Hot plate welding

Greiner Assistec not only produces plastic parts and assemblies but also finishes them on a custom basis. In a recent addition to their portfolio, the plastics experts now offer hot plate welding, a technology that uses a hot plate to fuse individual parts together. By expanding its range of products and services, Greiner Assistec is responding to its customers’ requirements and boosting its profile as an end-to-end solution provider.

Kremsmünster, Austria, July 2019. Greiner Assistec is more than a producer of custom plastic parts and assemblies – the plastics experts’ portfolio also includes finishing the products on an individual basis. Greiner Assistec provides end-to-end solutions from a single source – with added values giving the company’s plastic parts the finishing touch. It takes a smart approach to integrate technology into its various production processes – either in-line or off-line. Greiner Assistec works closely with the customer to determine which procedures and processes are suitable for which project. The company’s welding portfolio now includes the relatively new hot plate welding joining process alongside its established ultrasonic and vibration welding technology. To implement this new addition, the company worked in cooperation with mechanical engineering firm KLN Ultraschall AG.

A cost-effective process for complex shapes

Hot plate welding plays a particularly important role in the series production of molded thermoplastic parts, as this process makes it possible to connect a wide range of product shapes and sizes cost-effectively. Even complex three-dimensional surfaces can be joined using hot plate welding.
The process itself can be summarized as follows: A heating element is used to warm the joining surfaces of the parts to be welded; pressure is then applied to join them to one another. This technique results in high-strength bonds that are also superior over the long term to those achieved using most other welding methods. The welding process itself can be optimally controlled, resulting in a high level of weld quality.

Various combination options

The respective material, component, and process conditions determine how long and to what temperature the individual parts need to be heated. Various combinations of materials can also be joined together using the individual setting options on the machine. As a plastics expert, Greiner Assistec is there to support its customers, which means the company can realize projects efficiently and in line with the exact needs and requirements of the respective project.
Greiner Assistec can apply the process to produce hollow shapes such as tanks. Parts produced with injection molding or thermoforming technology can also be fitted together perfectly. Initial examples of best practice demonstrate that the technology is in demand on the market. In one such example, Greiner Assistec is producing a washer fluid reservoir and a radiator grille in series for automotive supplier Magna Steyr. The technology is primarily utilized in the automotive and logistics sectors, and Greiner Assistec is able to offer added values such as hot plate welding in combination with various materials and technologies like injection molding to suit customer preferences.

End-to-end solutions from a single source