Stretch wrappers are one of the easiest pieces of machinery to cost justify, use, and maintain. Easy, that is, if one understands the basics of specifying the correct stretch-wrap machine for the application.
Stretch film is engineered to be elongated, which means that once it is stretched the true characteristics of the material emerge. Because of its engineered properties, the film has much higher puncture and tearing resistance when stretched. It also has greater load holding ability.
Stretch-wrap machines are cost justified on material, labor savings, and load unitization improvements with the majority of machines paying for themselves in one to two years. In terms of material savings, consider that today’s high-performance machines pre-stretch the material by 250 percent or more. This means that every foot of stretch film when off the roll, covers two-and-a-half-times more area than if the material was not stretched at all.