Method for manufacturing a circuit carrier for electronic and / or mechatronic components and circuit carriers

Abstract

Method for manufacturing a circuit carrier (1) for electronic and / or mechatronic components, comprising the steps of: - Manufacturing a base body (2) using an additive manufacturing process, wherein the base body (2) comprises or consists of a plastic material (8) containing metal particles (10), wherein the metal particles (10) are substantially homogeneously distributed in the plastic material (8), - Applying a smoothing agent to a base body surface (3) of the base body (2) that dissolves the plastic material (8), so that the base body surface (3) is essentially free of metal particles (10), and - Generating at least one conductor track (12, 18) on the base body surface (3), - where generating at least one conductor track (12, 18) comprises the following steps: - Laser activation of one, two or more conductor track areas on the base body surface (3) in which one, two or more conductor tracks (12, 18) are to be arranged, and - Metallisation of the conductor track areas with a conductor track material forming the conductor track (12, 18) or the conductor tracks (12, 18).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a circuit carrier for electronic and / or mechatronic components, a circuit carrier for electronic and / or mechatronic components and a circuit.

[0002] Circuit carriers, especially three-dimensional circuit carriers, are generally known and are also referred to as Molded Interconnect Devices (3D-MID). Such circuit carriers are typically manufactured using injection molding. For injection molding, a tool with a cavity is provided, which is essentially a negative of the three-dimensional circuit carrier.

[0003] The injection molding process is characterized by expensive equipment, especially the mold, and high operating costs for the injection molding machines. Therefore, injection molding is typically only economically viable for production runs exceeding 10,000 units, and regularly only for runs exceeding 50,000 units. Once the injection mold has been manufactured, design changes to the circuit carrier are only possible to a limited extent or not at all, as this would require time-consuming and costly modifications to the injection mold or the injection mold cassette.

[0004] Consequently, the product development of new circuit carriers is time-consuming, as prototype production is not possible with the standard production tooling. Furthermore, individualized mass production of circuit carriers, especially three-dimensional ones, cannot be achieved with injection molding, or only to a limited extent.

[0005] As an alternative to injection molding, additive manufacturing processes are increasingly being used for suitable components. In contrast to injection molding, additive manufacturing processes generally have lower fixed costs, meaning that unit costs are essentially independent of the production volume. This allows for the economical production of individual parts, pilot series, and small batches using additive manufacturing, unlike injection molding. Furthermore, additive manufacturing enables individualized mass production. It also allows for high component complexity and a wide variety of product variants.

[0006] However, the potential applications of additive manufacturing processes must be individually assessed for each component being produced. Additive manufacturing processes are generally characterized by long processing times. Furthermore, additively manufactured components exhibit inherent physical properties that are sometimes undesirable. For example, curved or inclined surfaces typically exhibit a stepped structure due to the layer-by-layer construction.

[0007] Furthermore, components manufactured using additive manufacturing processes are typically characterized by a rough surface that often fails to meet the requirements for circuit carriers, especially three-dimensional ones. Grinding processes for surface smoothing are unsuitable for many additively manufactured components because grinding is either impossible or only possible to a limited extent. For example, small component structures are removed, intricate component areas cannot be reached by grinding, and in many cases, the material used is tough, smear-prone, and clogs the sandpaper or abrasive. Moreover, the frequently produced freeform surfaces are difficult and costly to grind.

[0008] Chemical smoothing processes are known to be unsuitable for filled plastics. With fillers such as glass beads, fibers, carbon fibers, or aluminum particles, the presence of the fillers physically hinders the smoothing process. Furthermore, with more reactive fillers, such as copper, a reaction between the smoothing medium and the metal is to be expected, which can contaminate the surface with the reaction products and render it unusable.

[0009] Furthermore, it has been shown that when applying conductive traces to a circuit carrier manufactured using an additive manufacturing process, often only a rather coarse trace detail is possible. For example, only a minimum pitch of 1000 µm is possible, with, for instance, a minimum trace spacing of 500 µm and a minimum trace width of 500 µm. However, many applications require smaller trace widths and pitches of 100–150 µm.

