Your needs
- Heat Shrink Sleeves
- Self Shrinking Viskrings/Celons
- Aluminium Closures
- Plastic Caps
- Sports Caps
- PVC/Polylaminate Capsules
- Machinery
- Celloflecks
Heat-Shrink Sleeves
Materials used
PVC in gauges of 40, 50, 60, 70, 75 and 100 microns in standard, high-shrink and pasteurisable grades. Food-grade films are also available.PET-G in gauges of 40, 50, 60 & 75 microns.
All grades are available in transparent or pigmented forms which may be further decorated by printing.
These materials are slit to the desired width and then solvent or adhesive welded into a tube which is put onto a reel. It is sold in reel form or cut into individual sleeves.
Printing
Sleeving both transparent or pigmented can be printed with up to 9-colours using the gravure method.Printing on both sides of the film is possible and photographic quality print is achievable. Where there is a profiled shape to be sleeved, artwork can be distorted so the desired image is created only after the sleeve has been shrunk into position.
Maximum print width is 630mm and print repeats from 25 - 550mm are possible.
It is possible to produce small numbers of printed sleeves for sample purposes using a digital printer. This saves the expense of making gravure cylinders and the costs of a gravure print run and is also able to be done very quickly.
Special effects can be created using metallic, luminescent, thermochromic and photochromic inks
Artwork & Origination
If required, Viscose Closures can create artwork according to the customers requirements. If artwork is provided to Viscose Closures it should be in digital form together with a hard copy.Applemac format is required, preferably in ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR or FREEHAND. Files should be in .EPS. If fonts are required, a copy of the font software should also be included, stating point size, leading and kerning. (Size of lettering, space between letters and space between rows of letters)
Files may be sent on 3.5" Floppy discs, Syquest, ZIP, CD, ISDN or via e-mail.
On receipt of artwork Viscose Closures will produce a Cromalin (Colour print) for approval. When approval is received, gravure printing cylinders will be produced.
If distortion of the artwork is required to counteract the effect of shrinkage, this can be done by Viscose Closures.
Perforations and tearstrips
Single or multiple lines of perforations can be introduced either vertically or horizontally to make sleeves easier to remove or more susceptible to damage if tampered with.Coloured tear-strips can be affixed to the sleeving in a vertical orientation only and can be used in combination with perforations to provide an effective easy-open feature to the pack. Plain colours, metallic colours and holographic designs are available.
Sleeving on the Reel
Sleeving can be produced in layflat widths from 20mm - 500mm. (Diameters from 7mm - 225mm) Reels containing up to 1000 metres can be made but 600 metres is more common if automatic application machines are to be used. Normally a reel will contain a maximum of two joints but this can be reduced to no joins if required. The welded seam of the tubing is positioned so it does not interfere with the automatic application process and to minimise its impact on any printed design.
Pre-cut Sleeves
When sleeves are to be hand-applied they are supplied cut to the correct length. Lengths from 20mm upwards can be produced. Tear-tabs can be provided which make it easier to take hold of the sleeve and tear it off. Used in combination with perforations and tear strips, tear tabs simplify removal of sleeves.
Preforms
Preforms are sleeves which have been formed into a shape by shrinking them onto a mould. Preforms make it easier for production workers to apply sleeves by hand and to obtain a superior finish.
Shrinking
PVC and PET-G sleeves need heat to cause them to shrink. It is usual to pass the container with its sleeve through a hot-air tunnel to achieve this shrinkage. PVC begins to shrink at 50-60 oC. and PET-G at 70-80 oC. Hot -air tunnels should be capable of generating air at up to 300 oC.If the sleeve has a printed design, good control of the heat tunnel is needed to ensure an even shrinkage which will cause the minimum of distortion of the design. It is common to pre-distort the print design so it will assume its correct proportions after shrinking has taken place. Viscose Closures is able to pre-distort artwork supplied by its customers.
Shrink-Sleeve Machinery
Contact viscose.closures for advice about application machines and shrink tunnels.