Plasma Technology: Surface Characteristics Determine Process Success
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The plastics industry is facing ever-greater challenges due to rising quality requirements, new material combinations, the growing use of recycled plastics, and ongoing cost pressures. Often, a material’s surface properties determine the quality and reliability of subsequent processes. At Fakuma 2026 from October 12–16 in Friedrichshafen, Plasmatreat GmbH will demonstrate how modern plasma surface treatment can address these challenges in Hall A1, Booth 1320.
In many applications, plastics' natural surface properties are insufficient to ensure stable production processes. Insufficient adhesion can lead to quality issues during bonding, printing, painting, coating, or injection molding. At the same time, the demand for efficient, reliable, and flexible manufacturing processes is increasing.
Plasma surface treatment enables the targeted activation, cleaning, or functional coating of plastic surfaces. This improves adhesion properties and reliably prepares materials for subsequent production steps.
Plasma for Demanding Plastics Applications
At Fakuma, Plasmatreat will present solutions for industrial applications throughout the plastics value chain.
Visitors will gain insights into current applications in plastics processing and learn how plasma supports stable, reproducible processes. Plasmatreat’s entire technology portfolio—from atmospheric-pressure plasma to low-pressure plasma—is designed to deliver process-controlled, reproducible results. The focus is not on the technology alone, but on the customer’s specific needs and the right solution for each application.
Fakuma Highlights: Openair-Plasma and AURORA-Plasma
A key focus of the trade show presentation will be Openair-Plasma technology. This technology is used for the automated, in-line treatment of surfaces directly within the production process. On display will be plasma activation to improve adhesion properties, as well as the new RD1004C plasma jet. This rotary jet applies wide coatings of environmentally friendly adhesion promoters to plastic surfaces or profiles — such as window profiles — to ensure better adhesion during bonding. Plasmatreat’s atmospheric pressure plasma portfolio includes a wide variety of jet heads, plasma jets, generators, and other system accessories. This enables precise addressing of economic requirements and a broad range of industrial applications, from simple pretreatment tasks to demanding, fully automated, 24/7 series production.
Additionally, Plasmatreat will present a system from its new AURORA-Plasma product portfolio for the first time at Fakuma. This system operates under low-pressure conditions with 2.45 GHz microwave excitation in a vacuum process chamber. This enables surface modification for complex 3D geometries. It is particularly suitable for applications in medical technology, lightweight construction, and electronics. Different process gases and gas combinations can be used to tailor cleaning, plasma etching, and activation processes specifically to the material, component geometry, and application.
One example is the targeted, batch-process treatment of products made from high-performance polymers such as PEEK, PTFE, FEP, and PEBA. Increasing the surface energy allows coatings, adhesives, and lubricant systems to adhere more effectively without subjecting sensitive component geometries to thermal or mechanical stress.
At Plasmatreat, reliable process control is as important as having the right plasma technology for each application. To this end, the company has developed the PCU (Plasma Control Unit) in the past. The PCU monitors and regulates key process parameters and detects deviations in the plasma process early on. This ensures consistent treatment results for both Openair-Plasma and AURORA-Plasma. Consequently, users gain greater transparency into the ongoing process and a better foundation for stable, documentable production workflows.
Experience Plasma Live and Test Your Own Components
Another highlight of the Plasmatreat booth is the live plasma demonstration. There, visitors can experience the effects of plasma for themselves. They can bring their own components or material samples to evaluate with application specialists on-site.
Concrete examples demonstrate how plasma works on surfaces and how the wettability of various plastic materials can be enhanced. Various analytical methods can be used to make the effects of plasma treatment visible. This transforms technical possibilities into tangible solutions for real-world applications.
Focus on Sustainability and Recycling
As the importance of recycled plastics increases, so do the demands place on their further processing. Different material compositions can complicate printing, bonding, or coating processes.
Plasma technology can activate and prepare surfaces for subsequent process steps. In certain applications, it can replace chemical or mechanical pre-treatment methods. This improves process reliability and contributes to more resource-efficient manufacturing.
The Right Process for Every Challenge
"The requirements for plastic surfaces are becoming increasingly specific. With our broad technology portfolio, we can address a variety of challenges and select the most cost-effective process for each application,' says Norman Haas, Sales Manager for Germany at Plasmatreat GmbH.
Visitors to Fakuma 2026 are invited to discuss their current challenges directly with Plasmatreat’s application experts and experience the technologies firsthand.