[0010] Conventional approaches to manufacturing circuit carriers include laser direct structuring (LDS) and two-component injection molding. These processes are based on injection molding as the primary forming process and share chemical metallization as the conductor-forming process in the subsequent process chain. The processes differ in their activation principle. In LDS, activation is achieved using a laser beam. In two-component injection molding, two different plastics are used, one of which is metallizable and the other not. Both processes are not economical for small batch sizes.

[0011] Additively manufactured components typically exhibit higher surface roughness, resulting in greater deviations between the actual conductor track contours and the target contours. Furthermore, this increased roughness leads to the presence of foreign metal deposits. Consequently, additively manufactured circuit carriers generally require larger spacing between individual conductor tracks than injection-molded circuit carriers.

[0012] The quality of the conductor tracks is lower than that of conductor tracks on injection-molded circuit boards. The larger spacing between the individual conductor tracks means that the circuit boards must be larger and / or are unsuitable for certain applications and / or incompatible with certain electronic components.

[0013] WO 03 / 005784A2 describes conductive track structures on a non-conductive substrate material, consisting of metal nuclei and a subsequent metallization applied to them, wherein the metal nuclei are formed by breaking up finely dispersed non-conductive metal compounds contained in the substrate material using electromagnetic radiation. The LDS process chain is described in particular. US 10,119,021 B2 also discloses the LDS process chain, wherein a coating of a metal-organic compound is applied to the component.

[0014] No process is known in the prior art that enables the additive manufacturing of a circuit carrier, in particular by means of a powder bed-based process, on which conductor tracks can be arranged with a high level of detail.

[0015] CN 1 04 411 122 A discloses a three-dimensional (3D) printing process for multilayer flexible printed circuit boards. US 4 529 563 A discloses a vapor solvent treatment of thermoplastic substrates. DE 10 2017 210 200 A1 discloses a substrate for receiving an optoelectronic component, an optoelectronic assembly, a process for producing a substrate, and a process for producing an optoelectronic assembly. US 2020 / 0 331 217 A1 discloses a process for polishing polyamide objects manufactured using additive manufacturing or 3D printing.

[0016] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a circuit carrier for electronic and / or mechatronic components, a circuit carrier, and a circuit which reduce or eliminate one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a solution that enables the economical production of a circuit carrier with conductor tracks in small quantities, especially less than 10,000, preferably less than 1,000, and particularly less than 10.

[0017] This problem is solved by a method for manufacturing a circuit carrier for electronic and / or mechatronic components and a circuit carrier for electronic and / or mechatronic components with the features of the independent claims. Further advantageous embodiments of the method and the circuit carrier are specified in the respective dependent claims. The features listed individually in the claims can be combined with one another in any technologically meaningful way and can be supplemented by further features from the description, whereby further embodiments of the invention are shown.

[0018] The method comprises the step of manufacturing a base body using an additive manufacturing process, wherein the base body comprises or consists of a plastic material containing metal particles. The circuit carrier and / or the base body is / are preferably three-dimensional. In particular, it is preferred that the circuit carrier and / or the base body has at least one freeform surface.

[0019] It is preferred that the base body is made from a base material comprising or consisting of the plastic material and the metal particles. The base material can, for example, be in powder form. It is preferred that the concentration of the metal particles in the base material is between 0.1 and 20 wt%. Furthermore, it is preferred that the concentration is less than 10 wt%, less than 5 wt%, and in particular between 1 and 3 wt%.

[0020] The metal particles are distributed essentially homogeneously within the plastic material. A base body manufactured in this way has a plastic material in which the metal particles are distributed essentially homogeneously.

[0021] Due to the distribution of the metal particles within the plastic material, the metal particles are also located on the surface of the base body. Therefore, the metal particles are visible and accessible from the outside.

