Investigation of the media tightness of a microform-fitted plastic/light metal composite

Abstract

Plastic/metal hybrid components made of amorphous thermoplastics such as polycarbonate and light metals such as aluminum offer potential to be used in modern automotive headlights to meet the high requirements for tolerances and surface quality. A microform-fit joining approach is used to join plastics and metals, which combines the advantages of material-fit and form-fit joining processes while at the same time avoiding some of the disadvantages of the respective joining approaches, such as stress peaks or the use of additional chemicals. For this purpose, the light metal component is microstructured through laser ablation. To ensure the functional safety of electrical components, the media tightness of the hybrid component is tested with a pressure drop test. An influence of the structure arrangement, the structure spacing and the molding compound on the media tightness can be determined. The highest media tightness can be achieved with a ring-shaped structural arrangement in which the microstructures are orientated orthogonally to the outlet direction of the test medium. The media permeability of a ring-shaped structure arrangement with a structure spacing of 500 µm is 0.42 cm3/s for test specimens made of aluminum and polycarbonate. As the value is below the threshold value of 12 cm3/s, watertightness up to an overpressure of at least 0.5 bar can be concluded.