Long Seams & Alignment
Large tarps and covers frequently require long panel-to-panel welds with consistent overlap, alignment and seam quality.
Tarpaulin, Truck Cover & Industrial Cover Manufacturing
Tarpaulin, Truck Cover & Industrial Cover Welding Equipment
Manufacturers of tarps, truck covers and industrial protective covers commonly rely on vinyl and PVC-coated fabrics. That makes vinyl capability one of the first requirements when comparing welding equipment. Packet Welding™ welds light, standard and heavy vinyls, including vinyl-coated and vinyl-laminated fabrics.
The same Packet Welding system can also process a broad range of alternative thermoplastic materials as material requirements change. Once material capability is established, seam length, product size, handling, throughput and production flow help determine the best equipment configuration.
Vinyl today. Material flexibility for tomorrow.
Packet Welding™ can be configured for vinyl and
PVC-coated fabrics while also providing a platform for
evaluating materials such as polyurethane, polypropylene,
polyethylene and other compatible thermoplastic
constructions.
Discuss Your Tarpaulin or Cover Application
Production Requirements
What Tarp and Cover Production Can Require
A finished tarp or cover may require several different fabrication operations. Long panel seams are only part of the job. Hems, reinforced edges, attachment details and handling of increasingly large assemblies can have just as much effect on production.
Hems & Reinforcement
Folded edges, webbing, straps, rope pockets, reinforced areas and attachment points can require different operations within the same finished cover.
Large Flexible Assemblies
As a cover grows, its weight, size and accumulated material can make repositioning and alignment a major part of the manufacturing cycle.
Throughput & Repeatability
Total production depends on more than welding speed. Indexing, operator movement, material handling and setup between welds all affect finished-part output.
Process Selection
The Practical Comparison: Packet Welding™, RF and Hot Air
For vinyl tarp and truck-cover production, RF welding and hot-air welding are established manufacturing methods. Packet Welding™ also welds vinyl while offering a different approach to long seams, material flexibility and large-product handling.
Each method can be appropriate. The useful comparison is how the process fits the material, seam length, production volume and the way the product moves through fabrication.
Packet Welding™
Welds compatible vinyl and PVC-coated fabrics using programmed thermal packets under pressure. The same equipment can also be configured for many alternative thermoplastic materials through application-specific settings.
Packet Welding can produce short, medium and long seams. With the appropriate bar length, a long straight seam can be welded simultaneously rather than being repeatedly indexed through the machine.
Strength: Welds vinyl effectively, supports long simultaneous seams, and can also accommodate many alternative thermoplastic materials.
Tradeoff: Less familiar in the tarp and cover industry than RF or hot air, so manufacturers often want material and seam validation before changing processes.
RF Welding
RF welding is widely established for vinyl and PVC-coated materials that respond well to radio-frequency energy.
It remains a practical production choice where the material, tooling and existing manufacturing operation are well matched to RF processing.
Strength: Proven and widely established for vinyl and PVC-coated fabrics.
Tradeoff: Material choices are more limited because RF welding requires RF-compatible materials, and the process can also create electromagnetic interference that may require shielding and careful equipment placement.
Hot-Air Welding
Hot-air welding is widely used for vinyl tarp and cover fabrication, particularly for continuous seams, hems and edge work.
Because the welding head or material travels along the seam, tracking, operator handling, line speed and repositioning become part of total production throughput.
Strength: Proven continuous process for vinyl seams, hems and edge work.
Tradeoff: Weld time increases with seam length. Continuous hot-air welding adds noise and heat to the work area, with fume and burn hazards.
Cycle Time Changes by Welding Method
RF welding can be very fast on short vinyl seams. On longer seams, however, repeated indexing can increase total production time. Hot-air welding progresses continuously along the seam, so welding time increases with seam length. Novaseal® Packet Welding™ systems are available with sealing bars up to 30 feet long. The entire seam beneath the bar is welded simultaneously, so cycle time does not increase simply because the seam is longer.
Additional Production Option
Where Hot-Wedge Welding Can Also Fit
Hot-wedge welding can follow straight or curved welding paths and can be useful for selected long seams, hems, straps, edges, repair and detail work. Novaseal’s GT-100 provides handheld wedge welding where direct operator control and portability are useful. Novaseal® Integrated Wedge Welding Systems can also be engineered for compatible tarp and cover applications where dedicated travel, guidance or material handling benefits the production workflow.
Already Using RF Equipment?
