5 Things to Consider When Buying a Vacuum Sealer

Packaging products involves a dual challenge – highly competitive markets makes it necessary for products/ packaging to appeal to consumers, and packaging must be in compliance with relevant packaging/ labeling regulations.

Keeping on top of continuously changing laws can be both complex and extremely time consuming. Global marketing places continually changing demands of regulatory compliance onto both manufacturers and vendors. Ensuring products pass without problems through customs and preventing potentially costly legal suits make meeting these demands critical.

Investing in a vacuum sealer is a major step towards solving your packaging issues in the most effective manner possible. Naturally, it is essential to carefully assess your requirements before making your decision as to which vacuum sealer to purchase.

Considerations should be based on five main factors, including your actual industry’s specific sealing and packaging needs; the type of products to be packaged; the size of sealer required; packaging volume and the required speed of operation.

In addition to varying sizes and methods of operation, there are currently two types of vacuum sealer on the market, namely constant heat sealers and impulse heat sealers. Finding the right solution to your packaging needs is made easier by comparing performances in light of the above mentioned factors.

Industry-specific Requirements and Type of Product

Every industry is subject to specific rules and regulations with respect to packaging, and the aim of vacuum sealers subsequently varies. Packaging for clothing, for instance, is predominantly required to keep out moisture and present apparel in an attractive manner, whereas food items not only need to be attractively packaged, they also need to be sealed sufficiently to prevent tampering, premature decay and – as is the case with fish, for instance – prevent odors from escaping.

Electronic/ industrial tools and components need to be protected against both moisture and air in order to prevent oxidization, while a vacuum sealer used within a medical environment needs to keep packaged items free from contamination and prevent tampering. In any case, strength and quality of seals are required to be consistent, as is an even appearance.

While constant heat sealers are prone to deterioration of seals, especially during prolonged use, as well as often producing uneven packages, impulse sealers offer consistent quality in both strength and quality of seals, as well as appearance.

Vacuum Sealer Size

Choosing the right size of sealer naturally depends partly on the size of product to be packaged, and partly on available space. Other consideration with regards to this matter include power consumption and the effect of the chosen equipment on space conditioning.

Constant heat sealers, for instance, require continual supply/ use of energy, as well as continually emitting heat into the surrounding environment. This means that AC systems are constantly required to work hard in order to maintain temperatures at acceptable levels in compliance with space conditioning regulations, often resulting in spiraling energy expenses.

Impulse heat sealers, on the other hand, require power and produce heat only when actually in use, meaning not only do they cost less to run in the first place, they also reduce the cost of running AC systems.

Packaging Volume

How many packages need to be sealed in any given day naturally also plays an important role. A confectioner sealing just a few packages a day would, for example, be served sufficiently with a simple table-top vacuum sealer, while a company packaging thousands of bags of raw materials a day would be served better with a long size heater.

Here, too, consistent quality of seals is an important consideration. Long runs often result in over-heating and subsequent deterioration of seals when using a constant heat vacuum sealer. For regular high volume packaging runs,ONPUL impulse heat sealers, which continually monitor and adjust pre-set specific heater temperatures, are the most suitable solution.

Speed of Operation

Operational speed is important for two reasons, the first obviously being the fact that the sooner a package is sealed, the less likely the product/s within is/ are to be contaminated in any way. The second reason consists of the fact that time is money – the longer it takes for products to be packaged, the more labor and energy costs are incurred.

Constant heat equipment invariably requires a period of pre-heating, raising energy costs and leaving staff idling while waiting. An impulse heat vacuum sealer delivers a current to the unit’s heater and generates heat as and when required, and, once the seal has been created, the current stops. This means no waiting times – the sealer is instantly ready for action, significantly reducing packaging times and both incurred energy and labor cost.