Cross-Welding TPE Brands: What You Need To Know

Is it possible?

Many TPE brands can co-weld, but incompatibilities may cause unreliable joints due to:

• Material formulation differences
• Physical property variation
• Pre-treatment differences
• Welding equipment mismatch

How to qualify

‍‍Follow a structured validation approach:

• Consult your Validation Master Plan
• Author a protocol covering at least 3 representative lots
• Perform tests (pressure decay < 5 mbar, integrity under submersion, visual inspection)
• Approve a qualification report
• Maintain a qualified state

Be cautious

‍Each variable (brand, size, pre-treatment, welder) can require re-qualification. These variations quickly escalate the qualification burden if cross-welding is your primary method.

Design-first mindset

‍Prevent costly validation with proactive design:

1. Single-Use Diagrams: identify connection incompatibilities early.
2. Standardization: reduce the number of TPEs used while balancing supplier dependency.

Outcome

‍A design-first approach can reduce resources by 50% and timelines by 40%.