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PAINT EXPO 2010: Making Plasma Effects Visible
Paint Expo 2010
April 13th – 16th, 2010
Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre
Germany
Hall 4, Booth 4232
The method used to create the most important prerequisite for optimal wetting of paints and coatings to obtain secure adhesion, thinner layer thicknesses and a perfect paint gradient will be demonstrated live, not just once but twice at the exhibition by Plasmatreat at one of the leading international trade fairs for the coatings technology industry.
Visitors can observe directly behind the large protective glass windows of the fully automated robotic cell, how the plasma beam impinges with almost ultrasonic speed on the glass surface being treated, cleaning it to a microfine level within a matter of seconds and activating it at the same time. This is followed by automatic water spraying, and then comes the surprise: Water drops on the untreated side compared to an absolutely homogeneous water film in the plasma-activated area.
The high degree of water wettability is made possible by the atmospheric Openair plasma technology, an environmentally friendly method for surface pretreatment that completely substitutes common cleaning processes normally accomplished with solvent containing chemicals. Organic contaminants on the surface reduce the surface energy which must exceed the surface tension of paint or adhesive for perfect wettability. The plasma has a double effect: It cleans the surface deep into the pores while increasing the surface energy of the glass to over 72mJ/m².
A second demonstration will show the same basic principle on plastic material. This time the visitors are invited to conduct the test by themselves: A plastic part about the size of a credit card, is put into an automatic device and only partly treated with plasma. Thereafter, the card is manually sprayed with water. Clearly discernible: Here again, a homogeneous water film covers only the treated surface. While the surface energy of the plastic material has again increased to over 72 mJ/m² in the treated portion by the energy supply of the plasma, it has remained at its original level of approx. 30 mJ/m² in the untreated remainder.
The nozzle-principle-based Openair plasma process developed by the market leader Plasmatreat, is in worldwide use as an integral step in the process cycle of painting, coating and bonding.
