Abstract
By means of In-Mold-Metal-Spraying (IMMS), wire arc sprayed metal coatings are transferred onto plastic parts during the injection molding process for the efficient production of metallized plastic parts. One potential field of application of IMMS parts are electrical applications such as electrically conductive tracks or electromagnetic shielding. In the current study, the properties of the transferred coatings, especially the electrical resistivity, are determined. Different feedstock materials are used for the application of the coatings. In the first investigation, pressurized air is used as atomizing gas for wire arc spraying. In contrary to Zn coatings, Cu coatings applied with pressurized air have a significantly higher electrical resistivity in comparison to massive copper. One possible reason for this is the oxidation of the Cu particles during the spraying process. Therefore, N2 and a mixture of N2 and H2 are used as atomizing gas to reduce the oxidation of particles. Consequently, the electrical resistivity of IMMS parts can be significantly reduced. Furthermore, spraying distance, current and pressure of the atomizing gas are varied to investigate the influence of these process parameters on the coating properties.
