Finding the right packaging solution for heat sensitive products can be a rather hard task. Product damage is a serious concern for businesses who create things such as chocolate and confectionary. However, at first look, you probably wouldn’t expect that shrink wrap would be your first choice since shrink wrapping requires heat to properly package products, so melting is a legitimate concern.
A well-wrapped product shouldn’t require a large amount of heat for the film to be shrunk. In fact, most products do not spend more than a few seconds going through a shrink tunnel. If a product is extremely sensitive – for example, CDs, DVDs and chocolate – it is important to find a solution that doesn’t jeopardise the product’s integrity.
However, we have some great news. We had a client looking for an efficient packaging solution who was a chocolate manufacturer. We were able to supply them with shrink film and nothing melted! There are, however, some things to consider when looking at shrink wrap for packaging chocolates.
What type of shrink wrap?
Shrink wrap film comes in a variety of shapes and sizes and different products usually need different types of shrink film. All types of shrink films require different heat settings and exposure to heat for proper shrinking. The most common types of shrink wrap used to package chocolate are PVC and polyolefin. However, for direct contact with the chocolate, polyolefin shrink film is required.
The required shrink temperature for a standard PVC shrink wrap is often between 121-132 degrees Celsius within the tunnel. Standard polyolefin shrink wrap often requires a heat setting of 148-176 degrees Celsius with less than five seconds of exposure in the tunnel.
The need for a thicker shrink film is often required because of larger, heavier products or transportation stress after packaging. The use of a thicker shrink film requires longer exposure to heat, making it a good choice of packaging for chocolates.
Will the chocolates melt?
Because the product will spend five seconds or less with direct contact with the heat within the tunnel of the machine it is, therefore, no surprise that many manufacturers are concerned that their chocolate will melt! However, because of the thickness of the shrink film, this will stop them from melting or becoming damaged.
Here at Shrink Store, we supply a comprehensive range of shrink films and shrink wrap machinery, and because of our wide range of products, we can advise you on the best type of shrink wrap for your chosen product.
