Wraps UK Ltd

Wraps UK was founded in 1984 in Wimborne, Dorset, to design and manufacture low cost yet robust manual L sealing, sleeve wrapping machines and shrink tunnels.

As the company developed the requirements for wrapping speeds increased which led to the introduction of fully automatic L sealers and sleeve wrappers. These machines now form the core of the Wraps UK product portfolio.

The supply of shrink film, polyolefin, PVC and PE has always been an integral part of the company enabling a complete machine, film and service facility to be provided to Wraps UK’s many customers.

In 2004 Wraps UK was purchased by Marden Edwards Limited, a larger manufacturer of packaging equipment. The Wraps UK factory was integrated into the Marden Edwards premises and full advantage was taken of the integrated high tech component manufacturing facility enabling even more robust construction techniques to be used. This has enabled Wraps UK to produce a range of stainless steel machines suitable for the most arduous of environments.

Access to the Marden Edwards comprehensive design facility has meant that many different types of product handling system are now available to convey and collate products before the wrapper and to transport them away after wrapping.

To complement the range of machinery offered, Wraps UK is a UK distributor for other European overseas based manufacturers. Together with its’ bespoke design and manufacturing facilities, Wraps UK can supply a complete portfolio of products ranging from chamber L sealers to complex, fully automatic integrated systems.
 

Overview

Wraps UK provides L sealing machines for presentation quality packing purposes and sleeve wrapping machines for transit and distribution packaging.

L- Sealing Machines 

For Presentation

Chamber L Sealers

The chamber shrink wrapping machine is an all in one shrink wrap solution for presentation quality wrapping. It is the lowest cost method of producing a presentation quality shrink wrap.

The machine uses a single phase, 13 amp supply and since the machine is mounted on lockable castors it is easily moved about. Speed of operation is around 300 products per hour and requires an operator to be present at all times to load and un-load the product.

The product being wrapped is manually loaded into the centrefolded film. The chamber hood is brought down manually and is automatically locked in position using a solenoid.

The sealing wire cuts and seals the film before hot air is blown around the chamber causing the film to shrink. After a preset time the solenoid disengages and the hood is lifted up by hand.

Alternatively, if no heat is applied the product is sealed in a loose bag. Both Polyolefin and PVC films can be used with chamber machines.

The Wraps UK range comprises of two machines, the Combo 55 and for larger products the Combo 85. The Combo 55 can wrap a product up to 420 x 550 mm and the Combo 85 can wrap a product up to 600 x 860 mm.
 

Chamber L Sealers

Semi Automatic L Sealers

The LST 50 semi automatic L sealing machine is an all in one shrink wrap solution for presentation wrapping. It consists of the sealing system and a continuously running heat shrink tunnel mounted onto a single frame.

The machine uses a single phase, 13 amp supply and since the machine is mounted on lockable castors it is easily moved about. Speed of operation is around 600 products per hour and requires an operator to be present at all times to load the product.

The product being wrapped is manually loaded into the centrefolded film. The sealing and cutting head is manually lowered onto the film and is held in place with a solenoid.

After this point, the operation is fully automatic. The sealing head is released after a preset time and the wrapped product is automatically conveyed into the heat shrink tunnel. After the heat shrink tunnel the product is either discharged onto a table or onto another conveyor.

Both polyolefin and PVC can be used with the LST 50 semi automatic L sealing machine. The LST 50 can wrap a pack 380 x 500 mm.
 

Semi Automatic L Sealers

Automatic L Sealers

For higher speed applications the Wraps UK W700 range of automatic L sealers provides excellent performance and value for money. The complete system consists of a fully automatic L sealing machine and a separate heat shrink tunnel.

The shrink wrapper itself is powered by a 13 amp single phase supply whilst the heat shrink tunnel requires a 3 phase connection. Speed of operation is up to 30 packs per minute and because the machine is fully automatic an operator is only required for monitoring and film changing purposes.

Like manual and semi automatic shrink wrappers the fully automatic machine uses centre folded polyolefin film. However, instead of the product being wrapped being loaded by hand an automatic conveyor feeds the product into the film. The machine measures the length of the product and the sealing jaws operate automatically to produce the sealed bag.

After the bag is sealed, it is automatically conveyed into the high capacity heat shrink tunnel where the film shrinking takes place and the skin tight wrap is produced. The film which is trimmed off during the packaging process is automatically wound up on the waste film take-up reel.

