PDC turned a “difficult” shrink into a (POM) wonderful solution. An irregular shape, deep recessed mid-section and small crown all pose hurdles to achieving a tight, wrinkle-free shrink.  Read how we did it, including how we kept the label anchored at the bottom and finished the neck over the crown on this unique “double ball” bottle.

One key to the product’s identity, and to its ability to succeed in the wildly competitive field of health drinks, has been its distinctive “double-bulb” shaped bottle.  A highly irregular shape, deep recessed mid-section and small crown each posed hurdles to achieving a consistently tight, wrinkle-free shrink.  In addition, all film has a shrinking limit, and this, combined with the need to keep the label anchored at the bottom as the film was laid down over the neck and crown, made this application a great packaging challenge.

PDC turned this “difficult” shrink into a true (POM) wonderful solution by solving two major issues.  To expel trapped air in the bottle’s midsection, vents were made by a PDC R-300 Shrink labeler, allowing air to escape and producing a tight, wrinkle-free shrink.  The neck and crown of POM’s bottle is tiny in comparison to its body, and the smaller section required more heat to shrink than the larger portion.  So, PDC used two identical adjustable steam tunnels, Model KST 80-712, and three temperature controllers.  

Two controllers were place in manual (fixed percentage) mode; the third was set in automatic mode, and automatically adjusts, in real time, to the thermal load of the incoming product.  

The perfect temperature, along with strategic venting, all helped to produce a flawless shrink - and a package that has helped make pomegranate juice a trendy health food worldwide.