Welding of polyethylene using instruments. Simple methods for gluing polyethylene film

Necessary tools and materials

To get started, stock up on everything you need to get started. You will need some double-sided tape, depending on the amount of polyethylene you want to glue. You will need a soldering iron for welding, but if you do not have one, you can use an iron. In this case, you need metal plates - 2 pieces, as well as a piece of cotton cloth.

In addition, you will need phenolic and chromic anhydride butyral glue. The latter should have a concentration of 25%. By the way, you can use chrompic as a replacement.

Finally, be sure to stock up on funds personal protection because working with chemicals may be harmful to your health.

The first and easiest way is to use double-sided tape.

In the event that you need to connect the ends of the film web and polyethylene to each other, you can use adhesive tape. Be careful: this method does not imply further increased load.

Before gluing polyethylene with double-sided tape, do not forget to thoroughly clean the surface of the film. This is necessary so that the adhesive tape sticks most tightly to the surface and lasts long enough. Dust and dirt interfere with normal adhesion. Remember that from time to time the adhesive tape needs to be changed and try not to expose it to moisture.

Welding

This method is used most often, because it is considered the least expensive, but at the same time very high quality and durable. Important: you must work with all caution, because there is a risk of not only spoiling the material itself, but also getting burned.

The most commonly used method is gluing with plates. To do this, put the two edges of the polyethylene sheet to be glued on top of each other between the metal plates. The edges should stick out a little. Gently press the plates and run the soldering iron along the very edge of the polyethylene. The plates in this case are necessary so that the film simply does not curl under the influence of high temperature.

If you don't have a soldering iron, you'll need an iron. Lay the pieces of fabric to be glued slightly overlapped (1 cm). Lay strips of cotton fabric under the wrong side of the polyethylene and on it. After that, with an iron heated to the maximum temperature, run over the top of the canvas.

The stores have a large number of the most different glue for plastic. However, keep in mind that the vast majority of formulations are not suitable for polyethylene. But do not discard this method - for gluing polyethylene, you can use standard glue for plastic after careful preparation material.

In order to make the surface of polyethylene more active to adhesion, you need chromic anhydride or chromium peak. Such products are sold in specialized stores. chemicals. If you have chemist friends, you can ask them for the composition. Chromium gently acts on the surface of polyethylene, making it susceptible to glue.

Anhydride or chromium peak should be applied to the film, and only then - the usual BF-2 glue, which is sold in every store. Such a simple method of gluing polyethylene would become very popular if the right substances Chromium-based was easier to get.

Special glue

Finally, there is another method for gluing polyethylene. Currently, special glue has appeared in stores, which is intended only for this material. It can be an adhesive for plastics or a structural adhesive for materials such as polypropylene and polyethylene.

Glue is applied to a clean surface of the film. However, it does not need to be treated with any substances. The fact is that after applying the adhesive, polyethylene begins to change its structure, which makes gluing simple and reliable.

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Properties of polyethylene

This wonderful material has a lot of interesting properties. Polyethylene is used to protect against moisture, is an excellent electrical insulator and is able to absorb one of the most dangerous species radiation. It is almost completely resistant to chemicals. It is this last quality that sometimes turns from a virtue into a disadvantage. How to fasten such material and how to choose glue for polyethylene?

Interestingly, bonding is not only a chemical, but to some extent an electrical process. The molecules of the substances being joined are attracted to each other due to the difference in their charges. Therefore, it is quite difficult to find a substance that adheres well to polyethylene, and after drying, firmly holds the fastened parts together. Since the molecules of this material are quite “balanced”, it can be very difficult to glue it with other elements. But still, the chemical industry has created an adhesive for gluing polyethylene. And not alone. Such an adhesive must have certain properties. Let's take a look at which ones.

adhesive material requirements

If you decide to glue polyethylene or foam phenol (its foamed variety) to a concrete or brick surface, then the bonding adhesive layer must have a number of properties:

Remain weather resistant.
Do not damage bonded materials.
Have a high degree hygroscopicity and adhesion.
Be resistant to temperature changes.
Have antiseptic and fungistatic qualities.
Maintain its properties for a long time.

