaded properly before commencing each wrapping job. If you’re regularly wrapping pallets and loads, the rollers on your machine will naturally become sticky due to residue left over from the previous wrap going through the machine. Making sure your rollers are free of any residue will ensure that your stretch film doesn’t get snagged mid-way through a wrapping job.
You should also ensure the wrap is threaded properly, otherwise you could risk damaging the wrap or the machine itself. Your machine should have a diagram in its user manual that shows the correct way to thread wrap through the rollers.
