Today, coffee is much more than a drink. People are always in pursuit of the best coffee in any of its forms. Thatís why the packaging of your coffee beans or ground coffee matters.
Oxygen is one of coffeeís worst enemies. Contact with it can cause degradation of quality, so your packaging must have a good seal. This is where a constant heat sealer comes in.
Keep on reading to learn what it is, how it helps, and how to choose the best one for you.
What are Heat Sealers
Heat sealers, as the name suggests, use heat to seal any type of packaging and thermoplastic materials. It uses pressure to put together the materials and then heat to seal them.
There are many ways to do this, which is why we have different types of heat sealers. A constant heat sealer is only one of them. You may also refer to it as a hot bar or direct heat sealer.
This type of heat sealer uses one heat bar or two, which are both set at a high temperature. You lower the jaw to apply pressure, and the heated bars do the rest of the job.
Itís called a constant heat sealer machine because the heat is continuous. This separates it from, say, an impulse heat sealer.
The direct heat sealer uses power as long as itís turned on it has to maintain a high temperature. You also have to take great care when using one due to the constant heat.
The advantage of this set-up is that it has greater heat penetration. This makes it a great choice if you want to use a coffee bag with a thicker material. Itís great for coated aluminum foils, coated Kraft paper, poly cello films, mylar, and more.
Why Do You Need One?
Heat sealers can create an airtight seal thatís hard to break. For coffee bags, this is important because you need the contents to be fresh for a long time. The airtight seal prevents it from getting in contact with outside air, thus preventing spoilage and oxidation for a long time.
Theyíre also pretty easy and straightforward to operate. All you have to do is place the bag in the sealer, lower the jaw, and thatís it.
It makes the whole process of packaging coffee easier. It streamlines the process because the constant heat means you donít ever have to worry about warming it up first before usage.
How to Choose a Constant Heat Sealer
A constant heat sealer further has different types and models. How do you choose the best one for your needs?
1. Assess Your Needs
To learn the best type of constant heat bag sealer for you, first, find out what your needs are.
For a start, how much workload are you anticipating? If youíre packaging hundreds of coffee bags at a time, youíll have to make sure the machine can handle it. You may want to use at least a foot sealer, to make it faster and easier.
The width of your coffee bags matter, too. The size of the heat sealer youíll get depends on the sizes of your coffee bags.
The safest choice would be a wider constant heat sealer than what you need. With it, you can also seal smaller coffee bags. Get an inch wider than your biggest coffee bag for easier handling. Youíll also be able to still use it should you decide to use a bigger bag size.
A heat sealer is an investment, so you have to think about the future, too. This can be hard to do, however, when you consider your budget.
2. Think of Your Budget
Your budget is likely the main driving factor in your decision-making. Aside from your needs, you must choose a machine that fits your budget.
Thereís nothing wrong with buying what you can afford now, then buying a bigger and better one when you go big.
If budget permits, though, buy one that slightly goes beyond your needs. This will ensure you get to use it even if your production demand increases.
3. Consider Your Coffee Bags
What type of coffee bags are you using? We have Kraft, foil, and clear poly materials. All of which weíve designed to keep moisture and air out.
Aluminum foil is the best for maintaining freshness, though.
The type of coffee bag youíll choose will determine the right heat sealer for you. Pay attention to the mil; itís the measure of the material thickness.
Materials that are 1 - 3 mils thick are light to standard. Those with 4 - 8 thickness are medium to heavy. The latter require thicker seals for proper mending.
4. Check Out the Different Types
Constant heat sealers have subcategories. There are portable sealers, pedestal types, hand sealers, and so on.
The best choice of bag sealer for you would depend on your needs.
Portable sealers are for you if youíre always moving about with your coffee bags. Theyíre small yet still powerful. They can still handle thick materials, although not the thickest ones.
Theyíre the cheapest option, as well. If you have a tight budget, this is still pretty capable for the job. Theyíre pretty versatile but youíre limited in sizes.
Foot sealers are a solid choice for high-volume sealing. This type of heat sealer uses some sort of a pedal to activate.
You use your foot to activate it, keeping both your hands-free. This allows for faster and more accurate sealing.
Theyíre also bigger, so you can seal materials up to 24 inches wide and 15 mils thick.
Bench heat sealers can be automatic, which means you can set the jaw to lower down at certain time intervals. They usually come with a footswitch, though, for manual operation. The AIE CA series would be a great option for this type of machine.
Choose the Right Heat Sealer For You
This guide should help you find the right constant heat sealer for your needs. As a last tip, itís also worth looking around for different models.
If you need assistance in picking out the correct constant heat sealer and coffee bags. donít hesitate to contact us.