Film welding is one of the working operations that may sometimes be necessary. For many types of work, pieces of polyethylene film must be tightly connected to each other. Most often, this is necessary for the construction of a greenhouse, greenhouse, installation of vapor barrier during construction.

For some activities, it is necessary to provide the material with a tight connection in order to obtain any product. When gluing polyethylene using adhesive tape or adhesives, high-quality sealed joints will not be obtained, therefore, if it is necessary to ensure a strong connection, welding is used.

There are many ways to weld polyethylene film. The operation itself is a bonding of layers of material by heating, creating a temperature convenient for melting. When the layers are compressed, a weld is formed.

Welding of polyethylene occurs as follows: layers when heated change the structure, connect to molecular level, after cooling, a strong seam is formed.

To glue a polyethylene film, the layers should be well cleaned - with any contamination, the strength characteristics are much reduced.

Alien impurities pass into the melted mass, which violate the molecular structure in the seams.

For a high-quality connection with high strength, the following conditions must be met:

• when welding the film, its pieces must be homogeneous, belonging to the same batch;
• surfaces must be clean;
• temperature regime when working, choose correctly - with insufficient heating, the strength deteriorates, with excessive heating, the joint and the pre-seam section are deformed;
• when heated, sufficient compression should be ensured.

To connect pvc film quality, you can not re-weld the edges of the material. If it is necessary to perform such an operation, first cut off the damaged edges.

Both in the implementation of construction operations and for domestic needs, the following connection methods can be used:

• welding with a soldering iron equipped with special nozzles - in this case, it acts as homemade apparatus for welding;
• docking when heated, melting the film with an iron;
• the desired temperature of the layers is achieved using a burner;
• industrial equipment is used to heat the seam.

You can try to warm the film with a hairdryer, then tightly connect the surfaces intended for gluing to each other, but it is better to put it under a press.

Film welding with a soldering iron

How to glue plastic film with a soldering iron? This method can be safely attributed to the most common - the tool is easily accessible, allows you to get a good result, and with a little refinement of the soldering iron, the effect can be improved.

It should be noted that without refinement it will not always be possible to make a tight connection - the joints can be uneven, the material spreads.

So you can glue the film for the greenhouse or make a canvas for other needs. Only with very small amounts of work can we recommend using a PVC connection with a soldering iron. After a little refinement, it turns into a convenient and easy-to-use tool.

Iron as a welding heater

How to glue a film using an iron - the simplest household appliance that is in every home? Everything is very simple - the job is to melt the polyethylene and create joints using a heated iron sole.

Improvised welding machine from iron allows you to connect large areas of the film. In this case, the seams can be made with a certain width. All modern irons have a thermostat that allows you to adjust the heating temperature.

• Before gluing the film, provide a comfortable place to work - a wooden smooth surface is best.
• The film is overlapped, the top layer is covered with fluoroplastic or paper, the sole of the iron is pressed and led along the welding line.
• Experienced clamping speed, force are determined, temperature is selected.

Professional welding tools

To connect the film at home, you can make a variety of tools with your own hands, but they are only suitable for performing small-scale work. If you need large-scale production - commercial activity, creating a greenhouse or greenhouses - the use of these devices has the greatest effect. No glue has the same ability.

The welding process is faster, professional devices allow you to set the desired pressure parameters, the speed of advancement along the weld, and the temperature.

Most professional devices have tension and setting roller elements that pull the film at an optimal speed, which has a beneficial effect on the quality of the seam.

I am writing to you because I cannot find the answer to the question in the literature: how to connect a PVC film. Width - 140 cm. And for my greenhouse you need 3.8 m. I tried to sew on sewing machine- prey threads. I tried with tape on both sides - a very unstable connection. Maybe you know a way to make it strong and reliable. There is a film 6 meters wide, but, as it turned out, it is very unstable, it only lasts for 1 year. Sincerely, Rubinsky Yu.B., pensioner

Dear Yury Borisovich, you are not the only one who cares about this question, so we decided to answer you through the newspaper.

The efficiency of using a greenhouse for growing vegetables largely depends on the quality of the film and how it is used. To start, a few general rules, which many people know, but, for some reason, do not perform.

1. Stretching the film over metal carcass greenhouse, place some material under all the racks and crossbars with which it comes into contact. It can be any fabric (tear into strips an old sheet, a curtain and wrap the racks). You can use paper (even newspaper), but it will only last one season. The fact is that the metal is very hot in the sun, and the film "burns". A fabric or paper layer will protect it from this.

2. Do not stretch the film too tight. This reduces its service life.

3. Immediately after harvest, remove the film, wash it, dry it and fold it in a room where it will not be exposed to light. In the light, the film quickly “sprinkles” - it breaks up into separate fragments.

