Plastics and thermoplastics can be weld using hot plate welding also called mirror welding.

Hot plate welding process is suitable for plastic joining of large parts, complex geometry or flexible materials. The hot plate welding allows technical and aesthetic assemblies.

It is a contact welding: the plastic parts are in contact with the heated plate allowing the transmission of heat energy to the parts to be assembled.

The plate is often covered with a non-adhesive surface in order to avoid the molten materials from sticking to the hot plate during the heating process.

The final step in the hot blade welding process is called the joining phase. This step occurs when the components are mechanically assembled and allowed to cool under axial load. Again, melting depth stops can be used to control the extent of material displacement during the assembly phase. When the joining phase is complete, the welded components are removed from the holding fixtures.

The technology of mirror welding or hot plate welding assures impossible to dismantle assemblies, allowing strong mechanical stresses and ensuring tightness.

For this type of welding, many parts can be used. Thus, the parts can be either car lights,  air distributor or tank.

Mirror welding is the ideal thermoplastic joining process. Indeed, this type of welding is suitable for almost all thermoplastic materials. Also, two materials with similar melting points and melt viscosities may be welded using the hot plate technology (provided that they are chemically compatible).