Etchless metal plating using cold sintering

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024198420-A1
Application number	US-202218555688-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 18, 2022
Priority date	Apr 19, 2021
Publication date	Jun 20, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present application describes the development of a method for creating a continuous conductive metal layer on a surface of a component, the component preferably made of molded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer (ABS) or polycarbonate/ABS (PC/ABS) blend, the method utilizing cold sintering. This method avoids the need for chromic acid etching pretreatment prior to the electroplating process. Continuous, conductive and thickness-controllable layers of metals such as Ni, Fe, Cu or Ni/Fe have been created on the plastic surface using the cold sintering. The method will also work with any other metal. Thus, molded ABS or PC/ABS parts can be further electroplated without the need to go through the undesirable etching process.

First claim

1 . A method of preparing a component suitable for metal plating, the method comprising:
(a) cold sintering metal powder to create a first portion of a component; (b) adding plastic to at least one surface of the first portion, (c) cold sintering the plastic onto the first portion, the plastic being a second portion of the component.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the shape of the first portion is defined by a mold.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plastic that is added is in a powdered form.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the sintering steps are performed using a hydraulic press, a heat jacket and a temperature controller.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the applied temperature is in the range of 140 to 200° C., the time is in the range of 1 to 2 hours, and the pressure is in the range of 300 to 400 MPa.

6 . The method of claim 1 1 - 5 , wherein the powdered metal is primarily nickel, copper, iron, or a mixture thereof of two or more of nickel, copper and iron.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plastic is at least partially polycarbonate.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plastic is at least partially acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method does not include any additional binders.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising an additional step of plating an additional metal onto the component, without etching, sensitization or activation steps.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the additional metal is gold, silver, chrome, nickel, copper, nickel bright, copper bright, or mixture of them.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plastic includes thermal stabilizers.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plastic includes a lubricant or mold release.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plastic includes an acid scavenger.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plastic includes one or more impact enhancers.

16 . A method of preparing a molded component suitable for metal plating, the method comprising:
creating a continuous layer of metal powder on top of a plastic by cold sintering, wherein the metal powder creates a first portion of the component by the cold sintering, wherein the shape of the first portion is defined by a mold, and wherein the plastic is a second portion of the component that is cold sintered onto the first portion, and wherein the plastic is at least partially polycarbonate and/or at least partially acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Abbas Sara Ali
• Badahdah Saeed Omar
• Owens Donald
• Tevtia Amit Kumar
• Kopec Karina Katarzyna

Classifications

• B22F2998/10

  Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps · CPC title

• B22F2003/242

  Coating · CPC title

• B22F7/02

  of composite layers {(B22F7/002 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B22F3/24

  After-treatment of workpieces or articles {(B22F3/1146 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B29K2105/251

  Particles, powder or granules (expandable particles B29K2105/046) · CPC title