Process for producing a plastic-metal composite component

A process for producing a plastic-metal composite component, the process comprising:

• a) providing an injection mold/compression mold having at least one cavity that is openable, a first mold dimension A in a closure direction of the injection mold/compression mold, a second mold dimension B at right angles to the closure direction of the injection mold/compression mold, and a cavity circumference UW corresponding to a circumference of the at least one cavity in a region of the injection mold/compression mold comprising the first and second mold dimensions A and B;
• b) providing at least one hollow profile made of metal with a ratio of diameter to wall thickness in the range from 5:1 to 300:1, wherein a first outer dimension C of at least one hollow profile is greater by a range of 0.1% to 5% than the first mold dimension A, a second outer dimension D of the at least one hollow profile is smaller by a range of 0.1% to 5% than the second mold dimension B, the ranges for the first and second outer dimensions C and D are based on 90° viewed in a direction toward a longitudinal axis of the at least one hollow profile, and a hollow profile circumference UH of the at least one hollow profile corresponds to the cavity circumference UW of the at least one cavity of the injection mold/compression mold provided in a);
• c) inserting the hollow profile into the at least one cavity of the injection mold/compression mold provided in a);
• d) closing the at least one cavity of the injection mold/compression mold in a closure operation of the injection mold/compression mold such that the hollow profile is pressed by a mold closure movement of the closure operation in the closure direction of the at least one cavity and a shape of the at least one hollow profile provided in b) is changed, wherein an outer surface of the at least one hollow profile, after an end of the closure operation, corresponds to an inner shape of the at least one cavity of the injection mold/compression mold provided in a) in a region of contact surfaces at the axial ends of the at least one cavity, where in e) an application of plastic will be externally applied, while the hollow profile circumference UH remains equal to the cavity circumference UW;
• e) externally applying an application of plastic in the form of a melt with a pressure in the range from 1 bar to 1000 bar to the at least one hollow profile;
• f) cooling the application of plastic applied to the at least one hollow profile in e) to produce a finished composite component;
• and
• g) removing the finished composite component from the injection mold/compression mold,
• with the proviso, that
• the injection mold/compression mold seals the at least one cavity, where in e) an application of plastic is externally applied, with respect to one or more regions of the at least one hollow profile in which no plastic is applied in e) upon closure of the at least one cavity of the injection mold/compression mold,
• the contact surfaces, at the axial ends of the at least one cavity, where in e) an application of plastic is externally applied, of the injection mold/compression mold compress the at least one hollow profile, during closure of the at least one cavity of the injection mold/compression mold, from the first and second outer dimensions C and D of the at least one hollow profile to the first and second mold dimensions A and B of the at least one cavity, and
• the hollow profile circumference UH remains equal to the cavity circumference UW such that the at least one hollow profile within the injection mold/compression mold undergoes radial sealing of a circumferential face of the at least one hollow profile at the axial ends of the at least one cavity, where in e) an application of plastic is externally applied, to prevent application of plastic in an axial direction in the one or more regions in which no application of plastic is applied.