IMKS and IMMS—Two Integrated Methods for the One-Step-Production of Plastic/Metal Hybrid Parts

Abstract

The integration and combination of known production technologies to one-step-processes is a promising way to make existing processes more efficient and to enable more integrated products. This paper presents two integrative process technologies that are developed by the Institute of Plastics Processing (IKV) and the Surface Engineering Institute (IOT) as part of the Cluster of Excellence “Integrative Production Technologies for High-Wage Countries”. In these processes, metals or metal alloys are applied to an injection moulded part, which results in a new opportunity to create electrical conductivity of plastic articles. The Integrated-Metal-Plastic-Injection-Moulding (IMKS) represents the combination of injection moulding and metal die-casting, allowing the production of plastic parts with integrated conductive tracks in one shot. The In-Mould-Metal-Spraying (IMMS) combines the injection moulding with the thermal spraying of metal. Therefore it is possible to equip electrically insulating plastic parts with metallic coatings and provide an electromagnetic shielding like cast metal parts. In the following both processes are presented and future potentials and challenges are shown.