Wicketed Poly Bags: Everything You Need to Know
Wicketed Poly Bags: An Overview
Wicketed poly bags have been used to package a wide range of products and their utility and importance continues to increase. Some current applications include packaging baked goods such as bread or buns, packaging produce such as potatoes, apples or oranges, packaging hosiery and garments as well as using them for small mechanical components and for ice cubes. The growth of poly mailer use has been nothing less than phenomenal, tracking directly with the growth of e-commerce. The bags are typically made from polyethylene (PE) and the mailers from a co-extruded PE, manufactured and mounted on wire brackets, most commonly in units of 100-250 to allow easy replacement or removal during the packaging process, whether manual or automated. In general, packaging is trending towards smaller packages for less waste, transparency for consumer confidence and more colorful with highly specialized and intricate graphics. Wicketed poly bags are no exception. With the recent acquisition of the latest equipment to produce wicketed bags and poly mailers and by controlling every aspect of production within our own four walls, LPS Industries is at the forefront of this segment of the industry.
Wicketed Poly Bags: The Technology
At the end of the poly bag and poly mailer production lines, the bags and mailers are hung on a wire or metal bracket (“wicket”) for ease of dispensing during the packaging process. The bags are manufactured with a side weld and a narrow lip containing two punched holes that allow the metal wicket to pass through. Plastic or cardboard washers may be used to secure the stacked bags or mailers to the wicket. When used for packaging as designed, the bags and mailers are typically blown open for filling with a fan, loaded, sealed and then packed in a carton for shipping.
The bags are available in a wide range of sizes and styles and can be designed with perforations, vent holes, punch holes for hanging, tear notches and a tape or zipper closure. The mailers are available with perforations and a hot melt sealing tape. Wicketed poly bags are typically made with linear low-density PE but are also available in polypropylene (PP), high-density PE and other specialized resins. The mailers are typically made from a coextruded polyethylene in a range of gauges, either printed or plain and can contain a window if desired.
Wicketed Poly Bags: The Benefits
The benefits of wicketed poly bags and mailers are typically realized in high yield, efficient packaging processes while also providing diverse options in design specifications and graphics. Wicketed bags are a cost-effective and efficient option designed for use on automated high-speed packaging lines but just as effective if the packaging process is semi-automatic or even manual. Being mounted on wickets also allows for quick turnaround time between jobs. With increased demands on process efficiency, the incorporation of wicketed bags into the packaging process is rapidly becoming the standard for a growing list of products.
Wicketed Poly Bags: Leveraging LPS Capabilities
LPS, as a vertically integrated packaging manufacturer, is in a unique position to leverage their broad and deep experience and capabilities developed over almost 60 years to support their customers’ needs. Whether it is 8 color flexo printing, the need for both wicketed poly bags and wicketed poly mailers or producing custom recloseable poly bags or high barrier flexible packaging, our continuing expansion of and investments in our manufacturing capabilities can support a customer’s complete flexible packaging needs. Examples of our latest capital equipment acquisitions include:
- New Combo Bag/Poly Mailer Lines – Two new product lines of combo poly bag equipment that accommodates heavier material gauges, up to 8 mils. Available closure options include press-to-seal zippers and tape closures while sealing options include hot knife and flat bar. This new equipment also provides high-speed wicketing capabilities.
- New Flexo Printing Press –This allows for greater overall efficiency and print capability while ensuring continuity of operations. Our new press can be used on a wide range of substrates and can print up to eight process colors. The additional printing capability can be incorporated with the combo bag/poly mailer machine to provide a creative, colorful and visually compelling graphics story.
The new technology we’ve added since the end of 2017 positions us where we want and need to be to ensure we are able to continue to deliver the consistent, timely and reliable printing, laminating, coating, slitting, zipper extrusion and converting activities our customers have come to rely upon to do for almost 60 years.
