Applications
Packaging film with pimples is used in a wide variety of areas of human activity. It is used to pack the following items:
- furniture;
- electronics;
- auto parts;
- optics;
- dishes;
- shoes;
- antiques;
- advertising materials.
In addition, this material is indispensable in the process of moving, since it allows you to safely deliver any, even especially fragile, cargo to the destination. In such cases, it is used for stuffing, protecting various objects made of glass, ceramics, porcelain, and clay.
The film with pimples, in the manufacture of which polyethylene foam was used, is the most reliable material for packaging. It is used for the transportation of exclusive furniture, as it has high shock absorption properties and a low price.
The metallized coating increases the thermal insulation properties of the material, which is beneficial for the equipment in the house of the "warm floor" system. The cardboard coating increases the moisture resistance of the film, which is why it is often used for packaging mirrors.
What it is
The pimpled film is called so because of the peculiarities of its structure. Outwardly, the material looks like a canvas with round air-containing cavities that are evenly scattered over the entire surface. Bubbles are responsible for cushioning.
This is the most modern packaging made of high pressure and low density polyethylene. The structure of the packaging bubble wrap is two-layer and three-layer. The material can be coated with:
- metals;
- cardboard;
- foil;
- foamed polyethylene;
- antistatic agent;
- light stabilizer;
- antifog.
A light stabilizer is usually used in films intended for greenhouse equipment. Manufacturers often produce packages of different colors. Shades of pink in most cases indicate the use of an antistatic agent.
Application
Bubble wrap has many applications:
The bubble material is most widely used in packaging. In this film, you can safely transport (at any distance) valuable and fragile things - mirrors, glass, equipment, antiques. Since the runway is made of food grade polyethylene and has a hygienic certificate, it is used to transport food. Roll material is used for packaging large loads (the edges are sealed with tape), bags made of bubble wrap are used as containers for phones, accessories, car parts, plumbing fixtures.
- Swimming pool film (solar). A two-layer air bubble film spreads directly onto the surface of the water. Thanks to the layer with air bubbles, the material adheres perfectly to the water, protects the pool from pollution, and prevents evaporation. The lower, smooth polyethylene layer is made in colored. The standard runway thickness for swimming pools is 500 microns, the thickness of the "bag" is determined by the height of the bubble.
- Greenhouse film. This covering material, due to the bubble layer, is an excellent heat insulator. Due to its light weight, the runway does not need a serious frame. It is stronger than other polymer films - even if it is not removed for the winter, the runway can last on vertical surfaces for at least 3 years. At the manufacturing stage, light stabilizers, antifog, and a lumphor additive are introduced into the polyethylene granulate. They slow down the destruction of polyethylene, prevent it from fogging from the inside, and convert UV radiation into blue and red spectrum useful for plants.
- In the construction of the runway, it is used as steam, hydro and thermal insulation of walls, engineering systems, roofs, floors.
The rate of production of bubble wrap is growing every year by 15-20%. The main consumers are furniture manufacturers. They account for almost half of the volume. 31% are taken by companies producing electrical engineering and electronics, 17% - by "dishwashers" and "glass-makers". The demand for these packaging products is huge. In Russia, 25 large enterprises are engaged in the production of multilayer films, including air-bubble films, but imports still take up a large share of consumption.
What is air bubble film, its characteristics
Small spheres filled with air work in compression. Upon impact, the energy of destruction goes to compress the bubble, and not to damage the packed item. Bubble wrap has heat-saving properties, since air is a good heat insulator.
GOST for air bubble wrap has not been developed, therefore the material is made according to TU 2245-001-96117480-08. The characteristics of the raw material from which it is made - high-pressure polyethylene (LDPE) - must comply with the requirements of the GOST 16337-77 standard.
Main characteristics of bubble wrap:
- The number of layers. The industry produces 2- and 3-layer air-bubble films. In a two-layer one layer of smooth polyethylene and one - corrugated with bubbles. In a three-layer film, bubbles are the middle of the "sandwich", sealed between two layers of smooth polymer material.
- Roll sizes. Standard width of runway rolls: for packing furniture - 1.0; 1.2 and 1.6 meters; for packaging equipment - 0.8 meters; for packing dishes - 0.3 and 0.4 meters. Rolls: 25, 50 and 100 meters.
- Film density:
Two-layer: from 45 to 300 g / m2;
Three-layer: from 90 to 260 g / m2;
Covering (for greenhouses) - 83-120 g / m2.
The higher the density, the greater the load the bubble wrap can withstand. Three- and two-layer bubble wrap, with a density of 200-250 g / m2, is used to transport computers and radio equipment, a thin antistatic (65-90 g / m2) is used for packaging electronic components, a three-layer runway with the addition of antifog (250 g / m2) is covered pools and hotbeds.
