A sealer (bag sealer, heat impulse sealer, heat sealer, hand sealers) uses heat in order to seal a plastic material providing both an air and water tight seal.  There are many types of sealers and choosing the right sealer may be overwhelming without a few basic points.  This page discusses the four key characteristics of sealers to help you determine which best fits your application.

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There are two main types of sealers: (1) impulse heat and (2) direct heat.  We also include vacuum sealers.

• Impulse sealers require no warm up time and seals by applying a pulse of energy to the sealing area, followed immediately by cooling.  Impulse sealers only use power when the jaw is lowered.  We recommend an impulse sealer for any thermoplastic material such as polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) which requires a lower seal temperature.  (Insert picture of hand sealer)

·         Hand sealers can seal poly material up to 10mil thickness.    

·         Foot sealers can seal poly material up to 16mil in thickness.

·         Auto sealers can seal poly material up to 15mil in thickness.

·         Sealers w/cutters seal and trim excess material (tubing) in order to make customized bags. 

• Direct heat sealers maintain constant heat in both jaws.  Direct heat sealers use power as long as the machine is turned on.  As a result, direct heat sealers possess better heat penetration in order to seal thicker material.  We recommend a direct heat sealer for materials such as coated aluminum foil, Kraft paper, cellophane, mylar, coated PP, and other materials. 

• Vacuum sealers remove air from the product before sealing into an impermeable package.  We recommend vacuum sealing in order to prevent oxidation, spoilage or corrosion.  Barrier bags are used because PP and PE bags are both porous and cannot be used for long term storage.

The size of the sealer depends on the width of the material to be sealed.  We usually recommend adding one inch to the width of material to be sealed for easier handling.  Cutters on the sealer usually trim at slightly less than width of the sealer arm.

• Portable sealers are lightweight, handy and versatile.  Sizes, however, are limited.
• Hand sealers are the most simple and economical unit.  The sealing bar is lowered manually.  Sizes are available from 4” to 40” and approximately 6-20 packages can be sealed per minute.
• Foot sealers provide a faster seal than hand sealers.  The sealing bar is pedestal controlled leaving your hands free.  Sizes are available from 12” to 35” and approximately 8-20 packages can be sealed per minute.
• Automatic sealers provide the fastest sealing operation and are ideal for high production jobs.  Automatic sealers feature a pre-set time cycle to allow for a fully continuous automatic operation.  Automatic sealers can also be used with a foot pedal for semi-automatic operation.  Sizes are available from 12” to 24” and approximately 20-50 packages can be sealed per minute.
• Continuous band sealers provide fast sealing operation with an unlimited length.  Several models are available with features such as horizontal seal head, vertical seal head, tilting seal head, left or right feed, gas purging, and/or coding and imprinting

There are two types of heating elements: round or flat which are interchangeable in most sealers. The round wire is mainly used to cut and seal with no excess material above the seal.  Depending on the width of the flat wire element, sealers are available in 2-3mm, 5mm, 8mm, or 10 mm. Some sealers are equipped with two heating elements for faster heat penetration making them ideal for sealing thicker materials.

The all-metal construction of our sealers provides industrial quality strength and ensures lasting durability.  The body is formed out of rugged cast aluminum while the pivot is an all-steel construction.  Most sealers are equipped with a plug-in electronic timer and built-in microswitch.  No warm-up time is needed.  The variable timer let you seal various types and thickness of plastic films.  A signal light and “beep” indicates the heat cycle is complete and the seal is done.

The number in the model number usually indicates the size of the sealer in mm; so 200 points to an 8" sealer while 1000 points to a 40" sealer. The letter in the model number is used to designate the manufacturer and type of sealer.  For example, “H” signifies a hand sealer while an “A” suggests auto sealer.