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Plasma Surface Treatment
If you’ve ever watched ink rub off a printed surface, witnessed the failure of an adhesive to hold two surfaces together, or observed inconsistency in the application of a coating then you’ve seen evidence of low surface energy at work.
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Did you know?
Ink adhesion for wire and cable jacket marking
Creating indelible markings on wires and cables for military, aerospace, automotive, telecom and datacom applications can be a challenge for many manufacturers. Certainly highly aggressive solvent inks can be used to mark wire and cable, however there is a growing interest to develop greener technologies that can provide additional economic and production benefits.
Many companies have begun [...]
Did you know?
Corona Treater 101
A new Corona treater 101 posting does a nice job of explaining that there are differences between the effectiveness of tretament created by each corona treater configuration.
The process of generating corona is essentially the same for all corona treaters. Corona is ionized air created by discharging high frequency high voltage energy across a metal or insulated electrode. This electrode is [...]
Plasma Treatment
Plasma Surface Treatment & Oxygen Plasma Treatment
Plasma Treatment
Surface tension is invisible to the naked eye, but it can seriously impact an object’s function. Low surface energy or contaminants can prevent the bonding of inks and adhesives, limiting the material’s range of use. That’s why industries in plastics, metal and other fields use plasma treatments for etching, cleaning and activating surfaces.
Atmospheric plasma surface treatments are available in a variety of configurations:
- Oxygen plasma treatment
- Flame plasma treatment
- Variable chemical plasma treatment
Types of Plasma Treatment
Oxygen plasma treatment, also called corona, air treatment, or O2 treament is used in plastic film, extrusion and converting. It is important that materials are treated when they are first produced. While this treatment is required for future converting it also has a limited shelf life and an additional bump treatment is usually needed at the time of printing, coating, laminating or bonding.
Atmospheric plasma treatment is similar to oxygen plasma treatment, and is often used to a micro-etch effect on plastic surfaces including folding glue flaps in cartons. This can be integrated with production lines using open air jets.
Learn More About Plasma Treatment
We strive to provide the most accurate and up to date information on plasma treating. Our information comes from experts in the industry, unlike some resource sites, such as Wikipedia entries…so as you explore our site further, you can rest assured that information you find on plasma surface treatment is expert advice! And, we’ll continue to post the latest research information on methane, argon and nitrogen plasma treatment chemistries.
Discover more about chemical and flame plasma treatments, and you’ll learn the benefits of one surface treatment versus another. You can also watch a video demonstration of plasma treating on toothbrushes or learn more about plasma treatment of polymers.
Plasma Treating Facilitates Surface Performance 
How can you determine if surface treatment provides the results you desire? Ideally you could integrate a plasma treating solution into your production line and see if the results meet your quality control standards. In most cases this is not practical, so laboratory treatment trials are your next best option.
In addition there are several off-line tests that you can do as part of your technology evaluation and on-going quality control processes. Developing your own specific protocols is the best way to determine if plasma treating produces the results you require.
From simple dyne level tests to advanced scientific analysis there are numerous ways to evaluate surface performance. Developing your own specific protocols is the best way to determine if plasma treating produces the results you require.
Field Applications 
Plasma treatment is used across a wide variety of industries to clean, etch and functionalize surfaces. Visit our on-line library of applications and industry specific technical papers to see how atmospheric plasma is used in your industry.
Plasma Technologies
Air Plasma Surface Treatment
Air plasma surface treaters use either blown ion or blown arc discharge technology. A key difference between the two atmospheric plasma systems is that blown ion treatment is effective with both conductive and non-conductive surfaces.
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Variable Chemistry Atmospheric Plasma Surface Treatment
The ability to produce long lasting treatment results on materials that would be otherwise unresponsive is one of the major advantages of variable chemistry atmospheric plasma.
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Flame Plasma Surface Treatment
A plasma field is formed when flammable gas and air are combined and combusted to form an intense blue flame.
Read more...New Technology
Atmospheric Plasma Webinar ScheduledPlasma Surface Modification: Improving Adhesion with in-line Plasma Treatment (featuring live video demonstrations)…
In this dynamic webinar Rory Wolf, author of Plasma Surface Modification: Surface Treatment and Adhesion, will unlock the secrets of using a wide range of atmospheric plasma and flame plasma surface treating technologies to improve adhesion, functionalize surfaces and improve productivity.
New Plasma4™ Treatment for Webs
A new atmospheric plasma technology for the surface treatment of webs has been introduced at the K Show. In addition to providing superior treatment to corona treatment systems the new Plasma4™ design promises significant performance and operating breakthroughs.
It features the industry’s most efficient use of gas chemistry’s to clean, etch and functionalize surfaces. By reducing the [...]
Common Processes
Plasma Treated SurfacesAtmospheric plasma systems are available in a variety of delivery systems for every conceivable application. Surfaces without contour that are processed on roll to roll webs and spools generally have wide (6” to several feet) treatment requirements and are treated with atmospheric plasma and flame plasma systems specifically designed for these applications.
Read more...Plasma Treatment Applications
In-line plasma treatment improves adhesion for a variety of applications. It increases productivity by eliminating the need for batch processes and eliminates the need for costly and sometimes hazardous chemical primers.
Read more...Field Applications
Ink adhesion for wire and cable jacket markingCreating indelible markings on wires and cables for military, aerospace, automotive, telecom and datacom applications can be a challenge for many manufacturers. Certainly highly aggressive solvent inks can be used to mark wire and cable, however there is a growing interest to develop greener technologies that can provide additional economic and production benefits.
Many companies have begun [...]
Robotic Flame Treatment Video for Automotive Plastics
Flame plasma systems are often integrated with robotics for precise treatment patterns. With a multi-axis robot treatment paths can be designed to meet a wide range of requirements for a variety of parts. A new video shows how flame treatment is used to treat an automobile dashboard made of EVA.
Parts are scanned by the operator, placed [...]
