How to Adjust Packing Tension on a Horizontal Wrapping Machine: Key Methods Explained

Horizontal wrapping machines, also known as orbital wrappers, are essential solutions often integrated into production lines for packaging long-shaped products across various industries. Achieving the correct wrapping tension on the product surface is vital, ensuring items are securely packaged for safe transport and storage.

The capability to precisely adjust packing tension is a critical function of these machines. Proper tension directly impacts the quality of protection and the integrity of the packaged items. Why is this so important?

• Load Stability: Correct tension prevents products from shifting, which is crucial for maintaining package integrity during handling and transit.
• Product Protection: Tight, secure wrapping minimizes the risk of damage from impacts or vibrations, especially vital for sensitive items like electronics or fragile building materials.
• Preventing Contamination: In sectors like food and pharmaceuticals, appropriate tension helps maintain a sealed environment, preventing contamination.

Conversely, incorrect tension leads to problems:

• Loose Wrapping: Allows product movement, potentially causing damage, scuffing, or contamination.
• Excessive Tension: Can damage the product itself, particularly soft or crushable items, or deform the packaging.

By offering precise film tension control, horizontal wrapping machines ensure that products, regardless of size, weight, or sensitivity, remain secure and shielded from potential hazards throughout the distribution chain. This leads to reduced waste, lower damage rates, and increased customer satisfaction.

Key Methods for Adjusting Packing Tension

Several mechanisms allow operators to control and fine-tune the wrapping tension on horizontal orbital wrappers. Understanding these methods is key to optimizing your packaging process.

1. Ring Height Level Adjustment for Optimal Wrap Placement

One primary technique for managing packing tension involves adjusting the wrapping ring height. Modern machines often feature a motor-driven mechanism combined with a sliding main board for this adjustment. Key components include:

• Motor-Driven Adjustment: Allows for automated and precise height setting.
• Sensors and Encoders: Monitor the height level for accuracy.

This setup enables the machine to accommodate different package sizes and shapes effectively.

• Scenario 1 (Ring Too High): For smaller packages, an excessively high ring can lead to loose wrapping and instability.
• Scenario 2 (Ring Adjusted Correctly): Lowering the ring for larger items or adjusting it precisely for any size ensures a snug, secure fit. This significantly reduces the risk of product displacement or damage during transport.

This method is highly adaptable, often capable of handling packages with varying heights (e.g., common ranges cover 100 mm to 1200 mm). Such precision ensures products are securely wrapped, enhancing the machine's versatility and efficiency.

2. Packing Material Carriage with Tension Adjusting Device

The packing material carriage is another critical component equipped with a tension adjusting device. This allows operators to set the desired tension level for the stretch film or other wrapping material.

• Adjustable Tension Range: Typically allows settings from low force (e.g., 2 kg) to higher force (e.g., 30 kg) to match product fragility and weight requirements.
• Mechanism: Often involves an internally threaded nut compressing a spring, working with a plain bearing to facilitate smooth film dispensing.
• Brake Pad: A brake pad on the rotating shaft provides refined control over film tension, preventing slippage and ensuring consistent application.

By fine-tuning this tension, the machine guarantees that each product is wrapped securely—tight enough for stability but not so tight as to cause damage. This balance is essential for preserving product quality across diverse industrial applications.

3. Mechanical Drawing Back Device for Consistent Tightness

To combat issues of loose film, especially after the initial wrap application, many horizontal wrapping machines incorporate a mechanical drawing back device.

• Function: This mechanism automatically retracts excess film, effectively tightening the wrap.

• Importance: It's particularly valuable for products that might settle or shift slightly after being wrapped, ensuring the wrap remains consistently tight.

  

  The device often operates using an accumulator-based mechanical structure.

• How it Works: This structure modifies the film's travel path, allowing it to expand and contract. This dynamic adjustment helps maintain consistent tension throughout the wrapping cycle, even compensating for irregularities.

• Benefit: It enhances the film's stretch during wrapping and adapts to variations in product shape or machine speed, ensuring optimal tightness and safeguarding items against transit hazards.

4. Automatic Motor-Driving Film Carriage for Pre-stretch and Retraction

Advanced horizontal wrapping machines feature an automatic motor-driven film carriage. This significantly boosts wrapping efficiency and effectiveness. Key capabilities include:

• Film Pre-stretch: The carriage pre-stretches the film before application, often extending it by 100% to 300%.
  • Benefit 1: Reduces film consumption significantly (potentially up to 50% compared to non-stretched film).
  • Benefit 2: Increases the wrap's strength and holding force.
• Film Retraction (Drawing Back): Similar to the mechanical device, the motorized carriage can also retract film to eliminate slack caused by package eccentricity or variations.

Implementing this requires:

• Electrified Rotating Ring: Power needs to be supplied to the motor on the rotating ring, enabling forward (dispensing/stretching) and reverse (retracting) rotation.
• Motor Type: While standard motors work, upgrading to servo motors provides more precise control over film tension, carriage movement, and acceleration/deceleration. This leads to finer adjustments and greater consistency, crucial for delicate or irregularly shaped products.

Understanding Manufacturer Solutions for Tension Control

Manufacturers like FHOPE integrate these tension adjustment technologies into their horizontal wrapping machine designs to meet diverse industrial packaging requirements. Solutions typically focus on:

• Precision Ring Height Adjustment: Ensuring the wrap is applied at the optimal level for stability.
• Fine-Tuned Carriage Tension: Providing operators with the controls needed for different film types and product sensitivities.
• Slack Compensation: Incorporating mechanical or motorized systems to draw back loose film for a consistently tight wrap.
• Advanced Pre-stretch Carriages: Utilizing motorized systems for significant film savings and enhanced load containment.

These systems are engineered to maximize product protection, optimize material usage, and ensure packaging efficiency, preparing products securely for logistical challenges.