Features of the W700 range include:

Heavy duty coated sealing blades
Ergonomic low level film loading position
Clear, perimeter guarding allowing good visibility and easy access
Colour touch screen display for machine operation and diagnostic functions
Polyolefin, polyethylene or PVC shrink films can be used
Option of a closing conveyor for very small products
A complete range of machines is offered with the following maximum product sizes. Larger products can be handled on request.

W700: 250 x 300 x 80 mm
W701: 350 x 500 x 120 mm
W702: 500 x 700 x 120 mm
W703: 350 x 500 x 150 mm
 

Automatic L Sealers

Side Sealing Shrink Wrappers

For higher speed presentation shrink wrapping it is necessary to move to a continuous motion style of wrapping, the side sealing machine. Wraps UK offers the Flexo500s which is capable of speeds up to 60 products per minute. The complete system consists of the shrink wrapper and a high capacity shrink tunnel which ensures perfect shrinking at high speed.

The product is fed into the side sealing shrink wrapper in the same way as the automatic L-sealer. The machine measures the length of the product being wrapped and a single sealing bar cuts and seals the film across the width of the machine. Then, instead of using an L shape to form the other side of the seal, a continuous motion cutting and sealing blade system produces the lateral seal.

The advantage that this provides is that almost any length of product can be wrapped. Since the machine spends less time sealing the film than a conventional L sealer, the film is almost continuously moving resulting in higher wrapping speeds.
 

Side Sealing Shrink Wrappers

Sleeve Wrapping Machines

For Transit

Manual Sleeve Wrapping Machine

The Wraps UK ES60 manual two reel sleeve wrapping machine is the lowest cost method of producing a shrink wrap for transit purposes. The system consists of the ES60 sleeve wrapper and the M25.40T shrink tunnel. Each machine uses a 13 amp single phase electricity supply making it an extremely mobile wrapping solution.

Shrink wrapping for transit purposes uses Polythene shrink film, the lowest cost shrink wrapping film available. One reel of film is mounted at a high level and the other is mounted at a low level. The two reels are joined by the sealing head, forming a curtain of film through which the product is pushed.

The product to be wrapped is manually pushed through the curtain of film, enveloping the product. The sealing jaw is then brought down by hand, cutting and sealing the film producing a loose sleeve of film around the product.

The next product to be wrapped then pushes the wrapped product into the heat shrink tunnel. In the tunnel the heat shrinks the film around the product leaving two open ends at the sides. The width of the film used compared to the width of the product determines how much of an open end is created.

The ES60 is suitable for products up to 550mm wide and 400mm high. Speed of operation is up to 400 products per hour.
 

Manual Sleeve Wrapping Machine

Semi Automatic Sleeve Sealers

If a manual sleeve wrapper is not fast enough to meet production requirements then the next step up in speed is the semi automatic sleeve sealer. Wraps UK supplies the PAF Easy semi automatic sleeve wrapper combination tunnel range for applications up to 10 products per minute.

With a semi automatic sleeve sealer the product is placed on the infeed by hand. Once the product, or collation of products, is positioned in front of the pneumatic infeed pusher, a button is pressed which starts the wrapping cycle. The product is pushed through the web of film and the sealing head then automatically cuts and seals the piece of film around the product.

After sealing, the wrapped product is automatically conveyed into the integrated heat shrink tunnel. By having the tunnel combined with the sleeve wrapper, the machine’s footprint is kept to a minimum and the whole system is still manoeuvrable to suit the needs of production.

The PAF Easy range is available with film widths of 450, 650, 850, 1250, and 2450 mm to shrink wrap a large range of products.
 

Semi Automatic Sleeve Sealers

Fully Automatic Sleeve Wrapping Machines

For speeds over 10 products per minute it is necessary to use a fully automatic sleeve sealer. Available either with an inline or side fed product feed, the Wraps UK range of AS sleeve wrappers are suitable for speeds up to 25 products per minute. The system comprises the AS sleevewrapper followed by an M series shrink tunnel. For higher speed operation, a two chamber heat tunnel is used.

Unlike a semi automatic sleeve wrapper, a fully automatic sleeve wrapping machine uses either a driven belt conveyor or a pusher to automatically transfer the product through the web of film. Once the product has been sleeve wrapped, another automatic conveyor takes the product into the heat shrink tunnel where the polyethylene film is shrunk around the product to form the transit wrap.