[0022] The inventor discovered that these externally accessible metal particles are responsible for foreign metallization during the production of conductive traces. In particular, it was found that these metal particles limit the level of detail in the conductive traces. Furthermore, it was discovered that the quality of the circuit carrier is reduced due to lower surface resistance, the resulting increased risk of short circuits, and the promotion of leakage currents.

[0023] The inventor surprisingly discovered that foreign metal contamination can be avoided by applying a smoothing agent that dissolves the plastic material to the base body's surface. This application dissolves the plastic material near the surface, allowing the metal particles to be encapsulated and / or coated by the plastic. Simultaneously, the surface quality is not negatively affected by chemical reaction products, as had been feared; on the contrary, the surface quality, and thus the quality of the entire component, is improved, making the components suitable for a wide range of new applications.

[0024] One reason for this effect is that the smoothing agent dissolves the surface of the substrate, transforming it into a melt-like state in which the dissolved plastic is viscous and deformable. The surface tension of this melt-like plastic material on the substrate surface causes the surface to smooth out, thus reducing surface roughness and encapsulating metal particles within the plastic. A further advantage of this surface smoothing is that it fulfills aesthetic and / or haptic requirements for the circuit carrier.

[0025] The smoothing agent is preferably designed to evaporate under predefined conditions, particularly within a predefined pressure range and / or temperature range. The hardening of the dissolved plastic material occurs, in particular, as soon as the smoothing agent has evaporated. This typically happens when the substrate is aerated. Since the smoothing agent evaporates over a longer period, this is preferably done in a controlled manner. Until hardening, the surface of the dissolved substrate is soft and can lead to unintended deformation if the substrate is handled improperly. It is therefore preferred to leave the substrate, for example, in the vapor deposition chamber or main chamber, until it has hardened.

[0026] The hardening process can be accelerated by controlled ventilation of the base material surface.

[0027] The smoothing agent is preferably designed such that it dissolves the base material to a depth of more than 10 µm, preferably more than 20 µm, and at most to a depth of 500 µm, preferably 200 µm.

[0028] Subsequently, at least one conductive trace is created on the surface of the substrate. These conductive traces can be created using various methods, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0029] Essentially free of metal particles means in particular that the concentration of metal particles on the surface is more than 50%, more than 75%, more than 80%, more than 90% and / or more than 95% lower than in the rest of the base body, especially in areas far from the surface.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment of the method, it is provided that the surface of the base body is treated with the smoothing agent that dissolves the plastic material in such a way that the surface of the base body has an average roughness depth of less than 50 µm, less than 40 µm, less than 30 µm and / or less than 20 µm.

[0031] Another preferred embodiment of the process is characterized by the fact that the additive manufacturing process is selective laser melting. Selective laser melting is an additive manufacturing process belonging to the group of beam melting processes and the group of powder bed-based processes. In selective laser melting, the material to be processed is applied in powder form in a thin layer onto a base plate. In this case, the material comprises the plastic material and the metal particles.

[0032] The powdered material is locally remelted using laser radiation and, after solidification, forms a solid layer. The base plate is then lowered by the thickness of one layer, and more powder is applied. This cycle is repeated until all layers have been remelted. Typical layer thicknesses range from 60 µm to 200 µm.

[0033] Furthermore, it is preferred that the additive manufacturing process is or includes an absorption printing process and / or a fused deposition modeling (FDM) process. Absorption printing is also known as Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) and High Speed ​​Sintering (HSS). Fused deposition modeling is also known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF).

[0034] It is intended that the creation of at least one conductor track includes the step: laser activation of one, two or more conductor track areas on the base body surface in which one, two or more conductor tracks are to be arranged.

[0035] In laser activation, activation is achieved through laser energy. A physical and / or physicochemical reaction generates metallic nuclei, which can serve as starting points for the growth of a conductive trace material during subsequent metallization. In addition to activation, the laser energy creates a micro-rough surface to which the conductive trace material to be applied advantageously adheres during metallization.

