Softening plastic with heat - what should I use?

[TallTony]

Hi, I hope this is an appropriate place to ask - for a work project I need to soften a stick of plastic (polypropylene, 2mm think) and stick onto another piece of plastic at an angle.

So I need a heat source that does not use a flame and can be repeatable/controllable.

I was thinking a simple hot-plate would suffice but ideally I want something small so that risk of my staff burning themselves is small. a lot of modelling is delicate and micro, I was wondering if anyone could make any suggestions

Thanks, Tony

[TallTony]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

A little more detail...

This is for a project at work which will involve making many thousands of this part, so it needs to be a quick repeatable process. It is a project and at this stage I'm not looking to spend a huge amount, just have something that will get past H&S and be easily used. What I think would be perfect is a small desk-mounted heat source such as a mini hotplate or small hotair blower than I can rest the plastic stick against to soften. I have seen small portable single-ring ones with ceramic glass top which is perfect but the size of the heating element is whatever a cooker ring size is (20cm?). I can see there being a risk of burning oneself plus the volume of heat will be big. A 1" plate would be great.

I do like the idea of a hotair blower, I know it's handheld but can quickly be switched on and off. Shall research that one, we safely use soldering irons so it's a similar process.