The basics of hot plate welding plastic parts

The basics of hot plate welding plastic parts

Hot plate welding is a thermoplastic joining process that uses heat and pressure to form strong, reliable welds in parts. It’s an efficient and cost-effective method for manufacturing components from plastic materials such as PP, ABS, PC, TPE, and more. Hot plate welding offers numerous advantages over other plastic joining methods, such as stronger, particulate-free welds. This guide will cover the basics of hot plate welding, including its steps, benefits, and typical applications. We will also discuss tips for designing your parts for hot plate welding success and the equipment used in this process.

Hot plate welding brackets, ports, and other small components

Hot plate welding brackets, ports, and other small components

Trying to hot plate weld small brackets, or ports onto a large complex part can be tough and expensive in a standard machine. These types of applications often need a modular, configurable solution to fit around the parts. Often, the main piece has several small components, each needing a welding operation. For example, many automotive underhood ducts are long and meandering and have a couple of ports and brackets.

Advantages of Servo-Driven Hot Plate Welders

Advantages of Servo-Driven Hot Plate Welders

Servo-controlled hot plate welders completely revolutionize the hot-plate welding process. Take it from Extol, we started the servo movement with the Rapid Conductor hot plate welder. Our welders use servo-motors to control the platens and weld strong, repeatable parts.

Start Monitoring Melt Force to Improve Your Hot-Plate Welding Process

Start Monitoring Melt Force to Improve Your Hot-Plate Welding Process

If you do any hot-plate welding, you should start monitoring melt force to improve your weld consistency and quality. Extol’s Rapid Conductor hot-plate welder is equipped standard with three servo-driven platens: the upper and lower press platens, and the heated platen. Servo control eliminates the need for hard stops and ensures that all the pressure applied by the welder goes directly into the components being welded.