Packet Welding™ is a patented and proprietary industrial thermoplastic welding technology that applies a programmed series of thermal packets under pressure to seal compatible thermoplastic materials — including many vinyl, polyurethane, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene, nylon, multilayer, PVC-free, and vinyl-alternative structures — on one machine with application-specific settings. By delivering programmed packets of thermal energy with controlled absorption duration between heat-energy periods, Packet Welding™ can produce consistent, high-strength seals across a broad compatible material range, with faster cycle times and higher throughput than many traditional sealing methods in validated applications. AI-assisted starting parameter recommendations help establish initial Packet Welding™ settings for new or unfamiliar materials, followed by application validation and refinement.
Every heat sealing method works on the same principle: apply heat to the material as fast and as forcefully as possible. Within the materials and conditions they were designed for, hot air, impulse, and RF all produce strong, reliable seals.
The challenge shows up at the edges of that range — heavier vinyls, vinyl alternatives, sustainable substrates, longer seams. Operators see the same pattern: some seals come out excellent, others fall short, and the difference is hard to control. The process produces results. It does not always produce them consistently.
That inconsistency traces back to a single variable. Thermoplastic materials do not bond from heat alone — they bond from the time it takes for energy to penetrate and fuse each layer. Apply heat without giving the material time to absorb it, and the bond at the surface looks complete while the structure underneath is incomplete.
Packet Welding is the only heat sealing platform engineered around that principle.
Absorption is a critical variable in developing consistent seals across many thermoplastic material structures. Heat alone may produce a surface seal; controlled absorption helps energy progress toward the bond interface.
Packet Welding™ separates the heat-energy period from the controlled absorption duration and controls both. Other methods do not include an independently adjustable controlled absorption duration within each repeated packet.
The machine is configured per application. Heat-energy duration, absorption duration, packet quantity, pressure, and other parameters are set for each material structure — one machine with application-specific thermoplastic settings.
One Example of Process Improvement
Packet Welding™ does more than expand the range of compatible materials. Its controllable process and seam-forming flexibility can also improve how a finished product is constructed.
One example emerged during seal evaluation testing. A Packet-Welded offset overlap positioned both reinforced cut edges inside the sealed area, eliminating the exposed thread-wicking pathways left by a conventional overlap.
Because the edge enclosure is created during the original welding cycle, welding tape applied solely to cover those exposed edges is no longer required. The result is less material, one fewer operation, reduced labor, and no secondary tape bond to inspect or maintain.
Read the Full Application NotePacket Welding™ controls the rate of heat absorption into the material — delivering energy in precise, repeatable packets rather than applying continuous heat. The result is stronger, more consistent seals across a broader range of compatible materials — including vinyl alternatives and selected sustainable substrates that often require adjustable absorption duration to seal effectively. Every Novaseal® system is engineered to deliver that capability to your welding process.
Each generation refined the process — establishing the foundation the next was built on.
Precision-controlled heat absorption combined with ultra-low-frequency energy delivers high-strength seals across all vinyl weights, vinyl alternatives, and sustainable substrates — straight or curved. Cycles are faster, seals are more consistent, and total cost of ownership is lower than traditional methods — driven by reduced maintenance, less downtime, and higher throughput per shift. Patented technology with additional improvements pending. Manufacturers looking to adopt Packet Welding without purchasing new can explore Upgrades & Conversions.
Puls2™ introduced small, controlled energy packets with precise heat and cool cycles — a significant departure from constant-on and impulse sealing. Compatible with vinyls, polyesters, polyurethanes, and more, and significantly faster than impulse sealing. A U.S. patent issued in 2019. Existing Puls2™ machines remain in active service and are eligible for Packet Welding adoption via Upgrades & Conversions.
Early development focused on rethinking core heat sealing parameters — moving beyond traditional impulse sealing toward controlled pulse delivery. Each successive machine refined the process, establishing the foundation that Puls2™ and Packet Welding are built on. Original Pulse owners are eligible for Packet Welding upgrades — see Upgrades & Conversions.
Measurable production advantages across many seam lengths, seal types, and compatible material categories — on one machine with application-specific settings.
Typical cycle times in the 8–12 second range for many validated applications, depending on material, bar length, seam type, and machine power configuration — often outpacing hot-air, impulse, and RF welding in comparable production conditions.
Supports a broad range of compatible thermoplastic materials — including many vinyls, polyurethane, polyester, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene, multilayer structures, and selected sustainable substrates including rPET — on one machine with application-specific settings. Packet Welding™ absorption duration is often the difference between surface heating and full bond-interface development.
Longer bars and fewer required passes mean less material repositioning, fewer alignment errors, and more consistent finished seams per shift. The production benefit scales with bar length.
Packet Welding™ economics are best measured by production capacity and cost per unit of output — not machine price in isolation. Less maintenance, reduced downtime, a 5-Year Warranty, and higher throughput per shift combine to reduce the real cost of production over the machine’s service life.
