Plastic bags are everywhere today and most of them are used mostly once or twice. While plastic isn't as safe for our environment its use is even more concerning. But what if you could use a plastic bag for longer or at least more than once? Enter the world of heat sealers. While these devices are mainly used for packaging purposes they can be used to store items that you would otherwise wrap with some paper.
Well with a heat sealer, you're able to close the opening of a used plastic bag, one that is thick enough, and keep your items safe from bugs, dust and other nuisance. But in the same way, there are different sizes and shapes of plastic bags there are different heat sealers with one of them being an impulse heat sealer.
Impulse Sealers
What Are They?
Although they may look like any other type of plastic heat sealer, an impulse sealer machine works a bit differently than your regular heat sealer. An impulse heat sealer provides heat in a short period of time. This plastic bag heat sealer machine can reach high temperatures quickly so that it can seal plastic bags instantly with a short downtime period.
Benefits
The main benefit of an impulse sealer is that it's quick and easy to work with. The ability to reach high temperatures quickly ensures that you can seal as many bags as humanly possible. Also, the seal is quite stronger than one you'd make with an off-the-shelf heat sealer. But because of their high heat operation, impulse heat sealers can also be used with different types of plastic bags such as PP, PE, Mylar, Tyvek, Polyflex, PU, polyethylene and more.
Important Features to Consider
Sealing Width
The width of an impulse heat sealer will determine its sealing width and thus the size of the plastic bags you'll be able to put use with it. The bigger the impulse sealer is the more versatile it'll be since you'll be able to use it with different-sized bags. But keep in mind that bigger sealers are not necessarily better as they can be bulky which is not something you want if you're going to be moving it from one place to another. Typically, there are sealers with a standard sealing width of 5 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm while you can find some that have as little as 2 to 3 mm of sealing width.
Pressure
The amount of pressure the sealer provides will tell you a lot about how thick of a plastic bag you'll be able to use with it. The stronger the sealing pressures the better the seal is going to be and again the more versatile the sealer is since it can work with more bags than a plastic heat sealer that is not as strong.
Temperature
Another factor that affects the quality of the seal and the versatility of a heat sealer is the temperature levels it can reach. But one that can generate a higher temperature level than what you need isn't always going to be the better option. In fact, you should look for impulse sealers that allow you to adjust the temperature they can operate at.
Dwell Time
Dwell time ties in together with the sealing temperature of a heat sealer since it's the time for which the heating elements of the plastic bag heat sealer machine are in contact with a bag. Sealing depends not only on how high of a temperature is being applied but also on the length of time it's being applied for. Although impulse sealers do this for a short amount of time, even this time can be manipulated. Remember though this is not done to speed up the sealing process.
Speed
To speed up the sealing process you need an impulse sealer that is more capable meaning it can generate higher temperatures a lot quicker. A portable hand impulse sealer can seal between 6 and 20 packages in a minute while one operated by foot can seal between 8 and 20 packages in a minute. Automatic impulse sealers are able to seal between 20 and 50 bags a minute.
How to Use an Impulse Heat Sealer
1. The first thing to do before you even power on your impulse sealer is to select the right tubing for the job.
2. This will depend on the type of plastic bag you'll want to seal. Once you've pulled the tubing through to the length you want you then need to power on the device.
3. With the sealer on adjust the temperatures at which you want to seal the packaging. Then pull down the lever of the device to seal the end of the bag and slide to make the cut.
4. Once one end of the bag has been made properly, place the item you want to seal in it and then use the sealer to seal the other end of the bag. Any excess you see hanging off the bag remove it and you're done.
