When a packaging film becomes a production problem...

In the fast-paced world of e-commerce fulfilment, reliability is everything. When automated bagging lines stop, productivity falls, labour costs increase and customer orders can quickly be delayed.

Recently, we were approached by an e-commerce packaging customer who had been battling a frustrating production issue for some time.

The Problem

The customer was using a printed polyethylene film on their automated bag-making machine. While the film looked great and met their branding requirements, it was creating a serious problem during production.

As the film passed through the heated sealing jaws, molten polyethylene gradually built up on the sealing surfaces.

This build-up caused several issues including:

• Poor quality seals

• Inconsistent bag production

• Increased machine downtime

• Frequent operator intervention

• Regular cleaning of the sealing jaws

The problem became so severe that the production line required maintenance every couple of days simply to keep running efficiently.

For any high-volume e-commerce fulfilment operation, this level of downtime is both costly and disruptive.

Investigating the Root Cause

Rather than simply supplying another standard film, our technical team worked closely with the customer to understand exactly what was happening during the sealing process.

We reviewed:

• The operating temperatures

• Machine speeds

• Dwell times

• Film construction

• Print characteristics

• Polymer behaviour during sealing

It quickly became clear that the issue wasn't the machine—it was the interaction between the film formulation and the sealing process.

Developing a Bespoke Film Blend

Using our experience in polyethylene film manufacture, we developed a bespoke polymer blend specifically designed for this application.

The objective wasn't simply to produce a stronger film.

Instead, we engineered the blend to provide improved thermal stability during sealing, significantly reducing the tendency for molten polyethylene to transfer onto the sealing jaws.

After extensive testing, the new formulation was introduced onto the customer's production line.

The Results

The improvement was immediate.

The new film eliminated the continual build-up of molten polyethylene on the sealing jaws, allowing the machine to run reliably without the frequent stoppages that had previously become part of normal production.

The customer experienced:

• Significantly reduced machine downtime

• Far fewer production interruptions

• Consistent seal quality

• Less operator intervention

• Reduced maintenance requirements

• Improved overall production efficiency

Rather than cleaning the sealing jaws every few days, the production line could continue operating as intended.

Packaging Film Should Improve Productivity—Not Reduce It

Many businesses assume that all polyethylene films behave the same.

In reality, the polymer formulation can have a significant impact on machine performance, particularly on high-speed automated packaging equipment.

Selecting the correct blend can reduce downtime, improve seal quality and increase overall production efficiency.

Experiencing Similar Problems?

If your packaging line is suffering from:

• Sealing jaw contamination

• Film residue build-up

• Poor seal quality

• Excessive machine cleaning

• Frequent production stoppages

• Difficulties running printed polyethylene films

we can help.

At Stretchband Packaging, we don't simply supply film—we work with customers to develop bespoke polyethylene solutions that perform reliably on their equipment.

Whether you're running automated bagging systems, e-commerce packaging lines or specialist sealing equipment, we can help optimise both your film and your production process.

Contact Stretchband Packaging today to discuss your application and discover how a tailored polyethylene film formulation could improve your packaging efficiency.