Method and apparatus for performing hot air welding of thermoplastic resin parts

Claim 1

A process for welding a pair of thermoplastic resin parts along their peripheral surfaces comprising the steps of holding one of said parts on an end face of a rotatable cylinder and the other of said parts on an end face of an axially movable guide member having a portion projecting from the end face of the cylinder with the peripheral surfaces of the parts opposed to and spaced from each other, rotating said cylinder and guide member in the same direction and at the same speed, so that said parts are rotated at the same speed, positioning a nozzle means in an operative position and blowing hot air through said nozzle means toward the peripheral surfaces of said rotating parts while said peripheral surfaces are spaced from each other causing said peripheral surfaces to melt, forcing said parts toward each other to bring the melted peripheral surfaces into integral contact with each other causing the parts to be welded together, and displacing the nozzle means to an inoperative position and removing the welded parts from the cylinders.