If you’re tasked with manufacturing inflatable products, finding the best method for sealing them is high on the list of priorities. Ensuring the air held in the product will not leak is essential, and there are a few different manufacturing methods that can help accomplish this goal. Today, we’ll talk more about why radio frequency welding is a great option for these products.
Examples of Products That Require Air Tight Seams
RF welding is used on a number of different products in many different industries, and when it comes to inflatables, SealWerks is proud to be a quality manufacturer of products such as:
- Water diversion tubes
- Industrial containment products
- Inflatable bladders
- Medical inflatables, such as bags in medical boots that stabilize the body after injury
- Flotation devices that inflate via an inflation tube
- Plating tank liners
Why You Need a Strong Seal
When it comes to the manufacturing process for sealing air filled products, the durable seal is virtually the most important aspect of it. Without strong seals, leaks can develop, compromising safety, among other issues. Airtight sealing is accomplished with the RF welding process, which fuses thermoplastic materials to form a bond that resists wear and tear, ensuring a long lifespan of the products. An inflatable product requires an airtight and pressure-proof seal, so that the inflation properties remain intact for full functionality.
How Airtight Sealing Provides Reliable Bonds
Nonporous materials, such as vinyls and polymer films, are the most popular materials that form these airtight bonds. Electromagnetic welding (RF) and heat-sealing processes effectively fuse the materials together, creating a seam that is stronger than the pieces of material on their own. Radio frequency welding is one of the best methods to use for sealing air filled products, and is done by temporarily destabilizing the entire thickness of the surfaces to be joined, then immediately applying pressure to those surfaces to create a new, fused seam.
These processes typically use tooling dies to create the shape and functionality of the product. Tooling dies are custom made for each product and are designed to be used specifically with either radio frequency welding, high-frequency welding, or dielectric sealing equipment.
Materials Used for Air Tight Sealing
In order to create the strongest seal, certain materials are chosen for their resilience and ability to work with the RF welding or heat sealing process. Some of the materials that are frequently used include thermo-plastic urethanes, polymers, and vinyl. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) materials create a strong and impenetrable seam, which is why it is so frequently chosen for the fabrication of inflatable products. The molecular structure of the materials used in the sealing process must be capable of withstanding a long period of wear and tear, and these types of materials will do just that. With RF welded seams, you can be confident that the seams won’t burst and the inflation properties are consistent and reliable for a long time.
RF welding is an ideal solution when creating seams that need to be airtight—when it comes to air containment solutions, radio frequency provides what you need. You can rely on the seams to be strong enough to inflate, not leak, and last for a long time. Want to know more? Contact SealWerks today for more information.
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