Plastic HDPE Liner Sheet Welding Machine Operator

HDPE geomembranes line landfills, mining heap leach pads, ponds, reservoirs and secondary containment, and the integrity of every installation depends on the quality of its field seams. This five-day course trains operators in wedge and extrusion welding of HDPE geomembrane lining material. Participants learn the safety, handling and deployment requirements for HDPE sheet, the pre-jointing equipment and machine checks that must precede welding, and the control of temperature, speed and pressure that determines seam strength. Extensive hands-on practice covers trial seams, production seaming, detail work, repairs and non-destructive and destructive seam testing.

Who Should Attend

• Geomembrane welding technicians and installers
• Liner installation crew leaders and foremen
• Civil and environmental contractors entering containment work
• Quality technicians supporting geosynthetic installation

Learning Outcomes

• Apply safety legislation and site rules relevant to geomembrane installation
• Describe the characteristics of HDPE sheet and their effect on welding
• Handle, deploy and prepare HDPE sheet correctly
• Perform pre-jointing equipment checks and trial seams
• Produce acceptable hot wedge and extrusion welds, including patches and details
• Conduct air-channel, vacuum box and peel and shear tests and record results

Course Outline

• Module 1 — Safety Legislation, Regulations and Policy: site hazards, hot work, manual handling and PPE.
• Module 2 — Characteristics of HDPE Sheets: resin, thickness, texture and thermal behavior.
• Module 3 — Supply, Handling and Installation of HDPE Sheet: storage, deployment, anchorage and panel layout.
• Module 4 — Pre-Jointing Equipment and Machine Checks: wedge and extrusion welders, generators and tensiometers.
• Module 5 — Hot Wedge Welding: parameters, trial seams and production seaming.
• Module 6 — Extrusion Welding: surface preparation, grinding, patches, pipe boots and details.
• Module 7 — Seam Testing and Records: non-destructive and destructive tests, repairs and documentation.

Standards & References

Course content draws on ISO 21307:2017 (Butt Fusion Jointing Procedures for Polyethylene Pipes and Fittings); ISO 12176-1 (Equipment for Fusion Jointing Polyethylene Systems — Butt Fusion); ASTM D3261 (Butt Heat Fusion Polyethylene Plastic Fittings); ASTM D2657 (Heat Fusion Joining of Polyolefin Pipe and Fittings); and BS EN 13705:2004 (Welding of Thermoplastics — Machines and Equipment for Hot Gas Welding, Including Extrusion Welding), with reference to ASTM D6392 for geomembrane seam testing. Participants are introduced to the scope and application of each document; the current edition should always be consulted for project work.

Assessment & Certification

The program comprises 40 contact hours (5 days) of instruction. Assessment consists of a written examination and a practical assessment in which candidates produce wedge and extrusion seams that are tested non-destructively and by peel and shear testing. Successful candidates receive an IIME Certificate of Training bearing a unique verification code, which can be verified online.