So, you have found yourself standing at a crossroads with flow wrappers and overwrappers. Up to this point, your path was clear. The road you have walked was likely paved in cellophane, oriented polypropylene, or some other type of flexible packaging film.
Smooth, glossy, easy.
Until now, your journey had been simple. A straight walkway. One of which involved almost effortless dedication to a carefree destination.
You had planned on arriving at this place knowing which way to go should your highway ever diverge from a single flowing river to that of questionable unknown rapids, surging in divergent directions.
And yet, here you stand at your own personal high noon. To your left, you are faced with a sea of flow wrappers.
To your right, you see a dimly lit, over-wrapped horizon veiled in uncertainty. In an effort to delay the inevitable, you roll the question around on your tongue. Flow-wrappers or over-wrappers, which is right for me?
You wait in silence, hoping that some disembodied force will whisper the correct answer into your ear. And still, you stand here at the crossroads, unsure which way to go.
Make the right decision, and you will buy the appropriate packaging machinery for your company’s needs.
Choose the wrong equipment, and a logistics nightmare with no end in sight could envelop you. You shudder to think of the mountains of paperwork that you would find in an endless valley of excuses.
Is there not anyone who is willing to pull you back from this praecipe of decision-making? Indeed, there is, and you have found them!
We know that choosing the proper packaging machinery for your product wrapping needs can be a little, shall we say, “dramatic.”
But, thankfully for you, Industrial Packaging is here to help you make sure that you make the right decision and become that purchasing hero that, deep down, you know yourself to be.
We know everything there is to know about flow wrappers and over wrappers. And we are going to help you choose the proper machinery for your wrapping project.
Is a Flow Wrapper Or An Over Wrapper Right For You?
Before we help you decide which of these devices makes the most sense for your packaging line, we will look at these machines and consider their differences.
After comparing each of these types of packaging equipment, we will help you make the right decision. So, let us continue this adventure in packaging machinery purchasing.
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Flow Wrappers
At first glance, the mighty beasts known as flow wrappers may seem a bit intimidating. In their natural habitat, they can come off as seemingly complicated pieces of bagging equipment.
But, in essence, they are pretty straightforward creatures and can be wrangled by properly trained machine operators.
Flow wrappers execute three simple tasks in one continuous operation:
- They will fill a bag with your products.
- They seal said bag.
- They discharge the completed package.
The packaging offers protection and consistency while producing an impressive aesthetic. Flow wrappers most commonly employ oriented polypropylene packaging wraps.
They are most often used to wrap coupons, affiliate marketing items, product samples, mailers, candy, ice cream bars, baked goods, ice pops, as well as small medical devices and industrial items.
These devices come in horizontal form, fill and seal units, and vertical variants as well. Some forms of this type of machinery also feature servo motors.
The type of machine that is best for your needs will largely depend on the products you are running and the volume of items you need to package.
Overwrappers
Overwrappers are dynamic devices that can wrap cylinders as well as cubic products and containers such as boxes. These machines are commonly used for collation and wrapping bundles of varying shapes, both large and small.
Products run on an overwrapper are wrapped as they are moved through the machine via a conveyor belt.
Overwrappers often employ cellophane and other similar flexible films to package the items they run. Typical applications include wrapping boxed items such as produce, tobacco, and health and beauty products.
It should be noted, overwrappers fit into more luxury packaging applications as they are used in cosmetics.
The type of overwrapper that is required for your wrapping needs will largely be dictated by the products you want to wrap and the volume of items you want to package.
Which Is Right For You, Flow Wrappers Or Overwrappers?
In order to decide if a flow wrapper or overwrapper is the right machinery for your products, you will have to answer a few questions.
With the answers to these questions in hand, you will be able to choose the type of wrapper that is best suited for your products.
Are you looking to package tobacco products? – If you answered yes, an overwrapper would be your best choice.
Are you packaging candy? – If your answer is yes, then a flow wrapper would be the better choice for your needs.
Are you looking to package produce? – If the answer to this question is yes, an overwrapper would be your best bet.
Are you looking to package your products in flexible bagging? – If you are, a flow wrapper would be the proper machine for your needs.
Are you looking to package magazines or paper documents? – If you answered yes, a flow wrapper would be the best option.
Are you looking to wrap boxes? – If you said yes, an overwrapper would be your ideal piece of machinery.
Do You Have More Questions About Flow Wrappers And Overwrappers?
With the answers above, you may already know which type of wrapper is best for packaging your products.
But, you may have other questions or the need for additional information. If that is the case, we would advise you to speak with one of our packaging experts.
They will be able to help you choose the proper machinery for all of your wrapping needs.