There are several types of film on sale that are frost-resistant. Such a film can not be removed for the winter (if the design of the greenhouse is designed to withstand the weight of snow on the film). However, frost-resistant films, as a rule, have a small width.

You can use it to cover a greenhouse as follows: cover it not with a single canvas, but with stripes, throwing them across the roof across the length of the greenhouse. At the junction, fasten the strips with twine, clothespins or special staples.

On a wooden greenhouse, such a film can be nailed with small carnations, stuffing them through a narrow tape of tarpaulin or a strip of linoleum.

I want a big one!

If you need to get a single wide canvas, then there are several ways. The film is welded with an iron, soldering iron, blowtorch or a special roller, glued with various solvents and adhesives, and sewn together with threads.

Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Try them out on small pieces of film and see what works best for you.

When welding the film, the edges of the two panels are superimposed on each other, covered with parchment or newspaper and slowly carried over the welding site with the edge of a heated iron, a hot soldering iron tip or a special roller heated to 250 ° C.

With another method of welding, the ends of the film are clamped between two smooth metal strips and the protruding edges (about 1 cm) are melted with a blowtorch or spirit lamp.

At a bonding temperature of 70-75 C, the film is glued with xylene and trichlorethylene, and at a temperature of about 30 C - with concentrated acetic acid (80%, glacial). Please note that special care must be taken when working with these substances.

A polyethylene film can be glued with BF-2 or BF-4 glue if the surfaces to be glued are pre-treated with a 25% solution of chromic anhydride.

The polyamide film is glued with PK-5 glue. The seam after gluing is ironed with a warm iron at a temperature of 50-60 C.

Garden stores have superglue for plastic wrap. It has no smell. In hermetically sealed packaging, its shelf life is not limited. The connection made with superglue has high strength, elasticity, transparency and water resistance. One bottle of glue with a capacity of 50 ml is enough to make a glue line 15-20 running meters long.

The adhesive contains solvents traditionally used in everyday life. It is recommended that you follow the same precautions when handling adhesive as you would when handling household chemicals.

Gluing panels and repairing damaged film coating using superglue is carried out according to the following technology. A thin layer of adhesive about 1 cm wide is applied to the outer surface of the film coating (or around the damaged area) with a brush or stick and dried in air for two hours. Then, another sheet or a cut-to-size patch of plastic film is applied to the seam (or damaged area) and carefully smoothed out with your hands.

As practice shows, not all types of glue are suitable for PVC film. In the description, they claim excellent qualities and results, but in reality the glue peels off over time, and the seam falls apart. This is how, for example, hot glue behaves.

For high-quality gluing, it is important to fulfill two requirements.

1. Ensure exceptional cleanliness of the bonding area and absolute degreasing of surfaces (with acetone).

2. Ensure secure fixation of the gluing site until the glue is completely cured (for example, between two boards with a load on the top board).

In addition to welding and gluing, the film is sewn together with threads. The edges of the individual pieces of film are overlapped. The line for stitching the film should be rare. To increase the strength of the seam, it is necessary to sew the film with a gasket made of paper or fabric strips. For these purposes, dense spunbond is also used.

To reduce condensation in the greenhouse, gardeners cover the greenhouse with a film, and the end sides are entirely made of spunbond, which is sewn to the film. Some craftsmen even sew a zipper into a spunbond, opening and closing it instead of a door.

Number of impressions: 38293

How to glue plastic film? This seemingly simple question constantly puzzles many summer residents and garden lovers. After all, if you first decided to build a greenhouse for yourself, you will have two options - to purchase a ready-made one (the pleasure is not cheap) or to glue a film of the required width.

To facilitate your search, here is a quick guide on how to glue polyethylene film.

To begin with, you need to purchase polyethylene in the required quantity, while taking it with a margin, since you need to overlap. Do you have plastic wrap?

This means that you have very few tools left, namely: an iron, sheets of paper and preferably two assistants, plus a table or other flat surface.

Welding of the film is carried out according to the following scheme: take the film and overlap the edges to be glued on top of each other (the width of the overlap should be equal to the width of the iron used with a margin of 5 centimeters).

Prepared paper (you can use a regular newspaper folded in half) is laid a little wider than the overlap.

We take two small segments and select the optimum temperature at which the polyethylene film will be welded using the “sticking” method

If this is not done, then when gluing large pieces of the film, it may become unusable, melting due to too high an iron temperature or an excessive exposure time.

After selecting the temperature on the table, we perform gluing, it is desirable to have two assistants at the same time, who will not only move the film to be glued evenly, but also level the finished overlap.

