Pallet wrappers
Turntable Pallet Wrappers from Whittaker Packaging Solutions
A turntable pallet wrapper is the most common stretch wrap format in Australian warehousing. The load sits on a rotating deck and the film carriage runs up and down a fixed mast as the turntable spins the pallet through the wrap cycle. Reliable, well understood, and right for the large majority of sites wrapping stable loads.
Whittaker Packaging Solutions (WPS) supplies turntable pallet wrappers in semi-automatic and fully automatic configurations across South East Queensland, Toowoomba and Melbourne. We help you decide whether a turntable is the right format for your loads before you buy.
Why WPS
Why a turntable pallet wrapper with Whittaker Packaging Solutions
For 80% of warehousing applications, a turntable wrapper is the right answer. It has the lowest moving-parts count of any stretch wrap format, the smallest footprint per dollar of capacity, and the deepest service knowledge in the Australian market. Parts are common, training is fast, and operators pick it up in a single shift.
Where a turntable isn't the right answer is where we add the most value. Unstable loads, very heavy pallets (above the turntable rating), loads that can't be spun (open totes, liquid product, fragile stacked goods) and high-throughput lines needing wrap cycles measured in seconds usually point to a rotary-arm or robotic unit. We tell you which side of that line you sit on.
How a turntable pallet wrapper works
The mechanics are straightforward. The pallet is loaded onto the turntable (flush via a recessed pit, on a low-profile deck with a ramp for pallet-jack loading, or on a raised deck for forklift loading). The operator clips the film tail to a corner and presses start; the turntable rotates while the film carriage runs up and down the mast. At the end it stops in the home position, and the operator cuts the film and removes the load.
The components that affect performance
Turntable diameter (1,500-2,200 mm typical) and weight rating
Pre-stretch carriage mechanical brake vs power pre-stretch, covered in our buyer's guide
Mast height (determines the maximum wrappable load height)
Rotation speed (variable speed for unstable loads)
Soft start (ramps the turntable up to speed gradually so unstable loads don't shift)
Programmable wrap patterns (top + bottom wraps, dwell time, rope cycles)
Photo-eye for automatic load-height detection
Built-in scales (option, where weight capture matters)
A turntable wrapper handles the large majority of pallet types: standard 1165x1165 Australian pallets, Euro pallets, CHEP, plastic, slip-sheet loads on a deck.
When a turntable wrapper is not the right choice
The honest list of when to look at a different format:
Load weight exceeds the practical turntable rating (most decks rated to 1,500-2,500 kg)
Loads with shifting or liquid product where rotation destabilises the pallet
Throughput requirements above ~80 pallets per shift with no operator dedicated to wrapping
Loads taller than a standard mast can reach (above 2.4-2.8 m)
Lines where pallets cannot be transferred onto a turntable due to layout
For these, look at rotary-arm or robotic pallet wrappers, or talk to us about an inline ring-style automatic wrapper.
Service coverage and backup
Whittaker Packaging Solutions provides full service, preventative maintenance and breakdown support across South East Queensland, Toowoomba and Melbourne. Typical breakdown response is 24-48 hours during business hours, especially in our key service hubs.
Turntable wrappers are the format we hold the most parts for and work on most often. Most common faults (carriage chain wear, photo-eye replacement, brake adjustment, control PCB) are resolved in a single visit.
Talk to us about your loads
Send us your load type, weight, height and current throughput, and we'll tell you honestly whether a turntable is the right format or whether you should be looking at a rotary-arm unit instead.
FAQs
Common questions
A turntable pallet wrapper is a stretch wrap machine where the load sits on a rotating deck and the film carriage runs vertically on a fixed mast. The turntable rotates the pallet through the wrap cycle. It is the most common stretch wrap format in Australian warehousing.
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