Greg Hrinya, Editor09.10.21
Shrink sleeves are one of the hottest applications in the industry today. With the ability to utilize the entire canvas of a product’s packaging while adhering to a plethora of shapes and sizes, this market is seeing increased interest and growth.
Shrink sleeves are currently boosting brands in a wide range of end uses, from food and personal care to high-end spirits and craft beers. This application’s versatility has led to a surge in usage.
“We’re seeing a very large increase in demand for shrink across all markets,” explains Leslie Gurland, executive vice president of global sales and marketing, Lux Global Label. “Brand marketers love the 360-degree design options and the ability to use different shape containers without the limitations that a PS label would have in some cases. One additional benefit with using shrink sleeves compared to IML or direct print, for example, is that a brand could use blank generic containers and decorate at the point of product filling to reduce their overall cost to carry high volumes of pre-decorated containers or various color containers and risk obsolescence. The generic containers are just the container while the sleeve then becomes the brand’s packaging and marketing focus.”
“The benefit of using shrink sleeves can be two-fold,” states Bob Weber, North American sales manager at Multi-Plastics. “Brand owners get the full 360 degrees of advertisement. And secondly, by using the correct material, the brands can adhere to greater recycling and sustainability.”
The application’s versatility extends to unorthodox sizes and shapes, which can often be hard to label. “Shrink sleeves can accommodate complex curves in containers and offer options to create tamper-evident or security functionality,” states Justin McLean, associate product manager, Rapid Roll, at Avery Dennison. “They are also used as a cost-effective option for cover-up labeling applications or discolored recycled content containers. Ultimately, shrink sleeves offer an opportunity to execute eye-catching packaging for product launches and brand revitalization, and offer a unique way for brands to engage with customers about their product.”
In its most recent AWAreness Report Global Sleeve Label Market 2021, AWA Alexander Watson Associates analyzed the latest numbers – including the impact Covid-19 has had on this market segment. In 2020, AWA estimates the global demand for labels was approximately 68,379 million square meters, which represented growth of 3.3% on 2019 volumes.
Asia produced 45% of the global square meters of shrink sleeve labels, while Europe and North America accounted for 25% and 18%, respectively. The global growth rate for all sleeve label formats in 2020 over 2019 is estimated at 3%. Overall, AWA forecasts the global market for sleeve labels to increase at a CAGR of 4% for the period 2020 to 2023, equating to 14,296 million square meters in 2023.
“There has been double-digit growth in shrink sleeves,” comments Andrew Wasserman, managing partner, Cyngient. “This is because shrink sleeves allow you to cover the entire bottle, can or container, providing a 360-degree label with opportunities to add embellishments such as cold foil, matte coatings and raised coatings, to name a few. A prime example is Snapple. This beverage went from a prime label to a shrink sleeve with a 360-degree image, creating more ad space for the brand owner.”
“In speaking with our customers, reading the data from industry reports and honestly just seeing what’s out there on store shelves, it’s clear that shrink is a booming application,” adds Amanda Flower, market specialist, Mark Andy. “And, with some minor adjustments, most converters with flexo or inline digital already have the capital equipment to produce it.”
According to AWA, heat shrink TD sleeve labels still account for the majority of shrink sleeves. Of the 12,696 million square meters of sleeve labels in 2020, an estimated 11,296 million square meters were in heat shrink TD sleeve label formats, while 914 million square meters featured stretch sleeve label technologies. Additionally, 432 million square meters were comprised of ROSO MD sleeve labels, and 54 million square meters were RFS MD sleeve labels.
Klear Plastic Ventures, which supplies co-polyester, heat shrinkable films for sleeve labels, has seen a shift in material usage over the past year. This shift has been driven by sustainability. “We have seen sleeve label producers convert from PVC to this more environmentally-friendly PET product,” says George Pinter, partner at Klear Plastic Ventures. “Films are available with 30% Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) content, UV inhibitors, optical brighteners and light blocking white films. We offer a complete range of film products to satisfy our customers’ needs.”
The lure of this market contributed to the decision of A B Graphic International and Kocher + Beck to acquire Enprom in 2019. With the move, ABG expanded its product portfolio in the narrow web market to further offer shrink sleeve solutions.
“This has been a strategic acquisition that has been valued very positively,” states Pierina López, sales specialist and marketing manager at ABG. “As a result of this strategic action, ABG relaunched its innovative shrink sleeve products in May to provide our customers in the label sector with the opportunity to diversify into the shrink sleeve market, with the added reassurance that they are buying from a leading global print finishing brand with 65 years’ experience.”
While added real estate is certainly a benefit for providing a wow-factor on the shelf, it can also assist those industries dealing with a host of regulations. For example, more text can be included on a label to properly define product attributes.
