# US 5,702,584 A · Enhanced plating adhesion through the use of metallized fillers in plastic substrate

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- Number: US 5,702,584 A
- Document ID: US5702584A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/675,308
- Filed: 1996-07-01
- Granted: 1997-12-30
- Earliest claimed: 1996-07-01
- Assignees: Ford Motor Company
- Inventors: Lakhi N. Goenka; Michael G. Todd; Andrew Z. Glovatsky
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5702584A

## CPC

- C23C 18/22: Roughening, e.g. by etching
- B29C 37/0082: {Mechanical anchoring (B29C66/303 takes precedence)}
- B29C 70/64: the filler influencing the surface characteristics of the material, e.g. by concentrating near the surface or by incorporating in the surface by force
- C23C 18/1641: {Organic substrates, e.g. resin, plastic}
- C23C 18/1653: {Two or more layers with at least one layer obtained by electroless plating and one layer obtained by electroplating}
- H05K 3/381: {by special treatment of the substrate}
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

## Abstract

A polymer substrate is plated with a metal, using metallic filler particles in the polymer as anchorage points for a layer of metal formed by an electroless plating operation. The polymer has a filler that includes non-metallic filler particles and metallic filler particles; the non-metallic filler particles contiguous to the polymer surface can be etched away, so as to expose metallic filler particles proximate to the etched surfaces. The exposed metallic filler particles serve as anchorage points for the electroless plate layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process of plating a metal on a plastic substrate, wherein said substrate has an exposed surface, said process comprising:
incorporating etchable filler elements and etchant-resistant metal filler elements in the plastic substrate so that some etchable filler elements and some metal filler elements are continuous to the exposed surface of the substrate;
etching the exposed surface of the plastic substrate to selectively remove the contiguous etchable filler elements while leaving the contiguous metal filler elements exposed at the substrate surface; and
plating a metal on the exposed surface of the substrate, using the exposed metal filler elements as anchorages for the plating material;
said metal plating step involving the sub-steps of electroless plating a first metal layer on the substrate, and electroplating a second metal layer on the first metal layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the step of incorporating the filler elements in the plastic substrate involves combining the etchable elements and metal elements together to form composite filler elements.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the etchable filler elements are fiberglass filaments, and the metal filler elements are metal coatings on the fiberglass filaments.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the step of incorporating the filler elements in the plastic substrate involves forming metal coatings on fiberglass filaments and chopping the coated filaments to provide composite filler elements containing an etchable fiberglass component and an etchant-resistant metal component.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The process of claim 4, wherein the step of chopping the coated filaments involves cutting the coated filaments at acute angles to the filament axis, to thus increase the end surface area of the filament.