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LIGNA Hannover 2011 – Plasma for the Perfect Edge
What has been possible with the laser for quite some years already, can now also be achieved with an atmospheric plasma process – but in a distinctly easier and far more cost-effective way. At the LIGNA 2011, the world's leading trade fair for the wood processing industry, Plasmatreat presented the novel DÜSTEC® plasma technique for jointless edge bonding with resounding success.
The DÜSTEC® technology is a joint development of Karl W. Niemann GmbH & Co.KG (furniture panels), Jowat AG (adhesives) and Plasmatreat GmbH. This innovative process has already stirred great attention in the trade magazines in the past few months because it makes possible the world's first jointless edge bonding process, the so-called "zero joint", by means of atmospheric plasma. Edge joining using the novel technique is an optimal alternative to the conventional edge banding process. Employing this system affords the user a lot of advantages since the edging material is delivered with an activatable coating at the back so that the entire process of adhesive handling is omitted. Given the absence of need for melting processes, energy costs are kept low while excluding health risks at the workplace.
Winfried Meyer, Plasmatreat's Market Manager for north Germany, demonstrating the ease of retrofitting an edge banding machine (IMA) with a DÜSTEC® plasma system.
Headed by Bas Buser (Application Engineer at Plasmatreat Steinhagen), the Plasmatreat booth team demonstrated the ease of retrofitting existing edge bonding systems for incorporating a DÜSTEC® plasma system. For this purpose a used IMA edge banding machine was on show into which a plasma system was integrated for activating the edgings. The plasma technique is equally suitable for zero joint production in normal operation and for high-speed applications. Besides that, the costs for procurement, consumption and maintenance of the system are significantly lower than those of the commonly used laser technique. Variations in the material properties such as in the material itself, in the gloss level, the color, the reflection behavior or thickness, are problems of the past with the novel plasma process.
Plasmatreat, complementing the topic of edge pretreatment, also demonstrated on a test system the way of cleaning and activating furniture panels before undergoing painting or lamination. On this occasion the visitors were given the opportunity of pretreating small WPC or MDF panel pieces by themselves and to experience a live demonstration of the plasma effect.
With hundreds of visitors from home and abroad, Plasmatreat registered a fair trade success at the LIGNA 2011 that exceeded all expectations by far.
