Case Study – Development of a hybrid contact bridge | Efficiency and precision through rapid tooling

The development of modern plastic-metal hybrid components entails numerous technical challenges: material selection, tool design and manufacturing processes must be precisely coordinated. In the “contact bridge” project, we show how the use of rapid tooling and close development cooperation has enabled us to realize an innovative solution for our customer BRUSS Sealing Systems GmbH. BRUSS Sealing Systems is an international developer and manufacturer of high-quality sealing systems. Founded as a family business, the company now employs more than 2,000 people worldwide.

Project description: hybrid component with demanding requirements

The contact bridge is a hybrid component that reliably distributes electrical energy via collector bars. It combines thermoplastics for the housing and copper for the conductors to ensure high mechanical strength, electrical conductivity and tightness.

Technical challenges:

• Oil-tightness: The interfaces between copper and plastic had to be completely sealed even after thermal cycling, when the different expansion coefficients of copper and plastic come into play (sealing of micro-gaps).
• Integration of copper inserts: The connection required precise tool technology and adapted manufacturing parameters.
• Tool complexity: Despite demanding geometries, a fast and cost-efficient implementation was necessary.

Solution approaches and process design

1. Material selection and design integration

Thermoplastics were selected for the contact bridge that are characterized by high mechanical strength, thermal resistance and excellent insulating properties. The material was selected in accordance with the specific requirements for load capacity and sealing.

1. Rapid tooling for flexible and fast iterations

Rapid tooling enabled the rapid production of a prototype tool with precise tolerances for the copper insert. Iterative adjustment of the tool and manufacturing parameters accelerated the validation of design and material.

1. Development services and validation

The following steps were taken to ensure the functionality of the component:

• Design analysis: CAD models were created and checked for manufacturability in the injection molding process
• and optimized.
• Simulation: injection molding simulations optimized the filling process to avoid air inclusions and shrinkage problems.
• Prototyping: precise insertion of the copper conductors and the implementation of micro-gap seals were tested.
• Tests: Oil-tightness, insulation and dielectric strength between the conductors, as well as mechanical strength, were comprehensively tested on the prototypes.

Results and insights

The project showed that technical challenges can be efficiently resolved if design, materials and manufacturing processes are integrated at an early stage:

• Time savings: Rapid tooling accelerated the creation and validation of prototypes.
• Optimized quality: The tests confirmed the tightness and resilience of the hybrid connection under realistic conditions.
• Cost-effectiveness: The iterative approach allowed design changes to be flexibly implemented before investing in cost-intensive series production tools.

Advantages of working with BARLOG Plastics

1. Early material and process integration: The choice of suitable materials and simulation processes reduces development risks and increases component quality.
2. Rapid Tooling as a key technology: Fast iterations enable an efficient development and validate technical solutions at an early stage.
3. Close interdisciplinary cooperation: The coordination between design, manufacturing and testing laboratory ensures targeted and reliable results.

Conclusion

The “Contact Bridge” project shows how the targeted use of rapid tooling and a systematic development strategy can be used to successfully realize complex hybrid components in both a technical and economic sense. The knowledge gained provides valuable impetus for the development of similar components in a wide range of industries. BARLOG Plastics has extensive know-how in the design and production of plastic-metal hybrid components, as well as suitable production systems (e.g. vertical injection molding machines) for close-to-production prototype manufacturing. Thanks to the professional cooperation between BARLOG Plastics and BRUSS Sealing Systems, the “Contact Bridge” project was successfully completed in a very short time.