Note to everyone who will glue the plastic film - the paper cannot be immediately removed from the hot film, in order to avoid tears.

Let it cool down a bit and then take it off.

In conclusion, we note that the plastic film for greenhouses is glued together at home very easily.

However, if you need to cover a large greenhouse, then look in hardware stores for a special device for gluing polyethylene and it will become much easier for you to work.

How to glue plastic film? This seemingly simple question constantly puzzles many summer residents and garden lovers. After all, if you first decided to build a greenhouse for yourself, you will have two options - to purchase a ready-made one (the pleasure is not cheap) or to glue a film of the required width.

To make your search easier, here is a quick guide on how to how to stick film from polyethylene. To begin with, you need to purchase polyethylene in the required quantity, while taking it with a margin, since you need to overlap. Do you have plastic wrap? This means that you have very few tools left, namely: an iron, sheets of paper and preferably two assistants, plus a table or other flat surface.

Film welding produced according to the following scheme: take the film and overlap the glued edges on top of each other (the width of the overlap should be equal to the width of the iron used with a margin of 5 centimeters). Prepared paper (you can use a regular newspaper folded in half) is laid a little wider than the overlap. We take two small segments and select the optimal temperature at which it will be carried out using the “sticking” method. polyethylene film welding(if this is not done, then when gluing large pieces of the film, it may become unusable, melting due to too high an iron temperature or an excessive exposure time). After selecting the temperature on the table, we perform gluing, it is desirable to have two assistants at the same time, who will not only move the film to be glued evenly, but also level the finished overlap.

Note to everyone who will glue the plastic film - the paper cannot be immediately removed from the hot film, in order to avoid tears. Let it cool down a bit and then take it off.

In conclusion, we note that plastic film for greenhouses it is very easy to glue at home, but if you need to cover a large greenhouse, then look in hardware stores for a special device for gluing polyethylene and it will become much easier for you to work.

More

Polyethylene is an unpretentious and inexpensive material, therefore it is actively used in everyday life and in some cases is indispensable. Sometimes there are situations in which it is necessary to glue the material, for example, when building a greenhouse. Not all formulations are effective in this case, you will need to use a special adhesive for polyethylene, which has excellent adhesive properties.

Technical characteristics of polyethylene

Polyethylene film is used as a heater, packaging material, electrical insulator. It can reliably protect against moisture and absorbs neutrons, which are a type of radioactive radiation. Foamed polyethylene, which is otherwise called isolon or polyfol, is used to insulate a home - they paste over the walls.

The question of how to glue polyethylene arises quite often. The usual composition for these purposes is not suitable, since the material has a chemical inertness. You need a special adhesive for polyethylene.

Polyethylene bonding is an electrical and chemical based process. The adhesive composition must adhere well to the surface of the film, and after hardening, securely adhere the surfaces to each other.

There are two ways to firmly glue polyethylene:

1. High temperature welding (iron).
2. The use of adhesives.

Types of glue and their manufacturers

Overwhelming majority adhesive compositions practically do not stick to polyethylene, simply squeezing out from the area of ​​​​contact surfaces. But still there are materials that can cope with such a difficult task.

The most popular types of adhesive that can be used for polyethylene are:

• BF-2, BF-4;
• two-component acrylate;
• epoxy.

Butyralphenol glue (abbreviated as BF) is produced in Russia, the manufacturer is CJSC "Petrohim" in the city of St. Petersburg. The adhesive is a viscous, thick brown or reddish-brown liquid that does not rot or corrode.

Suitable for bonding metal, plastic, ceramics and wood, used in restoration work. Glue cannot be used for dishes, as it contains toxic aldehydes and phenol. BF-2 is universal, chemically inert and moisture resistant.

In terms of chemical resistance, it practically does not differ from BF-2, but its scope is slightly different. BF-4 is commonly used for bonding elastic materials that are subject to vibration and bending. For example, leather, wood, plexiglass, textolite, metals and alloys.

The two-component acrylate adhesive is highly durable, transparent and does not harden very quickly (in 4 minutes), which allows you not to rush too much when working. Excellent adhesion to metal and plexiglass.

Epoxy adhesive "Contact" transparent produced by OOO "ROSEL", St. Petersburg based on polyepoxy resin and hardener. It is used for the repair of products made of fiberglass, porcelain, wood, faience, glass, metal and various alloys. The composition perfectly fills cracks, voids and gaps, restores the shape and volume of objects. The seam is characterized by resistance to gasoline, oil, water.

