How to choose suitable packaging film for flow packaging machine?

The flow packaging machine is suitable for packaging different tangible items with rolls of plastic film. It is ideal for packaging various solid objects.

Pillow packaging machines have a wide range of applications, widely used in food packaging, hardware packaging, medical device packaging, daily necessities packaging, etc. It is widely used in the external packaging of some products in foreign trade export, papermaking, hardware, plastic chemicals, building materials, food and medicine, and other industries.

What is packaging film?

Packaging film mainly refers to the film used for packaging items, mainly extruded from a mixture of several different grades of polyethylene resin. It has puncture resistance and high tensile strength.

Advantages of packaging film:

1. It can adhere closely to the goods and is suitable for packaging goods of various shapes, making the packaging beautiful.

2. Ensure the hygiene and safety of the product, and have functions such as transparency, sealing, fixation (small parts will not swing around during transportation), dustproof, and moisture-proof.

3. It has good shock resistance, impact resistance, and good protection performance.

What kind of packaging films are suitable for flow packaging machines?

Horizontal packaging machines select different packaging films according to different packaging items. The types of packaging films available for flow wrapping machines are: OPP film, CPP film, OPP/PE, OPP/CPP, PT/PE, aluminized film, and paper Film (laminated film). These 7 types of packaging films are common for pillow packaging machines. Good packaging film manufacturers can make these types of packaging films to meet food-grade requirements, and the prices will be similar.

It is also worth noting that due to the material of the packaging film, the pillow packaging machine cannot use packaging films made of pure PE and pure aluminized materials. Therefore, pure PE and pure aluminized films must be combined with packaging films of other materials for the flow wrapper to use. 

Different packaging machines may need different packaging materials. Choosing the proper packaging film can improve the utilization rate of the equipment and make it easier to adjust the packaging equipment. So, What kind of packaging films are suitable for flow packaging machines?

1. OPP

OPP packaging film is suitable for use on pillow packaging machines. The material is polypropylene, two-way polypropylene. Its characteristics include easy burning, melting and dripping, yellow top and blue bottom, less smoke after leaving the fire, and continuing to burn. 

OPP packaging film is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-toxic, with high tensile strength, impact strength, rigidity, toughness, and good transparency. 

It is a good packaging film material, suitable for packaging various foods, beverages, home appliances, and hardware products, and has a good packaging effect. It is mainly used to protect products and has high efficiency.

2. CPP

CPP packaging film is cast polypropylene film, also known as unstretched polypropylene film. Depending on its usage, it can be divided into general CPP film（GCPP) and metalized CPP film( MCPP). And retort CPP films(RCPP), etc. CPP packaging film has excellent heat resistance. Since the softening point of PP is approximately 140°C, it is suitable for hot filling, retort bags, aseptic packaging, and other fields. Its excellent resistance to acid, alkali, and oil makes it the preferred material for bread product packaging or laminating materials. It is safe for food contact, has excellent demonstration performance, and will not affect the flavor of the food inside. You can select different grades of resin to obtain the required properties.

3. Composite packaging film

Composite packaging film refers to a packaging film formed from multiple film layers through printing, lamination, etc. According to the material structure, it has two layers, three layers, four layers, five layers, and so on. It is suitable for packaging food, hardware, and medical treatment and can be used in different environments through compounding.

Design the printing pattern of the film.

After selecting the packaging roll film material, the next step is to design the printing pattern. If it is a color film, you need to add a color mark (cursor points). The pillow packaging machine has a mark-tracking function to ensure the pattern is in the center. 

Bag length setting: According to the pre-planned bag length of the product, you can customize the color mark to the length. It is generally recommended that black, blue, and red solid highlighted colors are better. The distance between the cursor point and the cursor point should be transparent or a single color, to avoid label reading errors interfering with alarm shutdown. 

The inner diameter of the roll film packaging material of the flow wrapper is 75mm, and the outer diameter generally should not exceed 320mm.

Calculation method of the width of packaging film for flow wrapping machines:

Product: [(width x 2) + (height x 2)]+30~40mm = film width

The calculated film size cannot be bigger than the maximum film width of the machine model.

The above is an introduction to several types and characteristics of packaging films that can be used on pillow packaging machines. Pillow packaging machines are well-equipped, have simple and reliable transmission, are efficient, and have the characteristics of automatic packaging, sealing, and cutting, ensuring the hygiene and safety of product packaging and bringing good economic benefits to manufacturers.These 7 types of packaging films are common for pillow packaging machines.