Webinars

Learn about plastic assembly, digital manufacturing, and more.

Register to participate in our upcoming webinars.

Hot Plate Welding 101: Process, Materials, and Design

In this webinar, we’ll walk through the fundamentals of hot plate welding—how the process works, where it’s commonly used, and what engineers should know when evaluating it for an application.

We’ll spend some time on material considerations, including how different resins and fillers can affect the welding process and what to look for when determining whether materials are compatible.

What we’ll cover:

  • What is hot plate welding
  • Common applications for the process
  • Material considerations, including resins, fillers, and compatibility
  • Basic part and joint design considerations
  • Strengths and limitations of hot plate welding
  • How hot plate welding compares to other plastic welding technologies
  • Live Q&A

Date: Wednesday, October 28th, 2026

Time: 11:00 AM (45 minutes)

Presenters: Jason Dornbos, Tanner Remy, and Katherine Urivez

 

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How Engineers Choose Plastic Joining Technologies: A Guided Workshop

Choosing the right plastic joining technology starts with asking the right questions. The best technology isn’t always obvious—it depends on your design, materials, and performance requirements.
That’s why we hosted a guided engineering workshop built around Extol’s Plastic Welding Decision Matrix, one of our most downloaded engineering resources.
Rather than simply comparing welding technologies, we walked through the decision matrix together and explained what the criterion actually means.

What we will talk about:

  • How to use the Plastic Welding Decision Matrix effectively
  • What each evaluation criterion means and why it’s important
  • How design characteristics influence joining technology selection
  • The basic capabilities and tradeoffs of each joining process
  • When the matrix can quickly narrow your options—and when a deeper engineering review is needed

Whether you’re evaluating a new design or simply want a better understanding of plastic joining, you’ll leave with a practical framework you can apply to your next project. 

IR Welding for Automotive Applications

As automotive manufacturers demand stronger, cleaner, and more reliable plastic assemblies, infrared (IR) welding is emerging as a powerful joining solution.
Extol brings decades of experience engineering and controlling infrared (IR) energy for automotive plastic welding applications, enabling precise energy delivery, consistent heat distribution, and highly repeatable weld quality across high-volume production environments.
Whether you’re evaluating joining methods for a new program or optimizing an existing process, you’ll leave with practical insights to help make informed decisions.

Topics:

  • Why automotive manufacturers are adopting IR welding
  • Common automotive applications for IR welding 
  • Benefits compared to other plastic joining technologies
  • Design and material considerations
  • How to evaluate IR welding for your next program
  • Live Q&A 

Clean, Fast, Precise: An Introduction to nanoSTAKE

Discover how nanoSTAKE delivers precise, reliable plastic staking for delicate assemblies and tight spaces. Using highly controlled thermal energy, nanoSTAKE creates clean, consistent stakes while protecting sensitive components. Watch now to see how this tiny technology can make a big difference for your project.

Topics:

  • Your staking questions!
  • How nanoSTAKE works
  • Common applications
  • Key advantages for manufacturing
  • Design guidelines for success
  • Implementation options 

Hot‑Plate Welding for Pallets, Dunnage, and Oversized Plastic Parts

Pallets and dunnage take a beating—your welds shouldn’t be the weak link. In this webinar, we break down how hot‑plate welding delivers consistently strong, repeatable joints for oversized plastic assemblies. Learn practical design tips, material considerations, and automation insights that help manufacturers improve durability, throughput, and ROI.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • Hot plate welding fundamentals
  • Designing pallets for successful welding
  • Common materials and their implications
  • Throughput, automation, and ROI considerations 

InfraStake, The Premiere IR Plastic Staking Technology

In this interactive webinar, you’ll discover how InfraStake creates the tightest and strongest plastic assemblies. This clean staking process uses focused infrared energy to heat and form a plastic boss, while securely clamping the components together throughout. Don’t miss this chance to elevate your plastic assemblies to the next level.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • How the InfraStake process works
  • How InfraStake compares to other plastic staking technologies
  • Which applications are best-suited for InfraStake
  • How to design your parts for InfraStake
  • The key equipment components of InfraStake

Laser Plastic Welding Essentials, Innovations & Expert Insights

Discover what’s new—and what truly matters—in laser plastic welding. In this interactive webinar, attendees learned the fundamentals of the process, explored new technologies, and heard real answers to real questions from our experts. Expect practical insights, real-world applications, and valuable takeaways to help you enhance your next welding project.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • The fundamentals of laser plastic welding
  • Advantages of utilizing laser-welded assemblies
  • Customization of laser welding equipment for specific applications
  • Essential material requirements for effective laser welding
  • Real-world examples of laser-welding applications
  • New developments in laser plastic welding

 

Hot Plate Welding Tales of Triumph

Watch our interactive and engaging session where you can hear real stories and walk away with practical insights you can apply to your plastic welding projects. From how hot-plate welding works to the successes (and setbacks!) behind successful projects, this webinar is designed to be helpful, engaging, and anything but boring.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • How hot-plate welding works
  • Common problems in plastic welding
  • Tales of triumph: Real project stories
  • Lessons learned: How to tackle a hot plate welding project

