Evaluation of electrical contacting approaches for additively manufactured conductive polymer composites

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a methodical investigation of ten types of contacts for electrically conductive polymer composites manufactured using additive manufacturing. The study examines the suitability of three different bonding agents for reducing contact resistance and measures the contact resistance of the contact systems as well as the tensile strength. Based on these results, design guidelines and a design catalogue are developed. The results show that although each contact type is fundamentally suitable, they should be adapted to the respective application using the derived design guidelines.