Minigrip bags
What are minigrip bags?
Minigrip bags are also known as mini grip bags, self-seal bags, grip seal bags or grippa bags. They are polythene bags that ranging in size from 1.5" x 2.5" up to 15" x 20", which means they are perfect for storing a variety of products of all shapes and sizes. Whatever they are used for, minigrip bags keep their contents dry and free from dust and dirt, courtesy of a simple grip seal running along the top of the bag. Minigrip bags can be plain or labelled, with heavy duty, coloured or black minigrip bags, specimen bags, antistatic bags and many other types available.
Sealing & re-sealing bags
Resealable polythene bags open and close with a plastic seal that can be repeatedly sealed and opened, allowing the bag to be used more than once.
Self-seal bags are polythene bags featuring an integral seal that allows the bag to be closed without the use of any external object, such as an adhesive, tape or a bag tie, and without the plastic having to be sealed on bonded together using a heat sealer.
All resealable bags, such as minigrip bags, can be described as self-seal bags, as they do not require anything else to close them. However, not all self-seal bags can be described as resealable bags as some of them, such as the popular mailing bags, feature a seal that can only be used once. Once a mailing bag’s seal is opened, the bag cannot be used again.
Ways to seal a polythene bag
There are four main ways to seal a polythene bag. These are presented below, with examples to illustrate the sealing method:
1. Seal with bag clips or ties
You can seal a polythene bag by pulling together the two sides of the bag’s open end and then fastening with a plastic bag clip or tie. This is a particularly popular method for sealing food bags, either to store food in the fridge or freezer, or to tie up sandwiches etc. for packed lunches.
To seal bags with a plastic clip, place the two sides of the bag flat together, place them in the jaws of the clip and close it around them. To seal with a bag tie, scrunch the open end of the bag into a tight bunch, wrap the bag tie around it and tie up tight.
2. Seal with an adhesive strip
Another method for sealing plastic bags is with an adhesive strip. This method of sealing is used most widely in the manufacturing of mailing bags, as the bag can only be sealed once using this method, in the same way as standard paper envelopes, which means that any tampering with the bag’s seal would be obvious to the recipient of the mail.
To seal a mailing bag, place your items inside the bag, peel off the thin cover from the integral adhesive strip located on the mailing bag’s ‘tongue’, fold this flap over and press down to seal.
3. Seal with an integral reusable seal
Probably the easiest method of sealing a polythene bag is via an integral sealing device, such as a grip seal or a ziplock. Designed for ease of use, these sorts of bags - including grip seal, minigrip, slidergrip ziplock, ziplite and zipper bags - provide a simple method of opening and closing and can be used time and time again.
To close a grip seal bag, place one end of the seal between your forefinger and thumb and gently squeeze the bag from one end of the seal to the other. To open, simply give the two sides of the bag a gentle tug. To open or close a ziplock bag, just slide the zip all the way across to the correct end of the bag.
4. Bond/fuse polythene together with a heat sealer
The final and arguably the most professional way of sealing a plastic bag is to bond the polythene together by melting it. The best way to carry out this method of sealing is through a professional heat sealer. Just take the open sides of the bag, lay them together flat in the jaws of the heat sealer and press it down for a few seconds. Open the sealer and the bag will be sealed shut.
When used with layflat tubing - a long thin roll of polythene tubing - heat sealing is great for creating your own bespoke bags. Just place the item inside the layflat tubing and then seal one or both ends of the bag for your own made-to-measure polythene bag.
Antistatic self-seal bags
Antistatic self-seal bags are a specialist bag designed to store electrical components that require protection from the potential damage caused by static electricity.
They are also known as conductive bags, as the bag itself is a conductor. This does not mean that it collects tickets on buses or leads a miniature plastic bag orchestra, but that it conducts electricity, thus keeping it away from the contents of the bag.
Where can I buy sealing and re-sealing bags?
