Additive Manufacturing of Polymer-Metal Systems

Abstract

{"value":"Modern additive polymer deposition is rapidly advancing across multiple industries. As manufacturing processes evolve, Additive Manufacturing (AM)—particularly AM using polymer direct deposition—has emerged as an affordable, precise, and efficient method for producing complex geometries and customized designs at high production rates [2][3]. Historically, AM has been limited to individual material classes such as metals, ceramics, or polymers, restricting the development of hybrid structures that integrate multiple material types [2].With the advancement of high-performance metals, the demand for stronger and more durable AM parts in applications such as weapons systems, automotive components, and fracture-resistant structures has increased [3]. The electronics industry has further expanded the potential of hybrid materials by introducing polymer deposition onto metal substrates, enabling novel metal-polymer hybrid designs [2]. At a fundamental level, chemical bonds at the polymer-metal interface are weak and generally ineffective for long-term adhesion [3]. This study explores methods to improve the “bonding” of inherently incompatible polymer and metal interfaces, seeking a mechanically robust alternative to traditional adhesive-based joining techniques [2]. While metals and polymers each exhibit distinct mechanical properties, conventional adhesives such as epoxy often result in weak interfacial bonds, susceptible to shear and normal forces, which limit the structural reliability of hybrid components [3]. To address this challenge, this research investigates mechanical interlocking as an alternative joining mechanism [2]. This method involves modifying the metal substrate interface to incorporate irregular surface textures or micro-sized extruded features, which physically interlock with the deposited polymer [3]. In this study, hourglass-shaped arrays, consisting of approximately 400 microstructures per 30 × 20 mm metal substrate, were examined as the primary interlocking geometry [2]. During polymer deposition using the Prusa i3 MK3S+ 3D printer, the warm polymer infiltrates the textured metal surface, effectively forming an interconnected mechanical bond [3]. The resulting structure mimics a Velcro-like effect, where the polymer is physically locked into place by the metal\u27s textured features, significantly enhancing adhesion strength compared to a smooth epoxy-metal interface [2]. This research provides insight into optimized polymer-metal bonding strategies by combining additive manufacturing, surface engineering, and mechanical interlocking [3]. The findings contribute to the development of high-performance hybrid structures with enhanced durability, load-bearing capacity, and resistance to mechanical stresses, paving the way for next-generation polymer-metal applications in aerospace, defense, and automotive engineering [2][3]. ","attr0":"abstract"