You can check this parameter without special equipment. If the density is less than 50 g / m2, then the bubbles can be easily squeezed with your fingers and the cotton will not be heard. At a density of 50-120 g / m2, the sound of a bursting bubble is clearly audible. It is difficult to crush a package with a density of more than 120 g / m2 with your fingers, and if this parameter is higher than 180 g / m2, then it is completely impossible.
The thickness of one layer of the bubble film varies from 45 to 150 microns.
- Height and diameter of the air bubble. The cushioning properties of the bubble wrap depend on these dimensions. The higher the sphere, the better the material protects the load from mechanical damage. The film is produced with a bubble diameter of 6.10.30 mm and a height of 3-10 mm. The most common type of runway is two-layer, with a bubble height of 4 mm and a diameter of 10 mm.
- Application temperature range. Bubble film can be used in the temperature range from -60 C to +80 C.
- Film markings are written as follows:
For example, VP 3-4-75 means:
VP - air bubble;
3 - three-layer;
4 - bubble diameter, mm;
75 - density, g / m2 (1 meter weighs 75 grams).
Sometimes, at the end of the marking, the length of the roll is added (25,50,100 m).
Another example of bubble wrap marking:
What it is?
A bubble wrap is a flexible, transparent material with airy ridges on the surface. It is supplied in rolls from 25 to 100 meters. Their width ranges from 0.3 to 1.6 m.
Manufacturers produce several types of bubble wrap. It comes in 2 and 3 layers. The first material includes smooth and corrugated polyethylene with air pockets. It is a budget runway in high demand.In a three-layer film, bubbles are in the middle between 2 polyethylene layers (their thickness is 45-150 microns). Its production process is more costly, which increases the cost of the finished product.
Bubble Film Specifications:
wide temperature range of use - the material can withstand temperatures from -60 to +80 degrees without loss of performance;
resistance to various negative environmental factors - the film is "not afraid" of exposure to sunlight, fungus or corrosion, it does not allow dust to pass through, and has moisture-repellent properties;
transparency - the runway perfectly transmits light, which is important for plants when using this material for greenhouse equipment;
good physical and mechanical qualities - the bubble film is distinguished by excellent strength, it is resistant to force effects, and helps to cushion shocks;
safety - the runway does not emit toxic fumes both at normal temperatures and when heated, it is absolutely safe for human health, so it can be used for food packaging.
The main disadvantage of bubble wrap is that it is not environmentally friendly. The material takes a very long time to decompose in the soil - the whole process will take decades. When the runway burns, like any other polyethylene, toxic substances are formed that are harmful to human health and have a detrimental effect on the environment.
Mods overview
Manufacturers offer a conventional runway with two or three layers, as well as various modifications of this material. They differ in appearance, performance and technical characteristics.
Penobable
Combined material. It is made from 2 or 3-layer bubble wrap and polyethylene foam. In this case, the thickness of the runway is 4 mm, and the thickness of the polyethylene foam layer is 1-4 mm. Thanks to the additional substrate, the material acquires greater strength, resistance to mechanical abrasion, shock and other types of mechanical stress.
Penobable has excellent shock absorption properties. Due to this feature, it is used to transport expensive or particularly fragile goods. Its use is relevant when moving various cargo over long distances. One of the main advantages of the penobable is its reusability.
Kraftbable
It is a material that requires bubble wrap and kraft paper to make. It is produced by stretching the runway in the longitudinal direction and then strengthening it with kraft paper.
The result is a durable material that resists deformation even when exposed to a heavy load. Craftbubble is good at softening shocks and dampening vibrations. Due to its excellent shock-absorbing properties, it is in great demand when transporting fragile, expensive and antique items.
Alubable
This is a bubble film, on 1 or 2 sides of which aluminum foil or polypropylene metallized layer is applied. The material possesses:
- a small coefficient of thermal conductivity - depending on the thickness of the product, the indicators range from 0.007 to 0.011 W / (mK);
- excellent reflectivity.
Alyubable is durable - its service life often reaches half a century. Due to these features, the material is widely used in the construction industry - it is used to increase the thermal insulation of premises for various purposes.
Greenhouse film
This is a WFP containing various additives that improve the physical and chemical properties of the material and increase its durability when used outdoors. Greenhouse film:
- tear-resistant;
- resistant to various mechanical damage;
- promotes the transmission of ultraviolet radiation, which is useful for plants.
The material is lightweight, due to which it does not create additional stress on the greenhouse structure. Most modifications of bubble greenhouse films contain an additional component - antifog. It prevents the formation of water vapor.
Antistatic
This type of runway contains specialized antistatic additives. The film has good shock-absorbing and heat-insulating qualities. In addition, it helps to dissipate free surface electrical charges. Due to these features, the material is used as a protective shell for the transportation of expensive and "sensitive" electronics, flammable substances.
