Recycle of Metal-Plating on Plastics by Pulse Arc Discharges

Summary form only given. Recycling of the metal-plating on plastics, which is used in household appliances and cars, becomes important issue from the point of view of environment. The metal and plastic have to be separated by some method, keeping the mechanical strength. A crush separation system using corona and magnetic separations needs high running cost. A melting separation system using an acid or an alkali causes deterioration of the performance of plastics. Here, pulse arc discharges by pulsed power are used to separate a metal thin film from ABS resin. A large current flow into a metal thin film, and then a part of the metal film is vaporized by heating. At the same time, a shock wave occurs and removes the metal thin film from the ABS resin. The ABS resin and the metal removed are recyclable. Removal efficiency changes with the existence of ceramics, distance of two electrodes, electrode material , distance between tire electrodes and sample. This technology is applicable to a circuit board and CD-R.