In the increasingly fiercely competitive label printing market, many manufacturers who use flexographic printing labels pay attention to shrink film labels, not only because of its development potential as a new technology, but also in relation to those technical requirements that are not very high. The cost of the label printing market is not very large, and the barrier to entry for shrink film labels is high, which can prevent new companies from entering the competition. Traditional flexographic printing plants have begun to purchase some shrink film technology equipment, such as: adhesive devices and new printing equipment. It is expected that shrink film labels will have an annual growth of 7% to 10%, which is significantly higher than the 4%-5% growth rate of the general label market. The reason for this result is the increasing emphasis on the theme of packaging design: how to quickly seize the customer's eyes. It is this demand that opens the door to the small and medium label market. Of course, the introduction of personalization, ethnicity, and health foods, together with the new FDA (United States Food and Drug Administration) labeling regulations, has provided the label market with opportunities for growth and profitability.
According to the statistics of the Maryland State Business Development Association, the use of shrink film labels in the United States in 2003 was between 49 million pounds and 53 million pounds (about 300 million U.S. dollars). However, gravure printing accounted for most of the market, leaving only 15% to be completed by flexographic printing.
When to enter the label market
Nowadays, all kinds of patented foods and some regional specialty products need different packaging, which will provide a good opportunity for shrink film labeling, combining the characteristics of flexographic printing to fulfill customer requirements. With the development of flexo printing technology, the printing accuracy has been continuously improved, and the pre-press production cost is lower than that of gravure printing. This has enabled flexo printing to play an important role in the label printing market.
If you decide to enter the shrink film label market, it is necessary to refer to the current situation of flexo printing. At present, narrow-web flexographic printing presses are the most competitive ones that have printed less than 40 million square meters of film, while those with more than 40 million square meters are wide-format machines.
For a 40-inch wide reel, 500,000 square meters is the demarcation point between the wide-format flexo and gravure machines. This number depends on many factors, including the cost of the machine and the cost of installation.
Two very different markets
Shrink film labels are divided into two distinct markets due to different processes: shrink tube packaging and wrap packaging. But both technologies can be done with flexo. The general term "TD" refers to shrink tube packaging, which relies mainly on the transverse shrinkage of the film. The printed film is made into the shape of a tube and fits over the container, and the film is then heated, causing the film to contract laterally and tightly engage the container.
Wrapped packaging is oriented according to the direction of operation of the machine. When the film is heated, it shrinks according to the direction of mechanical movement. We call it MD. The wrapper packaging technology does not require expensive label printing equipment, while the TD requires high equipment.
Film and casing equipment
Relative to the pressure sensitive film, the tension control of the unsupported film is generally better. Some old label printing companies or companies that are obliged to make pressure-sensitive films generally do not sell shrink film labels.
In addition to pressure control, thermal control also plays an important role in label printing. The printer must have sufficient heat dissipation to prevent film shrinkage during printing. For the shrink film, the heat source is the biggest enemy; we must always pay attention to the contact of the film with an overheated heat source. A new generation of presses are equipped with a heat roller in the printing process to help eliminate heat.
Bonding site, which is a joint part of the tube, forms the film into a tube in one step after printing, and glues (forms a tube) at the places where the two sides overlap; and then puts the flattened sleeve back in place. .
Forming and inspecting seams are labor-intensive, and it is the most important step in the casing process. The ink and dust spots on the seam must be removed so that the adhesive bonds better. When the film is heat-shrinked in the container, be sure to check for cracks when the connector shrinks.
Bonding equipment costs from $40,000 to $200,000. The higher price configuration has a monitoring system. If you buy a separate monitoring system, the price ranges from $30,000 to $50,000.
Labeling equipment
In the manufacturing process of the sleeve, the next step after label printing is packaging. In general, this process uses special equipment to attach the label to the container, although some manufacturers do it manually.
High-end labeling equipment can be sold for $500,000.
Labeling equipment, first open the film, punch (if necessary), cut to the appropriate length, and then put it on the container, heat the film by steam, infrared or hot air, make it tightly fit the container.
The wrap products use conventional equipment to apply adhesive labels to the containers. Different technologies require different adhesives and heating pipes. During the shrinking process, hot melt adhesives are needed because the pressure is applied to the film at the film contact point adhesive (in some cases, solvent adhesives are required). Although UV adhesives have a bright future in the era of low shrinkage, there are not many successful cases.
