In industry, the term “security seal” is a broad description of a broad class of tamper-proof safety devices.Some of the most famous safety seals appear on consumer goods such as condiment cans and medicine bottles.These seals usually come in the form of aluminum foil wrapping paper or push caps.Other security seals are much more complex, often involving heat printing, laser engraving, and seals for large shipment crates and valuable or sensitive goods.
Security seals can be attached to luggage to keep it closed during transportation.Whatever their appearance, security seals are designed for one purpose: content limitation.The manufacturer shall use seals at all times to keep the contents of the package isolated.The reasoning and methods of sealing techniques may vary from one interest to another.
In food, safety seals are usually designed to prevent tampering.These seals are usually in the form of tightly fitting inserts located directly below the container cover.The vacuum sealed lid pops out when it is opened in the same form of technology.The purpose here is to prevent people from changing the contents of the product, removing any part of the product, or adding anything to the container.Security seals are also used in many other situations.
In land transportation, safety seals are usually used to prevent the box from being opened before the destination of the tape or packaging seals.Plastic zippers used to secure suitcases and zipper packages do the same.Other seals are used to hold the material together.Pallets are usually shrink-wrapped to prevent theft and transfer of contents during transportation, elastic packaging and plastic strapping bands are also commonly used to seal and secure multiple packages.At the most basic level, a lock or bolt is also a safe seal because it protects the inside from the outside.
Sophisticated criminals often have ways to circumvent these protections, however, serious shippers often invest in specialized locking tools or seek more specific locking measures.
The security seals are usually embossed or embossed with specific serial Numbers that are difficult to duplicate or replace if broken.Truck drivers, ship operators and train freight operators can also use these Numbers to track cargo.Crates and containers can also usually be sealed with lead or wire, which makes premature entry almost impossible.
This type of seal is particularly suitable for sensitive scientific materials, including bacterial strains and other hazardous chemicals.Bottle cap seals and metal seals can often be engraved with serial Numbers for easy tracking, just like metal labels and cargo seals.Confidential documents can also be secured with a security seal.Security labels are usually customized on highly viscous paper and are not easily detected.The most sensitive documents usually require hot stamping, and many seals will change color if tampered with.
Safety seals can be complex for large crumb crates.
Many seals are being developed to meet specific standards for different applications, some of which are defined by the C-TPAT (Counter-terrorism Customs Trading Partnership) program and other international requirements, but requirements for security seals are usually determined by the application or specific circumstances in which security seals are used.
The key challenge for the security seal industry is to continuously develop products that meet or exceed market requirements while providing unique tamper detection capabilities.Equally important is the challenge of safety seal manufacturers educating the users of safety seals.This includes making informed choices about which safety strip to use in different applications and situations, how to use the safety strip, and what procedures to perform around the use of the seal strip.
In the logistics industry, a large percentage of security seals are tampered with even before suitcases, truck trailers or shipping containers leave the loading point.Therefore, users who consciously decide to use security seals specifically designed for easy detection of pre-tampered security seals will benefit from reduced theft.
In other words, a security seal that easily identifies tampering can also act as a burglar.
Typically, the cost difference between using a poorly designed safety seal and a uniquely designed product (which adds real value in the supply chain) is only a few cents per seal, so cost-benefit analysis will most likely prove that choosing a good safety seal is worth the seal design.
There are two main types of safety seals: disposable and reusable.
Disposable seals are usually made of plastic or metal, and the materials and production techniques used are key to their safety.
Reusable seals are usually electronic or mechanical, rather than made exclusively of plastic or, if pure plastic, only a portion of them can be reused.
Electrical and mechanical seals are commonly used in the transportation industry and are attached to the backs of trucks, trailers and containers.A reusable mechanical or electronic seal can be installed on the back door or on the loading door to extend the cable from itself through the fixed point on the door and generate a unique number and record it when sealed.
This number changes the next time the door is opened, so it provides evidence of tampering with the load.
Manufacturing requirements may vary from company to company, but generally the key criteria are tensile (tensile) strength, shear strength, bending and impact, and the ability to maintain structural integrity at high and low temperatures.These are part of the requirements set out in ISO17712, the international standard for cargo container-mechanical seals.For stiffer barrier seals, the drillproof hardening metal body that does not contain soft materials such as zinc is often used.
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