New manufacturing process for plastic-metal composites is being trialled in its first industrial application
A new innovative Process for the production of plastic-metal composites is now being trialled in an industrial application for the first time. Together with plastics compound manufacturer AKRO-PLASTIC GmbH, Plasmatreat GmbH has developed a process for hybrid injection moulded components that offers a significant Improving the bond strength of plastic-metal hybrid components and can be integrated into series systems.
As part of a pilot project, this innovative process - the Plasma-SealTight® technology - is now being used for the first time by the Schmersal Group, which is using it to optimise its Solenoid interlock AZM300 produced. A metal bracket is integrated into the plastic actuator of this solenoid interlock, which engages in the turnstile of the guard locking device and thus ensures that a safety gate is securely closed.
In order to produce a high-quality and resilient joint from the dissimilar materials of plastic and metal, the joining process requires a secure material connection crucial. In a plastic-metal composite, interfaces without special sealing represent a constant attack surface for the penetration of water, air or other media. The hybrid composite developed by Plasmatreat and AKRO-PLASTIC offers a completely new approach for a media-resistant hybrid composite with particularly strong adhesion. Plasma sealing process Plasma-SealTight®.
The composition of a plasma-polymer sealing layer produced at atmospheric pressure, the formulation of the plastic compound and the process parameters have been harmonised in the new industrial solution in such a way that a long-term stable, media-tight bond of the component is created.
The advantages of the new process Higher product quality can be achieved as well as a safe, reproducible and economically efficient production process - and this in harmony with the environment. Thanks to Plasma-SealTight® technology, there is no need to use cost-intensive and environmentally harmful chemicals on the metal surfaces. In many cases, these are used to achieve an adhesive bond with the help of solvent-based bonding agents.
With the AZM300 is an innovative solenoid interlock that is now used in many branches of industry. The features of the AZM300 include the new, patented operating principle with a rotating shaft and turnstile.
It offers the advantage that the safety gate is pulled into the end position when closing and is held shut with virtually no play. The solenoid interlock serves as a door stop, making the use of a separate door stop unnecessary. An RFID sensor is used for secure identification of the actuator, which enables three different levels of coding and therefore also protection against tampering.
If the new process proves successful after the end of a test phase as part of the pilot project, Schmersal plans to use the new method for both existing and new products in order to Produce even more efficiently to be able to.
Source: Schmersal Group
