Novel Strategies for Laser Joining of Polyamide and AISI 304

The increased demand for lightweight products with enhanced characteristics is driving the introduction of thermoplastic-metal hybrids in many industrial applications. However, inflexible and expensive processes, as well as difficulties in obtaining reliable joints, reduce the industrialization of hybrid products.During this work a new approach to perform the laser transmission joining (LTJ) of AISI 304 stainless steel and natural polyamide (PA6) has been studied. The proposed technology is intended to improve the strength of hybrid structures by increasing the amount of thermoplastic polymer trapped inside metal surface cavities.