There has been much advancement in the way we process material in recent years. One of these many advancements is what has become known as fabric welding. With the onset of much more technical machines and advanced technology we've found better ways to join fabrics than just needle and thread. Even using glue to create a water tight seal on fabric has been put to the wayside with the availability of coated fabric welding through services like hot air sealing. So what is it that makes it such an important advancement?

What is Fabric Welding?

Fabric welding is a process which takes specially coated fabrics and joins them together using heat and pressure. This generally relies on the use of plastic based coatings, such as PVC, polyethylene fabric, polypropylene or polyurethane, which can be made malleable with the use of heat and merged together with pressure.

What is Fabric welding Used for?

It is used anytime you need a water or air tight seal out of a fabric product. It is not made to replace sewing, seam taping or gluing, but more as a way to create a consistent and durable seal that other methods cannot compete with. The strength of the seam is one of the most important parts of coated fabric welding when a product will need to be able to contain or repel either gas or liquid reliably. In general, it is done when you need:

A strong seam that will resist abrasion

A seal that is air and water tight

Resistance to thread decay

A uniform and quality seam appearance

What Sort of Products does Fabric Welding Make?

Whenever a reliable water tight seam is needed, fabric welding can be found. This makes it a great way to make everything from water resistant clothes to industrial products. Either with hot air sealing or with a hot wedge sealing service, you can make a great variety of items such as:

Inflatable Boats

Filter Bags

Tents

Tarps

Rain Coats

What Types of Fabric Welders are There??

There are a variety of ways that coated fabric welding is done and each way works best for different needs. In general there are two categories, known as dielectric welding and rotary welding. Hot air sealing, ultrasonic welding and hot wedge sealing service, are known as rotary welding types while radio frequency welding is known as a dielectric.

Rotary welding consists of the fabric running continuously through the machine, meaning that long stretches of fabric can be sealed very quickly. Dielectric features a stamp like process where the fabric must be held in place.

Given the utility and durability of fabric welding, it should come as no surprise that many of the products you see in stores needing water and air tight seals are crafted with this method. So the next time you notice a clean stamped seam on a tent or inflatable boat, you'll remember how important this manufacturing technique is!