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Learn to plastic weld
For a DIY
enthusiast, the repair of everything in his house be it a leaking PVC
pipe in the house, or the broken fender of his motorcycle is always a
challenge. The look of pride in his eyes, after successfully completing
job and the look of “Look how clever he is!” in the eyes of others is a
good reward for him.
For a clear idea
of welding of plastic, you have to know about three things. The first is
plastic, second is welding technique and the third is skill. You cannot
learn the third one really without actually practicing it. Here are some
details tips on welding plastics.
- The
plastic is a plastic for the nonprofessional. For a real DIY
enthusiast, there are two types, namely thermosetting plastic and
thermoplastic. A thermosetting plastic is finally molded into shape
by heat. A thermoplastic may be glass reinforced or may be just a
thick plastic. Thermosetting plastic is unlikely candidate for
welding by heat. Motorcycle fender is a nice example of
thermosetting plastic.
- A
thermoplastic on the other hand can be welded together. A
thermoplastic is PVC, HDPE, or polyolefin. These are affected by
heat and on application of heat; they come to a form that can be
joined to one another by force.
- For welding
of plastics, heat is necessary and force of use or filler rods may
be made depending method to be used.
- When a
force is the method to be used, both the ends of plastic are heated
in a special jig and the material is brought in a semi liquid state.
After the required temperature is achieved, the ends are forced
together and kept that way until the melted material is solidified.
There is no filler material other than the parent material. This
method is used for making of a longer length of pipe out short
pipes, and is used for PVC and HDPE pipes.
- When the
force is not a preferred method because of site conditions, a filler
material is used. The two ends to be welded are brought together and
heated by hot air and filler material is added in the area to be
welded. The liquid state of ends and the filler material makes for
the completed weld after the heat is taken off. This method is used
for welding of flange to pipe and for repair of leaking pipe on the
spot, where you do not have much choice.
- While
minimum skill is required for the pressure method, there is some
skill in the hot air method. The beading and the speed of weld
becomes crucial for the welder. If this is followed properly, you
can always get a good weld. This method is used in factories to get
stubs. These stubs can then be used in field to get a good site
fabricated line with minimum effort.
- For a DIY
enthusiast, some practice will be necessary to get a good weld in
situ. At first, a DIY enthusiast may not succeed, but is not rocket
science, and it can be learnt with practice.
- The welding
is done with filler rod, and a hot air gun. The tip of the gun may
vary from job to job and specific tips are recommended by the
manufacturers for various jobs, depending upon the material,
thickness and shape of objects to be welded. A wrong tip and you
might blotch up the whole job. Be warned that you can spoil the
whole work if you are not careful.
- Skill is
necessary for making a god looking weld. The skill is a combination
of heat, speed, bead formation and tips used.
So in short, the
plastics can be welded and made as new if you know what to do or you are
ready to learn. It is not difficult at all.
This article courtesy of weldingorg.com.
You may freely reprint this article on your website or in
your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author
name and URL remain intact.
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