“Brands are coming to the realization that sleeve labels offer the most amount of real estate to grab a potential buyer’s attention. This also works in favor of more regulated industries like food or pharma, allowing them the space to have sizable brand representation while also remaining compliant with displaying the necessary, required text,” comments Flower.
With smaller brands, such as those in the craft beer space, looking to capitalize on the benefits of shrink sleeves, digital printing is becoming more widely used – especially when short runs are required. DWS Printing, a label converter based in Deer Park, NY, turned to MPS and Domino to meet its demand for shrink sleeve printing. After performing tests on multiple machines, the MPS EF Symjet powered by Domino hybrid press fit the company’s needs for shrink sleeve labels on craft beer cans. Domino’s UV90 ink set helped DWS Printing successfully print the shrink sleeves with inkjet technology. Domino and MPS worked diligently to tailor the press to DWS Printing’s requirements and those of its customers. The hybrid press has contributed to DWS Printing producing more shrink sleeves now than pressure sensitive labels.
Like many other segments, communication throughout various levels of the supply chain is imperative for success. “When it comes to labels of any kind, be it shrink, PSL, cut and stack or more, UPM Raflatac attempts to help our customers navigate the different options, even if we don’t offer that specific type. Working with our customers to understand the application, package, and desired lifecycle (recycling, composting, landfill, reuse) are key elements to label/product selection,” says Kyle Strenski, director of food, beverage and HPC, UPM Raflatac Americas. “When selecting shrink sleeve materials, the packaging material (HDPE, PP, PET, glass, etc.) must be able to be applied to empty or filled containers. Some shrink sleeve materials conform better as the package sizes changes in the heat tunnel.”
Knowledge is power
One of the biggest keys to success in this market is a proper understanding of the technology and its capabilities. Quality control is critical to providing shrink sleeve labels that accurately fit the container and showcase the graphics. Distortion, for example, could hijack a shrink sleeve, thus negatively impacting the brand or requiring extra costs to rectify the problem.
“The biggest challenge present with shrink sleeves is customer knowledge,” says Lux’s Gurland. “The customer also depends on shrink sleeve suppliers that can support their projects through intelligent technical support, working seamlessly with all of their stakeholders from development through to application. We are always able and willing to be on-site at our customer’s location to support line trials and production.”
Klear Plastic Ventures works collaboratively with new and existing customers to understand their current projects to determine which films will contribute to their success. “We try to understand the container material, such as glass, PET, HDPE or aluminum, container geometry, shrink process – steam, hot air, other – printing method and more. We integrate this information to make a film recommendation and then work with our customers during testing and trials.”
The wide range of materials and equipment available to this market can cause confusion, which is where communication is key. “In today’s world the national ink manufacturers have been very successful in producing the correct formulations for printing on shrink, and now the new washable inks are being used during the recycling process,” remarks Multi-Plastics’ Weber. “Then you have the print converters understanding print and proper seaming. If the equipment is in good condition and the operator is open-minded to making minor changes, there should not be a problem in producing a high-quality product.
“The published spec sheets showing shrink curves really help the converter in determining the shrinkage needed,” adds Weber. “Certainly one grade is great for craft beer cans while another is ideal for gummy bear vitamin bottles. The staff at Multi-Plastics has been very open in assisting converters in correct film selection, including support at the co-packer if necessary.”
Ink selection is also critical, notes Avery Dennison’s McLean. “You need inks that will withstand the labeling, shrink and recycling (if applicable) process. Understanding the degree of graphic print distortion so the image and graphics are clean, sharp and legible post-label application is also key, as is understanding the seaming process. Specifically, it’s important to select the right kind of solvent along with the application techniques.”
Cyngient, for example, has invested heavily in analytical equipment used to measure the performance of printed shrink sleeve applications. “I have observed a lot of label converters and surprisingly found some of them aren’t properly equipped for ensuring quality control while printing shrink sleeves,” notes Cyngient’s Wasserman. “One aspect is measuring COF (kinetic energy) from various viewpoints and ensuring consistent COF while reducing COF noise levels during the testing process. One of our methods is our thermal heat elevation test, which is used to maintain and understand COF under various temperature conditions.”
In addition to this testing, Cyngient has designed inks specifically for enhanced film adhesion and elongation in high shrink applications, thereby eliminating the chance for ink cracking. This process can be complicated to converters that don’t have the proper lab equipment and knowledge on how to evaluate their shrink sleeve process.
“Cyngient takes great pride in supporting and educating customers that are new to shrink sleeve printing or don’t have the proper equipment to do the proper quality control that is needed in the shrink printing process,” adds Wasserman. “Without the above you can have major problems at the co-packer with marking or jam ups on sleeve lines that can cause expensive chargebacks to the converters.”
