Current Flow & Times

Current flow measured in Amps is the factor that determines the temperature of the weld.

When the Powercore Welding Rod is placed between two pieces of plastic, it requires a minimum of 6 amps of current to reach a stable welding temperature (for HDPE 3/16". Rod under certain conditions). Higher current can be used when a faster welding time is needed, or a material thicker than 1/2" is to be welded.

Powercore can surpass the welding temperature of a given plastic if the current flow remains too high for too long. The graph below illustrates maximum weld temperature reached for different current flows in a 0.060" (1.53mm) sheet weld configuration (see Simple Weld), after a period of time. Notice that the core temperature is quite stable during the Heat Soak Time.

Please Note:
Graph is for illustration purposes only, do not base your test data on this graph.

Decreasing Weld Time:

To decrease heat-up time, a two step current flow may be used. For example 0.060" (1.53mm) sheet can be welded at 15 amps for 55 seconds, then 6 amps for 60 seconds. Extreme caution must be used, if current is left at 15 amps for too long, a fire may result!

For easy reference, we have provided all the above information in PDF format for you to download.