Page 44 - The Inside Scoop Archive

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is for concealing what is being shipped from those
handling the product in transit. Piferage protection.
White Opaque is used most often for products being
wrapped for extended outside storage. The white
color reflects the suns rays. The other colors are
mostly used for color coding product for easy
identification in the warehouse.

Sometimes the story behind a color makes for interesting reading. One leading manufacturer makes his
UVI outside storage film with a blue tint to it. Salesmen like to tell the user that if the film doesn't have
the blue tint, it doesn't have the UVI in it. Actually when the manufacturer first ran the UVI stretch film,
the only UVI resin he had in the plant was blue ice bag resin so he used that, and what do you know, the
industry got a new standard "blue tint UVI stretch film".

Color stretch film is pretty, but it does not improve the performance of the film. In fact colors in stretch
film reduce the overall performance and quality of the film as the color pigment in the film weakens it from
normal levels. White pigment is especially detrimental to the film quality. The more color pigment, the less
performance in the film. White stretch film does help protect the film from the elements of weather, as it
reflects sunlight, but it is not a UV stabilizer and of true minimal help. As we stated earlier, white pigment
in stretch film can result in a significant degradation of film properties. If you are going to use white
opaque for extended outside storage, you probably should add UVI to achieve your desired results.

Let's take one more look at black opaque stretch film before we leave the subject. Unlike white, black is a
very good stabilizer as it absorbs all wavelengths of light. Black stretch film that is made with fine particle
size carbon black, protects the film to the extent that there is no reason to add UVI. Some stretch film
manufacturers will not add UVI to black opaque as they support this view that no additional benefit is
achieved by doing so.

If you are using an opaque stretch film for piferage protection, you need to keep in mind that downgauging
your stretch film, or increasing your pre-stretch gear can cause the film to become less opaque as it is
applied to your pallet. Let's not forget that the opacity of a color is directly related to the thickness and
orientation caused by the stretch level used.

We recommend colors only when they are needed for purposes such as piferage protection, extended
outside storage, and very necessary color coding of certain products.

Coming Next... An Overview of Highlights from Pack Expo

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