All You Need To Know About Plastic Seal

 

• What is a Plastic Seal?
• The material of tamper-evident plastic seals
• Application
• Tensile Strength
• The Size of Seal Tag
• Printing of seal tags

What is Plastic Security Seal?

 

A plastic seal is an indicative seal. It’s also a label with anti-theft features. People like to print LOGO, text, serial number, barcode, and QR code on seal tags to meet different needs. It’s very convenient to use a plastic security seal. With a self-locking design, you don’t need any other tools. You need to insert the seal tail into the seal lock and pull the tail tight from the other side with your hand. After that, it will lock the security seal will.

One can not remove most of the seals by bare hand once locked unless you break them with a knife or scissors. So the plastic seal is also disposable. However, there is also a removable plastic seal on the market. There is a tear-off line next to the seal lock. You can remove the seal simply by tearing off the seal lock. This seal is mainly used to lock the object temporarily. But a removable plastic seal also means poor tensile strength.

The material of tamper-evident plastic seals

  In most cases, we use polypropylene material to manufacture Plastic seals. The quality of materials determines the quality of the seal. Plastic seals made of new polypropylene material have a strong stretchability and pull force. Some manufacturer even adds recycled materials to reduce the costs. But that will reduce the stretchability of the seal significantly. Therefore, those seals are so easy to be broken. To ensure all the seals remain premium quality, YOUME TECH promise to use 100% new polypropylene material for production.

Application

  Due to their low cost, plastic seals are now widely used in our daily life. We can use it to seal the trailer doors, securing ballot boxes, sealing mailbags, locking fire extinguishers, securing money bags, toolbox locks, locking luggage, and so on.   Based on the size of the object, there is multiple seal length for you to choose. The seal length varies from 150mm to 600mm. The manufacturer can adjust the size of plastic seals accordingly. However, some security seals came with a fixed length. You can consult the supplier to find the most fitful length for you. Generally speaking, the price of a longer seal length is higher.

Tensile Strength

  The tensile strength of plastic seals varies from 100N to 450N. Three factors affect the tensile strength of plastic seals. The material of the seal. As described earlier in this article, new polypropylene material have better pull forces compare to recycled material. The lock of the seals. There are two types of seal locks on the market right now–plastic lock and metal insert lock. The metal insert lock has better pull fore than a plastic lock. Due to the stable structure of the metal, it is unlikely deformed. Once locked, the metal insert will stop the seal strap from sliding backward. However, the plastic lock has its advantage as the cost is lower than the cost of the metal insert lock. Most of the plastic locks are now equipped with a zigzag seal tail so that the seal cannot slide backward. The width of seal tails. In general, a wider seal tail has a greater pull force. Currently, the seal width range varies from 2.5 mm to 7 mm. Most of the plastic seal has a flat seal tail, while the others have a cylindrical strap. Customers can choose the correct seal width according to their needs.

The Size of Seal Tag

  As an indicative seal, all self-locking plastic seals have a label or a tag on the seal’s head. So that one can mark the imprint according to the customer’s requirement, such as custom LOGO, text, sequential serial number, sequential barcode, QR code can be printed on seal tags. However, for different usages, you may need other size tags.   For example, the pull-tight seal used to lock a postal bag requires a massive tag, such as a 70 mm width by 110 mm length tag. A large-seal flag means you can print more content on the label. So the markers are easier to be identified. Each manufacturer has its mold, and the size of the tag is also different. You can consult suppliers according to your preferences when purchasing plastic seals.

Printing of seal tags

  Heat stamping and laser engraving are the most popular way for custom seal tag printing. Hot stamping works best to print a LOGO, text, serial numbers, or a fixed bar code and two-dimensional code. Usually, the manufacturer will create a mold according to the customer’s requirements. The advantage of hot stamping is that it can print a variety of colors. However, laser engraving can not only print LOGO, text, serial number. It also can be used to print a sequential barcode and QR code. A computer controls the laser engraving machine, so the printing performance is so much better. Unlike heat stamping, there will be no breakpoint printing. Hot stamping is mainly for a group of fixed text. However, laser printing also has its disadvantages. The laser engraving process is primarily a reaction between the laser and the laser powder inside the seal. It leaves a mark on the tag. However, you can either print a black color imprint or white color imprint on tags with laser engraving.