Abstract:The laser direct structuring (LDS) series materials based on polyamide 6 (PA 6) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), including LDS-PA 6, LDS-PPS, LDS-PA 6/PPS, and the long glass fiber (LGF) reinforced LDS material LDS-PA 6/PPS/LGF were prepared. The thermal and mechanical performances of were characterized by TGA, heat deflection temperature (HDT) and mechanical tests. The morphologies of regions after laser activation and layers after selective plating, and the reliability of plating layer were also evaluated by optical microscope, SEM, crosscut tape and salt spray tests. The results revealed that the thermal performances, water absorption resistance, flexural strength and modulus of LDS-PA 6/PPS were between those of LDS-PPS and LDS-PA 6. The initial thermal decomposition temperature of LDS-PA 6/PPS was increased by 20℃ by LGF, while HDT and flexural modulus were improved by 62% and 102% relative to the latter, respectively. It was found that increasing the laser power and repetition, as well as decreasing the scanning speed and hatch distance, have enhanced the superposition of laser pulse and effectively coarsened the surface of materials. These factors eventually contributed to the adhesion and deposition of copper particles during the subsequent selective plating process. The optimum laser parameters were laser power of 10 W, repetition of 70 kHz, scanning speed of 2500 mm / s and hatch distance of 25 µm. The plated copper particles distributed uniformly and the particle size was about 40 µm. The plating layer displayed a smooth surface and s strong adhesion with the substrate. And the electric resistance of the layer was less than 1.0 Ω, expressing an excellent electric conductivity.