Heat must also be accounted for. Storage and shipping in the summer months can pose a challenge, considering refrigerated trucks are needed to ship, and warehouses must be kept to optimal temperatures to keep the integrity of the film for extended periods of time.
“There are many stages of processing, from printing to seaming and the actual shrinking of the material through the air or steam tunnels,” explains UPM Raflatac’s Strenski. “Shrink film can be a longer process compared to say a pressure sensitive label. The overall cost of a PETG shrink sleeve is a much more expensive labeling option.”
Being non-absorbent, films can be difficult to achieve consistently high print quality, owing to the variance of surface energy between the liquid ink and the film surface. Therefore, in the shrink sleeves market, corona treatment can play a vital role to remedy this challenge.
“Shrink film is not really different from other plastic materials,” Kevin McKell, VP of technical sales at Vetaphone, told Nick Coombes in a recent L&NW feature. “You have to control the surface energy between the liquid ink and the plastic substrate. If the surface tension of the film is too low, the inks bead up on the surface and don’t adhere – we call this ‘wetting,’ and you need the ink to ‘wet out’ to form a strong bond. We measure the surface energy and the substrate’s adhesive ability in dyne/cm. The higher the dyne reading, the better the adhesion.”
Surface treatment also helps accommodate the latest substrates, regardless of print process. “While all synthetic materials are surface treated at the extrusion stage, it’s important to remember that two pre-treated rolls of the same material from the same supplier may not be consistent throughout their length or width, which is why you need to surface treat immediately prior to printing,” adds McKell.
From the converter perspective, Lux Global Label has placed a premium on inspection capabilities.
“All of our printing presses have AVT vision systems, which include 100% defect detection to guarantee the quality of the sleeves we ship,” states Gurland. “Lux also has the finest finishing and seaming equipment. Our customers can be assured the sleeves they receive have seam integrity, proper web tensions and consistent roll oscillation. Lux has experienced field technicians that provide on-site support for our customers’ needs, as well. We work very closely with our suppliers for additional support and also to make sure we are ahead of the curve on shrink technologies.”
Sustainable trends
Not only can shrink sleeves offer more real estate for brand promotion, they can serve as a real differentiator on the shelf. Embellishments are quite popular, with matte coatings, tactile finishes, foils and even scratch-n-sniff properties all playing a role in this application.
Sustainability is also a big trend in shrink sleeve converting.
“Brand owners and consumers are demanding more recyclable packaging,” states Mark Hill, senior VP of R&D at INX International Ink Co. “Producing shrink sleeves that are more recyclable with the bottles they are applied to is the biggest challenge the industry has faced in recent years.”
“Sustainability is at the top of the list for all of our customers,” notes Lux’s Gurland. “Lux is embracing and actively pursuing different floatable shrink materials and washable inks with recyclable PET shrink films. Regarding deseaming solvents, which seemed to be a hot topic last year, we feel the direction right now is really not going anywhere, as it’s too hard to control or have reliable success. The easier solution is to put a double perf zipper running from top to bottom of the sleeve for the consumer to pull off prior to going into the recycling bin.”
Multi-Plastics entered the shrink sleeve arena with sustainability in mind, too. “When Multi-Plastics elected to distribute shrink sleeve materials, it was realized that PET would be able to recycled as it entered material recovery facilities, whereas other films, such as PETG or PVC, can be a recycler’s nightmare,” comments Weber. “The steady growth has come from offering an excellent product that is two-side printed/two-side antistatic and recycles. For us, 45 micron is the most popular thickness, but Multi-Plastics does have other micron thicknesses available, along with different grades like white or clear with UV blockers.”
Many suppliers are investing in new product development and capacity in this space. According to Avery Dennison’s McLean, the APR-recognized crystallizable sleeves, when paired with PET bottles/containers, are the most promising. “If paired with APR-recognized washable inks, the sleeve can be thrown into the recycling stream with the PET bottle,” he notes. “There is no need to remove the sleeve before recycling. While this technology and processes are still being developed, we project these types of initiatives will keep brand owners very interested in shrink sleeves.”
ABG has tailored its equipment to meet the need for sustainability, including for those brands producing shrink sleeves. “One of the main challenges is sustainability and finding new materials and products that are environmentally-friendly,” comments ABG’s Lopez. “The environmental point-of-view is one of the most interesting, and many new proposals will feature it in the future. We believe that caring for the environment plays – and will continue to play – a very important role in market demands. Increasingly, more and more customers will not only value that the packaging is attractive and novel, but also prefer that it be sustainable.”
“Consumer pressure for sustainable outcomes will also prove influential,” adds George Burton, business development manager at ABG.