Consumer reviews suggest that you should also pay attention to environmental safety adhesive. This is especially important when using materials for interior decoration premises. And if you decide to use polyethylene (foam phenol) when arranging a sauna or bath, you need to pay extra attention to the heat resistance of the glue and its resistance to hot water vapor.

How to choose glue?

If you don't know which polyethylene adhesive is right for you, ask your salesperson to look for one that contains methyl acrylate. This substance provides rapid softening of polyethylene and its high-quality bonding. Also, the composition of the product may include chromic anhydride, various acids and xylene. An indisputable advantage such glue is that when using it you will not need additional processing surfaces. But users claim that it also has a drawback. Such glue for polyethylene is very toxic. Therefore, all work is best done outdoors. Well, or you have to at least provide high-quality ventilation premises. Best of all, the glue "works" at a temperature of +35 ˚C. He is not afraid of moisture, but ignites easily.

Also in stores you can find tools for connecting polymers. They are sold in the form of a thick paste. They usually come with a solvent. After connecting these two components, the adhesive acquires the desired structure. Since the solvent evaporates instantly, the mixture must be used quickly. So don't breed too much at once.

But it is better not to use neoprene glue for polyethylene. Such a composition is more suitable for connecting rubber and rubberized parts, neoprene fabric, leather, felt, ceramics, metal in any combination. But for styrofoam, polypropylene, polyethylene and plasticized PVC, it is better not to use it. There will be no sense.

Acrylic adhesive with filler

If you do not know how to glue, try using a two-component composition based on the same methyl acrylate. Alternatively, you can try Easy-Mix PE-PP trademark weicon. It has excellent adhesive properties. It is used for gluing polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride and other polymer materials. When working with this glue, you will have to hurry. It retains its properties in the open air for no more than three minutes.

Easy-Mix PE-PP contains a special additive consisting of microscopic glass beads. This filler prevents the adhesive from leaving the bonding area. Therefore, the seam is quite strong. Such glue for polyethylene foam should be applied only from the branded packaging mixer. It is best to work with it at a temperature of +22 ° C. Complete hardening is ensured no earlier than after 5-6 hours.

Epoxy adhesive

Of course, this is not a very suitable adhesive for gluing polyethylene. But if nothing else could be found, then you can try. You just have to pre-prepare the surfaces:

Clean the edges of the parts to be glued with a fine emery cloth. Then carefully degrease them.
Treat both parts with a 20% solution of chromic anhydride or a 25% solution. If such substances could not be found, a strong solution of potassium permanganate can be used.
Dry after surface treatment.
Dilute the glue according to the instructions. Apply a thin layer to the surfaces to be bonded. Put together the details here.
To withstand several hours, and preferably a day - until the seam is completely solidified.

Welding of polyethylene can be carried out both in normal and in production conditions. Its implementation is most popular when creating a coating for greenhouses, where pieces of material are joined using contact heating. Also, soldering may be needed for book covers, packaging bags, and other needs.

Welding polyethylene film is carried out by bringing the polymer material into a ductile state. To do this, its edges are heated to a temperature at which melting begins, then they must be connected and tightly compressed. To do this correctly, you can use a device designed specifically for this purpose for welding polyethylene. The operation of such devices can be carried out in several modes, which are set depending on the thickness and characteristics of the polymer and on its type.

Types of polyethylene compound

The most simple and low-cost method for joining polymeric materials is the so-called contact welding polyethylene. In this way, reliable connections are formed, which are preserved during subsequent operation.

To perform , the joined edges of the polymers are heated with "hot air" or "hot wedge" until they melt. Compression and seam formation is carried out by roller elements specially designed for clamping. The resulting seam will be single or double, it has good strength.

The method called hot air”is a heated air stream, with the help of which the polymer softens and melts. For the same purpose, a heating part made of metal is used - a “hot wedge”. Contact of elements and polymer is carried out both from the outside and from the inside, and good strong seams are formed.

