Andaltec participated in the European PMjoin project, which focused on the development of an innovative process for joining plastic and metal using laser welding, eliminating the need for additional materials, adhesive substances or other joining elements.
The growing demand for lighter, less polluting vehicles is driving the use of alternative materials in car design. In this context, there is a need to identify joining processes that allow the combination of different materials at competitive costs. The joining of plastics and metals using conventional joining technologies, such as adhesives or mechanical bonding, can be a complex process due to the number of steps involved in the production of these components. This is why there is a significant market demand for new plastic-to-metal joining technologies.
Selected automotive industry applications include lighting components, structural components and seats. The versatility of real-life applications has demonstrated the viability of laser joining technology in the automotive industry.
Project consortium
The project was led by IK4 Tekniker, with the participation of Fraunhofer, the Amines centre, Andaltec Centro Tecnológico, and the companies PSA Peugeot Citroën, Lasea, Valeo and Faurecia.
