AddJoining: A novel additive manufacturing approach for layered metal-polymer hybrid structures

A novel assembling technique based on additive manufacturing and materials joining principles has been introduced for layered metal-polymer hybrid structures. The AddJoining technique produces layered hybrid structures, using polymer 3D printing methods. The feasibility of the technique was demonstrated using fused deposition modeling for single-lap joint configuration. Microstructure and mechanical strength of the joints were studied using two combinations of materials; aluminum 2024-T3 with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and aluminum 2024-T3 with alternate layers of polyamide-6 and carbon-fiber-reinforced polyamide-6. The latter reached an average ultimate lap-shear strength of 21.9 ± 1.1 MPa, showing 19% superior performance to the adhesively bonded joints. This exploratory investigation showed the potential of AddJoining to produce metal-polymer layered structures.