First, prepare before starting

Checking the appearance of equipment

Carefully check the overall situation of the heat shrink machine, including whether the shell is damaged and deformed, especially the heating chamber, the conveyor belt and the various connecting parts. Ensure that the device is placed smoothly to avoid shaking during operation.

Check that the air outlet and air intake are unblocked and free of foreign matter. This is essential for the circulation of hot air, if the outlet or intake is blocked, it will affect the heating efficiency and packaging effect.

Mounting packing material

Place the heat shrinkable film in the appropriate position. If the film is rolled, the film roll should be mounted on the unwinding device to ensure that the film can be smoothly unrolled. The width of the film should match the size of the product to be packaged, and the quality of the film should be ensured to meet the requirements of heat shrink packaging.

For some special packaging, such as films with labels or printed patterns, pay attention to the correct orientation of the film so that the pattern can be correctly displayed on the product after packaging.

Check electrical connections and power supplies

Ensure that the power cable of the heat shrink machine is connected correctly and securely, and the plug is plugged into a well-grounded power outlet. Check for loose or damaged cables of various electrical components of the device, such as buttons, indicators, temperature sensors, and motors on the control panel.

Preheating Settings (if preheating is available)

According to the material and thickness of the shrink film, set the preheating temperature and time by referring to the equipment manual. Different film materials, such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), POF (polyolefin), etc., have different preheating requirements. For example, the preheating temperature of PVC film is generally between 140-180 ° C, and the preheating temperature of POF film is usually between 120-160 ° C. The warm-up time may vary from 5-15 minutes depending on equipment power and packaging requirements.

Second, boot operation

Power on

Press the power switch of the heat shrink machine, the power indicator of the device will light up, and the display on the control panel (if any) will start to initialize and display relevant information, such as the current temperature, operating mode, etc.

Set parameters

Temperature parameters:

The heating temperature is precisely set according to the type and thickness of the packaging film. If the temperature is set too low, the film may not be able to shrink sufficiently, resulting in a loose packaging; If the temperature is too high, the film may over-shrink or even melt, damaging the product. Taking POF film packaged small products as an example, the temperature can be set between 130-150 ° C.

Some heat shrink machines have multiple heating zones, and for such equipment, the temperature of each heating zone needs to be set separately to achieve a more uniform heating effect. For example, for longer products, it may be necessary to slightly increase the temperature of the heating zone near the ends of the product to ensure sufficient shrinkage of the film along the entire length of the product.

Conveying speed parameters:

Set the speed of the conveyor belt according to the size and packaging speed of the product. The conveying speed will affect the residence time of the product in the heating chamber, thus affecting the shrinkage effect of the film. If the product is larger or needs more adequate shrinkage, the conveying speed can be appropriately reduced to extend the time of the product in the heating chamber. Generally speaking, the conveying speed can be adjusted between 1-10 m/min.

Other parameters (if any) :

Some heat shrinkers may have special functional parameters, such as circulating wind speed, heating mode (such as up and down heating, left and right heating, etc.). These parameters are set according to the shape of the product, packaging requirements and film characteristics. For example, for products with irregular shapes, it may be necessary to turn on the up and down heating mode and appropriately increase the wind speed of the circulating air to ensure that the film can be evenly wrapped and shrunk.

Wait to heat up (if the device needs to heat up)

After setting the temperature parameters, the device will start to heat up. You can see the warming progress by observing the temperature display or heating indicator on the control panel. During the heating process, do not put the product into the equipment until the temperature reaches or approaches the set value and is stable before starting the packaging operation.

Third, product packaging operation

Parcel product

Cover the product with a heat-shrinkable film. Initial wrapping can be done by hand or with the help of some simple packaging tools such as film sealers. Ensure that the film is evenly wrapped and flat around the product, and that there is enough film allowance at both ends or openings of the product to fully cover the product during the thermal shrinkage process.

Place product

Put the products wrapped in the film on the conveyor belt of the heat shrink machine, paying attention to maintain a certain distance between the products to avoid squeezing or colliding with each other. The size of the spacing depends on the size and shape of the product, and it is generally recommended that the spacing be between 5-15 cm to ensure that each product can be fully heated in the heating chamber and can smoothly pass through the equipment.

Starter package

Press the “start” button of the heat shrink machine or the corresponding operation key, the conveyor belt starts to operate, and the product is sent into the heating chamber. In the heating chamber, hot air heats the film, causing it to shrink and adhere tightly to the product. The residence time of the product in the heating chamber is determined by factors such as the conveying speed and the length of the heating chamber, and it is necessary to ensure that this time is enough for the film to fully shrink.

Check the quality of packing

After the packaged product is output from the discharge port of the heat shrink machine, the packaging quality should be checked immediately.

Appearance check: Check to see if the film has shrunk evenly on the product, with no obvious folds, bubbles, or unshrunk parts. If there are wrinkles, it may be caused by uneven film wrapping, uneven heating temperature, or shaking of the product during transportation.

Seal check: Check the seal of the film at both ends or openings of the product to ensure that the seal is good and there are no openings or gaps. If the seal is not good, it may be necessary to adjust the way the film is wrapped or check whether the heating temperature and residence time are appropriate.

Four, shutdown operation

Stop feeding and packaging

When the packaging task is completed, stop feeding the heat shrink machine first. Wait for the last batch of product packaging on the conveyor belt to be completed and output from the discharge port, press the “stop” button of the equipment, and the conveyor belt will gradually stop running.

Heating off

Turn off the heating power of the heat shrink machine and let the heating chamber cool naturally. Do not clean or perform other operations when the temperature of the heating chamber is still very high to avoid burns. The cooling time may vary from 10-30 minutes depending on the power of the equipment and the heating temperature.

Cleaning equipment

Clean up the debris around the conveyor belt and heating chamber, such as residual film debris, product debris, etc. You can use a soft brush or a clean, damp cloth to clean, but be careful to avoid water entering the electrical components.

Turn off power and maintain equipment

Finally, turn off the main power switch of the heat shrink machine and unplug the power cord. Regular maintenance of the equipment, such as lubrication of the conveyor belt, check the performance of electrical components, etc., to extend the service life of the equipment.