ASK STEVE

Question from Darlene: We are hearing about price increases and possible supply issues with stretch film. How do we plan and secure supplies to support our production needs? Hi Darlene, that is a...

Hi Jonathan,  Thank you for sending in your question. Unfortunately, you are not alone!  We regularly test and characterize the performance of competitive films, and the data we collect gives us...

Hi Calvin, Thanks for sending in your questions, I’m glad you took the time to ask. The short answers are yes, adding wraps can increase load containment, and yes, film orientation absolutely...

Hi Willis, Thanks for sending in your question. Temperature is something we rarely think about until seasonal changes expose its impact. I can give you some insight with the help of a little...

Hi Candice, Thank you for sending in your question! I appreciate that you recognize the importance of selecting the right load containment standard and that you have the vision to apply it...

Hi Kevin, Happy Holidays to you, and thanks for sending in your question. Would it surprise you to know you’re not alone? Stretch wrapper maintenance is frequently overlooked. Although wrappers...

Hi Will, great question! As you’ve experienced, many variables affect load containment. In fact, successful containment is much like building a skyscraper. You need a solid foundation (bedrock vs....

Hi Bill, excellent question! I’m certain many people are knocking on your door, telling you they offer the best stretch film, but logic dictates they can’t ALL be right. Let’s cut through the sales...

Hi MaryAnn, thanks for sending in an excellent question. Let’s see if we can come up with a solution for you. To understand why your load failures increased after switching to rail, we first need to...

Hello Toby, thanks for sending in your question. I am glad you asked because many people confuse the two. Spoiler alert – they are not the same thing. Let’s break down the differences between the...

Hi Andrew, thanks for sending in your question. You may be surprised to learn that it is a very common problem. You will be happy to know that it can be solved, it just requires the application of a...

Hi Gavin, thanks for the question, it is a subject that is widely misunderstood. Let me begin by defining the functional role of stretch film, because we should never lose sight of that. Motion of...

Hi Miles, Your question could not have been better timed. There is a lot of discussion regarding corporate directives as well as upcoming state and federal regulations that are pushing in the...

Hi Alfred, I am sure everyone reading this has had the same thing presented to them at some point by a salesperson selling stretch film. While that may be true on paper, let’s explore what really...

Hi Sally, I am very impressed with the great questions people in the industry are asking, and this is certainly one of them! Forces experienced during normal driving conditions (turning, start/stop,...

Hi Abby, that is a great question! I can confirm that machine condition will affect load containment, and in addition, it will affect your film usage. Now, let’s explore why machine condition is...

Hi Rob, great question, and one I am certainly not afraid to answer. For many years there was little advancement in stretch film technology because, after all, it’s just something you wrap around...

Hi Ray, thanks for the question and the opportunity to clarify something that a lot of people have misunderstood. The quick answer: we apply one wrap for each revolution of load, not two. Or to put...

Hi Ted, thanks for a really great question. I have talked at length about stretch film and the physics of load containment, but have not really focused on the stretch wrap machine itself, which is...

Hi Ally, and thanks for your question. Let’s start by defining the role that stretch film plays in load containment, and then we can get into more specifics. First and foremost, the job of the...

Hi Jordan, thanks for the question. I know this will come as a surprise, but there are two answers to this question. First, if you are using conventional stretch film and a sharp corner pierces the...

Hi Eli, thanks for submitting your question! There are several factors that come into play when determining the right amount of film to apply. First and foremost is to identify what is most...

Hi Howard, what a great question, and one I am sure is in the mind of anyone with whom we discuss a lab project. The short answer is yes, in every case we have been able to duplicate our lab results...

Thanks for the question, Jesse. It is a question that comes up often when customers send product to our lab for testing. The test protocol used in our lab is different from what is used by ISTA. To...

We had a great response from the last Ask Steve post. Several of you asked about Total Applied Stretch and how it factors into load containment. So, I thought that would be an excellent follow up...

That is a great question Clint, and a very common issue (and one that is not well understood). First, let’s talk about what load containment is, then how we measure it, finally how effective that...

Hi Sherry, We have tested various combinations of downgauged films, in the range of 35-gauge and less, at our lab in Phoenix. While the filaments created by the rolled edges of our bands do prevent...

Hi Fred, The key to optimal containment is to unitize the load with stretch film so there is little to no movement of the load components or shift between the layers during shipment. Why is this...

Hi Gary, That is a very good question and one that has been asked several times, so definitely something on people’s minds. For conventional films, the more wraps you apply, specifically, the more...