Iron-Sealing Plastic Pneumatic Actuators

Please note: this page is a work in progress.

We will use low-pressure pneumatic actuation for a number of experiments and projects in the course. The most versatile way but slowest way to weld plastic is to use a hand-held soldering iron to weld together polyethylene sheets.

Materials

  • Soldering Iron

  • Soldering iron tip

  • Parchment Paper

  • Ruler

  • Xacto knife and board (optional)

  • Scissors

  • Sharpie

  • Tape

  • Blood pressure cuff hand pump

  • PVC tubing

  • Barb fittings and nuts