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Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

(OP)
As above

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

(OP)
[img https://res.cloudinary.com/engineering-com/image/upload/v1474482204/tips/image_hc8gck.jpg]


As ive cut my fuel tank to fit one a project bike just wondering if theres out that can be done..

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

It depends on the plastic. Many plastic fuel tanks are made from cross-linked HDPE (high density polyethylene), which cannot be welded.

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

I don't know. Getting it sealed again could prove to be problematic.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

(OP)
Oh no looks like ive just cut £230 up surprise

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

Well, try it. if that fails then you now have the perfect plug around which to take a glass fibre splash, and then stiffen that up to make a female mould for your glass fibre part. Then use a rubber ? fuel bag in it.

Cheers

Greg Locock


New here? Try reading these, they might help FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

Look up kayak repair on Youtube. Lots of info about HDPE repair there.

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

And of course this is all about a tank that hasn't had fuel in it before?

Our town's fire chief died while trying to modify an "empty" fuel tank.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

About 6 months ago I had a work project that required welding of HDPE.

After considerable research I found a polymer injection welder (think of it as a MIG welder for plastic - it uses an internal welding rod). A company in Canada makes it: DRADER InjectiWeld. Expensive machine at about $3.5K but is a very good machine. Lots of different tips available for varying weld types.




Also welds PP, PU, PS, PA, PEX, LDPE and others, with the right welding rod and temperature setting.

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

itsmoked: "Our town's fire chief died while trying to modify an "empty" fuel tank."

luckily removed permanently from the gene pool.

It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. (Sherlock Holmes - A Scandal in Bohemia.)

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

Interesting tool, Ingenuity.

I remember reading about a tool like that, invented in Canada, by a company called CAE in the 1960's. Ahead of their time, on that one.

STF

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

Yeah Artisi, Pretty dang ironic, huh?

Ingenuity; Interesting tool. Must totally reek on some of those materials.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

Plastic welding that has to seal when complete is an art- it's nothing like working with a hot glue gun. It takes preparation, practice and skill akin to what it takes to be a proficient TIG welder. We're not talking about butt- or socket-fusion of plastic fittings, which is dead easy with the right equipment- we're talking about freehand rod welding akin to welding steel. We have two guys on staff who can do it, and numerous others who have tried and failed to make welds which will seal long term. The conventional method for welding plastic fittings and fixtures onto tanks etc. uses a directed stream of hot air or nitrogen to melt the parent material and a round rod of solid plastic typically 3/16" diameter or so. The rod isn't melted, but rather softened and forced into the softened parent material- if you get the rod hot enough to soften to the point of melting, your result will be garbage so it's all about watching the surfaces very carefully and getting the timing just right. A proper weld leaves a clean, even ribbon of fused material on either side of the rod that has been deposited- if you see that, you're likely to get a weld which will seal.

HDPE can be welded, but crosslinked HDPE cannot.

Though I know you can get adhesives which will work on some of the thermoplastics, personally I wouldn't drive around with a glued fuel tank especially if any of the joints are below the normal liquid line. And one which is welded improperly is VERY likely to weep a thin fluid like gasoline through the welds.


RE: Can a plastic fuel tank be cut and reshaped and plastic welded?

The tank is made of a thermoplastic.
Welding is problematic, requires great skill, and is impossible for some materials, as noted.
However, it is possible to >re-shape< a thermoplastic part, with careful application of localized heat and/or pressure, without cutting or welding.
Obviously there are limits, but the greatest limitation is patience.

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

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