Heat Sealers

What is a HEAT SEALER?

A HEAT SEALER (ex. bag sealer, heat impulse sealer, direct heat sealer, hand sealers, et al.) is a machine that is used to seal plastic material using its namesake, heat. There are several types of sealers for consumers to choose from, so many in fact that the selection process may be overwhelming to those unfamiliar with the devices. But don’t worry, on this page we’ll outline the basic points that will help you select the proper heat sealer for the job at hand. Before selecting a sealer, it is vital that you have a sense of the material that will be sealed. Be aware of the material’s thickness and width figures as this will expedite the selection process and ensure that the sealer you purchase is suitable for your material. There are four key characteristics of sealers that should be taken into account in order to ensure a proper selection: FUNCTION, SIZE, SPEED, and HEATING ELEMENTS.

SEALER FUNCTIONS There are two main types of heat sealers: IMPULSE HEAT and DIRECT or CONSTANT HEAT.
IMPULSE HEAT SEALERS apply a pulse of energy to the sealing area followed immediately by the cooling process thus these devices require no warm-up time. These types of sealers only use power when the jaw is lowered and are highly recommended for use with any thermoplastic material, such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP), which require lower seal temperatures than other materials. Impulse sealers are recommended for a variety of other common thermoplastic materials including, but not limited to: Polyethylene, Polyurethane, Polyvinylchloride, Pilofilm, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Saran, Nylon, bubble packs, padded mailers, foil, coated bags, Kel-F, Polyflex, Mylar, and Tyvek (NOTE: The listed materials are not ideal for products that are intended for long-term storage, see VACUUM SEALERS below). There are a variety of impulse sealers available to suit the consumer’s specific needs:

HAND SEALERS can seal poly material up to 10mil in thickness.
PEDESTAL/FOOT-TYPE SEALERS can seal poly material up to 15mil in thickness.
AUTO SEALERS can also seal poly material up to 15mil in thickness.
DOUBLE IMPULSE SEALERS (available in automatic and foot options) can seal poly material up to 20mil in thickness (ideal for heavy duty applications).
SEALERS WITH CUTTERS can seal and trim excess material (tubing) in order to make customized bags.

Impulse sealers are easy to use (no warm-up time), economical (electricity is only used when the jaw is lowered during the sealing process), and safe (no component of these devices is always hot). See below for the standard features available on all of our impulse sealers.

DIRECT HEAT SEALERS (also known as CONSTANT HEAT SEALERS) maintain constant heat in both of the device’s jaws. They use heat as long as the machine is turned on and, as a result, direct heat devices provide better heat penetration when sealing thicker materials. A direct heat sealer is recommended for materials such as coated aluminum foil, poly cell films, gusset bags, coated Kraft papers, waxed paper, cellophane, mylar, coated PP, and other materials of a significant thickness.

ADDITIONAL SEALERS
The following sealers are also available for job-specific applications:
VACUUM SEALERS remove air from the product before sealing into an impermeable package, thus preventing oxidation, spoilage, or corrosion. Barrier bags are used because PP and PE bags are both porous and cannot be used for long-term storage.
CLAMSHELL SEALERS are used for welding clamshell packaging.