Electrically conductive polymeric composites
AssigneeKafrit Industries (1993) Ltd.
InventorNachum Rosenzweig
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A conductive plastic article including a plastic material, a multiplicity of metal fibers disposed in the plastic material, the fibers being formed from a first metal having a first melting temperature and globules of a second metal having a second melting temperature, lower than the first melting temperature, conductively at least partially joining the fibers within the plastic material thus creating an electrically conductive network within the plastic.
Claims37
A conductive plastic article comprising:
- a plastic material;
- a multiplicity of metal fibers disposed in said plastic material, said fibers being formed from a first metal having a first melting temperature;
- and
- globules of a second metal having a second melting temperature, lower than said first melting temperature, conductively at least partially joining said fibers within said plastic material thus creating an electrically conductive network within said plastic.
A method for producing a conductive plastic article comprising the steps of:
- providing a multiplicity of fibers of a first metal having a first melting point;
- forming a solid mass of said multiplicity of fibers of said first metal together with a second metal having a second melting point less than said first melting point;
- combining plastic material with said solid mass;
- heating said plastic material with said solid mass to a temperature above said second melting point but less than said first melting point, whereby said multiplicity of fibers are at least partially released from said solid mass and are at least partially conductively joined together by said second metal;
- forming said conductive plastic article from said heated plastic material;
- and
- cooling said conductive plastic article wherein when cooled, said multiplicity of fibers are conductively joined at least partially by said second metal.
Apparatus for producing a conductive plastic article comprising:
- a solid mass former receiving a multiplicity of fibers of a first metal having a first melting point and forming a solid mass of said multiplicity of fibers of said first metal together with a second metal having a second melting point less than said first melting point;
- a mixer, combining plastic material with said solid mass;
- a heater, heating said plastic material with said solid mass to a temperature above said second melting point but less than said first melting point, whereby said multiplicity of fibers are at least partially released from said solid mass and are conductively joined together by said second metal;
- and
- an article former, forming said conductive plastic article from said heated plastic material and cooling said conductive plastic article wherein when cooled, said multiplicity of fibers are conductively joined at least partially by said second metal.
A conductive article comprising:
- a multiplicity of metal fibers, said fibers being formed from a first metal having a first melting temperature;
- and
- globules of a second metal having a second melting temperature, lower than said first melting temperature, conductively at least partially joining said fibers thus creating an electrically conductive network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.