Poster Press

Often we are asked for the difference between Poster Press and Cantilever-type Press. The question is often followed by a comment that suggests since both Asco and the Chinese machines both use Cantilever-type presses, then it must be good. What Asco doesn’t readily share with their customers is that Asco reserves Poster-type presses only for their top of the line heat sealers.

Producing a heat sealer with a Poster-type press is considerably more difficult and significantly more expensive. On the plus side, the resultant heat seal is a noticeable improvement over Cantilever-type press machines. It is for this reason that Novaseal includes a Poster-type press as a standard feature on all machines. From our small entry-level Table-Top Heat Sealers to our feature-rich ShadeSealer line of heat sealers, they all use Poster-type presses. As the only US-manufacturer of heat sealers for the window shade industry, it is important that US-based products equate to quality, and quality is a Poster Press.

Poster Press & Cantilever Press Comparison

The illustration (inset above) shows a magnification of the relationship of the upper sealing bar to lower sealing bar. In a cantilever-type press, the upper sealing bar engages with the lower sealing bar on an angle, whereas on a poster-type press the upper sealing bar is parallel to the lower sealing bar. The angle will cause more heat under pressure to the rear side of a heat sealed area. While it may not seem like a big difference, consider that uneven heat pressure is the basis for creating a hot knife. Seals created with an angled sealing bar are more likely to break in a shear tension test. This means that heat sealers using cantilever or angled sealing bar will produce a far weaker seal than seals made with a poster-type press.

The exaggerated effect is significantly more noticeable on wider seals. So, if you are stuck with a cantilever-type press, limit your sealing to widths no wider than 1/4-inch (6.35mm). However if your customers have complained that seals have failed, and you are using a cantilever-type press, this is a very likely reason for the failure.

Another advantage in using Poster-type press is material movement. With a Poster-type press, you can move rolled goods in and out of the machine much easier; and you can move materials easily from the front side of the machine without ever walking around to the backside of the machine. This means you can locate a Poster-type press machine against a wall, and not be frustrated by working with a heat sealer located in the center of a room. It’s also easier to replace heating elements, heating bands, Teflon coated Fiberglas and other heat sealing bar maintenance items. So, although you may pay a bit more for a Poster-type press than for a heat sealer with a cantilever-type press, the advantages, time savings and better quality seals will certainly pay for itself in the long run.