In addition to the contact method of connection, extrusion welding can also be used. When this method is chosen, the molten polymer is supplied under pressure, the surfaces connected to each other change from dense to ductile, and squeezing helps to hold them together.

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How is the connection of polymers "hot wedge"

Under production conditions, it is possible to weld polymer pieces using a special apparatus. It is used to work with such types of materials as HDPE, PVC, polypropylene and others like them.

This machine has next principle work: the wheels are started from the engine through the gearbox, a “hot wedge” is inserted along the tripod between the arranged sheets of material. In the thermostat of the device, the system is brought into operation, automatically maintaining the desired temperature. This helps ensure greater accuracy and reduces the chance of significant temperature fluctuations. The speed control is carried out automatically, while a relatively stable voltage is provided in the electrical circuit.

Such equipment complies with safety standards and provides greater convenience for work. Welding is carried out at a certain speed, which can be adjusted manually. The required pressure is transmitted through the pressure rollers using a special lever.

The device allows you to get a double seam on a dense material, the strength of which is approximately 85%. The process is carried out automatically, only the temperature and speed of the working element will need to be manually adjusted.

The hot air apparatus can be described as a kind of industrial hair dryer. Its advantage is lightness. The device is suitable for use for a long time. The mechanism is very powerful, and therefore the impact is quite effective. Its use is possible for such types of material as HDPE, PVC, LDPE film.

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How to weld at home

Do-it-yourself welding of polymers is not complete without appropriate equipment, tools, which in most cases can be made independently from outdated household appliances.

Even the usual one will do as the simplest electric iron equipped with a temperature controller. A soldering iron powered by electricity will also be useful.

Using an iron, the edges of the PVC film are joined as follows. A bar made of wood and properly planed is placed on the table. The edges of the polymer intended for welding are arranged on it - they should protrude beyond the lining material by about 2 cm.

Lay sheet material on top of the film that is difficult to melt: it can be fluoroplastic, paper, newspaper. Make sure that the paper does not char during operation.

To speed up the connection of the edges of the parts, after heating the material, it is necessary to immediately cool this section of the film - prepare in advance a piece of wet cloth, which, after heating, should be used to wet the soldered polymer.

On the thermostat of the iron, heating should be set to 120-150 ° C. The temperature of the apparatus powered by electricity is the main technological indicator that serves for the correct connection of polyethylene.

If you have never welded polyethylene in the manner described before, it is best to practice a little first. Place the sheets of the film intended for overlap welding on a flat surface, for example, on a tabletop, cover the top with a newspaper sheet or any paper. Heat the iron, tilt it slightly and run it over the place where the seam should be. If the connection is of poor quality or does not even form, check the temperature indicator.

From the first time, few people manage to get a reliable and beautiful seam- Be patient, and gradually everything will work out.

You will need

- double sided tape;
- soldering iron or iron;
- two metal plates;
- cotton fabric;
- chromic anhydride or chromium peak;
- BF-2 glue (phenolic butyral);
- glue for polyethylene;
- individual protection means.

Instruction

Connect the joints of the plastic film with double-sided tape. This is the simplest and fast way attach parts from this material to each other. However, do not rely on the glued parts to withstand a large load.

Weld polyethylene - perhaps this is the most common way to connect parts from a film. It requires caution, because during heat treatment you risk ruining the material. Three proven methods can be recommended: - Place both sides of the polyethylene to be glued between two metal plates so that the edges of both parts protrude slightly. Run a soldering iron over them - the metal will not curl. Also, if necessary, you can make a polyethylene patch by thermally treating the edges of the parts to be welded; - use an iron heated to the hottest temperature. In this case, the parts should be overlapped (at least 1-1.5 cm). Lay even strips under the wrong layer of the film and on top and iron them; - You can connect polyethylene parts by dripping melted plastic onto their joint. So you can repair not only the film, but also other plastic items.