In general, polypropylene is currently the only material that can be used for wrapping printing. It only applies to a material with a maximum shrinkage of 20%. Hot-melt adhesives are more suitable for this material, while solvent-based adhesives make polypropylene wrinkle. Because of the higher starting temperature of heat shrinkage of polypropylene. A pressurized air-shrinking oven is generally chosen to serve as a constriction.
According to the statistics of the Maryland State Business Development Association, the use of shrink film labels in the United States in 2003 was between 49 million pounds and 53 million pounds (about 300 million U.S. dollars). However, gravure printing accounted for most of the market, leaving only 15% to be completed by flexographic printing.
When to enter the label market
Nowadays, all kinds of patented foods and some regional specialty products need different packaging, which will provide a good opportunity for shrink film labeling, combining the characteristics of flexographic printing to fulfill customer requirements. With the development of flexo printing technology, the printing accuracy has been continuously improved, and the pre-press production cost is lower than that of gravure printing. This has enabled flexo printing to play an important role in the label printing market.
If you decide to enter the shrink film label market, it is necessary to refer to the current situation of flexo printing. At present, narrow-web flexographic printing presses are the most competitive ones that have printed less than 40 million square meters of film, while those with more than 40 million square meters are wide-format machines.
For a 40-inch wide reel, 500,000 square meters is the demarcation point between the wide-format flexo and gravure machines. This number depends on many factors, including the cost of the machine and the cost of installation.
Two very different markets
Shrink film labels are divided into two distinct markets due to different processes: shrink tube packaging and wrap packaging. But both technologies can be done with flexo. The general term "TD" refers to shrink tube packaging, which relies mainly on the transverse shrinkage of the film. The printed film is made into the shape of a tube and fits over the container, and the film is then heated, causing the film to contract laterally and tightly engage the container.
Wrapped packaging is oriented according to the direction of operation of the machine. When the film is heated, it shrinks according to the direction of mechanical movement. We call it MD. The wrapper packaging technology does not require expensive label printing equipment, while the TD requires high equipment.
Film and casing equipment
Relative to the pressure sensitive film, the tension control of the unsupported film is generally better. Some old label printing companies or companies that are obliged to make pressure-sensitive films generally do not sell shrink film labels.
In addition to pressure control, thermal control also plays an important role in label printing. The printer must have sufficient heat dissipation to prevent film shrinkage during printing. For the shrink film, the heat source is the biggest enemy; we must always pay attention to the contact of the film with an overheated heat source. A new generation of presses are equipped with a heat roller in the printing process to help eliminate heat.
Bonding site, which is a joint part of the tube, forms the film into a tube in one step after printing, and glues (forms a tube) at the places where the two sides overlap; and then puts the flattened sleeve back in place. .
Forming and inspecting seams are labor-intensive, and it is the most important step in the casing process. The ink and dust spots on the seam must be removed so that the adhesive bonds better. When the film is heat-shrinked in the container, be sure to check for cracks when the connector shrinks.
Bonding equipment costs from $40,000 to $200,000. The higher price configuration has a monitoring system. If you buy a separate monitoring system, the price ranges from $30,000 to $50,000.
Labeling equipment
In the manufacturing process of the sleeve, the next step after label printing is packaging. In general, this process uses special equipment to attach the label to the container, although some manufacturers do it manually.
High-end labeling equipment can be sold for $500,000.
Labeling equipment, first open the film, punch (if necessary), cut to the appropriate length, and then put it on the container, heat the film by steam, infrared or hot air, make it tightly fit the container.
The wrap products use conventional equipment to apply adhesive labels to the containers. Different technologies require different adhesives and heating pipes. During the shrinking process, hot melt adhesives are needed because the pressure is applied to the film at the film contact point adhesive (in some cases, solvent adhesives are required). Although UV adhesives have a bright future in the era of low shrinkage, there are not many successful cases.
In general, polypropylene is currently the only material that can be used for wrapping printing. It only applies to a material with a maximum shrinkage of 20%. Hot-melt adhesives are more suitable for this material, while solvent-based adhesives make polypropylene wrinkle. Because of the higher starting temperature of heat shrinkage of polypropylene. A pressurized air-shrinking oven is generally chosen to serve as a constriction.