Wrapping Your Pallets For Stability And Security
Shipping boxes on a pallet can be difficult if you do not have an effective way to secure them. Strapping the boxes to the pallet is okay in some cases, but other times the straps can do more damage than good. Wrapping the pallets is an alternative that can be more effective and safer for your freight, but buying turntable wrapping equipment may be necessary for large shipping docks.
Hand Wrapping
Wrapping your pallets with a hand-held wrapper and the pallet sitting on the floor is possible if you cannot afford to buy turntable wrapping equipment for your business, but the process is slow, and the wraps are not always tight. The plastic wrapping material needs to stay stretched tight as it is wound around the pallet's contents so that nothing can shift or move.
The wrap needs to go around the base and secure the load and the pallet as one piece, or the load could slide off the pallet, even after being wrapped together as a single unit. Creating that tight wrap all the way over the edge of the pallet is possible with hand wrapping, but it is more challenging to get the wrap tight consistently where the load and the pallet come together.
Wrapping Turntables
Not every business can buy turntable wrapping equipment that is automated, but there are turntables that are free-standing and must be operated manually. These turntables are cheaper than the large automated systems, but when used correctly, they can create a stable and secure wrap around the entire pallet and a load that will not shift.
The operator must start the wrapper and monitor it during the process, but the wrapper will do the work of wrapping the pallet, and the tensioner on the turntable will keep the pallet wrap tight as it comes off the roll. Once the wrap is complete, the operator will have to secure the end of the wrap and remove the pallet from the turntable, but the work is still often completed faster than trying to wrap pallets by hand on the dock floor.
Automatic Pallet Wrapping
There are some systems available that will do all the work of wrapping your pallets, so if you buy turntable wrapping equipment, you may want to consider looking into them. These automated systems load themselves, wrap the pallet and then move the pallet to a waiting area so material handlers can load it on a truck or put it in a rack for storage.
The systems are expensive, and they need to be programmed to do what you need them to, but they can speed up production and shipping, making them worth the cost.
For information or to buy turntable wrapping equipment, reach out to a local pallet packing equipment supplier.