Find the right adhesive for plastics. The vast majority of adhesives will not work for you. Some mixtures can be used, but only after the surface of the plastic has been prepared - it should become more active. For this you will have to "mini". So, after applying a solution of chromic anhydride (25%) on polyethylene, you can use BF-2 glue. You can get the specified chromium preparation in chemical reagent stores or from familiar chemists. You can replace it with a chrome peak.

Try a special adhesive for polyethylene, such as DP 8005 (structural adhesive for plastics) or WEICON Easy-Mix PE-PP (structural adhesive for polyethylene and ). The peculiarity of such compositions is that no pre-treatment of the material is needed. The mixture changes the structure of the polyethylene surface, after which it sticks together normally.

note

It is necessary to work with chemicals when repairing polyethylene extremely carefully - in the open air and with personal protective equipment (gloves, overalls, mask and goggles). Chromium preparations are poisonous, they leave indelible stains on clothes. If you do not have conditions for working with chemicals, it is better not to risk it and get by with more gentle methods.

Sources:

Bonding of plastics
gluing polyethylene film
Can plastic wrap be glued?

To pack a gift in an original way, it is absolutely not necessary to buy a standard gift box. plastic bag. It is better to make a pretty container for a gift yourself. Such packaging will not only be unique, but will also inform the hero of the occasion about how much he is appreciated.

You will need

-paper;
-pencil;
-stationery knife;
- stationery glue;
-rope.

Instruction

First, choose the color and pattern that will be on. This will depend on the occasion for which the present is presented. For example, a drawing of flowers is suitable, you can choose an image and rings, for Defender of the Fatherland Day - and stars. Decorate the sheet from which you will make the package with a pattern using or stick an appliqué. On the other hand, products are drawn.

Draw the diagram as follows: mark the width of the package, its length, bottom, fold lines. Cut the corners of the bottom on both sides, then to fold the craft. A detailed diagram can be seen in the picture.

Take a special clerical knife and cut off the future product along the edges. Place something hard underneath to avoid scratching the table. Where the fold lines are indicated on the diagram, push with the other side of the knife to make it easier to bend. Carefully fold the craft along all these lines.

Glue the cut out layout with any stationery glue. When the bag is dry, punch holes with a knife or hole punch. On each side, you need to punch two holes, adhering to symmetry. To make the holes stronger, glue with inside pieces of thick paper.

Take ropes that match in color to the main range. Tie a knot on the rope, thread it into the hole so that the end of the lace goes from the front side inward and then make a second knot to secure the rope. Insert the handles into the rest of the holes in the same way. The package is complete. Decorate it further at your own discretion - glue foil applications, sprinkle with glitter or attach other details for decoration. You can also color the package or write on it the name of the person to whom it is intended, or a wish for the hero of the occasion.

Is it possible to glue polyethylene?

When installing waterproofing or a greenhouse, it is often necessary to glue several pieces of polyethylene together to get a film right size. But how to glue a plastic film, and is it possible to do this at home?

The question is not as simple as it seems at first. It is also known from the school chemistry course: the higher the polarity of the polymer material, the better it lends itself to gluing. The polyethylene molecule, written with chemical symbols, is very similar to a long chain consisting of identical units - CH2-. Such uniformity suggests that the electric charges inside the polyethylene molecule are distributed evenly, i.e. it is non-polar. Therefore, polyethylene sticks together very poorly.

Welding of a polymer film: a - using an electric soldering iron; b - using a run-in for an electric iron; c - open flame.

Very often, adhesive mixtures are used for bonding polymeric materials, which are prepared from the same materials (or similar ones) dissolved in a suitable solvent. But this will not work with polyethylene - it practically does not dissolve in organic solvents.

Some polymers can be glued simply because they have a rough surface. In this case adhesive solution fills in irregularities and, solidifying, clings to them, tightly gluing pieces of material. But with polyethylene, this will not work, because it has a perfectly smooth surface.

Therefore, if we talk specifically about the gluing process, then gluing a plastic film at home is almost impossible. Yes, and in industrial it has never been glued until now.

