Since the invention of stretch wrapping there have been lots of improvements in the technology and techniques that helpshippers send their loads from their facility to their customer’s damage free and at the lowest cost.
But, stretch wrapping is not without problems and the No.1 problem is film breaks. On automatic, high speed stretch wrappers, film breaks about 3 – 7 times per roll on the average.
7 Reasons Film Breaks
-
Load Profile Hazard
-
Clamp Failure
-
Film Flaw
-
Wrapper Settings
-
Wrapper Component Failure
-
Operator Error
-
Other
There are at least seven reasons why film breaks, see for yourself in this chart. Unfortunately, figuring out why that last film break happened isn’t easy.
In busy environments trouble shooting film breaks is hard, tedious and time consuming work. And the pressure to keep production flowing can hamper stretch wrapper operators’ efforts to find their root causes
When the film breaks operators will usually reattach the film and restart the machine. Often, the film will break again. As an expedient, operators will often resort to an easy fix, and the easiest is to turn down the wrap force until the film breaks stop.
Although turning down the wrap force solved the immediate problem, that simple change can set off a chain of destructive consequences.
Learn our Containment Force Recommendations
If not counteracted by adding more layers of film, the reduction in containment force (the squeezing pressure that holds the load together) caused by the lower wrap force could lead to loads falling apart during transit, causing damage to products and business relationships.
Make sure the wrap force on your stretch wrappers is set where it’s supposed to be. And check your loads periodically with a containment force measuring tool to ensure their containment force is within standards. Don’t let demon film breaks compromise your stretch wrapping quality.
If you’re not sure or don’t know how much containment force your loads should have, check our simple guidelines.
This post was published on February 10, 2016 and updated on November 20, 2019.
February 10, 2016
