Heatstaking is a plastic assembly process involved in many high tech fields. It is also used in the manufacturing of a variety of everyday consumer products. Heatstaking is a procedure that uses heat and force to bond different materials together.
The process of heatstaking involves applying force to heated metal probes. The metal probes contact plastic posts, compress and form a stud head joining plastics to other plastics or metal, or indeed any two pieces of material. The process is odorless, noise free, clean and safe.
The most commonly used plastics in this process are polycarbonate, polystyrene, polypropylene and glass-reinforced nylon. Plastic heatstaking is found in a variety of industries and technological fields, including telecommunications, consumer electronics, medical device manufacturers, computer manufacturers and the automotive industry. The process can also be used to assemble very small parts used in cell-phones, memory modules, flash cards, wireless devices and electronic badges.
The design guidelines in heatstaking are very simple. The diameter, height and geometry of the posts used are the important factors to consider towards obtaining a variety of excellent results. Not only can the equipment be used to join material, but it can also disassemble and recycle materials that have been put together using the heatstaking process. This makes heatstaking one of the most economical and safe procedures available.
The use of heatstaking to seal different materials of varying shapes and sizes, in a continual process, is both inexpensive and labor saving. The versatility of the process also means that a number of high tech applications can be undertaken. Adding or changing the size of the tools used in the process can result in the ability to assemble tiny threaded inserts and micro equipment.
Another benefit is that there is minimal wear and tear to the tools used in heat staking. The tools used in the process are low maintenance and have very high reliability factors. Heatstaking is also an environmentally safe procedure. In addition to all the previously mentioned benefits, heatstaking is earth friendly too.