Materials used in folder gluers to produce folding cartons include polycoated, polybacked, virgin kraft board, specially coated materials, UV lacquered surfaces and recyclable materials. These types of folding carton surfaces exhibit varied receptivity to conventional bonding processes. Plasma treatment is highly effective at functionalizing these surfaces to improve productivity and reduce operational costs.
Atmospheric plasma assist systems clean, etch and functionalize these surface types to improve bond strength, increase line speeds and improve quality. In some cases users of atmospheric plasma treaters have been able to benefit from replacing hot melt glue with cold set adhesives in their folder gluers.
Another reason these systems are so popular is their ease of installation with existing folder gluers Most often the treatment head may be mounted over the flap area immediately prior to glue application Enercon offers plasma treatment systems with either one, two, three of four heads depending on your application requirements.
The best way to determine if atmospheric plasma treatment will benefit your operation is to conduct a free lab trial.