
Plastic Welding’s Role with Thermal Assembly
Plastic welding allows you to produce a molecular bond between thermoplastic materials. It delivers first-rate strength, and the finished weld is durable, so you won’t need repairs or replacement for a long time.
Plastic welding provides a manufacturer with assembly options for their applications and devices. At Thermal Press International, we can consult with you on your final assembly to determine the best process, whether plastic welding, thermal press assembly or other technologies.
Our plastic assembly services include:
- Contract machining
- Design review and application support
- Prototyping
- R&D support services and process development
- Contract assembly services
- Process and design consultations
Types of Plastic Welding
There are various types of plastic welding:
Infrared Plastic Welding
This welding process is a relatively new technique, commonly used for large part assemblies with high hermetic and strength requirements. Infrared plastic welding utilizes a controlled infrared light emitter and melts the joining surfaces using blow-molded assemblies.
Benefits of infrared plastic welding:
- No tooling or part contamination
- Reduces the amount of flash
- Rapid changeover
Ultrasonic Plastic Welding
Ultrasonic plastic welding creates frictional heat in a focused area by converting high-frequency energy into a mechanical motion (vibrations) to create the bond. The plastic melts, forming a molecular fusion. We use this method to weld plastic to plastic, plastic to metal, and plastic to vinyl.
Benefits of ultrasonic plastic welding:
- Versatile and flexible with little fixture mods or tooling changeover
- Rapid weld confined to the joint of bonding areas
- Consistent and repeatable
- Replaceable fasteners and adhesives
Hot Plate Plastic Welding
This method of welding plastic is also ideal for large part assemblies. It involves applying heat to the parts’ joint areas for a predetermined duration, withdrawing from the heat source, and ultimately bonding the parts, allowing them to solidify under pressure.
Benefits of hot plate plastic welding:
- Strong sealing method
- Compatible with nearly all thermoplastics
- Able to weld complex shapes and large parts
Why Choose TPI for Thermal Press Assembly?
At Thermal Press International, we’re here to help with your process and product development. Our seasoned engineers are experts in heat staking, heat sealing, and plastic assembly product design and manufacturing.
TPI is your optimal choice when choosing a partner to meet your pressure and heat assembly requirements. Whether you plan to develop a new process or use one of our turnkey heat stake or heat seal processes, we look forward to working with you.
Call today at 925-454-9800, or contact us at Thermal Press to discuss how we can assist you.