July 16, Thursday

While waiting for our products to be shipped, we shifted our focus to the balloon for now.

We attempted to make a test balloon to get a feel of heat sealing the Mylar and to visualize how much the balloon would inflate. We made an approximate circular balloon of 20cm radius with a 5cm margin along the circumference for sealing. The hobby iron was adjusted to 325°F (163°C) and we employed the double seal technique that Dr Ho suggested and made two seals along the circumference, the second outer seal being 1cm further apart from the first inner seal.

 

 

Even though the seals appeared continuous, we realised that were actually a few leaks that started to form along the peripherals of the edges when we began inflating. This hindered its ability to be filled to its maximum volume. Even after re-ironing the leaks to close them, more leaks at other places started to form. We thought that these could have appeared as a result of uneven and inconsistent heating of Mylar when ironing, which would cause the Mylar near the seal to melt and become more susceptible to micro tears when inflated.