Patent ID: 7703263
Filing Date: 2010-04-27
Classification: B65B

Abstract:
1. A method for shrinking a heat shrink film wrapping placed around a palleted stack of items, using at least one heat shrinking apparatus, which apparatus can be made to move in a vertical direction on a supporting frame, comprising the steps of: wrapping said palleted stack of items with heat shrink film wrapping so that the heat shrink film wrapping protrudes on an upper side at least beyond an upper edge of the stack of items and forms an upper shrink formation including a top sheet film, which top sheet film is welded to the heat shrink film wrapping, making hot gases rise upwardly along the sides of the stack of items so as to begin shrinking said heat shrink film wrapping and diverting said hot gases in a direction extending at least approximately parallel to the upper side of the stack of items, preheating said top sheet film, and folding over the upper shrink formation of the heat shrink film wrapping onto the upper side of said stack of items and joining layers of said upper shrink formation, at least in the region of the upper side of the stack of items, by pressing said layers of said upper shrink formation now lying one on top of the other and including the heat shrink film wrapping and the top sheet film onto one another using a combined heat diverting and pressing apparatus, thereby completing an upper shrink wrap of said stack of items.