Topic: Plasma activation – surface activation & surface modification. Better wetting capability of surfaces, activation of plastic, metal, glass & nonpolar materials

Wherever components will be coated, painted or glued in subsequent steps, selective surface activation of the starting materials is indispensable. Many materials do not have the required surface tension, such as for printing with water-based inks, for bonding with long-term stability with VOC-free adhesives, or producing material composites.

Openair® plasma activation ensures especially efficient surface modification of plastic, metal, textiles, glass, recycled and composite materials. Surface energy is targeted by the plasma activation and achieved selectively, exactly where it is needed. The result is clearly better wetting capability of the surfaces.

Determination of the surface tension with test inks shows:

With low surface tension, wetting is impossible. After surface modification using Openair® plasma activation, the material surface has significantly better wetting capability.

Surface activation with Openair® plasma is especially effective when nonpolar materials have to be treated, such as plastics that consist of long-chain polymers. Such nonpolar surfaces are difficult to bond and coat. Because plasma energy selectively modifies the surface tension, these materials can be processed easily and new material combinations can be produced, as in the adhesive bonding process.