A turntable stretch wrapper is a pallet-wrapping machine that places the load on a rotating circular platform and applies stretch film around it as it spins. A film carriage raises and lowers alongside the load, wrapping it in overlapping layers to hold the products together for storage and transit. It is one of the most common types of stretch wrapping equipment in warehouses and manufacturing facilities.
If you’re comparing wrapping equipment, the turntable is usually the first machine you’ll see. Below is a look at how it works, the loads it handles best, where it runs into limits, and how to tell whether a turntable or an orbital wrapper is the right fit for your operation.
How Does a Turntable Stretch Wrapper Work?
A turntable wrapper follows the same basic cycle whether it’s semi-automatic or fully automatic:
- Load the pallet. A forklift or pallet jack sets the palletized load onto the turntable.
- Attach the film. The operator ties or clamps the stretch film tail to the load.
- Start the cycle. The turntable rotates the load while a film carriage travels up and down, applying film in overlapping layers around the sides of the load.
- Apply and cut. Once the load is covered top to bottom, the turntable stops and the film is cut and secured.
- Remove the load. The wrapped pallet is lifted off the turntable and staged for shipping or storage.
Most turntable wrappers use an adjustable pre-stretch system that elongates the film before it’s applied, which stretches each roll further and reduces film cost per load.
What Loads are a Turntable Stretch Wrapper Best For?
A turntable wrapper is a strong, cost-effective choice when your loads are predictable. It tends to be the right fit for:
- Uniform, boxed, or palletized loads that are stable on their own.
- Standard pallet footprints and heights that sit comfortably within the turntable’s size and weight limits.
- Stable loads that won’t shift when rotated, since the machine spins the product to apply film.
- Steady, repeatable volume, where the same load type moves through the wrap station again and again.
- Operations with the floor space for the turntable and safe forklift access around it.
For a warehouse or plant shipping consistent, well-behaved loads, a turntable wrapper is fast, familiar, and economical.
Where a Turntable Stretch Wrapper Reaches its Limits
Because a turntable works by rotating the load, its strengths become limits when the load isn’t stable or standard. It’s worth weighing these before you buy:
- Unstable or top-heavy loads can shift, lean, or topple when the turntable spins them.
- Long, oversized, or overhanging loads may not fit within the turntable’s diameter.
- Very heavy loads can exceed the platform’s weight capacity.
- Side-only film application secures the products to each other and to the sides of the pallet, but it doesn’t wrap underneath the pallet, so the load isn’t fully locked to the pallet deck.
Turntable vs. Orbital Stretch Wrapper: What’s the Difference?
The two machines wrap on different axes, and that changes what each one is best at.
A turntable stretch wrapper rotates the load on a spinning platform and applies film around the sides. It’s ideal for standard, stable, boxed loads at steady volume.
An orbital stretch wrapper, like the TAB Wrapper Tornado, keeps the load on the forklift and passes it through a rotating ring that applies film 360 degrees around and under the pallet. Because it wraps beneath the pallet deck, it locks the product and the pallet together into one secure, stable, unitized load. That makes orbital wrapping the better fit for loads that are long, heavy, oddly shaped, unstable, or that must be fully secured to the pallet for transit.
Meet the TAB Wrapper Cyclone
For operations whose loads are a good fit for turntable wrapping, TAB now offers one: the TAB Wrapper Cyclone, a semi-automatic turntable stretch wrapper built for real-world industrial use and made in the USA at TAB Industries’ headquarters in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Here’s why customers choose the Cyclone:
- Up to 20 loads per hour, one of the fastest turntable wrappers in its class, to keep high-volume lines moving.
- Walk-away operation. An integrated photo eye sensor detects load height so the operator can step away during the wrap cycle.
- Adjustable film stretch from 20% to 150%. Dial in the right tension for every load to maximize film efficiency and load containment.
- Low-profile, heavy-duty turntable. At just 3¼ inches high and 60 inches in diameter, it’s easily accessed by forklift or pallet jack.
- Touchscreen control panel with diagnostics. Simple to operate, with real-time feedback and adjustable wrap parameters.
- Handles loads up to 4,000 lbs, with heavy-duty steel construction built to last.
How the Cyclone works:
- The operator places the loaded pallet on the turntable using a forklift or pallet jack.
- The photo eye sensor reads the load height (24 inches or taller) and the operator starts the wrap cycle from the touchscreen panel.
- The turntable rotates at up to 12 RPM while the film carriage travels up and down, applying stretch film in a consistent spiral pattern.
- The machine completes the cycle automatically, and the operator removes the wrapped pallet, ready for storage or shipment.
Cyclone specs at a glance:
- Model: TAB-CYCLONE
- Max load size: 52″ x 52″ x 110″
- Load capacity: 4,000 lbs
- Film width: 20″
Which Stretch Wrapper is Right for Me?
Use this quick guide to point you in the right direction:
Not sure where your loads fall? Compare wrapper types side by side in our stretch wrapper comparison guide, or request a free demo, and we’ll help you find the right TAB Wrapper for your operation.
Find the Right TAB Wrapper for Your Loads
Whether you run standard pallets or long, heavy, and awkward loads, TAB has a machine built for the job, made in the USA and backed by service-driven support. Not sure whether the Cyclone or the Tornado is right for your operation? We’ll help you find the perfect fit.
Call us at (610) 921-0012 or request a quote today.