plastic welding


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Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

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Post Sun Nov 22, 2015 9:17 pm

plastic welding

Does anyone out there have any experience, good or bad, in welding plastics ??? Any suggestions would be welcome, such as safety tips ( avoiding fumes, etc. ), types of equipment to avoid buying ( as well as endorsements of equip. you favor ), suppliers of equip. and mat'l. you've found to be trustworthy or not, etc., etc.

I'm seriously considering learning this craft well enuf that I can build my own parts as needed. There are so many that just can't be found, or are so exorbitant in price that I constantly ask myself, "Could I build it myself if I had the mat'l. and training ? " We all know that plastic can perform in amazing ways that it never used to be able to. I've surfed the 'net plenty on this, but I know that everything I read is colored by manufacturers desire to make as much money as possible. So I figure, if any of you guys have any hints or tips to offer, I'll gladly accept them. Thanks in advance........

oldihfan

Golden Jubilee
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Post Mon Nov 23, 2015 1:54 am

Re: plastic welding

You must be kidding? This is a vintage truck forum with as many opinions as there are members. It is very likely that many of the members on this forum know about as much about plastics as you do and that appears to be nothing. You need to get yourself familiar with the industry in a trade school. Get a job with a plastic company and maybe they will train you and or pay for your training.
There are thousand of different plastic materials and many of these plastics require different and very expensive handling during fabrication.
You need to talk to someone at SABIC POLYMER SHAPES and ask them about training and fabrication. Check out their web-site. I would be surprised if they offer a paper catalogue.
My first trade training included simple plastic welding for fabricating plastic sheets into venting equipment. A proper handheld hot air gun for some types of plastic welding will cost over $1,000. From this $1,000 the prices of machinery rises rapidly.
A friend of mine works in the plastic industry,. He tells me that an injection machine could be a several millions of dollars not including set-up. He went on to tell me that a famous cola company spends around a million dollars for an injection mold for one of their plastic cases. I had some custom green dairy style cases made for recycled GROLSCH beer bottles for the make-my-own-beer business. The injection plastic company that supplied the cases charged me about $10 per case and I bought hundreds of them. The manager told me that the injection mold cost them about a million dollars and the injection machine was many time more.
Have you checked out the 3D plastic printer systems. This technology is very expensive to buy the CNC machinery and a person will need computer skills in machine programming.
I cannot imagine what parts could be made for an Old IHC truck. You cannot count on this hobby to spend enough money to build a polymer shaping business. I cannot get $40 dollars for a mint horn button for an "R".
I built ABS door panels and headliners for the L and R and another set for a 1940 Ford, but this is fitting simple flat panels that just about anyone could do. Well, there was one piece that needed heat forming. I still have the simple tools for making heated bends in flat material. In 2015 dollars $3000 could not replace them.
Staying in business will require that business to make a profit. Someone must pay for the fabrication. If the business is yours, you will need that profit, and lots of it.
I would rather have tools I do not need than to need tools I do not have
Thinking risks being controversial and possibly being offensive

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

Posts: 183

Joined: Fri May 08, 2015 9:13 pm

Post Mon Nov 23, 2015 2:09 pm

Re: plastic welding

nns---------thanks for the insight. I guess ignorance is still bliss, Huh ? I had no idea !!!

Golden Jubilee
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Post Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:09 pm

Re: plastic welding

I don't know much about it but I do know they can "weld" 1" thick 12" dia plastic gas/crude oil piping, as I have hauled the welding machine.

Golden Jubilee
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Location: Canada's left Coast

Post Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:43 pm

Re: plastic welding

It is a really big deal. Unless you are funded by a lottery or an inheritance,a person is best advised to start as an employee. Learn and get paid is a great first step.
I think ultrasonic is used in some weld applications. My experience in the trade was with harsh chemicals ducting. 50 years ago, $100,000 was a startup cost.
CB89, I have seen some of the pipe you mentioned. I wonder if You Tube has a video.
I would rather have tools I do not need than to need tools I do not have
Thinking risks being controversial and possibly being offensive

Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Joined: Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:28 pm

Location: Lyman, IA

Post Mon Nov 23, 2015 3:53 pm

Re: plastic welding

I've hauled the pipe and the machine, I wish, like so many other loads I've hauled, I could stay and watch. I know the "welder" rides on the pipe and, as they string sections, welds them together. I guess it is fairly automated. I would like to see it being done.

AZD

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Golden Jubilee
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Post Mon Nov 23, 2015 5:46 pm

Re: plastic welding

Just my two cents on the matter:

If you are talking about small parts in low volumes, 3-D printing will get you where you want to be faster than just about anything else. As always, you get what you pay for. I have a good friend using 3-D printing to prototype parts for injection molds. Their equipment can print as much fine detail as needed. Some machines are fairly crude. You will need some CAD modelling skills as well. There is a learning curve, but it can be done. This friend has a 2-year degree in musical theory yet makes far more on his own than I do as an engineer with a corporate behemoth...

Another option, some items can be cast in resin using rubber molds. This assumes you have an original part to make the mold.

Rusty Driver
Rusty Driver

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Post Mon Nov 23, 2015 7:57 pm

Re: plastic welding

AZD-----------rubber molds and resin.....another idea I hadn't thought of !!! Thanks !-----I'll google it.
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Golden Jubilee
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Location: Wichita, Kansas

Post Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:54 pm

Re: plastic welding

I'll add a couple thoughts. I have seen plastic welding sets used by body shops to repair cracked door panels, dashes and bumper covers. These use heat and a plastic filler rod. The rod must be the same type of plastic as the panel. Many of the newer plastic parts, like intake manifolds, are made from plastic mixed with glass or other reinforcing fibers for added strength. In this instance, the repair or joint would be the weakest point of the part, since the filler would not have the fibers in it.

Dean
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Grew up with red paint
Moved off the farm 33 years ago.
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Golden Jubilee
Golden Jubilee

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Post Wed Nov 25, 2015 9:16 am

Re: plastic welding

It's been awhile since I looked into their catalog, but I believe Eastwood offers (or did) a kit for welding plastic trim pieces back together. Might give their site a look-see.

Follow-up: I went to the Eastwood site and found they do have a couple of units for differing types of repairs. One for repairing cracked/broken pieces; the other for repairing bumpers, door panels, dashes, etc.
L110 owner since 1974, finally rebuilt 2014.

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