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Heat staking is a specific type of plastic assembly. Plastic welding is a process by which two or more plastic components are permanently joined. More accurately, it is any one of several plastic assembly processes. However, plastic welders can use also heat staking to join plastic components to dissimilar types of plastics – or even non-plastic components like wood or metal.
The heat staking process is a relatively quick and simple one. Quick in that it generally takes only one to five seconds. Simple in that the heat staking concept is a mechanical one – and fairly basic, at that.
In heat staking, a plastic stud protruding from one component fits into a corresponding hole in the second component. The tip of the stud is heated to the point of softening, at which time, it gets flattened, forming a "head" that is larger than the opening in the other part. This keeps the two parts from separating.
Advantages of this type of plastic welding:
- The heat staking process usually takes only a few seconds
- No extra parts (e.g., screws, rivets) are required to join pieces together
- The process is reversible; if necessary, the plastic stud may be reheated and reshaped to allow separation of the components
- Plastic parts may be joined to non-plastic (e.g., wooden or metal) pieces
As the heat staking process has become more advanced, automated plastic assembly equipment has further simplified the process, enabling the joining of multiple sets of components at once.
Another thermoplastic assembly method plastic welders employ is spin welding. This is a type of frictional welding through which one plastic part is rotated at a high rate of speed, then pressed firmly against a second, stationary piece of plastic. The heat generated by the friction of the spinning part against the unmoving one results in a strong bond.
A third type of plastic welding is ultrasonic welding. Ultrasonic plastic welders use high-frequency acoustic vibrations and pressure to form a solid-state bond between two pieces of plastic. As with heat staking, this particular thermoplastic welding method relies on no additional screws, rivets, nails or other adhesives.
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