Plasma activation

Efficient surface activation and modification

If surfaces have to be varnished, printed or glued, they require good wettability of the surface for good adhesion. Many surfaces show insufficient wettability even in a clean state, which is intensified by impurities. As a result, liquids like adhesives and inks roll off. This is because the surface tension is very low and insufficient for further processing. If unprocessed material is processed, the result is often that paint and varnish do not adhere properly and quickly come loose again or that bonded parts fall apart. This can be prevented with plasma activation. Plasma activation of a surface increases the surface energy  and creates deposition points for the applied liquid. This allows it to adhere very well. Plasma activation modifies the surface and builds up surface energy, resulting in a significantly better wettability of the surface.

Practical example Treatment of polyphenylene sulfide

Untreated PPS components cannot be wetted with a test ink of 40 mN/m.

After plasma treatment, the component is completely wetted with a test ink of 60 mN/m.

Suitable materials

The following materials can be activated:

• Metals
• Synthetic materials
• Glass, ceramics, natural stone
• Natural leather, imitation leather
• Natural fibre, wood, paper

Advantages of plasma activation

• High process speed and reliability
• No running costs
• Environmentally friendly treatment without additional chemicals

Articles on the subject

Read in the technical article how you can determine the surface energy by means of test inks and contact angle measurement and increase it by means of plasma treatment.