Electrically conducting components, widely used in the automotive sector, are made in complicated multi-stage processes (e.g. electroplating). The Institute for Plastics Processing (IKV) in Aachen/Germany, joined forces with Siemens AG, Erlangen/Germany to devise a novel alternative material. This consists of a low-melting alloy based on tin/zinc that is incorporated along with copper fibres into a polymer matrix. The alloy, like the polymer, melts during processing. The result is a free-flowing, readily processed material that forms an electrically conducting network throughout.