Compare the four ways to shrink-wrap a product in South Africa: L-bar sealer, side bar sealer, sleeve sealer and shrink tunnel, or a standalone shrink tunnel. Open any machine below for the formats it runs and the options available.
Four things decide it: pack size, line speed, budget and how much automation you want. A single product or small multipack on a limited budget suits an L-bar sealer, run semi-automatically. Longer products or higher output suit a side bar sealer, which seals continuously without an operator positioning each pack. Bottles, jars and bundles that need both a seal and a tight shrink finish suit a sleeve sealer and shrink tunnel in one machine. If you already seal elsewhere and only need the heat-shrink stage, a standalone shrink tunnel is the cheaper add-on.
Four ways to shrink-wrap a pack: L-bar sealing, side bar sealing, sleeve sealing with a built-in tunnel, or a standalone shrink tunnel added to a line that already seals.
Tell us the product, the pack format and the output you need, and we will shortlist the machine that suits.
A shrink wrap machine seals a product in plastic film, then applies heat so the film pulls tight around it. The result is a secure, tamper-evident pack with a clean, retail-ready finish. The four machines above cover the ways to get there: L-bar or side bar sealing to form the pack, sleeve sealing with a built-in tunnel to do both stages at once, or a standalone tunnel to add to a line that already seals.
Food and beverage producers use it to bundle bottles, cans and multipacks for transport. Consumer goods and hardware brands use it to give a retail-ready finish and tamper evidence to boxed products. The same film-and-heat process suits pallet and bulk protection in warehousing and logistics.
The full catalogue is available as a PDF. It covers the same range as this page, so use whichever is easier to share with your team.
It depends on pack size, speed and automation. L-bar sealer and shrink suits single packs and small multipacks on a semi-automatic cycle. Side bar sealer and shrink suits longer products at higher output. Sleeve sealer and shrink tunnel suits bottles, jars and bundles needing both a seal and a tight finish. A standalone shrink tunnel adds the heat-shrink stage to a line that already seals.
An L-bar sealer forms an L-shaped seal around each pack in a semi-automatic cycle, with an operator loading and positioning the product. A side bar sealer seals continuously down one side of the film, which suits longer products and higher line speeds without positioning each pack by hand.
Yes. An L-bar sealer only forms the seal; it does not shrink the film. Pair it with a standalone shrink tunnel to finish the pack, or choose a sleeve sealer and shrink tunnel, which combines both stages in one machine.
A sleeve sealer and shrink tunnel is built for bundling bottles, jars and multipacks in one pass. An L-bar sealer also handles small multipacks and retail-ready boxes on a semi-automatic cycle if your output is lower.
Side bar sealing, sleeve sealing and standalone shrink tunnels in our range are automatic. L-bar sealing is semi-automatic, with an operator loading and positioning each pack. Tell us your target output and we will confirm which fits.
