How to use coreless stretch film: handles, dispensers and wrapping machines

What is different about a coreless roll

A coreless roll is wound without a paper core, so the whole roll is film, with a hole in the middle where the core would have been. Without a core there is nothing for a handle or a wrapper to hold on to, so the tool has to take over the core's job: hold the roll firmly from the inside and let it turn evenly.

By hand: handles and dispensers

A coreless hand roll needs a reusable handle or dispenser in its centre hole. The handle makes the roll easy to hold by hand, and it lets you use the last metres of film efficiently. Two points make the difference:

• A well-designed handle. Whether the film runs smoothly to the end, without tearing or damage, depends on the design of the handle.
• The right diameter. The handle must match the roll's inner diameter. Coreless rolls from Öncümak's CR-1700 have a 50 or 76 mm inner diameter, so ask your customers which handles they use.

Film producers also offer small coreless rolls with a matching mini dispenser for smaller packages and mobile work.

On a pallet wrapping machine

Coreless rolls are also used on pallet wrapping machines. Instead of a paper core, the roll sits on a reusable adapter that fits the wrapper's film carriage. POLIFILM, a German film producer, describes its coreless machine film as suitable for all common wrapper types with its matching reusable adapter, with no retrofitting needed.

Before switching, check with the film supplier which adapter fits your wrapper, and keep a few adapters in stock: they are reused from roll to roll.

Handling and storage

• Protect the inner layers. With no core, the inside of the roll is film. Push the handle or adapter in straight, without forcing it.
• Protect the edges. As with any roll, a dropped coreless roll can get damaged edges that tear later; see why stretch film breaks.
• Use it to the end. There is no core to throw away, so the last metres are film you have paid for.

Why it is worth it

• No core waste: nothing to collect or dispose of after use.
• You pay for film: the whole roll weight is film, so compare prices per kilogram of net film.
• More compact: POLIFILM notes that, without cores, more stretch film fits on each pallet in storage and transport.

For producers

Coreless rolls have to be wound at a controlled tension so that they keep their shape without a core. The CR-1700 winds coreless rolls with a 50 or 76 mm inner diameter at up to 1200 mt/min, with a capacity of up to 120 tons per month, and can also divide a jumbo roll into two equal coreless rolls.