Process Selection

One of the more basic questions about plastics assembly is how to know which process to specify for the assembly. Often, the size and configuration of the parts and the material inolved will rule out various options. Since very few people do thermoplastic assembly for the pure joy of it, the economics of the project will definitely enter into the discussion as well. Often, a designer will have a preference for or familiarity with a particular process and drive their design toward what they perceive as the right combination of factors to make that process feasible. Sometimes, the joint strength requirement will drive the decision. Sometimes, it’s more a matter of which equipment is already owned. Whatever drives the decision, the cost of the headaches of using the wrong process will almost always be greater than the cost of doing it right in the first place.