This animation with twin views in two dimensions shows operation of a fully automatic shrink hood type pallet wrapper incorporating a gripper frame to pull the formed hood down and over the pallet load and a shrink frame to direct hot air which shrinks the film tightly around the load. In this example the hood is formed above the stationary pallet load from a reel of tubular film located at low level. Vacuum pads grip each side of a sheet of film suspended from the feed rollers and move outwards to form the hood while the rollers feed the required length of film which is cut and welded immediately below the rollers. The gripper frame moves up to the formed hood. Hooks in the frame move outward, gripping the hood which is pulled down over the load. At the same time the pallet load is raised from the conveyor allowing the gripper frame to pull the hood down to pallet level. At the base the hooks withdraw from the hood and move outward allowing the gripper frame to rise.

On the upward stroke the shrink frame directs hot air generated by gas burners or electric elements on to the hood. The load discharges when the frames clear the load. The feed rollers pull film down for the next cycle.

In another configuration, called a parachute machine, an inverted open hood is formed at low level and transferred by a swinging frame up and over the load. This type of machine requires a separate shrink frame unit or shrink oven downstream.

This type of machine is capable of high rates of production, typically for loads conveyed directly from a group of palletizing machines.

The machine shares many features with the illustrated stretch hood pallet wrapper.