Patent ID: 7318878

Claim:
A method for manufacturing an endless band of plastic for an intermediate carrier band in an electrographic printer or copier, comprising the steps of: abutting end faces of a thermoplastic plastic film that has at least a width of a standard printing format, arranging respective pressing surfaces at both sides of the abutted ends, said pressing surfaces being of a length at least corresponding to the width of the standard printing format and said pressing surfaces being of a width to receive pressing forces at locations spaced apart from the abutted ends, said pressing surfaces pressing the ends toward one another and pressing onto unmelted portions of the thermoplastic film to define a spacing of the pressing surfaces from one another corresponding to a thickness of the unmelted plastic film; and heating the abutted ends of the thermoplastic film by radiation to a temperature required for welding the thermoplastic film while said pressing surfaces are pressing on the thermoplastic film so as to produce a weld at the abutted ends; and maintaining the spacing of said pressing surfaces from one another during said heating step so that the thickness of the unmelted thermoplastic film is preserved at the weld of the abutted ends.