Inline Pretreatment of EPDM Profiles: Stable Adhesion with Reliable Processes

EPDM and TPE profiles are standard in the automotive industry. During manufacturing, processes such as slip coating and flocking with adhesive application are carried out. Adhesion to the surface is the decisive factor in the process.

What drives up costs are variations: inconsistent adhesion, rework, scrap, and line stoppages. This is precisely where pretreatment determines process costs and the risk of complaints.

In this PlasmaTalk, Joachim Schüßler demonstrates how Plasmatreat uses Openair-Plasma^® to pretreat EPDM profiles inline in a reproducible manner. Dry, chemical-free—meaning no wet chemical pre-treatment, no mechanical brushing, and no primer. The goal is a surface that reliably supports subsequent steps such as coating, flocking, or bonding, even across layers and batches.

The focus is on a field-proven system solution that supports process reliability and cost-effectiveness in series production: compact integration, defined process control, and reproducible results.

What you gain in everyday operations: 

• Stable adhesion as the basis for less scrap and rework
• Less downtime and reduced maintenance costs due to lower wear and cleaning requirements
• Dry, chemical-free pretreatment without wet chemical steps
• Multi-nozzle technology for selective or full-surface pretreatment
• Foundation for modern adhesives and coatings, including solvent-reduced or solvent-free formulations
• Greater process reliability through automated pretreatment and quality assurance measures

 PlasmaTalk topics:

• Why EPDM poses special challenges and where adhesion problems typically arise
• Design of inline pretreatment for subsequent process steps
• Process logic and quality assurance for reproducible results per batch
• System and nozzle concepts for flexible line integration