Orion Delivers Premium Stretch Wrapping Technology

A flexible freight solution

In today’s global marketplace, products often travel quite a distance from the warehouse to the point of sale. Merchandise in transit is subject to many hazards like moisture, rough handling, or improper storage.

To prevent damage, most businesses unitize their products by placing them on pallets and wrapping them with layers of plastic film. Stretch wrap, a thin plastic film, keeps the product in place by applying tension. The stretch wrap also helps protect the products from dust, water, and other potential contaminants. And while more layers of stretch wrap can better protect a pallet of product (up to a point), using more stretch wrap quickly drives up shipping costs and increases plastic waste.

“Shipments that are damaged in transit get shipped back to the sender, where they must be repalletized, rewrapped, and reshipped,” says Pat Pownall, Director of Sales at Orion Packaging. “That can cost anywhere from $700 per pallet to upwards of $5000 per pallet.”

As there was a growing need for this solution, Orion Packaging needed a reliable and consistent partner for the control system on their premium line of machinery. The company decided to integrate Rockwell Automation controls into its Flex line of high-quality stretch wrappers.

Effective, Repeatable Performance

To help its customers control stretch wrap usage—by far the most expensive part of the process—the machines in the Flex line are designed to wrap pallets of product quickly and efficiently – while using the least amount of stretch film:

• The S-Carriage InstaThread Pre-Stretch Film Carriage pre-stretches film by up to 260% before application. This significantly reduces the amount of film needed – driving down costs and reducing waste.
  
  
• The Orion RevoLogic™ technology uses tooth counting technology and load-height sensing photo-eyes to apply the precise number of wraps needed to secure the product.
  
  
• The Controls System, designed in partnership with the Rockwell Automation Configured Solutions Business (CSB) uses a Micro850® PLC, PowerFlex® 525 drive, PanelView™ 800 graphic terminal, and Stratix® Ethernet switch. The controls system is easy to use, set up, maintain, and repair. 

The result? A premium line of stretch wrappers that are reliable and easy to use for both operators and maintenance staff.

“If we tell the Flex pallet wrapper to put three wraps on the top and three wraps on the bottom, that’s exactly what you will get: three wraps. Other technologies read a ‘home’ position, which would apply three wraps plus some excess,” Pat explains.

This consistency also applies to the pre-stretch. According to Pat, “The stretch wrapper does the same job every time a pallet is brought to it. If you’re stretching the wrap by hand, you might get a 40% pre-stretch in the morning, and by the time the afternoon comes around, you’re getting somewhere in the vicinity of only 20% pre-stretch. Machine-based stretching is more effective and consistent – it gives you a 260% pre-stretch every time.”