Automatic Bottle Shrink Wrapping Machine: Sleeve Cycle and Film Sizing

Executive summary

An automatic bottle shrink wrapping machine groups bottles into a pack, wraps a sleeve of PE film around it, seals it and shrinks it tight in a heat tunnel. The result is a stable multipack with open bull’s-eye ends, without a carton. Our sleeve shrink bundlers do this at 10–20 or 8–18 packs per minute depending on model. This page covers the cycle, film sizing, the tunnel and the buyer checklist.

Table of Contents

Why sleeve shrink for bottles

A sleeve pack uses film only, no carton or tray, so packaging cost and waste are lower. The PE film shrinks tight to hold the bottles as one unit, and the sealed film keeps caps and necks clean. The open ends of the sleeve act as handles, and the bottles stay visible, which suits retail display.

The wrapping cycle

  1. Group: bottles are collated into the pack pattern on the infeed.
  2. Sleeve: the pack pushes into a curtain of PE film fed from rolls above and below.
  3. Seal and cut: the alloyed sealing knife, Teflon-coated against sticking, seals and cuts the film behind the pack. On the larger SK-080A, a durable “U”-shape alloyed sealing knife with a saw-teeth cutting knife does the same job [manufacturer rating].
  4. Shrink: the pack passes through the heat tunnel on a mesh or roller conveyor, and the film shrinks tight.
  5. Out: the pack cools on the outfeed, ready for palletizing.

A touch screen with PLC and temperature controller sets the sealing time, temperature and conveyor speed. On both machines this is a Siemens colorful touch screen with a PLC and an Omron temperature controller [manufacturer rating].

Model ranges

Item SK-060ABS SK-080A
Max pack size 280 × 180 × 150 mm 420 × 300 × 300 mm
Output 10–20 packs/min 8–18 packs/min
Max film 350 mm wide, 280 mm roll OD 600 mm wide, 280 mm roll OD
Tunnel entrance 1,040 × 355 × 220 mm 1,800 mm long, entrance 600 × 400 mm
Tunnel conveyor steel mesh, Teflon mesh or rollers chains with silicone-coated rods
Power max 8 kW max 20.5 kW
Air 5 bar max confirmed at quote
Working height 850–900 mm confirmed at quote

Both run on 380 V, 50–60 Hz, 3-phase power and use PE shrink film. The SK-060ABS is stainless steel and weighs 600 kg, which suits food and beverage rooms; the SK-080A is carbon steel and weighs 1,050 kg [manufacturer rating]. Film thickness and shrink grade are matched to your bottles and confirmed at quote.

Film width and cut length

Film width ≈ pack width + pack height. For the largest SK-060ABS pack, 180 + 150 = 330 mm, inside its 350 mm film limit (example only). Wider film closes the bull’s-eye; narrower film leaves a bigger opening and a weaker pack.

Cut length ≈ 2 × (pack length + pack height) + seal overlap. For 280 × 150 mm that is 2 × (280 + 150) = 860 mm before overlap (example only). At 15 packs per minute, 15 × 60 = 900 packs per hour use about 0.86 × 900 = 774 m of film per hour. Use that to plan roll changes.

The shrink tunnel

The pack must fit the tunnel entrance with clearance, so check pack height against 220 mm on SK-060ABS or 400 mm on SK-080A. Tunnel speed is variable: slow it for thicker film or cold product, speed it up for thin film. Steel or Teflon mesh suits light, small packs; chains with silicone-coated rods carry heavier bottle bundles without the film sticking. The SK-080A uses internal air circulation to move heated air evenly round the pack [manufacturer rating]. Let packs cool on the outfeed before stacking, so the film sets; the cooling length is confirmed at quote.

Selection checklist

  1. Bottle diameter, height, material (PET, HDPE or glass) and filled weight?
  2. Pack pattern and pack dimensions? Common bottle collations include 1 × 5, 2 × 3, 3 × 4 and 3 × 5 [manufacturer rating].
  3. Output in packs per minute?
  4. Film type and thickness?
  5. Upstream filler and capper speed?
  6. Palletizing after shrink?

Safety

The machine is designed to EN ISO 12100:2010 for risk assessment, EN 415-10 for packaging machine safety and EN 60204-1 for electrical equipment. The sealing knife and hot tunnel are the main hazards, so the sealer is guarded, the tunnel surfaces are insulated, and the panel has an emergency stop.

Engineering FAQ

Q: How fast is it? A: 10–20 packs per minute on SK-060ABS and 8–18 on SK-080A.

Q: What film does it use? A: PE shrink film, up to 350 mm wide on SK-060ABS and 600 mm on SK-080A.

Q: What pack size fits? A: Up to 280 × 180 × 150 mm on SK-060ABS and 420 × 300 × 300 mm on SK-080A.

Q: Can it link to my filling line? A: Yes, the infeed is matched to your filler output, confirmed at quote.

Next step

  1. Send your bottle size, pack pattern and output to info@fhopepack.com.
  2. We size the sleeve wrapper and tunnel.
  3. We reply within 24 hours with a proposal and quotation.

Sources

  • FHOPE product pages: sleeve shrink bundlers SK-060ABS and SK-080A
  • EN ISO 12100:2010; EN 415-10; EN 60204-1

Last reviewed: 2026-10-20

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