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The "V" in PVC is
for Vinyl.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is a versatile polymeric plastic that
offers a strong, flexible, weather resistant, and attractive finish for
fabrics used in signs, banners, tents, transportation, and many other applications. PVC is a "thermoplastic" which means
that it is highly suitable for welding.
The primary reason to have welding equipment is to be able to join
panels using overlapped or butt seams. In these cases, one sheet of
vinyl-coated fabric is being welded to another piece of the same type of
fabric.
Because Weldable Webbing is also PVC-coated, the same welding equipment
can be used to add strength by welding the webbing to various vinyl fabrics, thus
joining two fabrics with differing internal fabric weaves ("scrims") but
with compatible outer PVC surfaces..
Be familiar with four different methods for welding PVC:
| Hot Air Welding
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Electronic Welding |
Air heated to over 400o
F is directed through a nozzle precisely into the space between the
fabrics to be joined. The heated surfaces are then pressed together by a
roller which follows the nozzle.
Hot Air Equipment Suppliers:
Production-Scale Machines:
Miller Weldmaster
Smaller Shop Tools:
Forsthoff (Abbeon Cal)
Leister
Mini-Hemme |
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Thermoplastic vinyl molecules are excited
(heated) by radio frequency waves or electronic pulses. The materials are pressed
together between a sealing bar and a bed plate.
High Frequency Equipment Suppliers:
Cosmos/Kabar
Fiab
Forsstrom
JTE Machine
Systems
Pulse Welding
Novaseal |
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| Wedge Welding |
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Solvent Welding
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Fabrics pass between spaces above and
below a heated metal wedge as it is moved along the materials to be
joined. The resulting heated materials are then pressed together by
a trailing roller.
Wedge Equipment Suppliers:
Miller Weldmaster
Novaseal
Sinclair Equipment |
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(Room
temperature.) Prior to being pressed together, a chemical solvent is spread along
the surfaces to be joined. After a brief waiting period during which the
solvent has time to soften the vinyl coatings, the materials are joined
with pressure. Materials should be clamped for enough time for the two sides to
weld. Fabric Adhesive Suppliers:
Adhesive Engineering & Supply
Chemical Concepts
H&H (Snyder Vinyl)
IPS WELD-ON |
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