There are simply a huge number of ways to pack food. Very often, such goods are packed, for example, in cardboard boxes, paper bags, tin cans, etc. Recently, in stores you can often see food packed using a thin and fairly flexible film. In particular, various kinds of semi-finished products, meat, and bakery products are often sold in this form. Such a food film is called and its use is considered very convenient.
How is it made
This material is a special kind of stretch film. As the starting material for the manufacture of packaging of this variety can be used polyvinyl chloride or polyethylene. In this case, trays for packing products are often made of polystyrene foam.
Technologies in the production of food film packaging can be used, for example, such as:
- high pressure casting;
vacuum and blow molding;
pneumoforming.
Also, sometimes such material is manufactured using pressing technology.
The raw materials for the production of packaging films for food products at enterprises choose, of course, exclusively the highest quality. Most often, special machines — extruders — are used to manufacture this type of packaging material in factories. On such equipment, the film is made by blowing from top to bottom. The use of such devices allows making the production process of this material quick and inexpensive.
Many consumers, of course, are interested in including the difference between cling film and ordinary packaging. Unlike simple polyethylene or PVC, such material does not contain any harmful toxic additives.
Main varieties
The film used for packaging food products is classified mainly depending on the type of manufacturing material. This feature, among other things, is determining when choosing a specific method of its application. Currently, enterprises supply the market with three main varieties of cling film:
This type of polyethylene material is mainly used for packaging perishable products. Such a film is characterized by elasticity, strength and stickiness. Use of such material is allowed for packaging only cold food.
PVC film is used in the same cases as polyethylene. In terms of strength, elasticity and stickiness, it is not inferior to it in anything. But her thickness is usually a little less. The advantage of this material, in comparison with polyethylene, is complete vapor and gas impermeability. That is, products can be packaged in such a film as tight as possible. Most often, PVC film is used for packaging raw meat and poultry. But sometimes vegetables and fruits are also wrapped in it. The material of this variety is used in most cases in combination with a cardboard or foam backing.
Shrink wrap food packaging is also made from PVC. The material of this variety is made in the form of a half sleeve. Its main distinguishing feature is the ability to give strong shrinkage when heated. In addition to food, such a film is often used for packaging non-food products.
Winding methods
Different types of food wrap can be used for both manual and automatic packaging. The popularity of this material is largely due to the fact that it can be conveniently used both at enterprises with large production capacities, and at medium or small ones.
For wrapping products in plastic or PVC film, special skin-packing machines are usually used. Tightening with such material can also be carried out using special manual dispensers.
The equipment intended for packaging is produced by many companies, both domestic and foreign. For example, in our country, skin-packing food equipment from China Hualian, domestic tables from Agroresurs, etc., used for wrapping products in film, are very popular.
Using shrink film
Packaging using such material may be:
In the first case, a set of products of the same type is pre-assembled. Then the group is wrapped with a film, which after shrinkage forms a sealed bag. With a single package, the same technique is used. But in this case, only one product is pre-wrapped in a film.
When stacked, a group of goods (cans with juice, canned goods, bottles, etc.) are first installed on the tray in several rows. Further, the entire structure is covered with a heat-shrink cover and fed into the furnace. The result is a compact and stable design, well suited for transportation and storage.
Benefits of use for manufacturers
Packaging wrap for today is considered to be the most convenient type of wrapping material. Its main advantages are:
small volume and weight;
low cost;
ease of use.
Warehouse products packaged using such material take up much less space than those packaged, for example, in cardboard boxes. Such packaging costs much cheaper than paper and, especially, metal. After manufacturing, such material is usually wound into light compact rolls. Therefore, it is very convenient to store food wrap. The enterprises do not have problems with the transportation of such material.
Pros for buyers
This type of packaging is convenient not only for food manufacturers, but also for buyers. Since the cling film is transparent, the goods wrapped in it in the store can always be inspected visually and determine whether it is worth buying or not, and whether its quality matches the price. The products themselves, when wrapped in a film, do not absorb excess moisture or any odors.
Are there any cons
The advantages of this material, therefore, are many. But such material, of course, has certain disadvantages:
PVC and polyethylene can emit, albeit in very small quantities, but still quite harmful to the human body substances;
the structure of the cling film is such that in many cases it is impossible to directly apply company logos and product information;
re-use of cling film is not possible, but processing it is quite expensive.
Another disadvantage of such a film is that grouped goods wrapped in it are more difficult to carry. Pens, such as cardboard or wooden boxes, for example, cannot be supplemented with this type of packaging.
Who produces in Russia
Today many companies produce domestic food packaging film, both domestic and foreign. In our country, the most famous manufacturers are:
The Variopak company was registered in St. Petersburg in 1999. In 2008, this manufacturer launched the first industrial batch of stretch film. Today, Variopak's production capacity is about 15 thousand tons of products per year.
The manufacturer of packaging film Lava has been operating in Russia since 2004. At the moment, this company mainly produces films designed to transport goods on pallets.
The company "Regent" was founded in Russia in 1991. This manufacturer specializes in the manufacture of food film for pallets and for individual products. Products from "Regent" can be including multi-layer or self-adhesive.