Laser treatment cuts costs and increases joint strength

The process, developed by a team led by Adrian Sabau of the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, would replace the practice of preparing the surface of the materials by using abrasives and solvents.

Using a laser to remove layers of material from surfaces prior to bonding improves the performance of joints and provides a path toward automation for high-volume use.

“Our technique is vastly superior to the conventional surface preparation methods,” Sabau said in a statement. “Combined with the potentially dramatic reduction in the cost of carbon fibre polymer composites, this represents an important step toward increasing the use of this lightweight high-strength material in automobiles, which could reduce the weight of cars and trucks by 750 pounds.”

The surface treatment of aluminium and carbon fibre polymer composite is a critical step in the adhesive joining process, which directly affects the quality of bonded joints. Aluminium surfaces typically contain oils and other contaminants from production rolling operations while carbon fibre surfaces often contain mould releases.