Assessment strategies for composite-metal joining technologies - a review

Mixed material constructions, especially composite-metal structures, are widely applied in industry. Today many different joining technologies exist. However, the tools are missing that support decision making for the most suitable technology depending on the desired application. Especially small and medium sized enterprises struggle, due to a lack of know-how and their limited innovation budgets. In this review the existing literature about different joining technologies is discussed and evaluated with attention on comparative studies. Based on the described literature a future assessment strategy for enterprises is outlined and a general procedure of data acquisition is presented.