[0036] Furthermore, it is preferred that a pulsed laser is used for laser activation. In particular, it is preferred that a solid-state laser, especially an Nd:YAG laser, is used. The emitted laser beam, especially the emitted infrared radiation, preferably has a wavelength of 1064 nm. It is preferred that the laser frequency is between 1 and 100 kHz. The scan speed is preferably between 1 and 5000 mm / s. The nominal laser power is preferably between 1 W and 10 W, more preferably between 2 W and 5 W, and most preferably between 3 W and 4 W, for example 3.5 W. Furthermore, it is preferred that the pulse length is between 1 and 100 µs, preferably between 3 and 50 µs. The focus diameter can preferably be between 30 µm and 100 µm. The focal length is preferably between 50 mm and 200 mm.

[0037] The process is characterized by the fact that the creation of at least one conductor track includes the following step: Metallization, in particular selective metallization, of the conductor track areas with a conductor track material forming the conductor track(s). The conductor track material is preferably copper.

[0038] Metallization is generally defined as the coating of an object with a metal layer. More specifically, metallization is understood as a thin-film process used to create thin conductive traces. The metallization of plastics to form conductive traces is often carried out in electroless copper baths. Typically, a thickness of 6 µm / hr to 12 µm / hr is achieved. Subsequently, an electroless deposition of nickel and / or a thin gold layer can be applied.

[0039] In a further preferred embodiment, it is provided that the application is or comprises vaporization with the smoothing agent, wherein the vaporization preferably takes place with a predetermined vaporization pressure and / or a predetermined temperature.

[0040] Vapor deposition can be carried out, for example, using a multi-chamber system. The base part is positioned in a main chamber, for instance, suspended from a hook. A secondary chamber contains a smoothing agent vaporization unit where the smoothing agent is vaporized. From the secondary chamber, the vaporized smoothing agent passes into the main chamber and thus to the base part. The smoothing agent vapor condenses on the base part. As a result, the surface is smoothed by the smoothing agent. The base part is then typically vented and removed. The smoothing of plastic parts manufactured using an additive manufacturing process is described, for example, in WO2020 / 049186A1 or WO2020 / 007444A1. The base part can be vapor-deposited with the smoothing agent for, say, 20 minutes. Depending on the size and geometry of the base part, as well as other boundary conditions, this time can be shorter or longer.

[0041] In a further preferred embodiment, the vapor deposition pressure is between 0 bar and 1 bar, preferably 2 bar. It is particularly preferred that the substrate is located in a vacuum at the beginning, during, and / or after the vapor deposition process. Vacuum refers in particular to the state of the gas(es) in the space in which the substrate is located before, during, and / or after the vapor deposition process, at a pressure significantly lower than atmospheric pressure under normal conditions. For example, a rough vacuum, a fine vacuum, a high vacuum, or an ultra-high vacuum can be established.

[0042] Furthermore, it is preferred that the predetermined temperature is between 100°C and 120°C, particularly between 105°C and 110°C. It is especially preferred that during the vapor deposition process, the temperature of the base body is set below the temperature of the vaporized smoothing agent, so that the smoothing agent condenses on the base body.

[0043] In a further preferred embodiment of the process, the smoothing agent is an etching agent. The etching agent can, for example, be formic acid. Furthermore, it is preferable for the smoothing agent to be an alcohol. It is particularly preferred that benzyl alcohol be used.

