A heat shrink tunnel applies controlled heat to vacuum-packed products to make the film adhere to the product, eliminating wrinkles and improving appearance. It is the natural complement to automatic vacuum chambers in meat and cold cut packaging lines.
Operating principle
The already vacuum-packed product passes through a chamber where hot air or steam brings the film to shrink temperature (60-100°C depending on film type). The shrink film contracts uniformly, adhering to the product surface. The conveyor speed determines exposure time to heat.
- Shrink films: PVDC, PA/PE, POF multilayer
- Tunnel temperature: 80-160°C depending on film and thickness
- Belt speed: 5-15 m/min adjustable
- Post-tunnel cooling mandatory to fix shrinkage
Applications in food packaging
Shrink tunnels are used almost exclusively in combination with vacuum chambers for cold cuts, semi-aged cheeses, meat and whole sausages. Shrinkage eliminates film wrinkles that would otherwise mask product characteristics and compromise counter presentation.
- Whole cold cuts: hams, coppa, pancetta, shoulders
- Cheeses: provolone, caciocavallo, fontina, asiago
- Meat: whole cuts, roast beef, rolled meat
- Sausages: cotechini, zampone, bundled würstel
In-line integration with automatic chambers
In automatic lines, the tunnel is positioned immediately downstream of the belt vacuum chamber. The product exits the chamber already packed and moves directly into the tunnel without handling. A cooling belt completes the cycle before labelling and boxing.
EMA Pack supplies drying tunnels paired with shrink tunnels: after shrinking, the product is dried with hot air to eliminate surface condensation, essential for label adhesion.
- Heating chamber length: 600-1200 mm
- Belt width: 300-700 mm
- Capacity: up to 20-30 pieces/min depending on size
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