Load stability for Minerals

The load types found in the bagged minerals industry are very similar to the loads we wrap in the building products industry, such as; cement, mortar, finishing compounds, grout, etc. The two most common wrapping methods for mineral loads are stretch wrap, in conjunction with top sheets or bags, and shrink wrapping. Lachenmeier stretch hooding outperforms these methods in terms of productivity, cost and packaging quality.

Unlike stretch wrapping and top sheets, stretch hood film does not pose the risk of water running down between the layers of film, potentially damaging the product. It is one solid piece of film protection, which allows the weather and dirt to run off the side of the loads, keeping them clean and intact. It also keeps the product more stable and provides a more appealing visual package. The overall cost per load is reduced, because there is no manual labor involved, it eliminates the need for top sheets or bags, no pop up conveyors are needed to release the loads under the pallet, reduced maintenance costs, no need for trucking tarps, etc.

Shrink wrapping provides similar protection to loads, however it is more costly due to gas and higher energy costs associated with wrapping loads and more film is used per load. The shrinking process is also more dangerous, because of the heat and gas required to shrink the film. Fire hazards are a common risk. 

Another negative side to shrink wrapping is; the film has little or no memory characteristics. This can pose a serious problem during transportation. For example; a pallet load of minerals, concrete block, tile, etc. is wrapped with shrink film and is being transported on a flatbed truck. The trucker hits the brakes and the load experiences significant G-forces. As a result, the film on the load is stretched. Because shrink film has little or no memory characteristics, the film does not recover, it remains lose and the load becomes very unstable. Stretch hood film has memory characteristics and has the ability to recover and maintain its load integrity. 

Lachenmeier’s stretch hooding is a one machine, one step process. It requires less production line space than most stretch wrapping systems, due to a small footprint and the elimination of upstream top sheet, or bag placing equipment. There is no need for gas or heat, because the film relies on its elasticity characteristics to stretch beyond the dimensions of the load that it will be applied to. Stretch hooding is also much safer than shrink. Our years of experience with wrapping bagged mineral loads make the Lachenmeier stretch hooding systems an excellent solution for improving on your wrapping needs.