Patent ID: 8641857

Claim:
A process for manufacturing a plastic fuel tank provided with at least one accessory connected to the internal space of the tank via an orifice in a wall of the tank, the process comprising: interfacing the accessory with the wall of the tank at the orifice, providing a film comprising a peripheral region and an opening for letting the projecting element of the accessory pass through it; placing the film on the wall of the tank and on the outer surface of the accessory so that the projecting element passes through the film via the opening; and welding the film in a single welding operation, over an entire peripheral region of the film, to the wall of the tank, and over an entire central border region of the film around the opening in the film to the outer surface of the accessory, while leaving a non-welded region between the welded peripheral region and the welded central border region; wherein the accessory is a molded unit which projects into the tank and extends to the outside of the tank, the accessory is molded to a shape which interfaces with the wall of the tank, and the interface between the accessory comprises a shoulder on the accessory and a seat in the tank wall at the orifice which houses the shoulder of the accessory.