Heating element for inflation and sealing system

A protective packaging formation device, comprising:

• an inflation assembly having a fluid conduit that directs fluid between first and second overlapping plies of a web material;
• a driving mechanism that drives the overlapping plies in a downstream direction through a path that includes an elongated arcuate pinch zone, such that the overlapping plies have an arcuate shape in the arcuate pinch zone;
• and
• a sealing mechanism that includes a heating element that includes a wide cross-section portion and a reduced cross-section portion, the size of the cross-sections selected such that the reduced cross-section portion produces a high temperature zone that outputs sufficient heat to heat seal the plies to create a longitudinal seal that seals the first and second plies of film together, trapping the fluid therebetween as the driving mechanism drives the web past the heating element in the downstream direction, wherein the wide cross-section portion and the reduced cross-section portion are disposed in the arcuate pinch zone,
• wherein the sealing mechanism includes an arcuate heater support structure that has an arcuate support surface that supports the heating element and defines an arcuate profile of the arcuate pinch zone, which arcuate support surface applies pressure to the web against an opposing compression-element.

A protective packaging formation device, comprising:

• an inflation assembly that directs fluid between first and second overlapping plies of a web material;
• a sealing mechanism that includes:
• a heating zone and a cooling zone, wherein the heating zone is operable to heat the plies to create a longitudinal heat seal that seals the first and second plies together as the plies are driven over the heating zone in a downstream direction, and the cooling zone disposed downstream of the heating zone is operable to allow the heated plies to cool at the longitudinal heat seal as the web is driven over the heating zone in the downstream direction, such that the cooled longitudinal heat seal retains the fluid between the plies;
• and
• a heating element that extends along both the heating zone and the cooling zone, with the heating element having a first profile in the heating zone, for heating the heating zone, and a second profile in the cooling zone, providing less heat in the cooling zone than in the heating zone;
• and
• a driving mechanism that drives the overlapping plies in a downstream direction along a path that extends over the heating and cooling zones.