If you are responsible for a pallet wrapping operation, you’ll know only too well that your choice of machinery can make an enormous difference to your operational efficiency and costs, the amount of plastic film you use, and the load stability and safety standards you achieve.
However, the wide choice of automatic and semi-automatic pallet wrapping machines available on the market today, and the huge amount of information provided by their manufacturers, can make it very challenging to identify the pallet wrapping machine that best meets your needs. This short guide aims to help you through the selection process by suggesting the questions you should consider and providing some of the information you’ll need to help answer them.
WHAT IS A PALLET WRAPPING MACHINE?
So what is a pallet wrapping machine? In essence, it is a machine that holds a roll of plastic film and applies it to a pallet, either by circling around the pallet, or by rotating the pallet on a turntable. Pallet wrappers can be loosely divided into 2 main categories – Core Brake machines and Power pre-stretch machines. You can read a lot more about their differences, and the pros and cons of each in our pallet wrapping guide.
WHAT TYPE OF PALLET-WRAPPING MACHINE DO I NEED?
Every pallet wrapping situation has its own challenges and nuances which, combined with the variety of different machines on the market, can make it hard to know where to start. We recommend that you begin by considering the following points:
- Stability of load before wrapping. Can your load be moved at all before it is wrapped? If not, you’ll need to choose a pallet-wrapping machine that can handle this
- Load stability. Can you be confident that the machine will keep your load secure and safe on its pallet from the time it is wrapped until the time it’s unwrapped, no matter how it is treated during handling, transit and storage?
- How much will it cost you to wrap each pallet, once you’ve taken all costs into consideration?
- Plastic waste. How much single-use plastic will the machine use to wrap a pallet?
- How much available space do you have in which to wrap the pallets?
- Can you wrap all your pallets in fixed locations, or will you need to move your pallet wrapping location around?
THE MOST COMMON PALLET WRAPPING MACHINES WITH ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
MANUAL PALLET WRAPPING MACHINE
Generally the cheapest pallet wrapping machine type, this option is entirely mechanical and requires no electrical supply.
ADVANTAGES
- Low initial outlay
- No requirement for electrical supply
- Very easy to use
DISADVANTAGES
- No Power Pre-Stretch System (which means a higher cost of wrapping)
- Uses a lot more plastic than necessary to wrap pallets
- Still requires operative to walk around the pallet
TURNTABLE SEMI-AUTOMATIC PALLET WRAPPER – CORE BRAKE
The most basic of all motorised pallet wrapper machines, this option has a couple of advantages but many drawbacks – as you can see below:
ADVANTAGES
- Low initial outlay
- Can be moved using a fork lift truck
DISADVANTAGES
- No Power Pre-Stretch System (which means a higher cost of wrapping)
- Ineffective when wrapping light items, as load stability is gained by increasing the tension as the film is applied to the pallet
- Uses a lot more plastic than necessary to wrap pallets
- Although it can be moved, it’s not designed to be moved on a regular basis
TURNTABLE SEMI-AUTOMATIC PALLET WRAPPER – POWER PRE-STRETCH
These are often the most efficient, and therefore popular, machines on the market. When optimised properly these machines take some beating – as you can see from the pros and cons below:
ADVANTAGES
- The power pre-stretch head stretches the film in the head before it is applied to the pallet, creating better load stability when optimised.
- Minimises film used per pallet
- Easy to set up and use
- Can be moved with a fork lift truck
- Low maintenance
- Can be set up with many different programs to meet the needs of different pallet load types
DISADVANTAGES
- Has a large footprint so needs more space than some other types of machine
- Can generally only be used in one location.
LOW PROFILE TURNTABLE SEMI-AUTOMATIC PALLET WRAPPER – POWER PRE-STRETCH
These machines have all the advantages of the Turntable Semi-Automatic Pallet Wrappers, but with the added benefit of having a very low profile, meaning that pallets can be placed on the turntable very easily.
ADVANTAGES
- The power pre-stretch head stretches the film in the head before it is applied to the pallet, creating better load stability when optimised
- Low profile enables loading using pump trucks or PPTs
- Minimises film used per pallet
- Easy to set up and use
- Low maintenance
- Can be set up with many different programs to meet the needs of different pallet load types
DISADVANTAGES
- Has a large footprint so needs more space than some other types of machine
- Can generally only be used in one location
- Can not be moved easily once installed
ROTARY ARM MACHINES – CORE BRAKE
These models feature a machine head that circles the pallet, rather than the pallet turning on a turntable, so are great for situations in which pallets are transported on powered pallet trucks or when loads are very unstable prior to wrapping.
ADVANTAGES
- Allow easy access when using PPTs
- No base at all – so pallets can stay on the floor
- Small footprint
DISADVANTAGES
- No Power Pre-Stretch System, which means a higher cost of wrapping
- Not effective at wrapping light items as load stability is gained by increasing the tension as the film is applied to the pallet
ROTARY ARM MACHINES – POWER PRE-STRETCH
With Rotary Arm machines, a machine head circles the pallet rather than the pallet turning on a turnable, which means they are great for situations in which pallets are transported on powered pallet trucks or when loads are very unstable prior to wrapping. The power pre-stretch head also delivers excellent load stability, but these machines do still have their pro’s and con’s:
ADVANTAGES
- Allow easy access when using PPTs
- No base at all – so pallets can stay on the floor
- The power pre-stretch head stretches the film in the head before it is applied to the pallet, creating better load stability when optimised.
- Minimises film used per pallet
- Easy to set up and use
- Can be set up with many different programs to meet the needs of many different pallet load types
DISADVANTAGES
- Large base footprint
- Often a more expensive option
- Cannot be moved once installed
ROBOT PALLET WRAPPER
The latest in the pallet wrapping innovation – the Robot follows the contours of the pallet and literally ‘runs’ round the pallet wrapping it as it goes in much the same way as a human would. Robot pallet wrappers have a lot more advantages than disadvantages.
ADVANTAGES
- Easily movable, so can be used anywhere that pallets need wrapping
- Battery operated, so don’t need a local power supply
- Wraps pallets of any shape and size as the robot follows the contours of the pallet
- Power pre-stretch head ensures that film usage is minimised when optimised
DISADVANTAGES
- Pallets need some space around them to allow them to be wrapped.
- Spare battery is required to avoid downtime.
