Raising the Surface Energy of Plastics With Plasma Treatment

Plasma is a mixture of ions, radicals, molecules and free electrons created when electrical energy is applied to a gas. Plasma treatment is applied to a plastic or steel surface and helps to improve resin / surface bonding. It eliminates grease and dirt that can interfere with the adhesion process. It also chemically activates the surface of the plastic, making it more accepting of the resin thereby. The main objective of plasma treatment is to modify the surface of any polymer structured material or steel for adhesion purposes by either washing or etching the surface area.

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Industry specific plasma applications

Plasma treatment is used in a variety of applications in different industries. Fabrics, published circuit boards, batteries, and packaging are only a few of the areas, of the many, where this form of treatment is used.

Fabrics: When applied to fabrics it helps clean the fibers, which enables inks and dyes to end up being absorbed faster and in addition ensures that the colors become more fade resistant.

Battery technology: It also improves the performance and efficiency of battery pack cells and boosts the ability of battery separators to dissolve in water.

Flexible packaging: Plasma treatment has the potential to improve the ability of water-basedinks to bond to the polyester in flexible packaging.

RFID tagging: Any ink or foil debris on the surface of an RFID is removed with plasma treatment, thereby making it more functional with the ability to efficiently track a focus on.

How Plasma treatment Works

In surface treatment and delicate cleaning applications, the ions and electrons caused by the electrical energy react with the surface of the materials placed in the plasma chamber. This removes any contamination and brings about a permanent chemical modification on the surface of polymers. When reactive resins are added to the surface it increases its adhesive strength without affecting the bulk attributes of the substrate. Plasma treatment only involves electric power and gas. Different gases such as atmosphere, argon, and nitrogen generate varying levels of adhesion on plasma dealt with plastics. During treatment the surface energies of the plastic, glass, or steel are multiplied, making the surface more receptive to coating, adhesive bonding, and printing.

For more information read here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_activation

Benefits of the process

One of the biggest advantages of plasma adhesion treatment is that there are no toxins involved in the surface cleaning process, unlike other processes that may involve the use of solvents. In addition, this form of treatment can be used for a wide range of applications. Apart from cleaning the surface it makes the surface wet-able or not wet-able also.