packaging problems

[gessoandgold]

Help help help - can anyone advise?

I've got several new products I need to package, and have been looking at a tabletop home shrink wrap system which would work great for some things. Trouble is, I have some stuff I don't want to shrink wrap, though I still want to put them in clear plastic.

The preferred seal is the one line shrink wrap single wire type, but the question IS (at last) can I use a shrink wrap sealer on ordinary clear cello type wrap, and/or, can I cover stuff in shrink wrap and not shrink it - will it still remain nice and clear?

Finances are not all they could be and I can't afford two kind of sealer, I'm kinda old and could definitely do without hauling about two different plastic rolls.

 

[Naughty Vend]

You should consider a hot press and off the shelf blister, choose a generic size that fits most of your products and pack it out when the blister is too large.

Alternatively your shrink machine onto branded card backs would give you a good image, hard to tell when I don't know your range but have a look on Ebay at item 30045456274 or link if shown http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shrink-wrap-m...chine-/300454562743?pt=UK_Packaging_Materials

 

[Billmccallum]

Much depends on what you're packaging?

I prefer using self-seal, easy open plastic bags with a card stapled to the top opening, customer takes off the card and has a resealable bag to keep it in.

see http://www.polybags.co.uk/shop/plain-grip-seal-bags_c31.htm

 

[gessoandgold]

Thanks, I wish I could get that kind of machine (sigh) but I've no room. I'm working from a very small home with no garage and am already stuffed to the gills with equipment. I've managed to clear enough shelf space for a 400mm tabletop sealer but do need it to cut too because I need to consider speed.

I'll be sealing mostly pretty flat how to craft kits and supplies ranging from A8 to A4 and varied width packs using cardboard stiffener inserts.

I need lots of different sizes and really want cello-like wrap with a thin line seal, so that I can either seal front and back display labels in or, as you say, staple a card label to the top with euroslot.

Could go with bags, that's what I've done up to now. I've never seen those though, and have saved that link, cheers, but I'd like to be able to get the actual size for the product because my particular items look bad if there's too much room.

I'm also doing some in block bottom opaque bags with labels, but they're not the problem. The shrink wrap would have been so useful for a booklet range I've got planned, but I haven't yet found any really comprehensive site to explain to me the difference between various wrapping plastics and the needed sealer specs for each!

That's the problem. I really appreciate your help.

 

[Jeff FV]

Don't know if its of any help, but we buy our self-seal cello bags from Regent Envelopes - we use up to A4 in size. Its not the best website, but the best prices we have found. As your products are flat, with a cardboard stiffner, this may be the way to go? Might be of use?

Jeff

 

[gessoandgold]

That's good prices, thanks.

I'm looking now at wand sealers,

http://shrinkwrapsecrets.com/node/1

They seem pretty flexible but not sure what surface I'd need. Or, actually where to get them in the uk (I need to be able to get advice and spares, I've got no engineering background, mechanical smarts or spanners so I can't buy carelessly). It's the weirder sizes I'm having problems with. Hmmmm. Is this what obsession feels like .....

 

[gessoandgold]

Just an update on this - I have one of those from that vid link on the way. The guy was just incredibly helpful (unlike many I've investigated over here) with info on film types, thickness, weights, suitability for, specifications and uses etc. Lots of info, no pressure to buy, honest about limitations, plenty of advice.

This is, by the way, all info that I tried to get from suppliers here, but unfortunately sellers are so removed from the manufacturers I could get very few specs on sealers and no-one's interested in questions - especially those from small home based businesses. Hah - I'm not getting premises till I REALLY have to (and even then I'll try to outsource instead).

It worked out quite a lot cheaper (and with higher specs) even after adding postage. (yes, I did eventually get those specs, but not without a struggle) so I'm not too worried about import duties.

Anyway, for anyone interested, I'll let you know how the item performs by updating hereabout a month.

 

[Jeff FV]

Anyway, for anyone interested, I'll let you know how the item performs by updating hereabout a month.

Please do - I'd be interested to hear how you get on.

Jeff

 

[gessoandgold]

Well, it's here - arrived this morning. NICE bit of kit, I gave it a very quick tryout (it'll be two weeks before I have leisure time to really explore, but it worked like charm right away!

The guy put in a converter to sort the power difference for a small extra charge, so no probs there. I asked for the heat gun to be left out of the package because what with the power diff I'm better off getting it here.

Customs held it for about five days. The post office held it for another two. I got charged a total of £56.08 for import and some peculiar charge postalforce just whacked on - :| - and when I worked it out the machine was STILL cheaper than the ones I was looking at in the UK. Including the roller, the mats, a polyofin roll, samples of other stuff to compare, spares, instructional dvd and an invitation to call if there were any problems!

I'll post again in a couple of weeks to say how it gets on in real use, but it's looking very, very good at the minute.

 

[gessoandgold]

I'm looking at problems where I have an initial set of rectangles, each with a value; such that the whole set will not fit inside the container. There may be various constraints on the positions of the rectangles. I am trying to maximize the value of the packed rectangles. I'd be interested in the best algorithms for this or similar problems.

:| I think you've posted in the wrong place - algorithms? If you click on the little blue underlined 'UK Business Forums' then -

-you'll see a list of different sections you can enter. Pick the one which most looks like it may contain people who can help (probably finance or IT - mathy folk I guess) and click on that -

- under the first section, above the list that will then pop up, you'll see a button for creating a new thread in that section.

Because I really have no idea what an algorithm is!

 

[gessoandgold]

It's good. It's just as good as they say. Fantastic easy, quick and enjoyable to use once you get the hang of it. BUT - an unforeseen problem - finding the right stretch wrap isn't as easy as I thought. So I've now got a couple of rolls that aren't as thick as I've liked.

Eventually I'll get this properly sorted, but for now I can actually get stuff looking professionally sealed and dampproof, which was all I wanted in the first place.