Heat Sealer for Food Packaging
Heat Sealer for Food Packaging
A food packaging seal has one job: hold airtight, every bag, every shift. The machine that gets you there depends on three things: daily volume, bag material, and how much shelf life the pack needs. Below is what we put in front of food producers at each scale, from a farm shop bagging granola to a production line running thousands of pouches a day.
Which sealer suits your food operation
Every food operation seals at a different scale, so start with volume.
Sealing up to a couple of hundred bags a day? A hand sealer is enough. The 300mm Hand Impulse Sealer with cutter suits farm shops, market traders and small bakeries. The built-in cutter trims layflat tubing to length as you go, so you make the bag and seal it in one move. £110, in stock.
Once you are past 500 seals a day, a foot-pedal sealer earns its place. Both hands stay free to position the bag while the pedal drives the seal, which is what keeps a packing bench moving. We lead with the PSF605a 600mm foot-pedal sealer for food production, its 600mm bar takes larger pouches and gusseted bags in one pass. If your bags are narrower, the PSF455a 450mm does the same job in a smaller footprint.
Sealing thicker laminate or foil-lined pouches, like coffee or pet food? Those need steady, held heat. The PSF415DD constant-heat sealer holds a set temperature so the seal fuses cleanly through heavier food-grade film, where an impulse pulse struggles. £399, in stock.
Running a production line above 1,000 bags a day? Move to a continuous band sealer. The 980mm band sealer runs bags through at speed with a 15mm seal and an ink head for date coding, which most food traceability needs. For products where shelf life is the point, the gas-flush version flushes the bag before sealing for modified-atmosphere packing. See the full continuous band sealer range for floor-standing and vertical options.
How food-safe sealing works
Three sealing methods cover almost all food packaging, and the difference matters.
Impulse sealers heat only when the jaw closes. No constant hot surface, no warm-up, no wasted energy between bags, which suits a food bench where burns and idle heat are real concerns. The bar pulses, fuses the film, then holds pressure while it cools. That cooling phase is what makes the seal airtight rather than just stuck.
Constant-heat sealers hold a set temperature instead. That steady heat is what gets a clean fuse through thick laminate, foil-lined pouches and heavier food-grade film that an impulse pulse struggles with.
Continuous band sealers run the bag past a moving heated belt, so they seal without stopping, the right tool once you are filling faster than you can position bags by hand. Add gas flush and the bag is purged and back-filled before it seals, the basis of modified-atmosphere packing that extends shelf life on fresh and perishable lines.
On materials, the machines here seal standard food-grade polythene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and most laminate films. Impulse sealers have no continuously heated surface, which is one reason they sit well in food-hygiene environments. Formal HACCP documentation sits with your operation. Working with an unusual film? Send us a sample bag and we will seal it on the right machine before you buy. Sealing fresh meat or protein? A vacuum packing machine extends shelf life further than a heat seal alone.
What food producers actually buy
We have sold heat sealers to UK food businesses for over 25 years. These are the machines we put forward most often, grouped by how the operation runs.
| Use case | Machine | Seal | Price (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small batch, farm shop / market | 300mm hand sealer + cutter | 300mm | £110.00 |
| Mid-volume, hands-free | PSF605a 600mm foot-pedal | 600mm | £576.99 |
| Mid-volume, smaller footprint | PSF455a 450mm foot-pedal | 450mm | £479.99 |
| Thick laminate / foil pouches | PSF415DD constant-heat | 400mm | £399.00 |
| Production line, dry foods | 980mm band sealer | 15mm | £1,099.00 |
| Production line, shelf life (MAP) | 980mm gas-flush band sealer | 15mm | £1,175.00 |
Weighing the foot-pedal against the band sealer? It comes down to volume. Under about 1,000 bags a day, a PSF605a is cheaper to run and simpler to maintain. Above that, a band sealer pays for itself in throughput, and the gas-flush model is worth the step up only if you are sealing for shelf life rather than just closing the bag.
