heat sealable fabric problem

Colin, when I cut my NeoAir down and resealed it, I found that temperature was only part of the variable… time and pressure also played significant roles in getting the material to seal properly. W/the Neo I used "a fair bit" of pressure and a slow pass-over (maybe an inch every few seconds? I don't remember exactly).

Sounds to me like overheating the material. If it does it the same for every temp, then it would seem to make sense that you're taking too long to work the material??

> The coatings on the fabric faces fuse but the pieces then easily pull apart, leaving
> an uncoated patch on one piece and a double-thick patch on the other piece.

Bad batch of fabric. The coating is not bonded to the fabric properly in the first place.
High pressure might make the coating bond better – that would need a bit of experiment though.

cheers

Colin in my experience if the coating peals the temperature is too high. The correct surface to seal is the dull side. The wrong side is shiny with a more noticeable ripstop pattern. This particular material is very picky to work with. Using a lower temperature for a longer time should help. It can be difficult using a household iron since the temperature can fluctuate. I don't know the exact spec for this material but it should be tough to pull apart. A 2.5-3 mil backing typically has a peal strength of 30-45 pounds per inch.