HOT BAR POLYMER WELDING

Figure above showing the hot bar polymer welding Hot gas welding of thermoplastic is the analogue of oxygas welding of metals. A stream of gas passes over an electrically heated element and emerges from a nozzle. The stream of heated gas is directed towards the joint between two thermoplastic parts where it melts and softens the polymer and a filler rod which is consumed by the process. A weld is formed by the fusing together of the thermoplastic parts and the filler rod which is generally composed of the same polymer type as the parts. The process was first described in 1937 by Reinhardt and found industrial application in the welding of unplasticised PVC in Germany in the early 1940s. A hot gas welding set is comprises a blower, an electric heater to heat the gas and direct it towards the joint, and a nozzle to focus the stream of hot gas. Although the equipment is configured to generate a hot air stream it is possible to reconfigure the equipment for other gases such as nitrogen or argon and this

particularly useful for welding thermoplastics which are sensitive to oxidation such as polyethylene and polyamide. The temperature of the hot gas stream is governed via the electrical supply to the heater and is typically in the range 200-400 C. A range of nozzle shapes is available and selection should be based on the type of weld preparation. Thermoplastic consumable rods are generally circular in section although rods with triangular section are also available in most thermoplastic materials. The latter geometry is particularly useful where multipass or fillet welds need to be made. Hot gas welding is a manual process which is applicable to most thermoplastics and its success depends on the skill of the operator. The adjustable welding parameters are gas type, flow rate and temperature, and the angle of the filler rod to the parts being welded. Typical gas flow rates are in the range 15-60 l/min. The main advantages of hot gas welding are that the equipment is easily portable. Applications for the process are based around the fabrication of sheet and tube into vessels and pipework. Industrial sectors which have exploited the technology in these applications include industrial plant, agriculture and building. Thermoplastic materials up to 15mm in thickness are readily hot gas welded and for thin materials hot gas welding can be accomplishes without the use of a filler rod. The main disadvantages of the process are that it is slow and weld quality is entirely operator dependent.