Packet Welding requires no airflow. It operates quietly — with no blowers, nozzles, or continuous mechanical noise. This makes it practical for automation environments and mixed production floors where sustained noise is a concern.
Packet Welding differs from RF in several important ways:
For a detailed comparison: Packet Welding vs. RF Welding.
Impulse welding is not frequency modulated — the operator sets a seal time and a cooling cycle resets the material after each seal. Packet Welding™ applies a programmed series of thermal packets, each consisting of a heat-energy period followed by a controlled absorption duration. As a result, materials sealed with Packet Welding are cooler, less prone to discoloring, and stronger — because the material's natural structure is not burned.
Impulse welding is limited to lightweight materials. Packet Welding™ can handle many light- to heavy-weight compatible thermoplastic material structures, depending on material composition, layer structure, and application requirements. Impulse welding cycle times are typically at least 6 times longer on average than Packet Welding. With regard to maintenance, Packet Welding is comparatively maintenance-free — saving significant time and cost over the machine's lifetime.
For a detailed comparison: Packet Welding vs. Impulse Welding.
Total cost of ownership is determined by more than machine purchase price. It includes production throughput, labor, maintenance, downtime, consumables, floor space, service life, and the number of machines required to achieve the needed output.
Packet Welding™ is designed to reduce those ongoing production costs. Faster cycle times, fewer indexed sealing steps, lower maintenance requirements, reduced downtime, and higher output per shift can substantially lower the cost per completed seam over the life of the equipment.
In many production environments, one Packet Welding system can also perform work that would otherwise require multiple machines or additional operators. The result is a capital investment that should be evaluated on cost per unit of production and return on investment — not purchase price alone.
For more information on the economics of Packet Welding™, visit Insights or read Why Packet Welding Changes the Cost Structure of Heat Sealing.
Packet Welding™ uses patented programmed thermal packets to heat-seal compatible thermoplastic layers while controlling both the heat-energy period and the controlled absorption duration, allowing thermal energy to progress toward the intended bond interface. Precise packets of heat are delivered only where needed — allowing faster sealing than legacy methods and eliminating RF interference, making the process practical for automated, high-speed operations.
For new or unfamiliar materials, Novaseal's application support includes AI-assisted parameter recommendations — providing operators a reliable starting point based on each material's thermal absorption behavior, before the first production run. Because the process applies only the exact amount of heat required, it minimizes stress on buffer materials and heating elements, reduces maintenance, and lowers costs tied to downtime, zone-tape replacement, and heating-element wear.
Packet Welding™ can deliver high-strength seals on many compatible thermoplastic materials and structures, including vinyl, vinyl alternatives, polyethylene, polyurethane, polyester, nylon, polypropylene, PVC, PVF, selected recyclable materials, printed materials, and certain specialty films. Suitability depends on the complete material composition, layer structure, and application requirements.
One Packet Welding™ heat sealer can handle a wide variety of compatible material structures using application-specific settings — reducing the need for multiple sealing technologies.
Packet Welding can be applied to machine-level automation as well as integrated into full-scale automation. Types of seals that can be made include: overlap, hems, fin seals, zipper attachment, Keder attachment, single pocketing, double pocketing, multiple seals, reinforcement seals, side-by-side seals, and curved or pattern seals.
Common seal widths include 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, 1 inch, and others based on application requirements.
Air Inflated Structures, Air-Supported Structures, Awnings, Bags, Banners, Billboards, Body Bags & PPE, Bounce-Recreation, Cable Net Structures, Canopy, Fence Mesh, Fence Windscreen, Flags, Floor Mats, Frame-Supported Fabric Structures, Free-Standing Canopy, Geodesic Domes, Grid Shell Structures, Gym Curtains & Dividers, Gym Mats, Inflatables, Landscaping, Marquees, Medical Pouches, Oil Booms, Pole Banners, Pools, Posters, Produce Containment, Retractable Awnings, Refrigeration Doors, Rollershades, Safety Mesh, Shutters, Sidewalls, Side Curtains, Sporting Accessories, Tank Lining, Tarps, Temporary Structures, Tensegrity Structures, Tensile Structures, Tension Structures, Tents, and many more. For more on applications: Packet Welding™ Applications.
Made in the USA means your capital equipment investment is not subject to import fees, tariff uncertainty, or supply chain disruption. It also means service and support come from people who built the machine and understand the application.
Packet Welding technology is protected by multiple patents owned by Glenn Lippman. Nova Products Mfg., Inc. operates as a licensed manufacturer of this technology.
Additional licensing opportunities are available for manufacturing, sales, and other applications. For inquiries regarding licensing, contact Novaseal®.
More than 32 years of heat sealing and machine-building experience, applied to your application. Discuss your seam length, material, and production requirements with Novaseal® directly.