Right-sizing has come to another area in packaging.

The outside of the new Arpac ECO shrink tunnel is about half the size of a typical system. And it’s cool to the touch for operator safety, as marketing and creative director Mary Pence, demonstrates in the picture.

But it’s the innovation inside that steals the show. The heaters, which take just three minutes to come up to temperature (increasing uptime), create a shrink-film bundle with a “pristine” bullseye, according to the company. The system is able to do this because of how it controls the temperature and air flow.

An inner section of the machine adjusts to the width of the pack being run. So the size of the tunnel shrinks to conform to the pack size. This minimizes the amount of heat needed because you don’t have to heat an oversized space in a tunnel and blow the air all around.

The range of adjustment you need (from smallest to largest pack width) can be built into the system. A simple hand-crank with an inch-counter moves the inner part of the system in or out. All blowers are localized for where they are needed for maximum heat efficiency. There are three pairs of blowers: at the front, the back and the bottom for the lap seal. Uniform heat also minimizes print distortion on final bundle for good-looking graphics.

See this at Pack Expo International (Nov. 2-5; McCormick Place, Chicago) in the Arpac Booth S-2948.