Introduction of a new pair of thermoplastic materials for precision manufacturing of moulded interconnect devices.

One of the main process chains for manufacturing of MIDs is two component injection moulding, in which the two different thermoplastic materials involved should meet the requirements for selective metallization along with the requirements imposed from process and service conditions. It is a real challenge to find a suitable pair of polymers that meet so many diversified requirements at a time. This paper presents a new pair of commercial polymer materials (ULTEM PEI1000-Noryl GTX810) that fulfils the criteria for selective metallization and interface quality. The polymer pair is suitable for micro injection moulding and has good mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. By using this pair of materials, a demonstrator MID has been fabricated by two component injection moulding and subsequent electrochemical metallization. The test performed on the demonstrator showed potential for the material pair to be used in high precision electromechanical devices like MIDs.