Product Code: ICAL07_902

Development and Improvement in Laser Direct Joining of Metal and Plastic
Authors:
Yusuke Niwa, osaka university; Ibaraki Japan
Shuji Kubota, TOYOBO; Ootsu Japan
Yousuke Kawahito, osaka university; Ibaraki Japan
Seiji Katayama, osaka university; Ibaraki Japan
Presented at ICALEO 2007

Metals and plastics have been used in several industrial applications such as automobiles, electronic devices and aircrafts. Their dissimilar material joining is important in the fundamental fields of manufacturing. Therefore, we have developed a new Laser-Assisted Metal and Plastic (LAMP) joining method with YAG or diode laser, which has many advantages over the conventional bonding method with glue or adhesives, or the mechanical fastening with bolts and nuts. It was found that LAMP joining method could produce strong joints between various metals and plastics. For example, Type 304 stainless steel and amorphous polyamide (PA) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic joint samples of 30 mm width possessed tensile shear loads of more than 3,000 N, where the fracture occurred in the base plastic sheets. Tensile shear loads and heat-cycle resistant properties of LAMP joints between SUS 304 and crystalline polyamide (PA) with fibers were also investigated and improved. The LAMP joining was characterized by the formation of small bubbles in the plastic on the metal surface. In order to understand the mechanism of LAMP joining, the bonding parts were observed by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) or TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) method and analyzed by XPS (X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy), and the gas components inside the bubbles were analyzed by Q-mass method. These results will be presented.