It’s amazing to know how joining plastic has
evolved, how traditional or conventional welding developed through the years.
Plastic welding is a very common process for joining
plastics. This process is similar to metal welding. In order to be able to do
this process, one must take into consideration the kind of plastic to be used
and its melting point. Thermoplastics are the plastics that can be welded; when
heated to a high temperature, they will soften. Type of plastic can be
determined by using burn test. How it burns will be observed like color of the
flame and the smell of the smoke. Base material and welding rod are the plastic
welding supplies needed. A thermoplastic welding rod is used to bind two pieces
of plastic together. It has different varieties that match base materials.
There are different plastic welding techniques such as ultrasonic welding, spin
welding, hot gas welding, etc.
Traditional sewing is being used for athletic
shoe but process has been changed and now using ultrasonic welding. Traditional
way was using fasteners like nails, screws and threads are used for binding
materials such as wood, fabrics, metals and plastics. But process has been
changed when ultrasonic welding was introduced and developed. It uses high-frequency sound waves and
pressure to bond materials together and required less energy than conventional
welding. As it develops, it became more sophisticated where computers can
control the process. It has been applied to plastics since then has become more
popular.
Spin welding is a friction welding technique
used on thermoplastic materials,
in which the parts to be welded are heated by friction. One part is held stationary in a holding
fixture while second part is rotated against it under pressure. This process
causes the joining surfaces to melt and fuse together. This process has the
ability to weld parts with circular joint that are not easily welded by
ultrasonic and weld dissimilar materials. It is energy efficient and no
consumables required. This can achieve excellent weld strengths and hermetic
welds at a fast cycle rate. This process has been proven very successful.
Harbor freight
companies’ use these tools in fixing expensive plastic. There are different
types of kits being used; some has adjustable temperatures, air motors and watt
irons. Through these tools, a variety of welding jobs can be handled.
