How to Seal Mylar Bags for Food Storage

Tips for Sealing Bags

How to Seal Mylar Bags for Food Storage

Sealing your mylar bags after loading them is the critical last step before your bulk product is ready to leave your facility and journey to your customer. If your printed mylar bags are not properly or adequately sealed, your product could fall out of its container or prematurely go stale in the pantry, neither of which is ideal for your customer.

Types of Food Storage Sealing Options 

When it comes to properly (and professionally) sealing mylar storage bags for storing
long-term, there are four different options: impulse sealing, direct heat sealing, band sealing, or chamber vacuum sealing. Each has its own pros and cons, which you can learn more about below.
Manual Heat Sealing Packing Machine for Plastic Bag Heat electric sealing machine impulse sealer

Impulse Seal

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Impulse seals are inexpensive (starting at around $30 - $100) and provide a quick seal using a pulse of energy through the seal bars. Impulse sealers only turn on when the sealing bars are lowered onto the vacuum seal rolls.

Positives

Negatives

Inexpensive

Less control that band sealers

Instant Sealing

Small Seal zone

Best for occasional use

Manual bag line up creates inconsistent seals

Manual Foot Pedal Sealing Machine Direct Heat Sealer for Bags and Films with Printer and Heating Sealing Machine and Impulse Sealing Machine

Direct Heat Manual Seal

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Direct heat sealers maintain consistent and constant heat as long as they are turned on. This can allow for better heat penetration and better seal tack.

Positives

Negatives

Best for thick materials

Cannot seal polyethylene

Industrial bags o irregular bags

Slower than band sealers

Heavy Duty Continuous Band Sealer Sealing Machine Automatic Band Sealer Machine Horizontal Packing Machine

Band Seal

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A band sealer is a semiautomatic sealing machine. Unlike a manual sealer, a band sealer contains both heating and cooling elements. The hot and cool elements combine to create strong, durable, and professional seals on your bags. These direct heat-style sealers typically have separate controls for both temperature and dwell time. A small conveyor with speed controls will pull your bag through the sealing mechanisms, and once set up, hundreds of bags can be processed at one time. 

Positives

Negatives

Very consistent seals seal hundreds of bags in a single use

More expensive $500+

Accessories such as date code, serial number stamping

Not ideal for sealing a few bags occasionally 

Chamber Vacuum Sealer Kitchen Food Chamber Vacuum Sealer Packaging Machine Sealer for Food Saver, Home, Commercial

Chamber Vacuum Seal

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Chamber vacuum sealers can be used to seal certain types of mylar bags. These machines are different than the traditional “at home” or food-saving type vacuum sealers that are used by preppers in their home kitchen to vacuum seal bags. A chamber vacuum sealer will both vacuum out most of the air from the bag and also heat seal it at the same time.

Positives

Negatives

Removes oxygen from the pouch extending shelf life. 

Not compatible with all materials. 

Print can get distorted when the bag is vacuum sealed. 

Quality chamber sealers start at around $850. 

Sealing mylar bags with an impulse sealer

If you have an impulse sealer, here’s a visual of how you’d use it to seal a mylar bag. We’ll walk you through the process step-by-step below.
Manual Heat Sealing Packing Machine for Plastic Bag Heat electric sealing machine impulse sealer

Heat Sealer Heat Setting- Food Storage

The question is often asked “What temperature setting do I use to seal my bags?” This question is pretty straight forward but the answer to it can be effected by many variables. Setting your heat-sealing machine to the right temperature is only one factor. Other factors include how long heat is applied to the material (dwell), and how much pressure you apply while sealing. One temperature, Dwell, and PSI setting is not uniformly recommended for each material. For example a better seal can sometimes be obtained with a lower temperature allowed to dwell longer allowing the sealant layer polymers to fully melt together.

Material

Temperature Setting Range

PSI

Dwell Time

CareSilver (VMPET)

375 F - 400 F

40 PSI

1 Sec

CareFoil (Aluminum) 

400 F - 450 F

40 PSI

1 Sec - 1.5 Sec

CareFoil-N (Nylon)

450 F - 500 F

40 PSI

1.5 - 3 Sec

CareKraft (Kraft Paper)

400 F 425 F

50 PSI

2 Sec

CareClear (PET)

350 F - 375 F

40 PSI

1 Sec

Factors effecting heat sealing settings to use

Many customers focus on the machine settings when dialing in their heat seal settings, but all the factors below should come into consideration to get the highest strength heat seal.

