Stretch Wrap 101: Cast vs Blown Stretch Wrap

When making the comparison of cast vs blown stretch wrap, there are many elements to consider. Do you known what cast plastic stretch wrap is, how it performs, and what applications it works best for? What about blown stretch film wrap?

BASCO wants to help you make the right decision based on your needs.

CAST STRETCH FILM

What Does Cast Mean for Stretch Wrap?

A cast stretch wrap is stretch film wrap that is created by feeding a sheet of heated resin along with a rolling path with chilled rollers that then solidifies the film. It is then made into large rolls.

The Perks

• Cast stretch wrap film is an industry leader as a general purpose wrap: Represents the other 70-80% of stretch film manufacturing according to general industry estimates
• Resists tears and punctures
• Has clarity to see wrapped products
• Quietly unwinds
• Flexible in application, less force to stretch: Plastic stretch wrap stretches up to 300%
• Smooth unwinds and consistent for better, tighter wrapping
• Clings better than blown stretch wrap film

Cast Stretch Wrap Applications

• Ideal for various tasks

And What About the Cling?

One Sided Cling Cast Film Wrap

• The one clinging side on the inside of the roll faces the load
• Allows separate individual pallets to be stored by one another without any damage to either pallet
• Ideal for various applications

Differential Cast Film Wrap

• Means two sides of cling on the roll of film, but with a higher cling on one side
• Offers the highest tack possible out of the cast stretch film varieties for maximum load holding power
• Ideal for manual warehouse applications and replacing standard grade films

Two sided cling allows the wrap to stay securely wrapped.

For those who like a visual breakdown, let's unwrap cast stretch film:

BLOWN STRETCH FILM

What is Blown Stretch Wrap?

By blowing heated resin out vertically into a bubble that is then transformed into rolls while the blown stretch wrap is cooled by the surrounding air

The Perks

• Blown stretch film rolls have extremely high load holding capacity
• Very hard to tear: Even for sharp edged products with its bi-directional tear resistance
• Ideal for irregular cartons and shorter loads

Here's a quick summary on blown stretch film:

The Differences

Blown vs cast stretch wrap...The good thing is that regardless of which wrap you go with, both offer money saving pre-stretch performance, effective load containment, and can handle a range of applications.

So, what's really the difference in this debate of cast or blown stretch wrap as your stretch film selection?

Maybe a comparison and two videos will help:

Blown Stretch Film:

• Higher tear resistance for loads with sharp edges
• Higher stretch capacity and higher memory once stretched for better secured loads
• Higher load capacity
• Noisy unwind
• Hazy and dull due to crystallization in manufacturing process

Cast Stretch Film:

• Less expensive due to less manufacturing process costs
• Higher levels of "cling" (how the film 'sticks' to itself)
  
• More consistency and flexibility
• Quieter unwind
• Clearer & shinier on a load to see wrapped products better

This concludes the breakdown about the two stretch film types to help you make the right choice. And that's a wrap! Get to wrapping your pallets of empty pails and drums like 55 gallon salvage drums,