TWI provides a number of services relating to the welding of polymers, including training, equipment and expert advice.
We have built up an extensive knowledge base covering the more widely used processes for welding plastics, including thermoplastic elastomers, and pioneered the development of innovative techniques that provide improved quality and greater productivity.
We can offer impartial advice on the most appropriate joining technique for any application or thermoplastic material.
Expertise and Equipment
TWI's expertise and equipment is made available to Members in the following ways:
- Welding equipment and expertise for all processes
- Non-destructive and destructive testing for plastics welds, including a specialised whole-pipe tensile rupture test rig
- Facilities for testing polymers in extreme environments
- Process review and optimisation
- Failure investigation
- Personnel who combine many years' experience with cross-industry-sector knowledge and contacts
- Plastics welder training via our industry training and certification programme
- Plastics industry updates
Applications that involve welding plastics range from assembly for mass-produced domestic appliances to fabrication welding of pipelines and from high-speed welding of films and fabrics to precision welding of medical devices. Methods are also diverse, extending from well-established processes such as ultrasonic or hot gas welding to novel techniques employing laser or infrared energy.