 

The Ultimate Plastic Welding Webinar

Watch the recording of our interactive webinar and explore the world of plastic welding in manufacturing. This session covers the basics of key welding techniques, including laser welding, infrared welding, hot-plate welding, and more. You’ll learn how each method works, their differences, and how to select the right one for your application. Whether you’re new to plastic welding or looking to deepen your understanding, this hour-long session is packed with practical insights and expert advice.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • Basics of plastic welding
  • Different types of plastic welding
  • How to decide which technology is best for you and your product

How to Design for Laser Plastic Welding

Watch our interactive and engaging webinar to learn how to design your plastic parts for laser welding. You’ll discover how to create optimal laser welding joints, gain key insights into absorptivity and transmissivity, and explore the best materials for laser welding. This knowledge will help you produce strong, clean, and easily manufactured plastic products.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • Basics of plastic welding
  • Different types of laser welding
  • Importance of absorptivity and transmissivity
  • Designing joints for laser welding
  • Best materials for laser welding

 

How to Design for InfraStake

Watch our webinar focused on designing your parts for InfraStake, the premier IR staking technology! In this session, we explore the fundamentals of this technology and share everything you need to know to create strong, tight, and clean staked assemblies.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • Plastic staking basics
  • How the InfraStake technology works
  • How to design plastic parts for InfraStake

How to Design for NanoSTAKE

Watch our webinar focused on designing your parts for the innovative nanoSTAKE plastic staking technology! In this session, we explore the fundamentals of this technology and share everything you need to know to create strong, clean staked assemblies.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • Plastic staking basics
  • How the nanoSTAKE technology works
  • How to design plastic parts for nanoSTAKE

You Can’t Touch This: Non-Contact IR Welding for Plastic Parts

Watch our engaging webinar all about plastic IR welding. This non-contact, stick-free process produces clean, strong, and leak-proof welds that look great. We’ll discuss various IR welding technologies, their advantages, disadvantages, and when to use them.

Topics:

  • Answers to your questions
  • IR welding basics and benefits
  • How focused energy differs from masked energy
  • InfraGuide IR welding
  • Quartz IR welding
  • Non-contact hot-plate welding
  • Direct laser welding

 

The Only Spin Welding Webinar You’ll Ever Need

Spin welding is a unique plastic welding technology capable of strong, leak-proof welds. In this session, we discuss everything you need to know for successful spin welding.

You can expect to learn:

  • Answers to your questions
  • Spin welding basics and benefits
  • How to achieve strong and leak-proof welds
  • Spin welding materials
  • Spin welding joint design

Hot Plate Vs IR Welding: The Epic Showdown

Watch our exciting and interactive webinar on Hot Plate Welding vs. Infrared (IR) Welding—a must-watch for manufacturers looking to make the right choice for their next project! This session will help you decide which method best suits your production needs.

What You’ll Learn:

  • The ins and outs of Hot Plate Welding, its applications, and the unique advantages it brings to the table.
  • The power of IR Welding, and how InfraGuide systems are raising the bar for precision and efficiency.
  • A side-by-side comparison to help you understand when each method is the best fit for your application

The Ultimate Plastic Staking Webinar

Watch our webinar all about plastic staking! This innovative process is widely used in fields like automotive, life sciences, and consumer products. It’s a fantastic opportunity for you to gain valuable insights that can help you enhance your manufacturing processes and unlock the full potential of plastic staking. We cover different plastic staking methods and dive into two amazing technologies created by Extol: InfraStake and nanoSTAKE.

We cover:

  • An overview of plastic staking methods
  • Advantages and disadvantages of different methods
  • How InfraStake functions
  • How nanoSTAKE operates
  • Example applications

NanoSTAKE User Training

Watch our illuminating webinar on how to use your nanoSTAKE machine effectively. This interactive session covers the workings of the process, how to adjust parameters for optimal performance, and tips for troubleshooting common issues. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, you’ll gain valuable insights to enhance your skills and increase productivity. Watch now to elevate your nanoSTAKE knowledge!

Topics:

  • How the nanoSTAKE process works
  • How the process parameters affect the process
  • How to adjust parameters on the machine
  • Common process issues and how to resolve them

InfraGuide: Focused IR Welding for Clean Plastic Parts

Are you frustrated with the shortcomings of traditional IR welding? Let us introduce you to InfraGuide, the infrared welding technology for people who don’t like IR welding.

In this interactive webinar, you’ll learn why manufacturers who wrote off IR welding are switching to InfraGuide. Of course, like all of Extol’s webinars, you’ll get to engage and ask questions all along the way.

Register now and come prepared for a fun and engaging session that will change how you make your plastic assemblies.

InfraGuide is unlike other infrared (IR) welding technologies. The process uses focused, evenly-distributed IR energy to make clean, particulate-free plastic welded assemblies. 

In this interactive webinar, we’ll discuss: 

  • How InfraGuide works 
  • Why InfraGuide is better than other IR welding technologies
  • Why manufacturers who have written off IR welding technologies are choosing InfraGuide 
  • What materials work best with InfraGuide 
  • Your questions about InfraGuide

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