What Does “Hermetically Sealed” Mean?

You might have seen the phrase “hermetically sealed” and wondered what it meant. It’s a common description from science fiction movies, where the characters convey just how sealed off a location or object is. It is another way of saying “This is an extremely advanced barrier and nothing is going to get through.” 

So how does that fit into manufacturing and welding? Hermetic seals have a particular use in industrial sewing and bonding, manufacturing, and healthcare. When you describe a barrier as a hermetic seal, you’re saying two things: it’s waterproof and airtight. But it didn’t always mean this.

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What is the History of Hermetic Seals in Manufacturing?

The term “hermetic” comes from mythology, specifically a combination of myths from the man known as Hermes Trismegistus. He was a Greek representation of the Egyptian god Thoth, and is credited as the author of a series of alchemical and magical tomes. One of his magical inventions was the ability to permanently seal glass objects. Even in the earliest years of modern history, starting around the first few hundred years of the AD era, humans were aware of the benefits of a hermetic seal meant to protect the contents of a vessel from the outside air. 

What Are the Methods of Creating Hermetically Sealed Products?

There are many ways to create a hermetic seal that is both waterproof and airtight, and none of the current methods involves magical incantations. A common method in use at Vinyl Technology would seem like magic to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians: RF welding.

This is a process that’s known by many names: dielectric sealing, RF sealing, RF welding, and heat sealing. They all describe the same high-tech method of joining thermoplastic films using Radio Frequency (RF) energy.

Those RF waves excite the molecules of the materials to be joined from the inside out, fusing the materials. It doesn’t leak air, moisture, water, or fuel, whichever of these is crucial to your application. 

Unheated Heat Sealing 

Although you might hear “heat sealing” used to describe it, that’s not entirely accurate. There is no heat involved in RF Welding. A table-top heat sealer used to preserve leftovers creates what would commonly be called a hermetic seal in manufcuring, but it’s not exactly the same. RF Welding happens at the molecular level, binding two materials with a seal much stronger than any household appliance can do.

PVC Sealing

PVC sealing is a high-frequency welding process that allows for the application of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) to a soft fabric or film. PVC has the advantage of being lightweight, durable, and abrasion-resistant, and is often used in waterproofing fabrics. PVC is considered to be an excellent material for radio-frequency welding because of its strong dipolar moment and other chemical properties.

Vinyl Technology uses this sealing in the manufacturing of many products, such as Anti-G suits, pneumatic pillows, and self-inflating mattresses.

If you’d like to learn more about what heremtically sealed means and the different uses Vinyl Technology can make for your needs, get in touch with us today.

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