Radio & High Frequency Welding Services

Radio Frequency / High Frequency welding delivers shaped inflatable and containment products with hermetic seams.

When health and safety is on the line, RF welding ensures a reliable, air tight bond to create essential containment devices. Whether you need to contain liquid, gas or gel, radio frequency welding is the flexible containment solution.   

Contact one of our expert engineers to determine if RF Welding/Sealing is the right solution for your project.
team sealwerks
Miniform

Inflatable Products Welding
Make inflatable products in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Negative pressure wound therapy unit
Bond materials to contain liquids, air, and solids.
HF tube welding
Add ancillary attachments to facilitate product functionality.

Add ancillary attachments to facilitate product functionality.

Also known as radio Frequency and High Frequency Welding, this material bonding process channels electromagnetic energy and pressure to permanently fuse polar thermoplastics together. It is a bed and press type operation that utilizes a specifically shaped electrode which is typically in the configuration of the desired weld.

When the RF energy passes from the upper tooling and through the material the molecules within the parent materials vibrate very rapidly causing the two or more layers of material under the tooling to form a single homogeneous material. An important last step in the bonding process is allowing the newly bonded material to cool under pressure, typically 3-5 seconds. After cooling, the newly bonded area is stronger than the parent material.

The RF-welding process can only be used with materials of a polar molecular construction, the most common being PVC and Polyurethane.

Combining High Frequency Welding together with our ISO Certified Manufacturing process , you get consistent results whether you need 100 pieces or 100,000. Medical equipment like bellows and rebreather system bladders benefit from its clean process that does not employ any adhesives or solvents. 

RF Weld Illustration

Benefits of RF welding

Choose RF welding when you need

  • Consistent quality
  • Clean manufacturing
  • Liquid, air, or solids containment
  • Customized shapes and attachments
  • Seams stronger than the base material
  • Shear tear/splitting resistance

Which products are made with RF welding?

Here are some examples of products constructed using Radio Frequency technology:
  • Inflatable bladders
  • Patient positioning cushions
  • Protective bellows and way covers
  • Flotation devices with inflation tubes
  • Fluid delivery and collection bags
  • Gel-filled therapy pads
  • Plating tank liners

Which materials can be radio frequency welded?

Radio frequency welding creates strong seams using no additional bonding agents. It can be used to fuse a range of flexible materials including: 
  • PVC
  • Polyurethane
  • TPU Coated Nylon / Polyester
  • TPU & TPE films
  • EVA
  • PET & PETG
  • Polyolefin

What Industries use RF welded products?

Industries that benefit from the  Radio Frequency bonding process:
  • Medical
  • Health Care
  • Aviation and Aero Space
  • Safety and Recreation
  • Oil and Gas Industry
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Agricultural
The RF welding process can only be used with materials of a polar molecular construction, the most common being PVC and Polyurethane, although many other coated materials such as polyester are feasible. Other commonly welded materials are EVA, PET and PETG.

Choosing the right sealing process

The best sealing process for any product application is usually determined by the materials being used, the product size and configuration. When you need to use materials/components that are not RF sensitive, Thermal Impulse Welding and Solvent bonding can be an alternative assembly/construction option.

Thermal impulse – heat sealing bonds a wider range of plastic films and plastic coated fabrics than RF/HF Welding, The results and applications are very similar.
Solvent bonding is an effective fusion process for a substantial range of plastics and is widely used on fluids and air containment devices in the medical and health care industries.

Find out if RF welding/sealing is the right solution for your project by contacting one of our engineers.