Film breaks are more than just an annoyance. They’re the number one problem in stretch wrapping. Often they lead to a chain of disastrous consequences. And they are, indeed, the enemy.
Here are 3 ways to limit your risk for film breaks:
- Pay attention to your load profile
- Keep your products from protruding from the load. Forty percent of all film breaks happen at the load.
- Correct sharp corners.
- Train operators to properly handle film
- Teach operators how to properly thread the film through the film delivery system. Improper film threading is a main cause of film breaks.
- Film breaks can occur when the film roll experiences nicks. These nicks happen when the film roll has been dropped or mishandled.
- Don’t buy “cheap” film
- “Cheap” film has higher risk for flaws (gels, nicks, tears).
- “Cheap” film may be less tear resistant and doesn’t have the ability to stretch as far as performance films.
If your film starts breaking, find out why by asking these questions:
- Film
- Is it threaded properly?
- Is the gauge correct?
- Are there flaws (gels, nicks, tears)?
- Load and pallet
- Are there sharp corners or protrusions?
- Stretch wrapper
- Is the wrap force set correctly?
- Are nicks, cuts or resin build-up present on the film contact surfaces?
- Film clamp (on fully automatic stretch wrappers):
- Scissor clamps: Are nicks, cuts or resin build-up present on the film contact surfaces?
- Vacuum clamps: Is the air pressure correct and air filter clean?
If these solutions don’t expose the problem, call your service technician and have him or her find and fix the problem. Or you can turn down the wrap force and add more film revolutions. And say goodbye to the film break frustration!
For more information, you can contact us on our website or call us at (502) 815-9109.
Click here to read a related blog: Seven Reasons Why Your Stretch Film Breaks
This post was published on February 26, 2014 and updated on September 13, 2017.
February 26, 2014
