There are lots of new wrapping materials out there today.  Between normal new product introductions and deletions, we are also seeing films from new sources, such as cellulose, and corn. Reductions in gauge as a way of reducing both weight and cost is also a factor in changing wrapping materials.

We see many customers switching between wrapping materials without realizing the impact on the machine-ability of the new film. Sometimes the film manufacturer switches production facilities or ingredients and the customer is unaware. Sometimes heat and humidity play with the film or paper’s behavior. Often these are issues that the customer is initially unaware of. They simply know they have a wrapping problem.

Three recent issues we have seen:

• Our customer uses both paper and film on their FA-ST wrapper. Recently they switched from film to a foil-flocked paper successfully. Then they switched back to film and ran into problems.  They were unable to figure out why their knife was cutting raggedly. In this case, the knife needed adjusting after the second switch, although it had not needed it after the first one.
• Another customer called to say that their machine had stopped working effectively and consistantly.  Their film supplier had discontinued the film they had been using and was offering a substitute that the supplier indicated was identical in performance. It was not identical in machine-ability however and the machine’s film feed needed adjusting.
• A third customer has a supplier who routinely buys film from a variety of manufacturers based on price. While the gauge and coatings are the same, the film is not always the same though in behavior. The savings in film by using this vendor is often eaten up by the constant adjustment whenever a roll of film is changed.

When the film changes, the knife and film feed may need adjusting. The heat temps for sealing may vary. The crispness of the folds have a direct relationship to the film. At Package Machinery we test lots of different films based on customers’ current and anticipated needs. We work with all major film suppliers and know many of their films. We work with our customers to help them separate film issues from machine issues, so that they can get back to successful wrapping.