Welding
Hot air welding and butt welding are most commonly used in fabrication. The equipment, welding rods and skills employed for welding solid thermoplastic sheets are suitable.

Hot Air Welding
Typical joints and the necessary panel preparations are illustrated in the diagrams.

Welding Technique Single V Butt Weld Double V Butt Weld

Single Bevel Corner Weld Single Bevel Butt Weld Double Bevel Butt Weld

Air temperatures should be about 250°C to plasticise the sheet and welding rod sufficiently for effective bonding. Welding speeds of 250-300mm/minute should avoid excessive heating which will damage the sheet cell structure.
Greater speed can be achieved with high speed welding nozzles. Where multiple welds of a joint are necessary, the joint and surrounding area should be allowed to cool between welds: cooling between stages in fabrication is necessary to avoid distortion when the component is moved.

Hot Plate Welding
Butt welding of edges of sheets thicker than 3mm is possible using hot plate welding techniques.
Sheet edges are plasticised through contact, under slight pressure, 0.05 - 0.07N/mm2, with a flat plate heater at a temperature of about 220°C. A welded join is formed by withdrawing the tool, pressing the plasticised edges together under controlled pressure, 0.2- 0.27N/mm2, and cooling.