Packaging: shrink sleeve

Films and packaging with barrier properties, blister packaging, shrink caps, sleeves and... 

The packaging materials (including heat-shrink sleeves, if pre-decorated, and the printing on cans) are all subjected to continual dowsing in water, warm then hot then cold, over a long period of time. Care thus needs to be taken, and materials tested, when selecting the appropriate packaging format. 

Plastic and elastomer packaging is used for bottles, jars, ampules, closures, plugs, films, sheets, labels, shrink sleeves, wads, cartons, and tubings. The barrier properties of plastics vary widely. Some detailed knowledge is required on the barrier of plastics to moisture, and to vapors and gases in order to make an optimum choice for a given product and application. 

Sidaplax has added Plastic Supplies EarthFirst PLA film to its product range. EarthFirst is used in label face stock, shrink sleeve, wrap around shrink, floral and over wrap, window carton, packaging and envelope window film applications. 

Applications and uses clear disposable drinking cups, lids, plates, deli containers, high impact blow-molded bottles, candy twist wrap, shrink sleeves and overwrap, medical devices, medical trays, blister packaging, appliances, refrigerator crisper trays, flashlight lenses, overcaps, displays, clothes hangers, toys. 

Narrow-web/self-adhesives Shrink sleeves Stretch sleeves Folding cartons Metal packaging. 

Siace a large part of the beer market is take-home beer, brewers must provide retailers with packs that are easily handled and stored. Clear shrink wrappiag has become a dominant feature because it permits the content of the pack to be seen. Other packagiag methods are Shrink Wrapped 2 dozea Tray Pack, Cardboard Sleeve, Hi Coae 3 Pack, Hi Coae 6 Pack ia Tray, and Top CHp Bottle Pack (see Packaging materials). 

This section covers package decoration formats rather than the detail of their printing. Packaging that is delivered pre-printed, such as cans and drinks cartons, is covered in Sections 9.6-9.8. Decoration formats include labels that are stuck on to packages and heat-shrink plastic sleeves, which may be applied through a labelling technology or as a pre-made sleeve and heat-shrunk into place. 

Skin packaging is a combination of a pol3mier film sleeve with a bottom liner (cardboard or sheet polymer). The article is placed on the card liner and is wrapped into the inhibited shrinkage sleeve (Fig. 2.55a). The film ends are fixed on the card, which can also be made of an inhibited material. During heating the film shrinks skin tight around the article. Skin packaging is used for small-size machine parts, spares, tools etc. 

There are two major markets for irradiated film. The first is packaging film for food and small parts. The irradiated film has improved strength and reduced perme-abihty. When oriented the film shrinks to conform to the contours of the product and has crystal clarity. The second market is heat shrink tubing for electrical connectors. Here the polyethylene is used together with cross-linked polyethylene to form a protective sleeve. The interlayer is polyethylene, which, when heated, flows to fill voids and completely encapsulates the wire. The outer layer is cross-linked polyethylene, which shrinks to form a compact protective sheet over the connector. 

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