Knowing which type of plastic you're working with is a cornerstone of good plastic welding. By asking you to perform a few simple tests, such as a flame or burn test, the flow chart below will help you determine which type of plastic you have. 

​Keep an eye out when buying used (and even new!) equipment to make sure the nameplate is intact and hasn’t been altered in any way. We’ve helped a few customers deal with serial numbers cut or scratched out of nameplates. The serial number is the easiest way to confirm age and ownership of a Leister tool. Without a serial number, the manufacturer’s warranty is unusable. You could even be purchasing a stolen piece of equipment. Don’t get caught! Check before you buy. 

​Plastic extrusion welders can generally be divided into two categories: screw-based extruders and non-screw-based extruders.

Learn our top 5 tips for properly caring for your hot air welding tools and minimizing maintenance. 

Every plastic has a set of parameters (temperature, pressure, time/speed) at which it should be welded. However, the perfect temperature for the application can vary depending on environmental conditions. If you are welding in a less than ideal environment, the only way to find the perfect welding temperature for your project is trial and error. If welding is taking place outdoors be sure to perform test welds periodically throughout the day to ensure your temperature is set correctly, as the environment can change over time.

​It’s important to evaluate each plastic weld to ensure your final product is strong and resilient. Particularly when speed welding with a hand tool, small defects in a single weld can be magnified as beads are built up to the base material’s thickness. Several key indicators allow you to evaluate your welds without the need for destructive tests.  

Broadly, there are two types of hot air plastic welding tools: manual tools and extrusion welders. Manual tools are ideal for very small fabrication work, detailed projects, and repair work. Extrusion welders are suited for larger fabrication projects such as tanks, chutes, liners, and piping. 

It's important to identify the plastic you're welding as only like plastics can be joined. The simplest way is by performing a burn test.  

​Inside every Leister hot air tool is a heating element composed of a ceramic honeycomb supported resistance wire filament (See below). Electric resistance wire heaters work on the principle that when electrical current passes through a conductor heat is generated, and the amount of heat generated is related to the resistance of the conductor. 

Some resistance wire heaters are able to function without airflow because they have been designed in such a way that they will not reach temperatures above their safe operating limits. Examples include: a toaster, some ovens, wrap heaters, some space heaters, etc.
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However, Leister heaters are designed to operate at very high temperatures—most are designed to heat airflows up to 650°C, and some up to 900°C—and as a result require airflow at all times. To reach these high air temperatures, the heating element must be capable of reaching even higher temperatures. Without adequate airflow, the element will heat up unchecked and will exceed safe limits, leading to the destruction of the element.