It's a Wrap

WRAPPING MACHINES PUT A CONSISTENTLY HIGH-QUALITY TOUCH ON FINISHED GOODS.

By Bridget McCrea

The Revolution by Campbell Wrapper Corp.

Wrapping machines serve an integral function on the packaging line and help establish a consistently high-quality finished product for consumers. After all, without the proper wrapping, how would candies, snacks, pencils, cotton balls and myriad other items be properly confined for shipping and distribution?

Wrappers come in different shapes and sizes, with the iterations largely dictated by the type of product that’s being enclosed. At a high level, there are horizontal wrappers, such as the type that applies a wrapper to a candy bar. There are also overwrappers, which take several packaged items, such as a six-pack of travel-size tissue packages, and enclose them. And there are shrink wrappers, which encase products in film and “shrink” them down for a tight fit.

Regardless of which type of wrapper is being used, the end result is the same: One or more packaged or unpackaged goods are “wrapped” into a neat bundle, allowing for seamless shipping and distribution.

APPLICATION-SPECIFIC

Wrappers can be broken down into three categories: overwrappers, flow wrappers and shrink wrappers. Within the overwrapper category, there are diamond-fold wrapping, tuck-and-fold wrapping and cigarette-wrapping. Flow wrappers include fin-seal wrapping, which is ideal for flat products, and crimp-seal wrapping, which uses two “crimping” elements and constant heat to seal a wide variety of plastics. And shrink wrappers use a heat source to shrink a soft film down to a size that tightly fits the bundle of packages.

Packaging Aids’350T Flow Wrapper

Don Stelzer, vice president of sales and marketing at Campbell Wrapper Corp., in Green Bay, Wis., says most wrapping machine manufacturers have basic models to choose from, including the lower-priced economical models, medium-speed products and high-speed equipment.

“At the end of the day, they have application-related or specific components that need to be addressed for each of the machines to handle a product,” says Stelzer, who always asks what product sizes, orientation and line speeds the customer is working with before suggesting machines. “They are somewhat customized in nature.”

A slow-speed “economical” machine, for example, would work for a small cookie manufacturing operation that handles some of its packaging manually and would do well with an automated, horizontal machine that wraps 50 to 60 packages per minute. The firm that churns out 400 to 500 cookies per minute, however, would require a fully automated, high-speed system.

PRICE POINTS

Expect to pay anywhere from $40,000 to $300,000 and up for a wrapping machine, with basic, low-speed horizontal wrappers costing about $50,000, and high-speed versions fetching $300,000 or more, depending on the sophistication and features. Vertical machines generally run $40,000 for a slow-speed, stand-alone wrapper, to $250,000 for a top-of-the-line high-speed system that includes scales and other features.

Overwrapping machines, which use flat film that is tucked and folded around a package (such as a DVD or a box of tray candies), tend to be differentiated by speed, package size range and even folding style. Bill Bronander, president of Scandia Packaging Machinery Co., in Clifton, N.J., says speeds on such machines range from “on demand” to more than 500 units per minute.

Typically positioned before the case-packing machines and cartoning machines, over-wrappers can cost $25,000 for a basic, semi-automatic machine and run as high as $300,000 for a high-speed apparatus that includes self-diagnosing features. Such machines generally wrap a rectangular or boxed item with a flat film, and use a tuck-and-fold process to encase the package in the wrapper.

In return for the investment, expect improved quality and consistency, says Stelzer. Because wrapping machines produce the same top-notch quality every time—and because their main goal is to encase loose packages into a concise format—such equipment tends to “result in higher efficiencies and better overall packaging line performance,” he says.

SHOP AROUND

Companies that use wrapping machines reap the benefits of quality and consistency in their final products, says Stelzer, who also emphasizes the “repeatable” nature of the equipment (as opposed to what you tend to find from a manual system). Automation plus higher speeds equal greater efficiency, he says, and better overall performance.

When selecting a wrapping machine, look for value, quality and expertise. “Manufacturers of these machines are selling solutions as much as they are selling a particular piece of equipment,” Stelzer explains. “So make sure you not only choose the right machine, but that you also select a vendor that will supply service and reliability over time.”

Stelzer says most wrapping machine manufacturers start with a basic model (normally the least expensive) and work their way up, based on the customer’s specific needs. “It goes from economical to medium speed to higher speed,” he says. “At the end of the day, the machines are all application-related, with specific components designed to handle a certain product’s size and orientation, and speed of the line.”

Also consider scalability, suggests Greg Berguig, product line manager with Packaging Aids in San Rafael, Calif. He says companies must consider both current and future wrapping requirements. The firm that makes candy bars, individually wraps them and puts them in larger bags that are then labeled manually, for example, may at some point want to move to a system that uses pre-printed film, thus eliminating the need for operator intervention and labels.

Going forward, expect wrapping machine manufacturers to incorporate more electronics, resealable packaging, higher wrapping speeds and even ultrasonics (the application of ultrasonic energy to do work) into their machines. The latter is especially compelling says Stelzer. “In lieu of using heat and pressure as a conventional sealing method,” he says, “manufacturers would integrate ultrasonics as a way to more efficiently seal the packages. That would bring some significant changes to the way wrapping machines are made.”