[0044] Furthermore, it is preferred that the smoothing agent contains acetaldehyde, acetamide, acetone, acetonitrile, acetophenone, acetylene, aliphatic hydrocarbons, in particular cyclohexane, cyclohexene, diisobutylene, hexane, octane, n-pentane and terpinene, alcohols, in particular butylene glycol, butanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, methanol, allyl alcohol, n-propanol and isopropanol, amyl acetate, aniline, anisole, gasoline, benzaldehyde, benzene, chlorobenzene, dioxane, dimethylamide, dimethylformamide, diethyl ether, dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfide, dimethyl sulfoxide, ethylbenzene, ethyl acetate, formaldehyde, formamide, furfural, halogenated hydrocarbons, in particular chlorobromomethane, chloroform, ethylene chloride, methylene chloride, perchloroethylene, tetrachloromethane, trichloroethane and trichloroethylene, menthone, Methyl tert-butyl ether, methyl ethylene ketone, nitrobenzene, phenols, phenylethyl alcohol, propanol, pyridine, styrene, tetrahydrofuran, tetrahydronaphthalene, toluene, triethanolamine,is or includes or includes combinations of one or more of the above.

[0045] The metal particles are preferably electrically conductive. Furthermore, it is preferred that the metal particles are in powder form. The metal particles can be in the form of elemental metal and / or metal compounds. For the present application, examples of metal compounds are spinels, in particular CuCrO, CuMoO, and / or CuCrMnO spinels. The metal compounds can also be in the form of copper salts, oxides, and / or organic metal complexes. The metal particles are preferably designed such that they have as little or no impact on the additive manufacturing process as possible.

[0046] In a further preferred embodiment of the process, the metal particles are or comprise copper particles and / or aluminum particles and / or nickel particles. It is particularly preferred that the metal particles, especially the copper particles, are essentially pure, i.e., elemental copper powder. Furthermore, it is preferred that the metal particles, especially the copper particles, have a particle size of less than 30 µm, less than 20 µm, and particularly between 5 µm and 15 µm.

[0047] In a further preferred embodiment, the plastic material is thermoplastic. It is also preferred that the plastic material is or comprises a polyamide and / or thermoplastic polyurethane. The polyamide is preferably polyamide 12, also known as PA 12, poly-laurylactam, or nylon-12. Polyamide 11, also known as PA11, and thermoplastic polyurethane, also known as TPU, are also preferred.

[0048] The circuit carrier for electronic and / or mechatronic components is manufactured using a method according to one of the previously described embodiments. The circuit carrier comprises a base body manufactured using an additive manufacturing process, comprising a plastic material with metal particles. The base body has a surface that is essentially free of metal particles. Furthermore, the circuit carrier has at least one conductive trace.

[0049] In a preferred embodiment of the circuit carrier, the base body surface is provided to have an average roughness depth of less than 50 µm, less than 40 µm, less than 30 µm and / or less than 20 µm.

[0050] Furthermore, it is preferred that the metal particles are or comprise copper particles, and / or that the metal particles, in particular the copper particles, have a particle size of less than 30 µm, less than 20 µm, in particular between 5 µm and 15 µm.

[0051] A further preferred embodiment of the circuit carrier provides that the plastic material is thermoplastic. In particular, it is preferred that the plastic material is or comprises a polyamide and / or thermoplastic polyurethane.

[0052] According to another aspect, the aforementioned task is solved by a circuit comprising a circuit carrier according to one of the previously mentioned implementation variants and at least one circuit component. The circuit component can, for example, be an electronic and / or mechatronic component.

[0053] For further advantages, design variants and design details of the circuit carrier and the circuit as well as their possible further developments, reference is also made to the previously given description of the corresponding features and further developments of the method.

[0054] Preferred embodiments are explained by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures. These show: Fig. 1: a schematic, three-dimensional view of an exemplary embodiment of a circuit carrier; Fig. 2: a schematic, two-dimensional detail view of the in Fig. 1 of the circuit carrier shown; Fig. 3: a schematic, two-dimensional detail view of a circuit carrier without applying a smoothing agent that dissolves the plastic material to the base surface; Fig. 4: a schematic procedure; and Fig. 5: another schematic procedure.

[0055] In the figures, identical or essentially functionally equivalent or similar elements are designated with the same reference symbols.

[0056] The in Fig. The circuit carrier shown 1 has a base body 2 and a total of nine conductor tracks, two of which are provided with the reference numerals 12 and 18 as examples.

