Why Welding Guns Using Hot Air are Safer

The field of thermoplastic welding comes with lots of choices. On top of all the different methods you can choose from, within each method there are many different styles of units to choose from.

The most convenient and efficient is perhaps the safest, as well, for many reasons.

Hot air welding guns typically offer the same functionality, but their form and design can make a big difference in their application.

When looking for a hot air welding unit, there are many different designs to choose from. Some employ a standard stick design, and others use a safer and more ergonomic gun grip approach. Always look for a unit that employs a gun grip, which isolates the air cock from the body pipe by the gun grip greatly reducing the threat of electric shock or burn injuries. The gun grip also allows you to be more accurate with your heat. Operation also becomes more intuitive. Stick-style units can also result in hand fatigue over time.

If you are already in favor of the hot air welding gun design, one of your concerns is probably the portability of the unit. Other styles of thermoplastic welding, like extrusion, involves units that are not easily transportable, even in-house, or involve lots of moving parts. Hot air welding units like the Fuji Impulse NS-300 are self contained and highly portable. The motor, rotary blower, transformer and switchboard are all contained in one housing, making it easy to employ anywhere. No hauling multiple parts across the shop floor, with a compact design like the NS-300, one person can easily handle transport to the project.

Because hot air welding guns use nothing more than heated air to heat and bond materials, they can be used for a long period of time.

There’s no stopping to refill welding rods or pellets. Longer use time means better efficiency and less downtime. Most hot air welding units also employ condenser motors with no starting switch. No starting switch means one fewer part that needs to be replaced. It also means no accidental shut-offs in the middle of a project that could foul a weld.

Originally hot air welding guns employed an inert gas like nitrogen to assist with the welding, but the current generation of hot air guns do not require such gases. All that is required to heat the air is an element and then the air is blown through. No lubricants are involved in the gun or the rotary blower. Because of this, hot air guns require very little maintenance. No oil and no maintenance mean no lost time to servicing units.

With no other materials inside the gun assisting operation, you know that the air coming out of your hot air welding guns is clear air, with no risk of contaminating your welds.

When choosing hot air welding guns, you should also pay attention to the materials used. High quality guns employ stainless steel webbing in all parts that are subjected to high heat not only to make sure that the air reaching the welding point is clean, but it also ensures that the gun has a long shelf life as well. Inferior materials on the inside of a device do nothing but guarantee you will be buying a new unit before you need to. Stainless steel webbing also protects the unit from overheating, meaning it can perform efficiently over an extended period of time with no risk of burning the operator.

When choosing a hot air welding gun, make sure you take the time to consider the pros and cons of each unit, and how those measure up to the efficiency and safety of each unit. Some companies choose to go cheap, and simply replace units every so often, but that can put operators at risk if proper safety design is not taken in to account.