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Plastic Welding
In addition to laser welding of metals, AMADA WELD TECH offers laser welding of thermoplastic polymers.
The plastic welding method is primarily for lap-welding configurations and relies upon the laser being transmitted by one material and absorbed by the other. Welding occurs as the material absorbing the laser conducts heat to the transmissive material, and the bond is formed under the action of force.
Figure 1 Schematic representation of the welding process.
- Parts are clamped
- Laser heats underlying material
- In turn, the underlying material heats the top material
- The weld cools and solidifies
Applications Plastic Welding
Figure 2: Two examples of plastic welding. The first example shows welding between clear and black polycarbonate, both with a thickness of 0.125”. The second example shows a weld through 0.5” polypropylene to 0.062” nylon.
Benefits of Plastic Welding
- Minimal heat input into the parts
- No mechanical stress on the components
- Aesthetically pleasing – the material surface has a clean appearance with no visible flash
- Laser has excellent flexibility on seam contours
- Wide range of materials can be welded
Plastic Welding Applications
AMADA WELD TECH is pleased to accept a wide range of samples made from plastic material. Once these have been examined by a laser welding specialist, we will recommend the laser welding product that is suitable for processing the sample. The surface, thickness and properties of the plastic material have a major influence on the anticipated result. Please feel free to consult either of our technology centres for more details.
