When our salespeople talk to customers, they start by asking a few questions to help determine what type of shrinker and film the customer might need. Once a few basic issues are resolved, different options can be offered. Let’s start with a few questions to help determine the type of machine you need.

1. What is your production level or planned production level?

Many customers are new to shrink wrapping and don’t realize that understanding production levels is necessary to help determine what type of machine is needed. Some customers have established businesses and are moving to shrink wrap for established product lines. Most of the time, these customers are familiar with production levels. There are also customers who are starting a new business or producing a new production line and they don’t know how many products to pack because they don’t have any sales. Accurately predicted production levels will help determine suitable machine recommendations. Efficiency and size are the two main factors that determine the cost of a shrink machine.

2. What is the size of the largest item to be packed?

As mentioned above, size is an important factor in the overall cost of a shrink wrapping machine. Knowing the size of the largest item to be packaged will ensure that a device can be found that will hold all the products. A machine that can seal the largest packaged objects can also seal smaller objects.

3. What form of shrink wrap are you going to use?

The three main forms of shrink wrap commonly used for packaging are tubes, bags, and intermediate folds. Deciding on the best shrink wrap is necessary when deciding on a shrink wrap machine. Different machines cooperate to seal various types of shrink wrap. If you’re not sure what form of shrink wrap you’re interested in, give us a call and we’ll be happy to help you.

By addressing the three questions above, we can now help determine the best shrink wrapping machine option for your application. Since there are many variables to answer the above questions, we will start by listing the production levels of shrink wrapping machines. We want to keep our readers informed about the cost of shrink wrapping machines.

4. Low Output Beginner Shrink Wrap Machines

Pulse Sealer and Heat Gun – The pulse sealer and heat gun combination is the most basic type of shrink wrapping machine available. Pulse sealers have flat wire, flat wire with cutting blades, and round wire sealers. Each type of seal has a specific function depending on the form of shrink wrap.

Flat wire pulse sealing machine. Suitable for heavier shrink-wrapped meters. Flat wire does not provide the ability to seal and cut film. For the sealing of non-shrinking plastic bags and other plastics. Flat wire sealers range in price from $61 to $327, depending on the size of the seal.

Flat Line Impulse Sealer with Blade – The blade on the top of the sealer allows the user to quickly seal and cut the film. A flat filament impulse sealer with a blade is suitable for any form of shrink film. We recommend anyone wrap objects in a shrink tube. The cutting blade enables the user to seal the tubing and cut off the seal to open the next product insertion. Prices for these sealers range from $107 to $200.

Round Wire Impulse Sealer – An excellent choice for centrefold shrink wraps and shrink bags. The Round Wire Sealer provides the user with the ability to seal and cut shrink film in one action. We do not recommend round wire seals because the seals will seal the open end of the tube from the roll. Prices for round wire sealers range from $68 to $190.

Heat Gun – A heat gun is the most basic heating element and is ideal for a low output operation. A heat gun becomes much hotter than a hairdryer in a matter of seconds. We recommend it to those who use a hairdryer. There are a wide variety of heat guns available. We offer two types, a dual-speed heat gun, and a variable temperature heat gun. The main difference between the two is that variable temperature heat guns offer a dial that allows users to adjust the heat gun for multiple temperatures, while dual-speed heat guns only offer low and high settings. Prices range from $54 to $77.

The total cost of a low-volume shrink wrap machine can be as low as $115 for a sealer and heat gun. Charges can be higher, depending on the size of the sealer required.

5. Medium Volume Shrink Wrapper

Bar shrink wrapping system – one of our best selling machines. The I-Bar Shrink Wrap System provides everything you need to start shrink wrapping. Each order includes a 500-foot roll of PVC shrink film, a heat gun, a workbench, and a film holder. Anyone using interstitial shrink film should consider using a shrink wrap system to wrap their products. Using this system, users can typically pack up to 300 products per day. Prices for I-Bar shrink wrap systems range from $236 to $445, depending on the size of the seal needed.

Foot sealers – a great option for users who choose to pack their products in shrink bags. The foot sealer allows the user to wrap the product, both hands-free. Use the foot pedal to raise and lower the sealing rod. There is a high seal efficiency and a fast sealing speed. When wrapping products in shrink bags, we recommend the use of a heat gun or shrink tunnel, depending on the level of production required. Foot seals are available in widths from 12″ to 32″. Prices start at $255.

Portable I-Beam Sealer – The main advantage of a portable I-beam sealer is the ability to bring the seal to the product being wrapped, rather than the product to the seal. Portable I-beam seals have a removable seal that allows for easy and effective sealing. Portable I-Bar seals are available from 12″ to 32″ seal width. Prices range from $500 to $700.

l-strip sealer – l-strip sealer is more efficient for packaging folding shrink film than an i-strip sealer. An L-Bar sealer has two sealing bars to seal both ends of the middle folded shrink film. L-Bar sealers are used for medium to high volume operations. The fully automatic l-bar sealing machine is suitable for fully automatic high-volume operations. Manual L-Bar sealers range in price from $570 to $1250, depending on the size of the seal. We recommend them for use with a shrink tunnel or heat gun. Users pack products using L-bar sealers and shrink tunnels, packing thousands of products per day.

Shrink Chamber – The shrink chamber uses a closed L-Bar sealer and heats the film once the sealer is complete. The shrink chamber is an all-in-one system that packs products quickly and efficiently in one action. It is important to know the height of each room. Since the sealer is in a closed cavity, the height of the product must be small enough to fit inside the cavity. Compression chambers range in price from $2,700 to $3,500.

6. High output shrink wrapping machine

Shrink Tunnels – We recommend shrink tunnels for anyone producing large quantities of shrink-wrapped products. A shrink tunnel is a high-speed heating element that is much more efficient than a heat gun. Shrink tunnels are often paired with manual or fully automatic L-Bar sealers for maximum efficiency. Pricing for shrink tunnels mainly depends on the size of the chamber. Prices range from $2,000 to $6,600.

Semi-Automatic L-Bar/Shrink Tunnel Combinations – These systems are connected packaging systems that require the operator to insert the product into the film, opening and closing the seal. These combined systems are so efficient that users can seal thousands of products per day. Prices start at $12,000 and may rise depending on the add-on accessories for each system.

Fully Automatic L-Bar/Shrink Tunnel Combination – The fully automatic machine is what large companies use to pack large quantities of shrink-wrapped products. The fully automatic shrink wrapping machine can pack 1200 – 1500 products per hour!

There is a wide variety of add-ons available, as well as multiple machines. For a rough estimate of the low-end price, users can expect to spend at least $33,000. If you have specific questions about fully automatic machines and prices, please call us.