Topic: Two-component extrusion process, efficient adhesion, extrusion, plastic extrusion, composites

Processes: Openair® plasma provides new possibilities for joining different materials in components

Creating new composite materials by using Plasmatreat’s Openair® plasma in two-component extrusion.

Materials which were hitherto incompatible can be made to adhere to one another in the extrusion process by means of Plasmatreat’s Openair® plasma technology. For example this technology can be used to promote the effective joining of hard and soft materials, e.g. composites of silicone and polypropylene. The manufacture of composite materials by two-component extrusion using Plasmatreat’s technology allows cost-effective production of products having highly specific material requirements.

Example of a two-component application: soft-touch covering in car construction	Pretreatment with Openair® plasma in two-component injection molding

In-line application in the two-component extrusion process

In the production process the injection mould is opened after injection of the first component and a Plasmatreat’s plasma jet is passed over those regions which are to be joined to the second component. This allows the first material to be pretreated with precisely and very efficiently to ensure proper adhesion to the mating material. 

This process was developed in close collaboration with Krauss-Maffei, the Institute for New Materials in Fürth (NMF) and Elastogran (BASF). The use of different standard materials, in the medical sector for example, has been made possible for the first time by plasma technology.