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Patent-pending welder rapidly melts thermoplastics

The FlatJet Welder, designed for thermoplastic components of all sizes, blasts a thin, directed jet of uniform, high-temperature air/gas for a fast, full-surface melt.

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Patent-pending FlatJet Welder.

Shown here is the FlatJet Welder with two hot air guns (1,100ºF; 600ºC) set up for long, narrow, right-angle butt welding. A weld gap is exposed by tilting the yellow plate along a face-edge of the horizontal white plate. After a full-length sheet jet melts them in the gap, the yellow plate is vertically raised and forced down. Photo Credit: Winston MacKelvie

The FlatJet Welder is a patent-pending design that provides rapid surface melt to thermoplastic components, enabling quick, complete welds. Currently this is said to be a limitation to the use of thermoplastic materials, whose optimized mechanical properties but low surface energy precludes adhesive bonding. Current welding is also often limited to small areas and is a slow process.

The FlatJet Welder blasts thin, directed jets of uniform, high-temperature air/gas at tape-contact or into gaps between components of any size, rapidly liquefying the entire surface in seconds. Multiple welders may be placed around the gap to supply an unlimited and consistent heat supply.

FlatJet is available for sale and/or a joint venture. For more details and samples, contact its inventor, Winston MacKelvie, by email (winstonworks@me.com) or by phone (P: 450-243-6850, C:450-330-4293).

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