Which is better

Among all the compounds that can glue a plastic film, the leading position is occupied by gluedesigned specifically for materials with poor adhesion. This is an acrylate adhesive with filler. It contains very small glass beads that do not allow the composition to slip out of the place of gluing, they form a gap of optimal thickness.

For foamed polyethylene, ruler glue is perfect KLEYBERG 152-1 due to its unique composition and wide range of uses.

Application

Before using the composition, thoroughly degrease and dry the surfaces. You can apply glue only from the mixer, which is included in the package. The maximum mechanical strength of the seam for polyethylene occurs after 4 or 5 hours. Optimal for operation is the air temperature from +21 to +23˚ С.

Advice
In a liquid state, the adhesive is valid for no longer than three minutes, so join the surfaces immediately after applying the composition.

It is not intended for gluing polyethylene surfaces, but the phenol-formaldehyde resin included in its composition has excellent adhesion to such material.

Application of epoxy glue:

1. Rub the areas to be bonded with sandpaper, degrease and dry.
2. Treat surfaces with chromic anhydride (15-20% concentration solution) or potassium bichromate (20-30%). It is necessary to work with them with extreme caution, since these substances are very caustic and are dangerous carcinogens.
3. Dry surfaces after treatment.
4. Prepare the epoxy according to package instructions.
5. Apply the adhesive composition on both surfaces in the thinnest layer and immediately dock them.
6. Leave for several hours, and preferably for a whole day at a temperature of +30 to +45˚ C, so that the seam finally hardens.

Advice
Chromic anhydride and potassium dichromate can be replaced with a strong solution of potassium permanganate, which is also a strong oxidizing agent. It is no less effective, but it is safer, although it can also leave a chemical burn.

1. If there are very high requirements for the strength of the formed seam, then best way gluing polyethylene - welding. The seam will be strong if it is not allowed to cool abruptly.
2. Mechanical surface preparation is not required before using filled acrylate adhesive. With the exception of degreasing and cleaning, which are carried out before gluing any surfaces.
3. Exposure of the seam formed after gluing the film with acrylate adhesive should be carried out at a temperature of +15 to +70˚ C for 4-5 hours.
4. Epoxy glue is difficult to work with, and the bond strength is not very good.

Advice
You can derive your recipe for polyethylene glue by adding a little crushed chalk or cement to the acrylate glue. The composition can turn out to be of high quality and at the same time inexpensive.

The best option for gluing polyethylene is welding, as the result is a strong, reliable seam. It is not always advisable to use adhesive compositions, this is due to the fact that polyethylene is a chemically inert material with weak adhesive properties.

The need for gluing film panels for greenhouses arises quite often: when torn after long-term storage or improper installation, when covering a wide greenhouse, when standard sizes are not enough. All gluing options are simple and available for domestic use.

Hot bonding methods

The most common bonding method will require an iron or soldering iron and (optional but desirable) PTFE tape. You can also use an iron roller heated to 250C. Lay the sheets to be glued on top of each other and slowly drive through the fluoroplastic tape with an iron or a soldering iron tip. The width of the overlap should be 1-2 cm. If there is no fluoroplastic tape, then plain paper or even a strip of newspaper that needs to be folded in half will do. Before starting gluing, it is best to practice to find the optimal exposure time. Carry out the gluing process together: the assistant should stretch the film, while smoothing it. After the job is completed, do not rush to tear off the strips of paper, otherwise the film may be damaged.

The second method is to use wide strips of metal (5-10 cm) and a blowtorch. Clamp the two panels to be glued between the strips of metal and a flat surface so that an overlap of 1-1.5 cm is obtained. Next, heat this place with a blowtorch, being careful not to overheat the metal and melt the film under it.

Cold connection methods

A polyethylene film can be joined using various adhesive compositions: Moment, BF-2, BF-4. Before gluing, treat the surfaces of the panels (gluing places) with chromic anhydride (25% solution). If it is supposed to connect a polyamide film, then you will need PK5 glue. In this case, after gluing, the seam must be ironed with an iron heated to 50-60C. If there is no glue at all, and the film needs to be connected, then you can use "folk" remedies: concentrated acetic acid (80%) or xylene. In any case, first the junction must be heated to a temperature of 70-75C. Care must be taken when working with these compounds.
Sometimes in garden stores you can find a special superglue designed for gluing plastic wrap. This chemical is odorless, stored indefinitely, while the connection is smooth, strong. A bottle with a capacity of 50 ml is enough to join a seam 1 cm wide and 15-20 m long. It is worth remembering that not all adhesives are suitable for joining a film; for example, any type of hot melt adhesive will not work. On the other hand, compositions used in advertising for bonding banner strips show good results: for example, Fix-Ol (Sadolin), which is suitable for gluing even a thick PVC film.