It's a hot one this summer, and your probably dealing with a hot facility as well. In addition to keeping your team cool and hydrated on the production floor, you want to keep an eye on your packaging films too!
Keep your PVC cool, but not frozen..
Not Too Hot: During the hot summer months, you want to keep your PVC film in the coolest spot in your warehouse, without being in a refrigerator. This tends to be nearest the floors, on the lowest portion of your pallet-racks. Keep the rolls out of direct sunlight and away from areas in your warehouse that are susceptible to the hot weather outside.
Try to schedule your film deliveries early to beat out the sun, and avoid letting them sit in a hot trailer for extended periods of time.
Not Too Cold: If you place your PVC in a freezer, it may become damaged as well. In some instances where the film has been under extreme cold for too long, the PVC can shatter like glass if dropped, presenting a whole different safety hazard. The goal is to keep the film rolls cool, but not freezing. When packaging frozen foods and other items that must be cooled in a refrigerator, it may be a good idea to use a quality polyolefin film instead.
Sometimes you can catch weather-damaged film before you place it on your shrink wrapper. Watch for:
Sticky Rolls: Not to be confused with those delicious cinnamon buns, sticky PVC is a warning sign that the shrink film has gotten too much heat. If you have 2 rolls near one another and they are stuck together- don't risk downtime on the packaging line. Find a cool roll to use.
Bagging and Sagging: Film that has seen too much heat before use may have begun sag on the edges of the roll. Look for unusual issues like this, or bagging on the film before use. Using film that has issues like this can mess up the tracking on your machines, so be alert for damaged rolls, especially in the summer months.
If you are looking for on-time delivery and quality film you can count on, click the button below to start working with our Packaging Professionals. Don't forget to stay cool this summer!