But although pieces of polyethylene cannot be glued together, they can be welded, or, more precisely, soldered, which has been successfully done for many years in industry, having developed many methods for such welding. But of this many ways, there are only two that can be applied at home.

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Hot welding of polyethylene

Welding the film with an electric soldering iron: a - type of seam; b - device of an electric soldering iron for welding a film.

The most convenient way to do this operation is with a metal roller with heating device inside. But to make such a device at home, you need to have a fairly high qualification of an electrician.

Therefore, people's ingenuity found a completely satisfactory replacement for such a tool - an ordinary iron. Since different grades of polyethylene film melt at different temperatures, there is no specific recommendation for temperature regime welding is not possible.

The temperature of the heating iron for welding will have to be determined by trial and error. If the temperature of the iron is insufficient, then the film will not boil, but if the iron is heated too much, the seam will turn out to be “overcooked”, weak, and the film on the sides of the seam will be easily torn. The only thing that can be advised initially is that the iron should not be too hot.

The soldering technology itself is very simple. To make the seam neat and even, soldering is best done on a flat surface. wooden surface. The edges of the film must be laid on this surface with a slight overlap on each other (0.5-1 cm). On this overlap, you need to draw a spout or edge of a heated iron. The passage should be no more than a second in one place, otherwise you will burn the film.

PVC film can be recognized by the yellowish tint of the edge of the roll.

But with this method of soldering, there is one very important negative point: the heated plastic film very often sticks to the iron. To prevent this from happening, it is better to cover the polyethylene seam with a thin sheet of cellophane before soldering, and then go over it with an iron.

The strength of the solder joint can be checked by simply pulling the soldered pieces in different sides. If the seam diverges, it means that the soldering quality is unsatisfactory, and you need to repeat everything from the very beginning. Some craftsmen perform this soldering not with an iron, but with a hot knife blade, claiming that it is more convenient for them. But this is a matter of taste.

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Open flame welding of polyethylene

To reconcile polyethylene in this way, you will need:

metal or ceramic bars;
welding tool (this may be gas-burner, blowtorch, spirit lamp, and in the absence of these, you can use a torch or even ordinary matches).

Electrical circuit diagram connecting the "ironing" to the network: 1 - constant wire resistor; 2 - metal case; 3 - sting-horse; 4 - textolite handle; 5 - stand.

The edges of the films to be welded must be fixed with metal or ceramic bars (wooden ones are not suitable for this purpose). It is necessary to fix it in such a way that a narrow strip of film (3-5 mm, no more) is visible from under them at the welding point. The bars are needed not only for fixing the film, but mainly in order to quickly remove heat from the films being welded, otherwise they will burn out entirely instead of melting.

Next, you need to hold the flame along the remaining open edge. The speed of the flame will also have to be selected empirically, especially since it will be different not only for each brand of polyethylene, but for each tool too. If the operation is performed correctly, then upon its completion a dense roller is formed, firmly connecting the two edges of the plastic film.

As an alternative to welding, when constructing greenhouses and greenhouses, two pieces of polyethylene film can be sewn together. To do this, two pieces of film are overlapped on top of each other. The overlap should be 2-2.5 cm. Then a regular medical patch is glued to the overlap on both sides. It will not hold well, but it's not scary, the main thing is that the strips of the patch lie exactly at the place of overlap one above the other.

Then, over the overlap, two seams are made with large stitches. In this case, the pieces of the film are fastened with the help of stitched threads, and the patch, having a stronger material structure, prevents the threads from tearing the polyethylene. However, this method is not suitable for waterproofing, since the seams will let moisture through.

It should be noted that both welding methods are suitable only if you need to combine polyethylene with polyethylene.

If it becomes necessary to glue the film to some other material, then you will have to look for a transparent film from another material that sticks better, and for which there are special adhesives on sale. Alternatively, it may be a PVC film.

Connect the plastic film in the ways described or look for something new, it's up to you. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment, because if something cannot be done today, this does not mean at all that it cannot be done tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.