Material Type

Seal strength, and sealer machine settings will be adjusted to the physical properties of the material  being sealed to. Clear PET based material generally will use different settings than nylon or foil based material. The material thickness, flange or surface design, physical pouch configuration, size, and feature placement will also be considerations. Some materials like Carefoil reduce the amount of heat that can get through to the sealant layer so they require more heat or long dwell time. Material Thickness can effect the overall mount of dwell that is required. 

Dwell

Dwell time relates to how long heat is applied to the pouch. Heat and dwell time are not independent variables, they go hand in hand and should not be evaluated separately. Dwell time requires adjustment based on the same factors that effect temperature. Some heat sealable flexible barrier materials require lower heat for a longer time to properly sell. While you can "seal" a bag with high heat for a short duration. The sealant layer may not form a high strength bond. 

PSI

The pressure at which heat is applied to the pouch can effect bag seal strength.The amount of pressure applied by the heat-sealing equipment will create differences in the heat and dwell settings.  Thicker materials and those which are more rigid such as CareKraft require more pressure, while with thinner materials if too much pressure is applied the heated selant layer can be pressed too thin. 

Fouling

Fouling can occur during the loading process particles, dust, or liquid we left in the sealing zone. If so, these contaminates can affect the settlings required on your sealing machine to seal the bag properly. Foreign material in the seal zone can also reduce the seal effectiveness. Powder products are notorious for causing fouling. Dust acts like corn meal on the bottom of a baking pan inhibiting the polymers from adhering to each other. 

Type of Machine

The type and condition of your heat-sealing machine will create another variable to consider.  There are several types of heat-sealing machines and how these machines apply heat. Types of heat sealers include Impulse sealers, roller sealers, platen seal.  

External Environment

There isn’t going to be an exact specification because proper temperature will vary widely based on the conditions mentioned in this article. But here are some of the settings that have been reported to us by customers, as well as our own understanding. 

Tips for Sealing Mylar Bags

If you’ve never sealed mylar bags before, here are some tips that can help:

  • The exact dial setting will vary depending on the thickness of your mylar bag, the ambient temperature, and whether there has been any fouling (foreign debris) that got into the seal area. 

  • Start with a lower setting and work your way up. You’re looking for a “just right” temperature where the inner sealant layer of the mylar bag fully melts together, but not too hot where the bag is deformed or fully melts. If the seal is too cold then the sealant layer will not fully melt together, and you’ll have a very weak seal.  

  • If you pull too much of a vacuum on your mylar bag, you’ll rip the bag. To create a high vacuum, certain types of mylar material like CareSilver-PVNP must be used.

  • Some products are very oxygen-sensitive, and exposure to oxygen causes oxidation and spoilage. An oxygen absorber can extend the shelf life of these products. 

  • An optional step to seal your mylar bags is to perform a nitrogen flush. With nitrogen flushing, the sealing machine will first vacuum out most of the air from the pouch, then replace it with.

Mylar Bag Sealing: FAQs

Here are a few of the questions we get a lot about sealing mylar bags for food storage. For more information, feel free to contact us directly. 

Q: What thickness of seal should be used?

Impulse sealers typically offer 2mm, 5mm, or 10mm seals. While thicker is usually better, you’ll want to adjust the thickness based on the type of product and bag. A 2mm seal is usually only suitable for thin polybags, most mylar bags should have at least a 5mm seal applied to it (for prospective ¼” is about 6.35mm), a 8mm or greater seal is often required to prevent bag bursting.

Here are some typical considerations:

  1. Matching the other seals on your bag.

  2. Sealing the entire “top” of the bag is sometimes required. 

Note: make sure that you never seal through or below the tear notch. Doing so will make your bag unable to be opened except by using scissors. 

What thickness of seal should

Q: Do you have to vacuum seal mylar bags for food storage?

No, you don’t. 

Q: What foods cannot be stored in mylar bags?

Although most foods can be stored in mylar bags, there are some exceptions. Foods high in moisture or oil (raisins, nuts, granola, cookies, chocolate, crackers, brown rice) are not good candidates for storage in a mylar bag.

Q: Do you need a special vacuum sealer for mylar bags?

Yes, you’d need a chamber vacuum sealer. At-home food saver sealers cannot seal these mylar bags because they require the bag to have an embossed pattern to fill the air.

Q: How much heat does it take to seal a mylar bag?

It varies. You will likely need to go through a period of trial and error before determining what amount of heat is required.

Q: Do you offer custom sized beauty packaging?

Sealing bags for food storage is similar to sealing bags for retail. The key consideration includes investing in an inexpensive impulse sealer and adding oxygen absorbers, if necessary. 


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