[0057] The basic body 2 extends in the longitudinal direction L from a first end 4 to a second end 6. Orthogonal to the longitudinal direction L, the basic body 2 extends in the lateral direction B and in the vertical direction H.

[0058] The first conductor track 12 extends from a first conductor track end 14 to a second conductor track end 16 in a conductor track longitudinal direction that is aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction L. The conductor tracks 12, 18 are arranged parallel to each other.

[0059] The base body 2 consists essentially of a plastic material 8 and metal particles 10. The surface of the base body 3 is essentially free of metal particles 10. Therefore, a portion of the base body 2 is shown with a dashed line to visualize its interior. This illustrates that the plastic material 8 is also present within the base body 2. The surface of the base body 3 is formed essentially exclusively by the plastic material 8. However, the metal particles 10 are also present within the base body 2.

[0060] The surface 3 of the base body 2 was treated with a smoothing agent that dissolved the plastic material 8, so that the surface of the base body is essentially free of metal particles 10. The metal particles 10 can, for example, be copper particles, which were preferably added to the plastic material in the form of a copper powder.

[0061] The conductive traces 12 and 18 were created by laser activation and metallization. For this purpose, the areas of the base body 2 in which the conductive traces were to be arranged, the so-called conductive trace areas, were activated by a laser. Metallic nuclei were generated by means of a physical and / or physicochemical reaction. Subsequently, the activated conductive trace areas were metallized with a conductive trace material, in particular copper.

[0062] In Fig. Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the base body 2. In particular, the adjacent conductor tracks 12 and 18 are shown. A conductor-free area is provided between conductor tracks 12 and 18, where the plastic material 8 is shown. The same applies to the outer areas next to conductor track 12 and conductor track 18.

[0063] In Fig. Figure 3 shows a base body 20 produced by an additive manufacturing process, with conductive tracks 24, 26, wherein the base body 20 is also made of a plastic material 22 containing metal particles. However, the base body 20 was not treated with a smoothing agent that dissolves the plastic material 8, so that the surface of the base body is not free of metal particles.

[0064] Since the surface of the base body 20 was not free of metal particles, a large number of foreign metallizations 28 occurred during metallization. These foreign metallizations 28 exhibit similar properties to the conductor tracks 24, 26. The foreign metallizations 28 lead to an increased risk of short circuits between the conductor tracks 24, 26. In addition, the quality of the circuit carrier containing the base body 20 is impaired. This illustrates the significant advantage of applying the smoothing agent that dissolves the plastic material 8 to the base body 2, namely that the foreign metallizations 28 are essentially avoided.

[0065] Fig. Figure 4 shows a schematic procedure. In step 602, a base body 2 is manufactured using an additive manufacturing process, wherein the base body 2 comprises a plastic material 8 containing metal particles 10. In step 604, the surface 3 of the base body 2 is treated with a smoothing agent that dissolves the plastic material 8, so that the surface 3 is substantially free of metal particles 10. In step 606, at least one conductive track 12, 18 is produced on the surface 3 of the base body.

[0066] Fig. Figure 5 shows a preferred embodiment of the method. In step 600, a CAD design of the circuit carrier 1 is created. This includes, in particular, the three-dimensional structure of the base body 2, as well as the positioning and routing of the conductor tracks. Steps 602 and 604 are analogous to the method described above. Fig. 4 trained.

[0067] Step 606 is divided into two sub-steps. In step 606a, the conductor track areas on the substrate surface where conductor tracks 12 and 18 are to be arranged are laser-activated. In step 606b, these conductor track areas are metallized with a conductor track material. As a result, the conductor track material adheres to the conductor track areas, and the conductor tracks are thus formed. In step 608, various circuit components are arranged on the circuit carrier 1, thus forming a circuit.

[0068] The method described above enables the production of a higher-quality circuit carrier 1. In particular, the conductor tracks 12, 18 can be designed with a smaller width. Furthermore, the conductor tracks 12, 18 can be arranged closer together, as the risk of a short circuit is reduced by avoiding foreign metallization 28. Consequently, a higher-quality circuit carrier 1 is provided.

