Many products installed in a home are taken for granted as things that should always work properly. A good example is the electrical outlet.

Welding may be the most effective and structurally sound way to connect metal parts, but certain applications can pose a challenge.

With so many ways to formulate plastic to get just the right combination of color, texture, strength and durability, it’s easy to forget how the parts will be assembled. However, if the parts will be assembled with screws, overlooking such parameters as thread style, driver speed and boss design could spell disaster on the assembly line.

Laser welding of plastic parts creates precise, high-quality, particulate-free joints for medical devices, consumer products and other assemblies. However, for the process to work, the laser light must pass through the top part to be absorbed by the bottom part. Welding a clear plastic part to another clear plastic part was not possible.

NORTH CHARLESTON, SC — PRC Laser Corp., an industrial laser manufacturer, plans to invest $1.4 million into a new facility in Charleston County that will create 73 jobs.