What is Stretch Film?
What is Stretch Film?
Stretch wrap, also referred to as stretch film or pallet wrap, is a versatile and highly stretchable plastic film commonly used in packaging and shipping industries. Its primary function is to securely wrap and protect items by applying tension during the wrapping process.
One of the key advantages of stretch film is its elasticity, which allows it to conform tightly to the shape of the items being wrapped. This elastic recovery ensures that the wrapped items remain securely bound together, preventing shifting or movement during transit. Additionally, stretch film provides excellent puncture resistance, helping to safeguard items from damage caused by sharp edges or rough handling.
Another benefit of stretch film is its ability to provide protection against moisture, dust, and other environmental factors. By creating a barrier around the items, stretch film helps to keep them clean and dry, reducing the risk of corrosion or contamination.
Stretch film finds widespread application across various industries, including logistics, warehousing, manufacturing, agriculture, and retail. It is commonly used for palletizing goods, securing loads for transportation, bundling products together, and protecting merchandise during storage and shipment.
Production of Stretch Film
There are two methods of producing stretch wrap:
Blown Stretch Film
Stretch film produced by extruding molten polymer through a circular die and inflating it into a bubble, yielding higher puncture resistance and toughness. This is a slower process but provides for higher cling quality. Blown film is not a consistent extrusion process, leading to inconsistencies across the film web. The cost of production is also higher due to the quantity that can be produced per hour.
Cast Stretch Film
It produced via the cast extrusion process, offers exceptional clarity and quiet unwind characteristics. In this method, the film is extruded through a slot die and swiftly cooled over rollers, ensuring quick cooling. Although it may lack the cling quality of blown film, cast films are more consistent and exhibit better overall performance. With lower manufacturing costs, cast stretch film is widely used and can be produced at higher rates per hour. Apart from cling quality, other crucial properties such as break strength, tear resistance, static discharge, and clarity are also noteworthy.