According to Mark Andy’s Flower, the boom in e-commerce has driven creative uses for shrink sleeve technologies. “An interesting trend for shrink sleeves is its increased use in physical packaging,” she notes. “While not a new use, with the massive increase in e-commerce during the pandemic, the durability of shrink sleeves has been put to the test. Shrink sleeve packaging is an exceptionally good option for end users when it comes to the wear and tear that can occur during shipping due largely in part to the material itself and the reverse printing process on-press.”
Digital printing will further promote greater SKU proliferation, which can be seen in a vast array of flavors and styles – specifically in the beverage market.
“Brands tend to be diversifying their offerings with unique flavors and promotional items,” says INX’s Hill. “Perhaps this is a result of having the ability for both short- and long-run labels to be applied via the shrink sleeve. Shrink sleeve labels highlight the shape of the bottle, which brand owners are taking advantage of to further enhance shelf appeal and product differentiation.”
Product development
From the ink supplier to the printing press manufacturer, companies throughout the industry have optimized technologies ideal for shrink sleeve production. ABG has developed multiple seaming, inspection and cutting solutions for converters. Within ABG’s range of sleeve seaming, the SR, TSR and TSR2 sleeve seaming machines are designed to meet the high productivity demands of the shrink sleeve market. They are based on ABG’s patented Smart Wheel – a motorized roller solvent application system that provides high sealing reliability.
The sleeve inspection and rewinder, DR, is ABG’s bi-directional machine. DR provides flexible packaging and shrink sleeve manufacturers with two modes of operation. For shrink sleeves, verifying the correct closure of the sleeve tube by means of the balloon validation system with electronic detection, and for the flexible packaging market, through the inspection, control and sanitation of reels up to 400 mm web width. Finally, ABG’s slitting machine options include the IC sleeve slitter, which provides cross-cut for formats, pre-cross-cut for formats or reels, and rewind. Roller movement and cutting are electronically synchronized to optimize movement and increase productivity.
Avery Dennison has launched a range of products to boost the shrink sleeve space. The Avery Dennison Rapid-Roll Shrink Film Portfolio consists of a variety of shrink films, including co-polyester, PETG, and opaque materials available with quick lead times and low minimum order quantities. Rapid Roll will also see its sustainable offerings expanded by adding more crystallizable and PCR content options in the near future.
Avery Dennison provides technical assistance to recommend the best fit for its customers’ application, as well. Based on the details of the conversations, Avery Dennison will make a film recommendation to the converter, one that is best suited to the application for further testing.
Cyngient has engineered several new products, including HYPERcolor and HYPERcure cold foil adhesives, to eliminate cracking during the cold foil process. “HYPERcolor adhesives use reverse silver cold foil to obtain hundreds of colors, eliminating the need for pigmented cold foils,” says Cyngient’s Wasserman. “Our Flip-cure shrink line of ink is designed for LED and UV applications, as well.”
Meanwhile, PUREmatte is Nestle-compliant and designed for printing on shrink sleeve surfaces. This Cyngient product offers a true matte effect and is abrasion resistant while maintaining low viscosity in the ink pan, eliminating thixotropic body issues typically found with matte coatings. PUREclear LED shrink slip thin film technology is designed for a clear and consistent COF at 2 BCM for sleeves that don’t have full ink coverage and desire coating clarity with slip used as a last down for the sleeve process.
INX International Ink Co. has developed inks, such as Genesis GS, that are designed to wash off the label substrate so the label and bottle can be recycled together. This results in a 100% recyclable package, notes Hill. INX also offers a variety of solvent-based flexo and gravure inks. These include Genesis GS and FS washable label inks, Versatech Shrink water-based flexo inks, and INXFlex Contour UV curable flexo inks.
From the press supplier’s perspective, Mark Andy boasts a versatile portfolio that includes flexo and digital hybrid printing. “Mark Andy has the only true hybrid digital 17" format size press that is proven to run shrink without limitations with the Digital Series HD,” remarks Flower. New to the industry in 2021, Digital Series iQ is a mid-market solution that is also shrink production capable. Plus, the Performance Series platform, and specifically the P9, is a flexible platform with high levels of automation– making it ideal for shrink sleeves.
According to Flower, shrink production on inkjet has been known in the past to have barriers, but those have dissipated as technology continues to evolve to keep up with those increased trends in application diversification.
Mark Andy’s presses have also been tailored to the customer that wins a new shrink sleeve account along the way. For example, chill rollers can be added at a later date. Plus, the Performance Series and Evolution Series lines are user intuitive and operator-friendly. The company also recently launched my.markandy, which is a free online resource tool for all Mark Andy customers. The site serves as a hub of knowledge for any and all Mark Andy solutions, from legacy presses, like the 830 and 2200, to its newest equipment.
