Equipment & machines
Selecting equipment: complete overview of machines and tools
Start here: a brief overview pointing to butt fusion, branch and electrofusion welding, extrusion, and practical matters concerning power supply and servicing.
Four paths through the equipment
Plastics welding equipment falls into four groups, and most jobs require only one or two of them: butt fusion of pipes and fittings, electrofusion welding, branch and spigot work, and extrusion and hot-air welding for repair and tank construction.
The table below points to the page you should read depending on what the task requires. If you need to calculate something specific – welding wire consumption, welding force, material choice, or generator size – all the tools are gathered in the overview of calculators and tools.
| Task | Equipment | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| Straight joints of pipes and fittings | Butt fusion machine, manual or controlled | Select the right butt fusion machine and machine types and control levels |
| Transport and space | Compact or standard series | Compact butt fusion machine in the van |
| Tees, Y-branches and crosses | Branch and saddle equipment | Welding of pipe branches, tees and Y-branches |
| Fittings with embedded heating element | Electrofusion unit | Equipment for electrofusion welding |
| Repair, tanks and thick-walled components | Extrusion welder and hot air | Extruders: output and sizes and extrusion welding in practice |
| Documentation of joints | Control, data logger and welding log | Welding log and documentation |
| Power, cables and generator | Jobsite | Power on the jobsite |
| Maintenance and calibration | Servicing | Servicing and maintenance |
The pages are written brand-neutrally and describe equipment groups, not specific makes.
Questions to ask before you buy
List your typical tasks before looking at machines: diameters, SDR classes, materials, number of joints per day, where the work takes place, and what documentation requirements the client specifies. This makes selection much easier and prevents buying a machine that is unnecessarily large for the task.
Also consider whether the machine should be purchased new, hired, or bought second-hand. For one-off jobs, hire is often the right choice, and a certified used machine can be a good alternative at a fixed price.
Practicalities before the first joint
Regardless of equipment, the same routine applies: valid calibration, clean and level surface, correct power supply, clean fusion surfaces, and a test joint if the machine has been idle. The routine is summarized in the checklist before taking the machine to the jobsite.