Manufacturers and suppliers of sealing and re-sealing bags include:
Self-Seal-Bags
Self-seal-bags.co.uk is a division of Polybags specialising in self-seal bags.Polybags Ltd has been providing customers with quality self-sealing packaging at competitive prices for over half a century.
www.self-seal-bags.co.uk
Discount Self Seal Bags
Free website helping you find everything you need from self sealing bags. Information, compare products, prices and online-stores stocking self-seal bags, clip-close bags, MiniGrip bags (aka Grippa bags) and all other types of resealable bags.
www.discountselfsealbags.co.uk
Heat Sealers Direct
Website providing you with the best suppliers of discount manual, impulse and foot operated heat sealers.
www.heatsealersdirect.co.uk
Resealable-Bags
Resealable-bags.co.uk markets a full line of reclosable packaging solutions preferred and used by many retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers alike due to their high quality and reliability. Our innovative products offer great solutions for storage, protection and advertising.
www.resealable-bags.co.uk
Antistatic-Bags
Ever wondered what antistatic bags are, how it is made, what it is used used for and where to buy antistatic bags at low prices? Find answers to all these questions about antistatic bags and static shielding bags at Antistatic-Bags.co.uk
www.antistatic-bags.co.uk
Self Seal Bags
SelfSealBags.org.uk offers custom self-sealing bags manufactured from high quality polythene film to accommodate your specific sizes or even anti-static needs. You may also or printed self-seal bags.
www.selfsealbags.org.uk
Zip Lock Bags
Great prices and discounts on mini-grip bags, self-seal bags and ziplock bags. Everything you need to know to help you choose the best type of polythene self-sealing bags to suit your packaging needs.
www.ziplockbags.co.uk
Things you may not know about Minigrip bags
A mini grip bag works well for small hardware because it retains mixed items together and easy to handle at the packing line. Steel safety pins need that sort of secondary packing, since alternative sizes can otherwise snag, spill or disappear into a drawer before they reach the client. The packaging supplierble bag also makes counting and picking simpler in dispatch, which assists reduce errours when several sizes are packed in one set. For a light product like safety pins, the bag gives tidy presentation without unnecessary bulk, and that retains storage and transport straightforward. That makes it a sensible format for small mixed packs where order matters above like packaging.
A grippa bag is, in practical terms, a reclosable polythene suppliers pouch engineered for repeated handling without surrendering seal integrity; the apparent simplicity of the grip closure masks a fair amount of material science. The clarity of the film is not merely cosmeticit enables fast stock identification at the select-face, reduces handling errours amid fulfilment and removes the need for secondary bagging in plenty low-risk applications. Where dust ingress and ambient moisture are the principal irritants, the value sits in the consistency of the interlocking profile and the gauge control across the web; if the film is also light, corners distort below load and palletised consignments start to suffer from slippage and deformation, yet if it is above-specified the tare weight creeps up and volumetric efficiency suffers for no operational earn. Well-manufactured examples tend to rely on stable melt-flow consistency and a mono-material building, which in turn facilitates cleaner recyclability than mixed-format packs, provided the waste stream is kept reasonably complimentary of labels, inserts and foreign residues. On the warehouse floor that balance matterssecure closure, decent puncture resistance, proper visibility of contents, and a format that protects small parts from workshop dust or transient humidity without introducing avoidable complexity into packing lines.
A transparent minigrip bag in a 100 x 140 mm size suits small parts that need sorting, visibility, and a fast secure seal without additional packaging waste. The transparent polythene suppliers lets staff check contents at a glance, which assists picking, stock checks, and despatch when similar items are stored in the same area. A pack of 1000 gives a proper supply for recurring jobs, so the line does not retain stopping for small replenishment orders. The size is useful for fittings, samples, labels, and lightweight components, where a simple reclosable closure is normally enough. It is a tidy option when transparent identification matters above heavy-duty protection.
