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 its surface energy and creates molecular anchor groups that correlate with those of the liquid. This manifests itself through improved wetting and leads to an optimized adhesion of suitable liquids.
Practical example: Plasma activation of polyphenylene sulfide
In the example, two polyphenylene sulfide components were treated with atmospheric pressure plasma from the plasmabrush PB3 system.
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 fiber, wood, paper
Advantages of plasma activation
- High process speed and reliability
- No running costs
- Environmentally friendly treatment without additional chemicals
- Easy inline integration and automation
