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Thread: Welding plastic / Safty?

  1. #1
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    Default Welding plastic / Safty?

    I was trying to melt some plastic parts together the other day, dident work that greate... But Im doing more tests later.

    Question:
    If I got hold of a plastic that "absorb" most of the blue light, is it safe to use for eye protection then? Or is there something else that I have to think about?

    Made a video with both tests in it:

  2. #2
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    A blue laser is a poor choice for welding acrylic, deep IR would be a better choice.

    By adding the black marker you have introduced contamination to any weld, blue light also discolours acrylic and makes it brittle.

    As far as eye protection goes; you only have one pair of eyes to last your lifetime - buy the correct certified eye protection!
    http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/3985/laser.gif

    Doc's website

    The Health and Safety Act 1971

    Recklessly interfering with Darwin’s natural selection process, thereby extending the life cycle of dim-witted ignorami; thus perpetuating and magnifying the danger to us all, by enabling them to breed and walk amongst us, our children and loved ones.





  3. #3
    mixedgas's Avatar
    mixedgas is offline Creaky Old Award Winning Bastard Technologist
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    You will have your best luck with thermoplastics. Acrylic is a thermoplastic, but acts more like a thermoset, and does not "weld" easily without a filler rod. It has a high glass transition temperature, causing it to stay somewhat crystaline. This is why for the most part, acrylics are cast from a two part mix, and not often injection molded.

    Steve

  4. #4
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    The RepRap guys use PLA or ABS which seems to work a lot better.

    Those guys have a bit of a challenge inducing 'localized heating' in their extruder assemblies for the plastic to extrude properly. I see an opportunity here.

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