THE CHALLENGE
Easy and affordable way to repair damaged agricultural bins.
THE SOLUTION
Repair the damaged on large HDPE and PP Macro Plastic bins by using the Triac ST thermoplastic welder.
THE STORY
Macro Plastics approached us as a source of equipment for their customers to easily and affordably repair their damaged agricultural bins. Macro bins are large HDPE and PP containers for transporting fruit, vegetables, bulbs, etc. from the field to the processing plant. During this transport and handling, the bins can get damaged by forklifts and other material handling equipment. These bins are expensive and cost the grower or processor money when they are damaged and out of service.
The bins are manufactured out of High Density Polypropylene or Polyethylene material which cannot be glued. The only way to repair the damaged plastic is with a thermoplastic weld. With the Triac ST welder, we use hot air to preheat the damaged area and heat the welding rod. The operator simply applies light downward pressure and indexes the nozzle along the length of the weld.
Macro Plastics provides detailed instructions on how and where to make the welds. The grower or processor simply cleans the bin, terminates any cracks with a small drill bit, and removes a small amount of plastic with a router or hand-held scrapper to prepare the area for the weld. The Triac ST welder is then used to repair the crack or damage. Once the weld is complete, let the material cool then grind down the excess weld bead to make it flush.
The Triac ST is a 120V, self-contained plastic welder; no compressors, generators, etc. are needed. Simply plug it in, turn it on, select your temperature setting, and off you go. We stock food grade High Density Polypropylene and Polyethylene welding rod in 3/16” diameter or 5/8” flat ribbon (available in 10 and 30 pound spools). The cost of an entry level kit with a Triac ST plastic welder and a nozzle starts around $550.00. Whether you are a billion dollar pomegranate processor or a small vineyard with bins costing hundreds of dollars each, a Leister Triac ST welder will allow you to keep your bins in tip-top shape. This will help your business to seamlessly continue to do what it does best and make money, which is compromised when bins are out of service.