[0069] This circuit carrier 1 can also be smaller, thus contributing to the miniaturization of products such as mobile phones, headphones, and the like, as described above. Furthermore, the increased freedom regarding the circuit carrier geometry enables lightweight construction, resulting in a circuit carrier 1 with a lower weight. Moreover, this more compact and lighter circuit carrier 1 allows for a higher degree of functional integration. REFERENCE MARK 1 circuit carrier 2 basic shapes 3 Base body surface 4 first end 6 second end 8 Plastic material 10 metal particles 12 first conductor track 14 first conductor track end 16 second conductor end 18 second conductor track 20 basic shapes without smoothing 22 Plastic material 24 conductor tracks 26 conductor track 28 Foreign metallization L Longitudinal direction B Latitude direction H Altitude

Claims

[1] Method for manufacturing a circuit carrier (1) for electronic and / or mechatronic components, comprising the steps: - Manufacturing a base body (2) using an additive manufacturing process, wherein the base body (2) comprises or consists of a plastic material (8) containing metal particles (10), wherein the metal particles (10) are substantially homogeneously distributed in the plastic material (8), - Applying a smoothing agent to a base body surface (3) of the base body (2) that dissolves the plastic material (8), so that the base body surface (3) is essentially free of metal particles (10), and - Generating at least one conductor track (12, 18) on the base body surface (3), - where generating at least one conductor track (12, 18) comprises the following steps: - Laser activation of one, two or more conductor track areas on the base body surface (3) in which one, two or more conductor tracks (12, 18) are to be arranged, and - Metallisation of the conductor track areas with a conductor track material forming the conductor track (12, 18) or the conductor tracks (12, 18). [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein the application of the smoothing agent to the base body surface (3) is carried out such that the base body surface (3) has an average roughness depth of less than 50 µm, less than 40 µm, less than 30 µm, and / or less than 20 µm. [3] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the additive manufacturing method is or comprises selective laser melting, absorption printing and / or fused deposition modeling. [4] Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the application is or comprises vaporization with the smoothing agent, wherein the vaporization preferably takes place at a predetermined vaporization pressure and / or a predetermined temperature. [5] Method according to the preceding claim 4, wherein - the vapor pressure is between 0-1 bar, and / or - the predetermined temperature is between 100°C and 120°C. [6] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the smoothing agent - a corrosive agent, especially formic acid, and / or - is an alcohol, especially benzyl alcohol. [7] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein - the metal particles (10) are or include copper particles, and / or - the metal particles (10), in particular the copper particles, have a particle size of less than 30 µm, less than 20 µm, in particular between 5 µm and 15 µm. [8] Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plastic material (8) - is thermoplastic, and / or - Polyamide and / or thermoplastic polyurethane. [9] Circuit carrier (1) for electronic and / or mechatronic components manufactured according to a method according to any one of claims 1-8, comprising - comprising a base body (2) produced by an additive manufacturing process, a plastic material (8) with metal particles (10), - wherein the base body (2) has a base body surface (3) which is substantially free of metal particles (10), and - at least one conductor track (12, 18). [10] Circuit carrier (1) according to the preceding claim 9, wherein the base body surface (3) has an average roughness depth of less than 50 µm, less than 40 µm, less than 30 µm, and / or less than 20 µm. [11] Circuit carrier (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 9-10, wherein - the metal particles (10) are or include copper particles, and / or - the metal particles (10), in particular the copper particles, have a particle size of less than 30 µm, less than 20 µm, in particular between 5 µm and 15 µm. [12] Circuit carrier (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 9-11, wherein the plastic material (8) - is thermoplastic, and / or - Polyamide and / or thermoplastic polyurethane. [13] Circuit comprising a circuit carrier (1) according to any one of claims 9-12 and at least one circuit component.

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