Plastic Welding Services in Melbourne

January 23rd, 2015

Taking advantage of the properties of a material is a key principle of engineering, a rule of industrial design that’s elegantly demonstrated in the field of industrial plastics fabrication by the exploitation of the softening and melting of thermoplastics. This polymer is well known for its recycling properties, meaning a thermoplastic can melt and solidify multiple times, a trait that lends itself naturally to welding.

Far from the process where an electrical arc is generated to bond metal together, the plastic equivalent uses numerous techniques to orient parts and initiate a carefully monitored mechanism where molecular bonds separate, become diffuse, and realign in new configurations, thus joining two parts together in a weld. Of the established operational models used in the welding of plastic components, the following are most recognized, but there are other, more specialized techniques under review.

• Hot-plate plastic welding
• Extrusion welding
• Ultrasonic
• Friction
• High frequency welding
• Hot gas plastic welding

The aim of all of these processes is generally the same, to break the simple molecular bond of a thermoplastic and create a strengthened bond between components. The above techniques are differentiated by how they incite this action, by the application of heat, vibration, or some other motive force. Also certain techniques, extrusion welding is one example, are best suited for welding thicker materials of at least 0.5-inches (12.5-mm).

When the two designated plastic materials are oriented, they’re pressed together. Using only enough pressure to initiate the bond, the pressure does not place undue stress on the shape of the plastic. Next, an energetic force, heat or one of the above vibrational techniques, causes the molecular bonds to break down. The dynamic movement of the molecules becomes diffuse at the source of the join, and the components cool until a strengthened weld is produced, one that contains superior strength. Of course, this fusion scenario is a touch more complex in a real life scenario. There may be several preheat stages to engage, the supply of a “weld rod” made from the same type of plastic that’s undergoing the weld process, and numerous variations that encompass wide form factors. We’re talking of shapes that vary from large bench-top assemblies that span an entire factory floor, quite likely in an ultrasonic or extrusion set-up, to handheld versions built to attend to fine details.

Plastic welding uses heat, low and high amplitude vibrations, or even lasers to produce fused plastic assemblies. Commonly made from thermoplastics due to the materials ability to cycle from soft to hard without damage or brittleness, the process is permanent, an optimal alternative to transient mechanical fasteners that can fail over time.

Get in touch with Industrial Plastic Solutions

Mobile: 0400967210
Phone: (03) 9798 1153
Fax No: (03) 9798 1915
Email: ipssolutions@bigpond.com
Address: Factory-20, 29-39 Kirkham Road West, Keysborough VIC-3173

Business Hours:
Monday – Thursday 8.30am to 4.30pm
Friday 8.30am to 3.30pm
Saturdays by appointment only.

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