This article by www.plastemart.com is an extract from a paper presented by Mark Love of Atkinson Candy Co., USA. This adapted version would be of immense value to confectionery manufacturers as it illustrates the various areas which need to be examined before selecting a film for its efficiency and overall film costs.

This paper examines the common types of twist wrap films for individual piece packaging of items such as toffees, hard boiled sweets and chocolates. The films discussed are coated cellophane, cast polypropylene, PVC and HDPE.

The factors which need to be considered are:

	Packaging Film Cost - Film Yield; Cost / Kilo basis.
	Required Film Thickness - Needs to be used for product protection and machine adaptibility
	Film Wrap Efficiency - film used-miswraps= efficiency film used
	Machineability - This term defines how well a film moves through a wrapping machine. Continuous movement of the film through the machine is very important. If the film jams frequently, productivity would be affected.

Film Characteristics -

	Reduced Coefficient of Friction (C.O.F); the resistant force between two surfaces sliding on each other; can be acheived if the film suppliers assist by offering the right film.
	The movement of wrapped candy on conveyors as well as through packaging equipment. Some films tend to stick each other as they are vibrated. Equipment modifications may be necessary to overcome this problem.
	Other physical and performance characteristics of the twist wrap films such as water vapour transmission, moisture barrier, oxygen transmission, appearance and environment compatibility are also important attributes.

Cast polypropylene is favoured due to its improved transparency, high gloss and low friction. A new film based on polylactic (PLA) polymer produced from reneweable resource-corn, has become recently available. The producer claims it to be cost effective to other twist wrap films. The PLA film is said to possess high clarity and gloss, good dead fold and barrier properties and most important of all - biodegradability. This should appeal to the environmentalists.

In the domestic scenario, large business houses such as Cadbury's Parry, Parle, Ravalgaon, NP, Halls, Morton purchase twist wrap films for packaging toffees, hard boiled sweets and chewing gums. They prefer to use transparent twist wrap films such as BOPP Cast PP, Cellophone and Metallised Polyester. The unorganised sector on price consideration, prefers to utilise PVC/HMHDPE films and wax coated paper.