Shrink sleeves are currently boosting brands in a wide range of end uses, from food and personal care to high-end spirits and craft beers. This application’s versatility has led to a surge in usage.
“We’re seeing a very large increase in demand for shrink across all markets,” explains Leslie Gurland, executive vice president of global sales and marketing, Lux Global Label. “Brand marketers love the 360-degree design options and the ability to use different shape containers without the limitations that a PS label would have in some cases. One additional benefit with using shrink sleeves compared to IML or direct print, for example, is that a brand could use blank generic containers and decorate at the point of product filling to reduce their overall cost to carry high volumes of pre-decorated containers or various color containers and risk obsolescence. The generic containers are just the container while the sleeve then becomes the brand’s packaging and marketing focus.”
“The benefit of using shrink sleeves can be two-fold,” states Bob Weber, North American sales manager at Multi-Plastics. “Brand owners get the full 360 degrees of advertisement. And secondly, by using the correct material, the brands can adhere to greater recycling and sustainability.”
The application’s versatility extends to unorthodox sizes and shapes, which can often be hard to label. “Shrink sleeves can accommodate complex curves in containers and offer options to create tamper-evident or security functionality,” states Justin McLean, associate product manager, Rapid Roll, at Avery Dennison. “They are also used as a cost-effective option for cover-up labeling applications or discolored recycled content containers. Ultimately, shrink sleeves offer an opportunity to execute eye-catching packaging for product launches and brand revitalization, and offer a unique way for brands to engage with customers about their product.”
In its most recent AWAreness Report Global Sleeve Label Market 2021, AWA Alexander Watson Associates analyzed the latest numbers – including the impact Covid-19 has had on this market segment. In 2020, AWA estimates the global demand for labels was approximately 68,379 million square meters, which represented growth of 3.3% on 2019 volumes.
Asia produced 45% of the global square meters of shrink sleeve labels, while Europe and North America accounted for 25% and 18%, respectively. The global growth rate for all sleeve label formats in 2020 over 2019 is estimated at 3%. Overall, AWA forecasts the global market for sleeve labels to increase at a CAGR of 4% for the period 2020 to 2023, equating to 14,296 million square meters in 2023.
“There has been double-digit growth in shrink sleeves,” comments Andrew Wasserman, managing partner, Cyngient. “This is because shrink sleeves allow you to cover the entire bottle, can or container, providing a 360-degree label with opportunities to add embellishments such as cold foil, matte coatings and raised coatings, to name a few. A prime example is Snapple. This beverage went from a prime label to a shrink sleeve with a 360-degree image, creating more ad space for the brand owner.”
“In speaking with our customers, reading the data from industry reports and honestly just seeing what’s out there on store shelves, it’s clear that shrink is a booming application,” adds Amanda Flower, market specialist, Mark Andy. “And, with some minor adjustments, most converters with flexo or inline digital already have the capital equipment to produce it.”
According to AWA, heat shrink TD sleeve labels still account for the majority of shrink sleeves. Of the 12,696 million square meters of sleeve labels in 2020, an estimated 11,296 million square meters were in heat shrink TD sleeve label formats, while 914 million square meters featured stretch sleeve label technologies. Additionally, 432 million square meters were comprised of ROSO MD sleeve labels, and 54 million square meters were RFS MD sleeve labels.
Klear Plastic Ventures, which supplies co-polyester, heat shrinkable films for sleeve labels, has seen a shift in material usage over the past year. This shift has been driven by sustainability. “We have seen sleeve label producers convert from PVC to this more environmentally-friendly PET product,” says George Pinter, partner at Klear Plastic Ventures. “Films are available with 30% Post Consumer Recycled (PCR) content, UV inhibitors, optical brighteners and light blocking white films. We offer a complete range of film products to satisfy our customers’ needs.”
The lure of this market contributed to the decision of A B Graphic International and Kocher + Beck to acquire Enprom in 2019. With the move, ABG expanded its product portfolio in the narrow web market to further offer shrink sleeve solutions.
“This has been a strategic acquisition that has been valued very positively,” states Pierina López, sales specialist and marketing manager at ABG. “As a result of this strategic action, ABG relaunched its innovative shrink sleeve products in May to provide our customers in the label sector with the opportunity to diversify into the shrink sleeve market, with the added reassurance that they are buying from a leading global print finishing brand with 65 years’ experience.”
While added real estate is certainly a benefit for providing a wow-factor on the shelf, it can also assist those industries dealing with a host of regulations. For example, more text can be included on a label to properly define product attributes.