A mini grip bag works well when small fashion items need tidier presentation and safer handling through picking, packing, and dispatch. The grip seal retains the contents closed without complicating the packing line, so staff can transport faster when dealing with mixed orders or sale stock. It also assists keep safe articles from dust, light scuffing, and stray moisture while cartons are being opened and closed at the warehouse. Because the bag is transparent, counts can be checked without breaking the seal, which cuts unnecessary handling. For lines that deal with accessories or lightweight products, that simple closure can save time and reduce avoidable returns.
Field testing of the grippa bag clip in two working bars exposed the sort of practical irritations that seldom appear in bench trials. Behind the counter, where secondary bagging, fast stock rotation and damp-hand handling are routine, closure hardware is judged less by novelty than by repeatable grip below pollution from syrups, oils and condensation. The better-performing prototypes managed a stable bite on thin-gauge polythene suppliers without inducing stress-whitening along the fold linea small detail, though one that speaks to clamp geometry, hinge memory and the tolerances needed to accommodate tolerance in film micronage. That matters in trade use: if the clip distorts the bag neck or cuts into high-density polymer chains, seal integrity degrades, product stales prematurely and partial packs stop up written off as waste. There is a logistics dividend as well, since a compact reclosure format maintains pallet stability and select-face efficiency more effectively than decanting into rigid tubs, which transport a tare weight penalty and tend to dilute volumetric efficiency in back-of-house storage. From a circularity standpoint, the exercise also underlined an awkward truth familiar to pack engineersreusability only has value if the article survives repeated flexing with consistent retention force, and if its material specification does not complicate mono-material recovery streams once the consignment has dash its course.
Minigrip Bag 57 (Pack of 1000) GL-02
A minigrip bag in the 57 x 76 mm bracket tends to see unremarkable on the spec sheet, yet in warehouse terms it does rather a lot of work; the small footprint suits select-face efficiency, kitting stations and secondary bagging where loose components would otherwise wander across the bench. The proper value lies in the method the seal geometry grasps consistent below repetitive handling, while the polythene suppliers gauge requirements to be tight enough to keep safe small parts without introducing unnecessary tare weight or compromising volumetric efficiency in bulk stock. In broader operational terms, a mono-material format also sits more adequately with circular economy targets, since clean mail-use recovery and reprocessing are far simpler when inks, laminations and mixed substrates are kept out of the equation.
Research & Resources
For further detailed information about sealing and re-sealing bags, right through their life-cycle from production to recycling, including details of the variety of re-sealable bags available, please visit:
Plastic Bags
Plastic packaging directory where businesses can add their own packaging product listings for free. Find a whole host of useful websites on sealing and re-sealing bags.
www.plasticbags.uk.com
Packaging Knowledge
This excellent online resource contains in-depth news and information on the plastic packaging industry. Read facts, stats and articles about packaging, including re-sealable bags.
www.packagingknowledge.com
Goldstork
Interesting online directory containing useful "best of the web" links to interesting and unusual websites, categorised to help your search. Goldstork also offers selected hand-picked websites specialising in sealing and re-sealing bags.
www.goldstork.com
What is static electricity?
Every object in the world - ourselves included - is made of atoms, which are in turn made of protons, neutrons and electrons. While neutrons have no charge, protons are positively charged and electrons are negatively charged.
In normal circumstances, the number of protons and electrons in an atom balance each other out, meaning that atoms have no charge. However, when two items rub together or separate, the electrons contained within these items can move from atom to atom or even from item to item, thus giving the atoms a positive or negative charge.
If the items involved in this situation are made from a material that does not conduct electricity - an insulator - then this charge can not move. The result is static electricity.
How do antistatic self-seal bags work?
If any static electricity comes into contact with an antistatic self-seal bag, rather than pass through the bag and risk damaging the electrical components inside the bag, the electricity passes around the bag and dissipates before it can make contact with the components, thus removing the possibility of damage.
