Electron Beam Bonding: a novel method for joining additively manufactured carbon fiber thermoplastic composites with aluminum to produce multi-material joints for lightweight applications

In recent years, new solutions have been explored to reduce the weight of components for the automotive, railway, and aerospace industries. For this reason, Carbon Fiber Composites (CFCs) have increasingly replaced metals in products that need to be lightweight. However, due to their poor thermal conductivity, CFCs have limited use in applications requiring efficient heat dissipation. In such applications, conventionally manufactured metal alloys are typically utilized. To address these limitations, a novel approach using a combination of additively manufactured aluminum and CFCs is proposed to exploit the distinct advantages of both materials. These innovative hybrid structures aim to combine good structural and thermal management properties with reduced weight compared to conventionally produced metal products. In this study, additively manufactured aluminum alloy (AlSi10Mg) and short carbon fiber Polyamide 6 composite (sCF-PA6) are utilized to produce metal–polymer pairs using electron beam energy to bond the two materials. Direct irradiation of short CFCs with electron beam leads to polymer degradation. Thus, a novel method “Electron Beam Bonding” for joining CFCs with aluminum alloy in various joint configurations using electron beam technology is demonstrated. This innovative approach presents a promising solution for creating metal–polymer multi-materials for lightweight applications.