A suitable RF welder can be evaluated for conversion to Packet Welding™, allowing usable machine structure to be retained while changing the welding technology. This can provide another path for manufacturers who want Packet Welding capability without automatically replacing the entire machine platform.
Production Flow
Improve Production Flow on Large Covers
Once weld cycle time is established, efficient material handling becomes the next opportunity to improve throughput. Large tarps and covers can require substantial operator time for positioning, alignment and repositioning as the assembly grows.
A traveling process such as hot air or wedge welding follows the seam, hem or edge. Packet Welding™ can be configured differently depending on how the product is best handled. With TableTop or Standard systems, the material is positioned beneath the welding bar. With a Gantry system, the welding head can move over a large supported assembly. In either case, the full seam length within the bar can be welded simultaneously, reducing repeated indexing and repositioning.
- How often must the cover be repositioned?
- How large and heavy is the assembly as fabrication progresses?
- Can long straight seams be positioned beneath a fixed welding bar?
- Would a traveling welder simplify hems, edges or detail work?
- How much operator time is spent realigning material between welds?
- Could automation or integrated handling improve production flow?
Novaseal Equipment
Where Novaseal® Fits
Novaseal offers several ways to match equipment to the job, including Packet Welding™ systems, Custom Heat Sealing Systems, handheld and integrated wedge-welding systems, localized welding equipment, automation, upgrades, RF conversions, repurposing of suitable existing machinery, and refurbished or reconditioned equipment when available.
Packet Welding™ Systems
TableTop, Standard and Gantry systems provide different combinations of seam length, material access, floor layout and automation. Systems can be configured for vinyl as well as many compatible alternative thermoplastic materials.
Handheld & Integrated Wedge Welding
The GT-100 provides a genuinely handheld wedge welder for heavy vinyl fabrication, straps, reinforcement, edges, repairs and other work where direct operator control is useful. For applications that benefit from a dedicated non-handheld process, Integrated Wedge Welding Systems can be engineered around the material, seam path, handling requirements and production setup.
NovaHEAT™ Patch Welder
Reinforced corners, patches, attachment areas and shaped reinforcement details can be produced with dedicated direct-contact tooling configured to the required patch geometry.
Custom Heat Sealing Systems
Engineered for tooling-defined operations such as pouches, shaped components, hem ends and other specialized details or subassemblies used in tarp, truck-cover and industrial-cover production.
Conversion & Repurposing
Suitable RF machinery can be evaluated for repurposing as Packet Welding equipment. Existing machine structure may be retained where it is mechanically appropriate for the required application.
Modernization & Upgrades
Existing Novaseal systems can be evaluated for modernization, Packet Welding upgrades, controls and other application-specific improvements rather than automatically replacing the complete machine.
Refurbished Systems
Refurbished or reconditioned equipment can provide another route to production capability when a suitable machine is available and can be configured for the material, seam and workflow.
Seam Length
Packet Welding™ for Short, Medium and Long Seams
Packet Welding™ can produce short, medium and long seams on the same system. When multiple fabrication operations are required, manufacturers can select a bar length based on the longest seams they expect to produce and their equipment budget. That same machine can also accommodate the shorter seams, attachments, reinforcement, pockets and other welding operations used throughout production.
Attachments & Reinforcement
Short welding operations may include attachment details, reinforcement areas and repeated production features where consistent settings and repeatable cycles are important.
Panel & Component Seams
Panel-to-panel seams, pockets and other recurring fabrication operations can be matched to TableTop or larger bar systems depending on seam length and production setup.
Full-Length Simultaneous Welding
With the appropriate bar length, a complete straight seam can be welded at once without repeated indexing, reducing handling and repositioning on large tarps, truck covers and industrial covers.
Material Evaluation
Material Flexibility on One Machine
Vinyl is a core material for tarp and cover production, and Packet Welding™ handles vinyl very well. The same Packet Welding system can also process a broad range of alternative thermoplastic materials, allowing manufacturers to change materials without changing welding machines.
Vinyl & PVC-Coated Fabrics
Packet Welding™ can process a broad range of materials beyond vinyl and can also weld suitable dissimilar thermoplastic combinations, including vinyl to polypropylene. This allows manufacturers to evaluate alternative constructions without changing welding equipment.
Printed, Coated & Laminated Surfaces
Many printed, coated, laminated and reinforced constructions can also be welded with Packet Welding™, extending the range of products that can be produced on the same equipment.
Vinyl Alternatives
Packet Welding™ can also process a broad range of materials beyond traditional vinyl, allowing manufacturers to heat seal alternative constructions without changing welding equipment.