Composite plates, with and without, “waves” were made using improved explosive welding techniques. Oriented heat treatment of one surface of a steel-titanium composite introduces brittle intermetallic material at the specific interface. Currently, we are investigating methods to minimize this layer. While “waveless” interfaces revealed minimum intermetallic material; failure of the bond during ballistic impact necessitated production of a semi-compatible diffusion barrier using a fine layer of pure metal. Methods of producing composite plates with different interlayer materials and the effect of variables in optimizing the bond quality is presented. ©2000 American Institute of Physics.