“Brands are coming to the realization that sleeve labels offer the most amount of real estate to grab a potential buyer’s attention. This also works in favor of more regulated industries like food or pharma, allowing them the space to have sizable brand representation while also remaining compliant with displaying the necessary, required text,” comments Flower.
With smaller brands, such as those in the craft beer space, looking to capitalize on the benefits of shrink sleeves, digital printing is becoming more widely used – especially when short runs are required. DWS Printing, a label converter based in Deer Park, NY, turned to MPS and Domino to meet its demand for shrink sleeve printing. After performing tests on multiple machines, the MPS EF Symjet powered by Domino hybrid press fit the company’s needs for shrink sleeve labels on craft beer cans. Domino’s UV90 ink set helped DWS Printing successfully print the shrink sleeves with inkjet technology. Domino and MPS worked diligently to tailor the press to DWS Printing’s requirements and those of its customers. The hybrid press has contributed to DWS Printing producing more shrink sleeves now than pressure sensitive labels.
Like many other segments, communication throughout various levels of the supply chain is imperative for success. “When it comes to labels of any kind, be it shrink, PSL, cut and stack or more, UPM Raflatac attempts to help our customers navigate the different options, even if we don’t offer that specific type. Working with our customers to understand the application, package, and desired lifecycle (recycling, composting, landfill, reuse) are key elements to label/product selection,” says Kyle Strenski, director of food, beverage and HPC, UPM Raflatac Americas. “When selecting shrink sleeve materials, the packaging material (HDPE, PP, PET, glass, etc.) must be able to be applied to empty or filled containers. Some shrink sleeve materials conform better as the package sizes changes in the heat tunnel.”
Knowledge is power
One of the biggest keys to success in this market is a proper understanding of the technology and its capabilities. Quality control is critical to providing shrink sleeve labels that accurately fit the container and showcase the graphics. Distortion, for example, could hijack a shrink sleeve, thus negatively impacting the brand or requiring extra costs to rectify the problem.
“The biggest challenge present with shrink sleeves is customer knowledge,” says Lux’s Gurland. “The customer also depends on shrink sleeve suppliers that can support their projects through intelligent technical support, working seamlessly with all of their stakeholders from development through to application. We are always able and willing to be on-site at our customer’s location to support line trials and production.”
Klear Plastic Ventures works collaboratively with new and existing customers to understand their current projects to determine which films will contribute to their success. “We try to understand the container material, such as glass, PET, HDPE or aluminum, container geometry, shrink process – steam, hot air, other – printing method and more. We integrate this information to make a film recommendation and then work with our customers during testing and trials.”
The wide range of materials and equipment available to this market can cause confusion, which is where communication is key. “In today’s world the national ink manufacturers have been very successful in producing the correct formulations for printing on shrink, and now the new washable inks are being used during the recycling process,” remarks Multi-Plastics’ Weber. “Then you have the print converters understanding print and proper seaming. If the equipment is in good condition and the operator is open-minded to making minor changes, there should not be a problem in producing a high-quality product.
“The published spec sheets showing shrink curves really help the converter in determining the shrinkage needed,” adds Weber. “Certainly one grade is great for craft beer cans while another is ideal for gummy bear vitamin bottles. The staff at Multi-Plastics has been very open in assisting converters in correct film selection, including support at the co-packer if necessary.”
Ink selection is also critical, notes Avery Dennison’s McLean. “You need inks that will withstand the labeling, shrink and recycling (if applicable) process. Understanding the degree of graphic print distortion so the image and graphics are clean, sharp and legible post-label application is also key, as is understanding the seaming process. Specifically, it’s important to select the right kind of solvent along with the application techniques.”
Cyngient, for example, has invested heavily in analytical equipment used to measure the performance of printed shrink sleeve applications. “I have observed a lot of label converters and surprisingly found some of them aren’t properly equipped for ensuring quality control while printing shrink sleeves,” notes Cyngient’s Wasserman. “One aspect is measuring COF (kinetic energy) from various viewpoints and ensuring consistent COF while reducing COF noise levels during the testing process. One of our methods is our thermal heat elevation test, which is used to maintain and understand COF under various temperature conditions.”
In addition to this testing, Cyngient has designed inks specifically for enhanced film adhesion and elongation in high shrink applications, thereby eliminating the chance for ink cracking. This process can be complicated to converters that don’t have the proper lab equipment and knowledge on how to evaluate their shrink sleeve process.
“Cyngient takes great pride in supporting and educating customers that are new to shrink sleeve printing or don’t have the proper equipment to do the proper quality control that is needed in the shrink printing process,” adds Wasserman. “Without the above you can have major problems at the co-packer with marking or jam ups on sleeve lines that can cause expensive chargebacks to the converters.”