Bridget McCrea is a Florida-based writer who has been covering manufacturing and technology topics for 10 years.

Talk the Talk (T3):    TAKING THE MEASURE OF PACKAGING TERMS SUFFERING THROUGH THE INDUSTRY'S LEXICON IS MITIGATED FOR THOSE IN THE KNOW.    BY BEN MIYARES Wrapping is a quintessential packaging operation. As such, “wrapping” is often used interchangeably with “packaging.” Unfortunately, because even packaging pros use different terms to describe the same wrapping or packaging processes, it’s not always easy to know what you—or they—are talking about. But here are a few terms to get you started. Overwrapping:  Synonymous with diamond-fold wrapping, tuck-and-fold wrapping, gift-box wrapping, cigarette wrapping and bundle wrapping. Overwrapping is a process in which a box-shaped carton, tray, bundle, etc. is wrapped and sealed in any of a variety of relatively stiff, single- or multi-ply web materials including clear, printed and/or metallized polypropylene (PP), cellophane, paper, glassine, waxed paper, aluminum foil or metallized paper/BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropylene). The end result looks like a “gift wrap,” with one long seam located either on the bottom or side of the package and each end of the package neatly “tucked, folded and sealed.” The first tuck-and-fold machines were designed in the 1920s by the original Package Machinery Company. Tear tape is often used as an easy-open feature. Overwrapping machines are built in elevator, in-line, turret or rotary styles. Examples of overwrapped products include cigarettes, Easter “PEEPS” candies, CDs/DVDs, frozen food cartons, cartons/boxes of tea. While we’re on the subject of overwrappers, here are three things you should never say when in the company of expert on wrapping machinery: “You can overwrap with soft [polyethylene-based] films.”     This is a common misconception.  Such films are too soft and have too much “give” to be run on conventional wrapping equipment. “Overwrapping, like shrink wrapping, needs an external heat source/tunnel to shrink the film in order to have a good wrap.”     Again, not true.  Most BOPP (biaxially oriented polypropelene) exhibits little shrink (5 percent to 13 percent on special films). Heaters ARE integral to overwrappers, but they aren’t used to shrink the film—they’re used to seal the endseams of the wraps.  "Overwrapping means the same thing as shrink wrapping, flow wrapping and diefold wrapping.”     Wrong!  Each of these is a distinct wrapping process. Diefold Wrapping:  This process—not widely used anymore—achieves an overwrap on a soft, non-box shaped product by enveloping it (often placed on a card or U-board) in film and sealing the bottom. The film forms either a box or circular shape around the product via a “die-box” in the machine’s elevator section. Limited application of heat (only to the bottom seal) gives the product a tuck-and-fold appearance that doesn’t need side sealers and won’t be crushed by the machine or melted by its heat. Diefold wrapping has been replaced by the faster, more hermetically sealable flow-wrap process. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups once were diefold-wrapped with two cups seated on a chocolate-colored U-board in cohesive film (which requires no heat for sealing). The process is still used for some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup SKUs. Also, “homemade” cookies whose manufacturers are going for the “baked-like-grandma’s” look still use the diefold wrapping process.   Flow Wrapping:  Synonyms include “doughboy” wrapping (Doboy is a widely used brand of flow wrapper), fin-seal wrapping, crimp-seal wrapping and pillow-pouch wrapping. Flow wrapping is a horizontal-motion process in which product of any shape is wrapped in clear/ printed PP film. The end result is a flexible package with a non-lap type seal on the bottom and crimped end seals. Both the process and films in flow wrapping are quite different from overwrapping. Flow wrap BOPP films, for example, need only to seal to themselves. Overwrap films need to seal to themselves and the other side. There are zillions of products that are flow-wrapped. Think wipes, tissues, vending machine candy bars, etc.   Shrink Wrapping:  Here are a few close relatives of shrink wrapping (though not exact synonyms): L-seal wrapping, stretch-seal wrapping, bundle wrapping. Shrink wrapping is a process that uses relatively soft polyolefin film in which a loose sheath of film is created around the product, often sealed on two sides. The loosely sheathed product passes through a heat source, which shrinks the film to the dimensions of the product. The result is a very tight wrap, conforming to the product shape, often with a ridge of plastic around the perimeter of the product or gaps in film on either end. Shrink wraps are typically stronger than overwraps and the machines are inherently very flexible. The downside is that shrink wraps can be less attractive than overwraps. And operational costs are often higher because of film waste and energy consumption. Note: “stretch” and “shrink” obviously don’t mean the same thing. Stretch wrappers, a popular choice for wrapping pallet loads of products, achieve tight wraps by expanding the stretch film—rubber-band–like—before enveloping the product and letting the film return to its original size. And finally, I couldn’t end this installment of T3 without a special thank you to Jonathan Viens, national sales manager at Package Machinery Company, Inc., who patiently rapped about wrappers with me until all my questions were answered.

Ben Miyares , vice president for industry relations at the Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, has been providing packaging market analyses and commentary since 1963.