The AS range of sleeve sealers are designed to be robust, easy to operate and maintain as well as being low cost to purchase. The key features are:

  • Very robust construction
  • Clear, perimeter guards allowing ease of access and visibility at all times
  • Ergonomically positioned film reels allowing easy loading of film and simple film thread up
  • Heavy duty Teflon coated sealing blade for strong, reliable seals and a long blade life
  • LCD display for diagnostic display and access to operator settings
  • Powered film drive to ensure lightweight products are easy to wrap
  • Options of a pneumatic product clamp to hold lightweight packs during sealing, a height sensing sealing jaw to ensure highest speed of operation and side feed automatic product collating systems are available
     

The AS range is available with film widths of 700, 900 and 1300 mm and product heights up to 500mm.
 

Fully Automatic Sleeve Wrapping Machines

Shrink Wrapping Film

To achieve the highest possible machine efficiencies it is important that a good shrink wrapping film of consistent quality is used. Wraps UK supplies a complete range of films that have been fully tested to ensure efficient running on all Wraps UK shrink wrapping machines. By sourcing large quantities of film directly from the manufacturers Wraps UK is able to offer high quality, affordable shrink film for all applications.

Shrink Wrap Film - Presentation Films

Shrink wrapping for presentation purposes should provide a superbly smooth skin tight, value adding, tamperproof finish to a wide range of products such as stationery, games, DVDs, computer software etc. Certain presentation films can also be used for the packaging of many food products like pizzas, trays of meat and fruit.

PVC shrink packaging film is supplied centre folded and is mainly used in conjunction with manually operated 'L' sealers giving a glossy, clear, tamperproof finish. PVC is available in 40% by 40% balanced shrink ratio and at various other shrink rates depending on the application. Most common thicknesses are 17, 19 and 25 micron, although 38 micron is also available.

Polyolefin shrink wrapping film is supplied centre folded and is an ideal consumable material for use with fully automatic L-sealers, semi automatic L-sealers and chamber machines. Polyolefin films have all the advantages of PVC as well as being non-toxic, corrosion free and with exceptional seal strength and shrink performance. They are available with shrink rates of up to 55 percent and thicknesses of 12, 15, 19 and 25 microns. Also available are films for low temperature and limited shrink applications, i.e. for use with large low height products such as calendars.

Shrink wrap film ¿ Protective and collation transit film

The primary purpose of protective and transit collation film is to protect single items or collations of products, such as cans, bottles and jars. These can either be placed in a cardboard tray or collated and wrapped loose.

Polyethylene shrink packaging film is normally supplied single wound, as opposed to centrefolded. It is sealed around the product or collation of products as a loose sleeve using a manual or fully automatic sleeve sealer. Once the film has passed through the shrink tunnel the product collation is held together securely. The finished pack is extremely strong and ideal for palletising for transportation from manufacturer to the wholesaler or supermarket. About 70 percent of supermarket products arrive using this method. Polyethylene film is available in thicknesses from 25 to 150 micron in various shrink ratios and slip rates.
 

Markets

Wraps UK supplies shrink wrapping machinery and film to a wide number of industries. It is true to say that almost all industries use shrink wrapping to some extent. The majority of applications come from the following six market sectors.

Food and Drink

The food and drinks industry is a large consumer of both shrink wrapping machines and materials. Shrink wrapping is used for both the primary presentation wrap for products such as confectionery as well as being used for transit packs.

Typically products despatched to the supermarkets arrive either in shelf ready packaging, shrinkwrapped trays of products or collated and wrapped loose without a tray. Shrink wrapping using either polyethylene or polyolefin can be used for all these packaging styles and the machinery selected depends greatly on the speed of the application and the strength of the protective packaging required.

A recent market development has been the requirement to package collations of drinks cans in printed film. To achieve this Wraps UK supplies machinery that uses a single roll of printed shrink film which is registered and precisely cut to length during the wrapping process.

Wraps UK supplies machinery for all forms of food and drink shrinkwrapping, with either collating systems for loose bottles and packs or in line production for pre loaded cardboard trays and shelf ready packs. The range of shrink packaging machinery allows for both manual, slow speed production up to high speed in line fully automatic product handling and wrapping systems.
 

Food and Drink

Laundry

Shrink wrapping in the laundry industry is used to protect the cleaned product before it arrives at its final destination, be it a blanket for use with an air line or a bundle of towels for supply to a hospital.