Heat must also be accounted for. Storage and shipping in the summer months can pose a challenge, considering refrigerated trucks are needed to ship, and warehouses must be kept to optimal temperatures to keep the integrity of the film for extended periods of time.
“There are many stages of processing, from printing to seaming and the actual shrinking of the material through the air or steam tunnels,” explains UPM Raflatac’s Strenski. “Shrink film can be a longer process compared to say a pressure sensitive label. The overall cost of a PETG shrink sleeve is a much more expensive labeling option.”
Being non-absorbent, films can be difficult to achieve consistently high print quality, owing to the variance of surface energy between the liquid ink and the film surface. Therefore, in the shrink sleeves market, corona treatment can play a vital role to remedy this challenge.
“Shrink film is not really different from other plastic materials,” Kevin McKell, VP of technical sales at Vetaphone, told Nick Coombes in a recent L&NW feature. “You have to control the surface energy between the liquid ink and the plastic substrate. If the surface tension of the film is too low, the inks bead up on the surface and don’t adhere – we call this ‘wetting,’ and you need the ink to ‘wet out’ to form a strong bond. We measure the surface energy and the substrate’s adhesive ability in dyne/cm. The higher the dyne reading, the better the adhesion.”
Surface treatment also helps accommodate the latest substrates, regardless of print process. “While all synthetic materials are surface treated at the extrusion stage, it’s important to remember that two pre-treated rolls of the same material from the same supplier may not be consistent throughout their length or width, which is why you need to surface treat immediately prior to printing,” adds McKell.
From the converter perspective, Lux Global Label has placed a premium on inspection capabilities.
“All of our printing presses have AVT vision systems, which include 100% defect detection to guarantee the quality of the sleeves we ship,” states Gurland. “Lux also has the finest finishing and seaming equipment. Our customers can be assured the sleeves they receive have seam integrity, proper web tensions and consistent roll oscillation. Lux has experienced field technicians that provide on-site support for our customers’ needs, as well. We work very closely with our suppliers for additional support and also to make sure we are ahead of the curve on shrink technologies.”
Sustainable trends
Not only can shrink sleeves offer more real estate for brand promotion, they can serve as a real differentiator on the shelf. Embellishments are quite popular, with matte coatings, tactile finishes, foils and even scratch-n-sniff properties all playing a role in this application.
Sustainability is also a big trend in shrink sleeve converting.
“Brand owners and consumers are demanding more recyclable packaging,” states Mark Hill, senior VP of R&D at INX International Ink Co. “Producing shrink sleeves that are more recyclable with the bottles they are applied to is the biggest challenge the industry has faced in recent years.”
“Sustainability is at the top of the list for all of our customers,” notes Lux’s Gurland. “Lux is embracing and actively pursuing different floatable shrink materials and washable inks with recyclable PET shrink films. Regarding deseaming solvents, which seemed to be a hot topic last year, we feel the direction right now is really not going anywhere, as it’s too hard to control or have reliable success. The easier solution is to put a double perf zipper running from top to bottom of the sleeve for the consumer to pull off prior to going into the recycling bin.”
Multi-Plastics entered the shrink sleeve arena with sustainability in mind, too. “When Multi-Plastics elected to distribute shrink sleeve materials, it was realized that PET would be able to recycled as it entered material recovery facilities, whereas other films, such as PETG or PVC, can be a recycler’s nightmare,” comments Weber. “The steady growth has come from offering an excellent product that is two-side printed/two-side antistatic and recycles. For us, 45 micron is the most popular thickness, but Multi-Plastics does have other micron thicknesses available, along with different grades like white or clear with UV blockers.”
Many suppliers are investing in new product development and capacity in this space. According to Avery Dennison’s McLean, the APR-recognized crystallizable sleeves, when paired with PET bottles/containers, are the most promising. “If paired with APR-recognized washable inks, the sleeve can be thrown into the recycling stream with the PET bottle,” he notes. “There is no need to remove the sleeve before recycling. While this technology and processes are still being developed, we project these types of initiatives will keep brand owners very interested in shrink sleeves.”
ABG has tailored its equipment to meet the need for sustainability, including for those brands producing shrink sleeves. “One of the main challenges is sustainability and finding new materials and products that are environmentally-friendly,” comments ABG’s Lopez. “The environmental point-of-view is one of the most interesting, and many new proposals will feature it in the future. We believe that caring for the environment plays – and will continue to play – a very important role in market demands. Increasingly, more and more customers will not only value that the packaging is attractive and novel, but also prefer that it be sustainable.”
“Consumer pressure for sustainable outcomes will also prove influential,” adds George Burton, business development manager at ABG.
