Cheap, Efficient Method to Weld Metal, Plastic

Researchers have developed a method for welding metal and polypropylene. This development joins other metal and plastic welding processes developed by the team.

"We’ve patented the process and we’re already working with equipment makers to develop commercial equipment that can be licensed to automakers and other manufacturers," said Pingsha Dong  , the Robert F. Beck Collegiate Professor of Engineering. "I’d say we’ll see this technology in industry within the next two years."

Transcript

00:00:05 when we talk about welding metal to plastic it's a direct welding we do not need to use any kind of glue or any other additional structured Michigan engineering researchers have developed a way to weld metal and polypropylene a lightweight plastic commonly used in automobiles as the demand for sustainable and lightweight Vehicles continues to rise manufacturers are

00:00:30 looking for innovative ways to create these types of hybrid material structures however the chemical composition of plastics such as polypropylene make it extremely difficult to join metal without the use of adhesives and fasteners to join the metal directly we should have some kind of communication bridging between the metal and the plastic we are just

00:00:50 providing a very thin sheet that starts creating the bridging between the metal and the polymer when it is heated at a specific temperature and provided a certain amount of pressure to apply heat and pressure the research team used a frictional tool that moves along an aluminum plate as it rotates at high speeds this pressure causes the aluminum to deform generating heat that

00:01:12 melts the plastic to the bridging layer and aluminum creating a strong hybrid material joint when we start pulling it after a certain loading the joint does not fail this development joins other metal and plastic welding processes created by the research team offering a variety of affordable and scalable multi-material solutions for manufacturers around the

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