Seal width, material and shelf life
Seal width gets overlooked, and it decides seal strength and how the pack survives distribution.
| Bag material | Seal width | Machine type | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light polythene (up to 250 micron) | 2mm | Hand impulse | Dry goods, herbs, tea, confectionery |
| Standard polythene (250–500 micron) | 3mm | Foot-pedal impulse | Bakery, snacks, frozen veg bags |
| Heavy polythene / laminate / foil | Constant heat | Constant-heat sealer | Coffee, pet food, side-gusset pouches |
| Continuous production | 15mm | Band sealer | Production lines, frozen, MAP |
Standard PE and PP films seal cleanly on any impulse machine. Laminate and foil-lined pouches want steady heat, which is why a constant-heat sealer like the PSF415DD handles them where an impulse machine fights the thickness. For dry foods on a line, a standard band sealer is plenty. For anything where shelf life sells the product, the gas-flush band sealer earns its premium.
Not sure which fits your film? Call 0121 704 0294 or send a sample bag. We seal it on the right machines and tell you which one to buy, usually same day.
Heat sealers for food packaging
Spares for every food sealer we sell
Element wire, PTFE strip and foam pads, individually or as a complete kit. Most food benches replace wire and Teflon every 6 to 12 months of daily use. Order the kit with the machine and you will not be caught mid-shift.
Shop Spares Kits →What customers say
"Great reliable heat sealer and they've got the spares in stock too."
"They tested heat sealers on some sample bags I sent them to confirm suitability, even though the sale was relatively low value. Ultimately the unit I ended up purchasing was perfect for my needs."
"I would like to thank the team Chris and Steve at Packsealer. I have been using their sealers for about 3 years and I find the customer service has been excellent if it is just to buy a replacement part or a video call they are always extremely pleasant professional and polite."
Common questions
Start with volume. Up to a couple of hundred bags a day, a hand impulse sealer is enough. Past 500 a day, a foot-pedal sealer like the PSF605a keeps both hands free. Above 1,000 a day, a continuous band sealer is more efficient. For thick laminate or foil pouches, a constant-heat sealer handles the material better than impulse.
The machines seal food-grade polythene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and laminate films used across food packaging. Impulse and band sealers have no continuously heated surface between seals, which suits food-hygiene environments. The seal itself holds product airtight. If you need to confirm a specific film, send us a sample and we will test it.
The machines here seal bags and pouches. If you mean rigid pots, trays or ready-meal containers with a peel or lidding film, that is tray sealing, a different machine. We cover it on our tray sealer for food page. Tell us the pack and we will point you to the right one.
For standard polythene food bags, 2 to 3mm is enough. Heavier film, frozen packaging or bags that have to survive distribution want a wider seal. Our continuous band sealers produce a 15mm seal that holds through palletising and cold storage.
A standard band sealer closes the bag. A gas-flush band sealer purges the bag and back-fills it with a protective gas mix before sealing, modified-atmosphere packing that slows spoilage and extends shelf life. Use standard for dry foods. Choose gas flush when shelf life is part of what you are selling.
Thin laminates seal on a standard impulse machine. Thicker laminate and foil-lined pouches, coffee bags, pet food and stand-up pouches, want steady heat. A constant-heat sealer like the PSF415DD fuses them cleanly where an impulse pulse struggles.
A continuous band sealer runs bags past a moving heated belt without stopping, so throughput is limited by how fast you feed it, not by a hand cycle. The 980mm models seal thousands of bags a shift and date-code as they run.
We stock spares for every machine we sell, element wire, PTFE tape, blades and complete kits, and we repair the machines in our Solihull workshop. Browse spares at /spare-parts_spares-kits or call 0121 704 0294.
Not sure which sealer is right? Our free assessment matches you in two minutes.
Find My MachineFood packaging
Sealing food is a choice about the bag, not the machine. Tell us the film, the bag width and how many you run in a day, and we will tell you which heat sealer fits and which one is overkill.
Get a tailored quote from us
Tell us your volume and current setup. We'll match you to the right machine and reply within 24 hours. UK stock, real engineers, honest advice.
Find the right sealer for your food operation
From a single hand sealer to a gas-flush production line, we stock the food-packaging range and test your bag before you buy. UK stock, fast dispatch on stock items, advice on 0121 704 0294.
View Food-Safe Heat Sealers → Or call: 0121 704 0294 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)