Plasma pre-treatment is a widely used method for the activation of plastic surfaces. It creates the ideal conditions for good adhesion of paints, varnishes, adhesives and other coatings to plastics, metals and other surfaces.
The necessary systems can be easily integrated into existing production processes and do not require an earthed counter electrode. This makes them particularly suitable for the pre-treatment of moulded parts made of various materials.
The surfaces of plastics and metals, as well as other materials such as ceramics, glass or certain papers, are poorly wettable when untreated. This means that they have a low surface energy and are therefore difficult or impossible to wet with liquids such as paints, varnishes or adhesives.
This problem can be addressed by surface activation. During plasma pre-treatment, an electrical discharge occurs between two electrodes. The plasma produced is brought to the substrate surface by an air flow. There it breaks open the molecular chains and thus allows the accumulation of free radicals. In this way, a good wettability of the surface is created.
Arcotec plasma systems operate at atmospheric pressure. They, therefore, do not need a separate vacuum chamber, which is why they are ideal for integration into a production line.
Plasma systems from Arcotec are available in different configurations, so that we can meet all installation situations. Our designers will develop an individual solution for your needs.
Since plasma systems do not require an earthed counter electrode, they can also be used to pre-treat moulded parts, profiles, adhesive grooves or collapsible boxes without any problems – at up to 200 metres per minute.
The plasma devices are suitable for cleanroom applications.
Plasma is a fourth state of matter in addition to the well-known solids, liquids and gases. It is an electrically conductive mixture of ions, free electrons and atoms or molecules without charge. In plasma treatment, these free radicals are used to increase the wettability of the treated surface.
Plasma surface activation is now a standard procedure for the pre-treatment of plastics. It is used, for example, if you want to paint, print or glue polymers such as polypropylene or polyethylene. However, plasma pre-treatment is also suitable for the activation of metals, ceramics, paper and glass.
