Plastic Outer Part Metal Coating Adhesive Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current metal coating methods for plastic outer parts lack sufficient adhesive strength and rigidity, which is crucial for applications such as hand prostheses and exoskeletons that require durability and light weight.
Innovation Solution
A metal coating method involving cold plasma treatment to introduce polar functional groups on the plastic surface, followed by electroless plating of a metal layer, and subsequent heat treatment to enhance adhesive strength, using alloys like nickel, copper, and chromium, and incorporating organic and inorganic particles for increased tensile and bending strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a metal coating layer is formed on plastic outer part, then strength and rigidity are improved, but adhesive strength between metal coating layer and plastic is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Cold plasma treatment is performed before metal coating to introduce polar functional groups on the plastic surface, creating a preliminarily activated surface that enhances subsequent metal layer adhesion. This preliminary surface modification ensures strong bonding between the plastic substrate and the metal coating layer.
Solution Approach 2:
Heat treatment is applied after metal coating to further improve adhesive strength by modifying the physical and chemical properties of the plastic-metal interface. The heat treatment process optimizes bonding parameters to achieve adhesive strength of 1,000 g/cm² or more.
2Strength
If high-strength aluminum material is used, then strength is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using heavy high-strength aluminum material throughout, a thin metal coating layer is applied locally on the plastic outer part surface. This provides the necessary strength and rigidity only where needed, while maintaining the overall lightweight plastic structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure combining plastic and metal coating layers. The plastic provides lightweight structure while the metal coating layer provides localized strength enhancement, achieving an optimal balance between weight and strength.
3Stability of the object's composition
If ribs are added to increase bending rigidity, then rigidity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding mechanical ribs to increase rigidity, the invention uses a metal coating layer with inherent high rigidity. The metal coating provides the necessary bending rigidity through material properties rather than through complex mechanical structural additions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method significantly increases adhesive strength between the metal coating layer and the plastic, achieving tensile strength to hardness ratios of 3.00 N/mm2/Hv or more, with bending strength increased by 15% or more, and adhesive strength up to 10,000 g/cm2 or more, resulting in a robust and lightweight plastic outer part.
Implementation Method 1
cold plasma treatment to introduce a polar functional group on a surface of the plastic outer part
Implementation Method 2
a metal coating layer is formed on the surface of the plastic outer part treated with the cold plasma by an electroless plating method
Implementation Method 3
an adhesive strength improvement process of improving an adhesive strength between the metal coating layer and the plastic outer part is performed by heat-treating the plastic outer part with the metal coating layer thereon
Data Source
AI summary
This application relates to a metal coating method for plastic outer part requiring robustness. In the metal coating method, first, provide a plastic outer part as a motion assistance tool. Thereafter, a cold plasma treatment is performed to introduce a polar functional group to a surface of the plastic outer part by treating the plastic outer part with cold plasma. Next, a metal coating layer is formed on the surface of the plastic outer part treated with the cold plasma by an electroless plating method. Thereafter, an adhesive strength improvement process of improving an adhesive strength between the metal coating layer and the plastic outer part to 1,000 g/cm2 or more by heat treatment of the plastic outer part with the metal coating layer thereon is performed.