Mar. 03, 2026
Packaging & Printing
● Introduction to Shrink Film
Shrink film, made from heat-sensitive materials, shrinks when heated and tightly wraps around the surface of the packaged item. This provides secure packaging, an attractive appearance, and a level of puncture resistance that helps protect the product from external damage.
Since shrink film reacts to heat, storing packaged products in high-temperature environments may cause the film to soften and gradually lose its shrink-wrapping function. Therefore, users must consider the storage environment of the packaged goods. During film production, adding anti-UV additives to the formulation can also help slow the degradation of shrink properties over time.
The heating process used in shrink film packaging may pose a risk of damage to heat-sensitive products. Users must evaluate how temperature affects the item itself and the film's shrink performance. If the temperature is too low, insufficient shrinkage may compromise the packaging quality. On the other hand, excessive heat may damage the product.
Thicker shrink films require more energy during the heating process, increasing production costs. As a result, shrink films are often used for lightweight packaging applications, where thinner films help reduce energy consumption.
Shrink film is widely used in a variety of industries, including food packaging, bundled beverage bottles, pharmaceuticals, stationery, cosmetics, and cables. Its ease of use also makes it popular for general consumer applications.
● Introduction to Stretch Hood Film
Stretch hood film is a modern packaging material designed for automated wrapping systems. It is physically stretched and applied over goods using a stretch hood packaging machine, tightly covering the product. The film contains polyolefin elastomers (POE), which provide excellent holding force, keeping items securely wrapped and maintaining packaging integrity during transport—even under shaking or impact.
With high tear and puncture resistance, stretch hood film protects goods from external damage. Its superior transparency also makes it easier to identify products visually and to scan barcodes or labels during logistics handling.
The use of stretch hood film is becoming increasingly popular. It offers a faster, more convenient packaging method, especially for large furniture and home appliances typically packed with cardboard boxes, Styrofoam, or stretch film. It is also an excellent solution for automated pallet packaging in high-volume production environments.
● Shrink Film vs. Stretch Hood Film
❄ Shrink Mechanism:
Shrink film contracts when heated, causing its molecular chains to rearrange. This shrinkage allows it to tightly wrap the product.
Stretch hood film, on the other hand, is physically stretched and then released over the product. Its elastic recovery allows it to tightly conform to the item’s shape without the need for heat.
❄ Energy Consumption:
Shrink film requires heating during the packaging process, leading to higher energy consumption compared to stretch hood film, which relies solely on mechanical stretching.
❄ Applications:
Shrink film is better suited for lightweight and smaller packaging applications, while stretch hood film is ideal for packaging large furniture and household appliances.
❄ Ease of Use:
Shrink film is more widely used and easier to apply. Most users can complete packaging using just a heat gun or even a hair dryer.
Stretch hood film, however, requires professional automated equipment. Due to its toughness and rebound strength, it cannot be evenly stretched manually.
● Blown Film Line Manufacturing Case
Han King completed the manufacturing of a five-layer co-extrusion PE blown film production line over eight months. The line is designed primarily for producing heat shrink film, stretch hood film and lamination film, with a maximum film width of 2,500 mm.
For the five-layer co-extrusion die head, Han King focuses on a mechanical structure designed for smooth material flow. The die head undergoes multiple stages of precise manual assembly and polishing to minimize material buildup and reduce the risk of carbon deposits, thereby extending both the die head’s service life and maintenance intervals.
- Key integrated systems and components include:
Gravimetric Dosing System、Internal Bubble Cooling System (IBC)、Thickness Profile Measurement and Control System、Trim Edge Recycling System、Slitting and Edge Trimming Device and Back-to-Back Center-Surface Winders.
The machine was disassembled over the course of a week, placed on 38 wooden pallets, and shipped to the customer’s factory in 11 × 40-foot containers.
YH Package supply professional and honest service.
This is a question the technical manager of a factory often asks himself: Do I need Shrink-Hood or Stretch Hood for my end of line? These are two pallet packaging systems with process and results that may look very similar, but with differences that are key to manufacturing and product performance. Today we are going to describe the differences and advantages of each system according to the product or industry in which they are used.
Both Stretch Hood and Thermo-shrink systems share essential aspects such as the application of tubular film, but the wrapping process is completely different:
Below you can see the videos of the wrapping process of each system, with solutions developed by Innova:
For the comparison between the two systems we will take into account the differences from Stretch Hood’s point of view as it is the most advanced solution and the one with more presence in different industries during the last years.
The main difference between the two systems is that Stretch Hood does not need heat to shrink the film, so all costs related to the heat shrink system are eliminated: use of gas energy, maintenance, etc.
In addition, Stretch Hood uses the exact film required for each wrapping and uses a thinner and lighter film than shrink-hood, as it does not need to withstand the heat. This also results in a reduction in the amount of film used daily.
The Stretch Hood system provides a perfect presentation, without the typical folds and wrinkles caused by shrink-wrapping. In addition, the optical properties of Stretch Hood film provide full transparency and gloss to show the contents of the load.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website shrink hood film.
We always talk about protection against external agents, but also the interior is better protected with the wrapping system. As there is no heat, Stretch Hood does not alter the properties of the product. Therefore, there is no danger of the film sticking to the pallet contents and specifically to the other plastics used in the primary and secondary packaging.
We emphasize that Stretch Hood can adapt to all kinds of loads, even those that could deteriorate from the heat of the shrink sleeve.
By avoiding the shrinking phase, the Stretch Hood system wraps the pallet faster -around 150 pallets/hour-, doubling the production of a shrink-wrapping system -which usually wraps 60 pallets/hour. This is a decisive argument for many companies to further automate and optimize the production of their end of line.
Finally, the Stretch Hood system does not use any type of combustion for wrapping, thus eliminating the risk of fire or explosion that can involve a gas oven installation.
As we have seen, the advantages of Stretch Hood over Shrink-hood are greater, so we usually recommend the former technology for pallet wrapping, due to savings, quality and efficiency reasons. However, the shrink-hood system has applications for specific sectors and products. For instance, the construction sector with products such as tiles, bricks, etc. For these industries, shrink-wrapping it is used to protect and hold a product that does not usually have primary or secondary packaging.
The shrink-wrap system could also be applied for industries that have pallets with very different and uniform sizes. This would be the case of logistics or a warehouse with many picking loads and especially unequal volumes.
Summarizing, the Stretch Hood system developed by Innova adapts to all types of products, being able to configure various pallet dimensions and load types. Stretch Hood is especially valued in sectors with boxed products (such as ceramics, paper, food, etc.) and bagged products (such as cement, chemical, agro-food, etc.) as it allows total protection of the product, with a higher final packaging finish.
Do you have technical questions or would you like to find out which system best suits your product? Consult us without obligation and we will advise you.
Are you interested in learning more about pof alternative film? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
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