PLASTIC WELDING – TYPES AND ALTERNATIVES

Plastic is used for many different purposes all across the world in a variety of industries. It can be formed into virtually any shape, this is just one of the reasons that the material is used widely. Many people do not know that plastic can actually be welded which gives plastic even more flexibility when it comes to the shapes and sizes that it can be made into. For those of you who are interested to know more about plastic welding, the types of welding you can use, or the alternatives, this blog post will enlighten you about all of this! Types of Plastic Welding Friction Welding – Heat is generated using friction to fuse the two pieces of plastic together, this is commonly used to weld plastics as the friction is incredibly effective at cleaning the two surfaces ready to be welded. Another benefit of this method is how time efficient it is, from start to finish it is a very quick process. Extruded Bead Sealing – In this method of welding, a bead of hot plastic is placed between the two pieces of plastic that are being welded together. The sections are then pressed together when they have cooled down the bond between them will be solid. High-frequency Welding – Materials like Polyurethane and PVC contain chemical dipoles, which contain electrons. These are welded together with high-frequency electromagnetic waves before the pressure is applied to the pieces when the bonding process takes place. Hot Gas Welding – This technique uses a heat gun to soften and melt the joins of the two pieces of plastic. When the heat has been applied the bond between the materials strengthen. Hot Plate Welding – This method of welding uses a heated metal plate to apply heat to two plastic surfaces. PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is then used to coat the surfaces to prevent sticking. The materials are held together until cooled. Solvent Welding – In this welding method, a solvent is used to soften plastic and make it easier to merge. The solvent will eventually evaporate, and the pieces will harden once again in their new joined form. This is often used in the process of joining together pipes. Laser Welding – This is the method with the most precise control and speed, laser welding involves joining two pieces of plastic together whilst a laser beam is held against the join line. The heat produced welds the two pieces together, for this method to work, the plastic used must be absorbent to the laser beam, or an absorbent material must be placed on the join line. Induction Welding – A conductive metal is used in this welding method. It is positioned between the two pieces of plastic, and a high-frequency generator heats the metal until this heats the plastic as well. Alternatives to Welding Mechanical Fastening Quite possibly one of the simplest ways of joining plastics, mechanical fastening involves using separate fasteners like latches or nails to join plastics together. This is often more suited to stronger and more durable plastics. Adhesive Bonding This method involves glueing the plastic surfaces together. The surfaces are attached together to produce a smooth bond; this is done using glues, epoxies, or various plastic agents that need heat, pressure or time to cure and form their strongest bond. Although we at Rayda don’t weld or join plastics ourselves, we do extrude and supply plastics you can use to do so. For more on what we do at Rayda, take a look here.

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