How To Seal Plastic Bags
Why a Bag Sealer Should be Implemented Into Your Manufacturing Line
Incorporating bag sealing equipment into your manufacturing line is one of the fastest ways to increase the efficiency and quality of your product. Sealer equipment uses heat and pressure to tightly seal bags, packaging, and other thermoplastic materials. For commercial use, or for those looking to commercialize, it’s vital that your business have a bag sealer. Bag sealers are commonly used across a multitude of industries to move processes along as smoothly as possible while also maximizing output and profits. If you’re thinking about beginning the automation process or are in need of an equipment update, we recommend reading through this article or reaching out to one of our subject matter experts who can answer any specific questions you may have.
- Benefits of Using a Bag Sealer
- Types of Bag Sealers
- Common Bag Types that are Supported
- Common Styles of Bags
Benefits of using a Bag Sealer
In addition to automating the bagging portion of your production process, bag sealers offer a full range of other benefits. By using bag sealing equipment, some models give you access to printing/embossing dates or lot code information which increases traceability should there ever be a recall in production. Other models can increase a product's shelf life by introducing vacuum and/or gas into the bags.
At SIGMA Equipment, we know how essential it is to hermetically seal your products, especially in the food and pharmaceutical industries. That’s why we offer sealing equipment that can give your equipment a proper seal every time.
Types of Bag Sealers
There are several different types of bag sealers and to go into more depth, these sealers can either be automatic or semi-automatic. Automatic bag sealers automatically tuck flaps and seal the bag or pouch, while semi-automatic bag sealers require an individual to manually feed bags into the sealer to close the bag and tuck flaps.
Jaw Sealer/Direct Heat Sealer - uses constant heat through bars and is better suited to thicker materials. Typically used for materials that do not require a cooling period. Seal widths can vary from 10mm to 15mm. These types of sealers can be automatic or foot pedaled for manual use.
Impulse Sealer - uses a short burst of electricity through a heating wire to fuse the opening of a bag. It doesn’t require any warm-up time and can be used on all pouches. Due to the heating and cooling under pressure, this sealer produces clean seals. Seal widths can vary from 2mm to 10mm. These sealers can be automatic, foot pedaled, or hand-operated. To learn more, see the video below:
Glue Sealer - uses a hot melt to increase the strength of bags and production time. Using a glue sealer is very versatile because the glue can be used on any type of bag material. The bags for this machine can be fed automatically or manually. To see one of our examples, review the video below:
Continuous Band Bag Sealer - heats up the top of a plastic bag and presses the top of it together with a band that carries the bag forward while sealing it. This sealer is designed to seal thermoplastic material. These machines are ideal for high-volume packaging and sealing. To see one of our examples of the category, review the video below:
Vacuum Bag Sealer - uses a vacuum pump to create an airtight seal around a product. There are two types of vacuum sealers, chamber and nozzle/snorkel. The chamber vacuum sealer works best for those products that are extremely oxygen-sensitive and all of the pressurizing happens inside the chamber, making the process fully automatic. The nozzle/snorkel sealer is faster and typically easier to operate.
Plastic Clip, Tie, Stable and Tape Bag Sealer - this encloses bags with a plastic clip or tape and is commonly used for bags that package bread bags/ bakery goods. These types of sealers can be automatic, semi-automatic, and hand-applied. Plastic clip bag sealers can also include a coder to print details directly onto the clip. A tape bag sealer gathers the opening of the bag and wraps a piece of tape around the bag to form a seal. A staple bag sealer applies a staple to the bag opening.
Sewing and Stitching Bag Sealer - this machine works by having bags fed into a sewing machine, it then automatically starts stitching and once finished, cuts the thread. A plain sewing machine has a bag fed into it by a person, and the machine automatically starts stitching.
How to Choose the Right Bag Sealer for You
The type of bag sealer you will need depends on the bag material, style, weight, size production speeds required, and thickness. Bag sealers can either seal premade bags or form fill seal bags as they seal each closure. Premade bags are ready to be filled and fully formed bags that don’t require any assembly. Form fill seal bags come as roll stock and have to be formed into pouches before they can be filled. Bags can be made out of a variety of different materials such as plastic, paper, cotton, and other fabrics. Different seals are appropriate for different types of bags. A bag seal can be sewn, glued, or heated and pressure shut. Generally, cotton or other fabric is sewn, whereas paper is glued, and plastic is heated and pressure shut.
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Common Bag Types that are Supported
Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) - Provides strong protection and is commonly used in drink bottles. Typically it is transparent and very tough.
Polypropylene (PP) - This is widely used in products such as auto parts, bottle caps, drink cups, and more.
Polylaminate - Designed to resemble the looks and characteristics of tin. Typically used as an outer layer of packaging.
Poly-coated Paper - Made up of paper or cardboard with a plastic layer. This is commonly used in food and drink packaging.
Tyvek - Is flash spun high-density polyethylene fibers and is a synthetic material.
Foil/PE Laminate - Can be used on a variety of materials to help enhance the product’s integrity. Can be used on the interior of packaging.
Nylon - A silky material that can be melt-processed into shapes, fibers, or films.
Common Styles of Bags
Pillow - This is a common method used for packaging products and is made by filling plastic into a pillow shape with flattened sides on both ends to contain the air.
Pouch - Used as a flexible packaging product typically made with a barrier filed foil and spout and cap fitments that support flowable liquid contents or products. They are designed to be flexible for the needs of the consumer and vary in size to fit a large variety of products.
Slider - Also known as a zipper storage bag, is usually made of polyethylene or similar plastic and can be sealed and opened multiple times from the top.
Stand Up - Plastic bags that are made up of flexible packaging that allow them to stand up on their own.
Wicketed - Plastic bags that are stacked and held together by a wire wicket.
Laminate - Bags that are made up of a variety of materials that are laminated together in order to create a protective structure.
Pinch Top - Has pre-applied to its top and as the bag is pulled through the pinch sealer, hot air or rollers melt the glue. The bag top is then folded over and squeezed together, sealing the bag closed.
Double Roll - This closure trims the top of the bag, folds it once, and then applies a pre-measured bead of hot melt adhesive just below the first fold. It then securely seals it with a second fold to provide a clean finished look.
Once you determine the type of bag sealer and what kind of bag you need for your product, implementing this piece of equipment in your production will streamline your processes and produce more quantities of product at a higher quality. Should you need assistance with setting up your equipment or integrating it into your production line, our shop services are available for your next project.
If you are thinking about upgrading your production needs with a new bag sealer, our sales team at SIGMA Equipment has the knowledge to help you figure out which type of bag sealer is best suited for you. Click the link below to get in touch with one of our team members and learn more about bag sealers.