.png)
If you have to connect plastic parts to make your products, then you have to find the best way to fix all your parts together. While you can use fasteners or adhesives on some jobs, these options aren't always the most effective solution. Sometimes, plastic welding is the best way to bond plastics. What are the advantages of using plastic welding to build your products?
1. Create More Effective Bonds
While fasteners and adhesives can bond together some plastics, these solutions have some downsides. For example, adhesives don't work completely effectively on some materials, such as some thermoplastics and resin mixes. While you can switch to using fasteners here, they won't always work so well either. You can't easily find fasteners with an exact fit if your products have complex or oddly shaped parts. So, you might have to sacrifice some strength and stability. Your bonds might not be as robust and long-lasting as you would like. Your products might be harder to put together, and they might not stay together for as long as you need them to. Plastic welding is a useful alternative to both adhesives and fasteners. It creates a permanent bond on your products. The process fixes your parts together on a molecular level. You won't have to worry about adhesive failure or fastener breakdown.  Plus, you can weld most plastics effectively and safely. You can even weld together different plastics with different compositions. This process also works well on complex shapes, angles, and positions.
2. Speed Up Production Times
Fast production times help you get your products to market quickly. If you use adhesives or fasteners to bond your parts, then this process might take longer. For example, you have to wait for adhesives to set and cure, and fasteners need time to fix in place.  Plastic welding is a faster bonding solution. An expert welder can work quickly and efficiently, even on large production runs. Once they make a weld, you simply need to wait for the plastic to cool down before it is good to go.
3. Create Effective Seals
If one or more of your parts needs to work as a seal, then you have to work out the best way to do this. This isn't just a question of getting a good bond between two parts - you have other factors in play here. For example, if you need to create a watertight or airtight seal between two connected parts, then you need to find a more advanced bonding method. Adhesives and fasteners don't always deliver this quality of bond. Both options might leak.  Plastic welding is a viable sealing option. A weld creates a complete and unbroken seal much more easily and effectively.
4. Improve Your Cosmetic Finish
If finish is important to you, then you have to find a bonding solution that won't affect the cosmetic quality of your parts and products. In some cases, you simply want a neat finish; in others, you want bonds that are close to invisible. Adhesives and fasteners might not create the finish you need. No matter how carefully you apply an adhesive, you can usually see that it is there. It might mar the smooth lines of your products. Fasteners are also hard to hide.  If cosmetics matter to you, then plastic welding is a good route to take. An experienced welder can create welds that are clean, subtle, and, if necessary, virtually invisible.
5. Reduce Weight Loads
If you use fasteners on your parts, then you might add to the overall weight of your finished products. This can affect the look and feel of your products and their shipping weights. If you need to keep weight down, then plastic welding is the perfect solution. This process creates molecular changes in existing plastics; it doesn't add any weight to them. So, you can create lighter products without having to add excess weight.  To learn more about plastic welding and how it can help you create better parts and products, contact the experts at MGM Plastics.