Where a straightforward bag is required to protect a garment or blanket, an L-sealer is the ideal system. If no shrinking is applied to an L-sealed pack, the resulting loose bag produces an ideal protective covering. Wraps UK automatic L sealers can use both polyolefin or, predominantly for the laundry industry, low cost polyethylene. Systems can either be low speed and manual or fully automatic, depending on volume.

For the large scale laundry where high volumes of towels or garments are being laundered and ironed, Wraps UK supplies fully automatic sleeve wrapping systems for speeds up to 25 per minute. Using thin, low cost, 30 micron polyethylene, randomly sized laundered products can all be completely enclosed in film. Through heat shrinking, the enclosed pack can be reduced in volume, making distribution easier when compared to wrapping in paper.

Many years of experience in the laundry industry means that the shrinkwrapping machines supplied are suitably robust to work in a continuous production environment. Wraps UK has developed a range of ancillary equipment to feed the shrink wrapper to ensure that multiple production lines can feed one wrapper and centralisation systems ensure that the garments are correctly positioned before wrapping.
 

Laundry

Industrial, Household and Building Products

Shrink wrapping is used to wrap a vast array of industrial, household and building products with both presentation and transit wrapping being used.

L-sealing machines are particularly suitable for building products, where a simple bag is required to fully protect the product before distribution. For example, using Wraps UK developed feeding systems pipe fittings can be automatically packaged rather than requiring manual packing into pre-made polyethylene bags.

L sealing is often used for wrapping wood products, such as picture frames and mirrors where it is essential the product is not scratched before it reaches the consumer.

Sleeve wrapping systems lend themselves well to large format items, such as long extrusions or kitchen furniture. Because there is no limit to the length of product that can be fed through a sleeve wrapper, long items are well suited to being wrapped in polyethylene. Wraps UK specialises in the supply of the product handling systems necessary to convey the product into the shrink wrapper.
 

Industrial, Household and Building Products

Paper and Print

The print and paper industries use shrink wrapping machines for both presentation and transit wrapping purposes. The types of products wrapped range from collations of envelopes through to stacks of magazines for distribution.

Many print work customers specify that the finished printed products, be they loose leaf exercise books, business forms or large format calendars are protected at point of sale. L-sealing machines are ideal for handling the large size range of products produced and for providing a completely enclosed overwrap. The use of special property, low shrink polyolefin films ensures that no curl is imparted into the product during the wrapping process. For very low speed applications a low cost chamber machine is ideal whilst a side sealer shrink wrapping machine is capable of speeds up to 60 wraps per minute.

For magazine production two reel sleeve wrapping machines are often used to overwrap the stacks of magazines or books. By using wide film and special shrink tunnel venting it is possible to completely enclose the polyethylene wrapped pack. Wraps UK supplies both low speed, hand fed machines as well as fully integrated 30 packs per minute systems.
 

Paper and Print

Cosmetics, Toiletries and Pharmaceutical

Shrinkwrapping and overwrapping are used for the presentation wrap around individual cosmetic and perfume cartons. Depending upon the customer requirement, a shrink wrap finish can be provided by any of Wraps UK L sealing machines or, if a diamond point end fold is required, one of Marden Edwards overwrappers. (Wraps UK’s parent company)

For irregularly shaped gift sets, or for when a special offer requires two packs be collated together, a chamber L sealing machine is ideal. Because the product is stationery when the sealing takes place and it is loaded into the machine by hand, the stability of the product is not a problem.

Collating two reel sleevewrappers are often used for transit packs of pharmaceutical products. The product is fed to the machine from the side and the integrated collating system produces the required collation format before it is pushed through the film web. All Wraps UK AS range of machines can be supplied with an integrated collation system.
 

Cosmetics, Toiletries and Pharmaceutical

DVDs, Electronic goods and Games

For DVDs, electronic goods and games the purpose of shrink wrapping is to ensure that the product has not been tampered with before it leaves the store.

L sealing is used predominantly to ensure that small items cannot be removed from a packaged games box before it has left the store. Similarly for DVDs and computer games, consumers are assured that the content of their purchases are intact. For the shop, the benefit is in knowing that it cannot have sold an empty case and can resist consumers claiming otherwise.

Wraps UK offers a range of equipment for low speed applications up to 60 packs per minute automatically fed in-line packaging systems. Often other equipment, such as coders and labellers can be integrated into the shrink wrapping machine.
 

DVDs, Electronic goods and Games

Wraps UK Ltd Overview

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