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General information on plastic repairs

General information on plastic repairs


The components in a modern car are increasingly made of various plastic materials. In line with this development, interest has increased for plastic repairs. This interest is several causes. One important reason is to reduce costs by not having to replace complete components just because of relatively easily repaired damage. Another is that the customer can be given fast service thanks to the component being repaired on-site, avoiding delays due to the transport of spare parts. Different types of damage and directions for assessing whether a plastic component should be replaced or repaired can be found later in this publication.

There are a multitude of different plastics and methods for carrying out repairs. Thermoplastic plays a large role in today's Saab cars. That is why these instructions will concentrate on the repair of components manufactured with thermoplastic. Primarily this will apply to welding plastic materials. Thermoplastics can also be repaired with adhesives but heat treating/welding has several advantages, not least by being environment-friendly and kind to the person carrying out the repair (see the safety regulations). The equipment described in these instructions is easy to work with and gives very good results. A good weld will possess 70% of the strength of the surrounding area.

These instructions are intended to serve as an instruction manual and reference material for repairs to all kinds of thermoplastic components.