When speaking of tarps, we can find all sorts of shapes, whether they are flat, uniform or with irregular designs. Due to this we can use different types of sealing, some of them are listed below.

We can join or seal plastic tarps and membranes by means of air technology and hot wedge. Hot air equipment can be manual, semi-automatic or automatic. It can be used on the floor or on a table, either in a stable or moving way.

Hot air equipment has an air heat blower that sucks in and expels air through a nozzle, which has a ceramic resistor that heats the air flow up to approximately 650 degrees.

On the other hand, hot wedge equipment uses cartridge-type resistors that are inserted in a wedge in such a way that they have direct contact with the tarp or membrane. The wedge can be made of aluminium, steel or bronze.

One of the greatest advantages of this sort of sealing is that no duct tape or glue is required, because the sealing is performed by overlapping the same material of tarps and membranes by means of heat.

The most common finishes with this type of sealing are: overlap, hem and bag.

In addition to these finishes, it is possible to seal in straight or curved lines for the manufacture of inflatables, boats, barriers, etc.

Among the sectors that most employ this type of sealing are:

• Tarp manufacture
• Inflatables
• Shade sails
• Publicity
• Among others

Hot air equipment allows versatility in both small and large surfaces. It requires accessories such as the flat mouthpiece or nozzle of 20 or 40 mm and a pressure roller. In the case of semi-automatic equipment, the advantage consists in the sealing process being faster. What this technique requires are large spaces and having the material to be sealed well extended and firmly set.

Finally, stationary semi-automatic equipment is an ideal option that combines speed, precision and a smaller work space. Furthermore, the operators are able to work more comfortably during the long periods of time that sealing large quantities of material involves.