Service Tectonics, Inc., a leader in the decorating and assembly of plastics, would like to introduce you to the world of Hot Air Staking. STI is the industry leader in many assembly methods and our new Hot Air Staking System is revolutionizing the assembly of many plastic component p arts. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the Hot Air Staking System and its many advantages.

The newly developed Hot Air Staking System by Service Tectonics is the latest in advanced technology from the leader in the assembly of plastics. The Hot Air Staking System works by blowing super heated air onto the cold studs which softens them makes them pliable so that when a cold stake is introduced the stud forms to the desired shape and cools off very rapidly. The Hot Air Staking System has many advantages over its sister assembly methods due to the versatility of the process. We can stake a limitless number of studs in one pass as shown on our Model HAS 7 to the left which is staking 60 studs at a time. The system allows for very accurate tooling dimensions unlike heat staking where the expansion of a heated head must be taken into account before building the tooling. When the cold stake comes into contact with the stud and the stud cools, it does not bounce back as happens in sonic staking and heat staking. The cooled stud, therefore, gives us a much tighter final assembly. The appearance of the Hot Air Staked Part is far superior to the appearance achieved by other staking methods.

The hot air jets each have individual flow meters which allows for the individual adjustments on each and ever heater. The machinery is designed for quick changeover of tooling so that one machine can do a multitude of parts. The Hot Air Staking System is rapidly becoming the most popular form of assembly and led by STI the system is finding newer and more challenging applications every day.

Principles of Operation

1. Jet of super heated air is blown onto the stud

2. Stud is softened

3. Cold stake forms stud.

The Hot Air Staking Process is accomplished by blowing super heated air onto the stud which softens it to the point where it can then be molded. The cold stake comes into contact with the stud and forms it to the desired shape. At the same time the cold stake starts to cool the stud and within a matter of seconds the plastic is cool enough that the inherent memory in the plastic does not cause the stud to bounce back. A stud staked by hot air is every bit as strong as the plastic itself and accomplishes a very tight fit.

The Hot Air Staking Process due to its nature allows us to form a stud into any shape desired. The accompanying chart shows the more popular shaped heads; however, this is certainly not a limiting factor. The size and the length of the stud will dictate the ultimate shape of the head after staking. This can be worked into virtually any size and shape desired.

Service Tectonics, Inc. being the leader in this advanced technology is happy to help you with your assembly applications. For further information, please contact us.