According to Mark Andy’s Flower, the boom in e-commerce has driven creative uses for shrink sleeve technologies. “An interesting trend for shrink sleeves is its increased use in physical packaging,” she notes. “While not a new use, with the massive increase in e-commerce during the pandemic, the durability of shrink sleeves has been put to the test. Shrink sleeve packaging is an exceptionally good option for end users when it comes to the wear and tear that can occur during shipping due largely in part to the material itself and the reverse printing process on-press.”
Digital printing will further promote greater SKU proliferation, which can be seen in a vast array of flavors and styles – specifically in the beverage market.
“Brands tend to be diversifying their offerings with unique flavors and promotional items,” says INX’s Hill. “Perhaps this is a result of having the ability for both short- and long-run labels to be applied via the shrink sleeve. Shrink sleeve labels highlight the shape of the bottle, which brand owners are taking advantage of to further enhance shelf appeal and product differentiation.”
Product development
From the ink supplier to the printing press manufacturer, companies throughout the industry have optimized technologies ideal for shrink sleeve production. ABG has developed multiple seaming, inspection and cutting solutions for converters. Within ABG’s range of sleeve seaming, the SR, TSR and TSR2 sleeve seaming machines are designed to meet the high productivity demands of the shrink sleeve market. They are based on ABG’s patented Smart Wheel – a motorized roller solvent application system that provides high sealing reliability.
The sleeve inspection and rewinder, DR, is ABG’s bi-directional machine. DR provides flexible packaging and shrink sleeve manufacturers with two modes of operation. For shrink sleeves, verifying the correct closure of the sleeve tube by means of the balloon validation system with electronic detection, and for the flexible packaging market, through the inspection, control and sanitation of reels up to 400 mm web width. Finally, ABG’s slitting machine options include the IC sleeve slitter, which provides cross-cut for formats, pre-cross-cut for formats or reels, and rewind. Roller movement and cutting are electronically synchronized to optimize movement and increase productivity.
Avery Dennison has launched a range of products to boost the shrink sleeve space. The Avery Dennison Rapid-Roll Shrink Film Portfolio consists of a variety of shrink films, including co-polyester, PETG, and opaque materials available with quick lead times and low minimum order quantities. Rapid Roll will also see its sustainable offerings expanded by adding more crystallizable and PCR content options in the near future.
Avery Dennison provides technical assistance to recommend the best fit for its customers’ application, as well. Based on the details of the conversations, Avery Dennison will make a film recommendation to the converter, one that is best suited to the application for further testing.
Cyngient has engineered several new products, including HYPERcolor and HYPERcure cold foil adhesives, to eliminate cracking during the cold foil process. “HYPERcolor adhesives use reverse silver cold foil to obtain hundreds of colors, eliminating the need for pigmented cold foils,” says Cyngient’s Wasserman. “Our Flip-cure shrink line of ink is designed for LED and UV applications, as well.”
Meanwhile, PUREmatte is Nestle-compliant and designed for printing on shrink sleeve surfaces. This Cyngient product offers a true matte effect and is abrasion resistant while maintaining low viscosity in the ink pan, eliminating thixotropic body issues typically found with matte coatings. PUREclear LED shrink slip thin film technology is designed for a clear and consistent COF at 2 BCM for sleeves that don’t have full ink coverage and desire coating clarity with slip used as a last down for the sleeve process.
INX International Ink Co. has developed inks, such as Genesis GS, that are designed to wash off the label substrate so the label and bottle can be recycled together. This results in a 100% recyclable package, notes Hill. INX also offers a variety of solvent-based flexo and gravure inks. These include Genesis GS and FS washable label inks, Versatech Shrink water-based flexo inks, and INXFlex Contour UV curable flexo inks.
From the press supplier’s perspective, Mark Andy boasts a versatile portfolio that includes flexo and digital hybrid printing. “Mark Andy has the only true hybrid digital 17" format size press that is proven to run shrink without limitations with the Digital Series HD,” remarks Flower. New to the industry in 2021, Digital Series iQ is a mid-market solution that is also shrink production capable. Plus, the Performance Series platform, and specifically the P9, is a flexible platform with high levels of automation– making it ideal for shrink sleeves.
According to Flower, shrink production on inkjet has been known in the past to have barriers, but those have dissipated as technology continues to evolve to keep up with those increased trends in application diversification.
Mark Andy’s presses have also been tailored to the customer that wins a new shrink sleeve account along the way. For example, chill rollers can be added at a later date. Plus, the Performance Series and Evolution Series lines are user intuitive and operator-friendly. The company also recently launched my.markandy, which is a free online resource tool for all Mark Andy customers. The site serves as a hub of knowledge for any and all Mark Andy solutions, from legacy presses, like the 830 and 2200, to its newest equipment.
