Sealers

JP Selecta laboratory sealers provide hermetic closure of bags, tubes and plastic containers for sample preservation, sterilization and safe transport. Models include impulse sealers with time and temperature control adaptable to different film thicknesses. Sealing is the step prior to sterilization in an autoclave and constitutes a critical sterile barrier to maintain package integrity.

The operating principle is based on combined application of heat (through an electric resistor heated by short impulses) and pressure via a PTFE-coated jaw, which melts and welds the two plastic films without risk of burning through the material. Tube sealers for blood banking integrate a proximity sensor and create consecutive multiple seals for sample labelling and separation. Seal quality directly determines the maintainability of sterilization.

The range includes narrow-jaw sealers for polypropylene and polyethylene autoclave bags, wide-format sealers for larger containers, foot-pedal sealers for continuous use in packaging lines, and tube sealers specifically for haematology equipment in blood banks. These devices are standard equipment in microbiology laboratories, hospitals and media preparation units.

Applications cover pre-sterilization bag sealing for medical devices and biohazardous waste in autoclaves, primary packaging of terminally sterilized medical devices per the ISO 11607 family, biological sample preservation for transport and blood bank processes. The packaging of sterile medical devices is governed by the standards ISO 11607-1 on materials and sterile barrier systems and ISO 11607-2 on validation of forming, sealing and assembly processes.

Regarding seal validation, practical guidelines are published in ISO/TS 16775 on application of ISO 11607-1 and ISO 11607-2, and physical tests are standardized in ASTM F88 on seal strength of flexible barrier materials and ASTM F1929 on detection of seal leaks in porous medical packaging by dye penetration. Manufacturing under ISO 13485 guarantees traceability as a medical device. For sterilization of medical devices, see the AAMI Standards and the FDA Sterilization for Medical Devices guidance.

Manufactured in Abrera under triple certification ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 13485:2018, JP Selecta sealers include replacement heating elements and PTFE bands, official technical service and support for sealing process validation. Contact an expert to select the right sealer for your bag type, film thickness and expected workload.