title: Handbook of Plastics Joining: A Practical Guide (Plastics Design Library)
author: Michael J. Troughton
description: Dr. Mike Troughton is Plastics Technology Manager at The Welding Institute (TWI), World Centre for Materials Joining Technology in Cambridge, UK. His main areas of expertise include the welding and NDT of plastics pipes, the testing of thermoplastics welds and the certification of plastics welding personnel, on which he has written over 20 technical papers. <br /><br />
zlib_text: 11.1
  11
  Plastics Joining Materials and
  Processes
  Edward M. Petrie
  ABB Power T & D Company, Inc.
  Raleigh, North Carolina
  11.1 Introduction
  Plastics are common substrates found in all industries. Plastic materi-
  als range from inexpensive, commodity-type products, such as those
  used for packaging, to a group of resins that have become known as
  engineering plastics by virtue of their outstanding mechanical and
  chemical properties. Engineering plastics are often used as an alterna-
  tive to metals in applications requiring high speciﬁc strength, low
  cost, and fast production methods. 
  To make large plastic assemblies, the most cost-effective method of-
  ten involves molding smaller subsections and joining them. In such
  cases, the manufacturer has a variety of joining options including: 
  I adhesive bonding
  I thermal welding
  I solvent cementing
  I mechanical fastening
  The plastic assembly relies heavily on the characteristics of the
  joint. In most applications, the joint must be nearly as stron