Dissimilar Materials Laser Welding between Stainless Steel 304 and Thermoplastics

Nowadays, dissimilar materials welding, especially between metal to plastics, has been become the hottest issue. The objective of the study is to investigate the effects of physical properties of plastics on the weldability and the quality of the dissimilar materials welding between SUS304 stainless steel and plastics. In experiment, the lap joint configuration with SUS304 put on the top was applied. The welding speed, focal position, and keeping period of weld after welding were varied. The results indicated that the decomposition temperature of plastics affected both weldability and quality of joint after welding. Moreover, crazing was a prominent property to be considered for long-term use of the dissimilar materials welding as the specimen could fracture by itself after a period of time without any application of the external load.