Boost Performance with 3 Heat Sealing Tape Tips
While it might be one of the quieter steps in a production line, heat sealing is essential for maintaining the integrity of a final packaged good. Critical to a variety of different industries, including medical device production, food processing, and consumer goods, this process requires speed, consistency, accuracy and cleanliness. A weak or inconsistent seal can lead to contamination, reduced shelf life, or even serious health and safety concerns.
It should come as no surprise that the process of heat sealing is widely used within most types of packaging, including medical device packaging, snack bag packaging, stand-up pouches, and within coffee liners, just to name a few.
Heat sealing is a manufacturing process that is used to successfully fuse one thermoplastic to another through the application of both heat and pressure. A heat-sealing machine, which has a heat source embedded within a platen, applies pressure and extreme temperatures to the plastic sheets or films, bonding them along seams to form a sealed package. To do this reliably, most systems are reliant on heat sealing tapes, which can protect the platen from molten plastic. The right sealing tape is vital for extending equipment life, improving a manufacturing line’s performance, and reducing the need for maintenance. And PTFE films have been a go-to for decades due to both durability at high temperatures and excellent release properties.
Across industries, there are three different types of heat sealing that are typically used. These include:
- Impulse sealing, which uses a quick pulse of electricity to heat a sealing wire. It is an energy efficient process and often utilized in medical and cleanroom environments.
- Hot bar sealing, which applies constant heat via a metal bar, suited for thicker or multilayer films, such as those used in pharmaceutical blister packs.
- Continuous band sealing, which involves moving materials through heated bands or belts. This process is perfect for high-volume production lines in food or consumer packaging.
In recent years, however, heat sealing manufacturers are being asked to consider not just performance, but sustainability too. With rising scrutiny around PFAS materials (including PTFE) manufacturers are now asking not only how to seal better, but how to do it in a way that better aligns with long-term regulatory and environmental goals.
In this story, let’s explore 3 essential strategies to improve heat sealing efficiency, while preparing for a more sustainable future.
1. Choose a Tape that Protects Equipment and Maximizes Uptime
Selecting the right heat-sealing tape is one of the most effective ways to improve packaging line efficiency. To maximize uptime, operators need to choose products that are resistant to high temperatures, can last repeated cycles, do not damage the platen, and can be easily removed. These durable, heat-resistant materials are often made from PTFE film or fabric and coated with silicone adhesive. They are used to cover heat bars or platens in sealing equipment. By preventing packaging films from sticking to hot surfaces during sealing, these materials help to maintain smooth, repeatable operation and extend the life of the sealing equipment.
But, what else should be considered?
A heat-sealing tape needs to effectively act as a barrier between the hot platen and the plastic to protect equipment and ensure clean, non-stick sealing. Using the right tape can drastically improve uptime. Tapes with reinforced backings and premium adhesives withstand repeated heat cycles, resist tearing and make changeouts fast and clean. With fewer stoppages and longer tape life, manufacturers benefit from better line efficiency, more consistent seals and maximum productivity for their equipment.
2. Understand the Properties that Drive Performance
Not all heat-sealing tapes are created equal.
So, what are some key properties of ideal heat-sealing tapes that ensure efficiency and trouble-free operation in demanding industrial environments? Let’s explore.
For optimal performance in demanding industrial environments, tapes must offer a combination of dimensional stability, tensile strength, and thermal conductivity. These properties help maintain consistent pressure and heat transfer during the sealing process.
Equally important are surface characteristics. A good heat sealing tape should offer low friction and high abrasion resistance so that sheets can glide smoothly without sticking or tearing. Additionally, they require low wettability to resist molten plastic buildup, high peel strength to stay securely in place and outstanding temperature resistance to withstand repeated heat cycles without failure. Together, these attributes make heat sealing tapes indispensable in high-speed, high reliability packaging operations.
Our Saint-Gobain® teams understand that different tapes offer varying levels of thicknesses, temperature resistance, adhesive strength and backing materials. Connect with our team to explore our comprehensive range of heat sealing tapes that can meet your specific process requirements. Whether you need higher durability or a precise adhesive placement, or custom configurations, our teams have you covered when off-the-shelf products don’t meet your needs.
3. Plan Ahead with Non-PFAS Alternatives
While PTFE and other fluoropolymers have long been the industry standard for heat sealing applications, increasing regulatory pressures on PFAS materials have been encouraging many companies to seek alternatives.
Sometimes, options such as silicones can be effective in applications up to 500ᵒC. However, in applications that exceed these temperature requirements, PTFE still outperforms. Additionally, silicones are not as slippery as PTFE and tend to grab more in a sliding application. To address this, we incorporate high-temperature fillers into our silicone materials to reduce friction and improve sliding performance.
Because many customers such as those who are heat sealing food and medical packaging prefer tapes that do not use PTFE, our teams have been actively working on a new generation of non-PFAS sealing tapes. To future-proof your operation today, start transitioning to non-PFAS alternatives today, which are specially designed to maintain performance while reducing environmental impact. When the focus is sustainability, compliance, and long-term process resilience, reach out to our team to obtain non-PFAS samples that can be tested. We’re ready to work together to help you understand where our future-ready heat-sealing materials will work best and optimize your non-PFAS tape selection so that you don’t have to compromise on performance in your unique operating environment.
We have non-PFAS films and tapes that can be trialed in heat sealing applications. For more information, please contact Richard Austin (1-518-894-5326, [email protected]).
We are working with companies in the food packaging and medical markets in Europe & North America to modernize their heat-sealing processes. Our tests have been performed on countertop, hand-operated heat sealers as well as on mass production high speed, automated heat-sealing equipment. These customers are interested in moving away from PTFE materials just as many non-stick frying pan manufacturers have moved away from PTFE in food applications. Our customers have been very excited to have options that address their product stewardship and supply chain stability concerns.
With packaging processes becoming faster, cleaner, and more tightly regulated, every component, including your sealing tape, need to work harder. Whether you are looking to increase throughput, maximize performance, cut maintenance costs, or transition away from PFAS materials, our team is ready to help you seal smarter and stay ahead of future demands.