Shrink sleeve applicator machine | Sleever

Packaging machines

The heat-shrinkable plastic sleeve can cover a part or full body of the container, to decorate the container thereby replacing a label or to protect the cap of the container against being opened. After applying the sleeve onto the product, the sleeve must be shrunk using a hot air tunnel. The heat shrinkable sleeve applicator machines can be linear or rotary.

Our automatic shrinkable sleeve applicator machines are capable of applying multiple sleeving types, including:

Over-the-cap sleeves
Full-body
Partial body sleeves
Tamper-evident shrink sleeve
Multi-pack packaging

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Operation steps

Step 1: Containers infeed and indexing

Filled and closed containers are transferred by the infeed conveyor in a single line. After the infeed conveyor, they come into the special compartments in the starwheel and are indexed by it towards sleeving section.

Step 2: Putting a sleeve on the container

In the sleeving section, the sleeve in the form of a tube is fed continuously from above towards the container. It is applied loosely around the neck of the container. In other applications, the sleeve may be applied around a part of the container or the full body of the container.

Step 3: Cutting sleeve

After the sleeve has been applied loosely around the neck of the container to create an over-the-cap sleeve, the special knife located perpendicular to the sleeve tube quickly moves to the sleeve and cuts it. Then the container with the sleeve is indexed by the starwheel to the outfeed conveyor.

Step 4: Heating of shrinkable sleeve

The containers are transferred to the heat shrink tunnel. It has a heating element that heats the containers with a loosely fitted shrink sleeve as they move through the machine. The heat causes the shrinkable sleeve to tightly conform to the body of the product’s packaging.

Step 5: Containers outfeed

After leaving the heat shrink tunnel, the containers with shrunk sleeves are transferred by the outfeed conveyor towards the outfeed rotary accumulation table which is available in different diameters to best suit your specific application.