Plasma, Flame & Corona Pretreatment for Surface Treating Plastics
Generally, plastics have chemically inert and nonporous surfaces with low surface tensions. This makes them nonreceptive to bonding with inks, adhesives, coatings, and other substrates. Polyethylene and polypropylene for example have very low surface energy. Pretreatment of these and other engineered plastics improves bonding prior to printing, coating, and laminating. The best type of surface…
Read MorePlasma & Flame Surface Treatment Distance & Dwell Time Recommendations for Consistent Treatment Results
What is the ideal distance between the treatment head and the surface to be treated? The answer depends on the surface treater you are using and your specific application. However, there are some general guidelines that you should be aware of: Treatment Distance Treatment Dwell Time Treatment Angle Measuring Treatment Success Pretesting and good documentation…
Read MoreClean is good, but is it good enough for successful adhesion?
Smart manufacturers recognize the importance of a clean surface when bonding components. If a part is not clean, the adhesive will bond to the surface contamination rather than directly to the surface itself. Manufacturers commonly use a solvent to clean the surface. However, this isn’t always enough to produce the desired adhesive outcome. A clean…
Read MoreUV Flexo Ink Composition And Surface Treatment Effects On Adhesion To Flexible Packaging
Read the abstract below and download your copy of this informative technical paper which was presented at the TAPPI PLACE 2010 conference “UV Flexo Ink Composition and Surface Treatment effects on adhesion to Flexible Packaging”. Abstract UV flexo inks are becoming increasingly popular in flexible packaging and shrink sleeve applications, traditional markets for flexographic inks.…
Read MoreRoll Aluminum Surface Preparation for Packaging Applications
The packaging industries within North America and Western Europe consume the majority of the aluminum sheet and foil for making beverage cans, flexible packaging and foil wraps. The choice of alloy for these applications typically predetermines properties such as strength, formability and resistance to corrosion. Other requirements such as the surface finish, flatness and gauge…
Read MoreHow and why plasma and flame surface treating improve surface adhesion.
Common adhesion impediments found on surfaces. Non-porous and hydrophobic surfaces have low surface energy with few available bonding sites due to low levels of charged ions on the surface. Additionally, any type of surface contamination affects adhesion negatively. This contamination can include material additives & release agents which can migrate to the surface. Clean, Etch…
Read MoreGetting Started with Flame Plasma
What’s in the eBook? Learn how flame plasma is helping users improve product quality, and increase production speeds. See what Enercon customers are saying “We’ve integrated Enercon flame treaters and we really enjoy working with Enercon because of their depth of knowledge in surface treating.”Jerry Schmit, Sr Applications Engineer, Midwest Engineering Solutions
Read MoreAn Overview of Surface Treatment for Three-Dimensional Objects
If you’ve attempted to print, label, or otherwise decorate a three-dimensional (3-D) product, you’ve probably been frustrated by an ink or adhesive that refused to adhere to the part’s surface. You may have tried different types of ink or adhesive formulations to get the job done, perhaps even used chemical primers or batch-treating processes. Still,…
Read MoreSurface Activation Systems For Optimizing Adhesion To Polymers
Many experiments have been performed globally to investigate ways of improving adhesion to polymers. This paper discusses current atmospheric surface activation systems, appropriate measurements of wettability and adhesion, over-treatment effects and surface analysis techniques relative to optimizing the adhesion of inks, paints, coatings and adhesives to polymer surfaces. Recommendations for improved activation by substrate and…
Read MoreImproving UV Coating Results with Corona & Plasma Surface Preparation
UV coatings are a great choice for high value applications where scratch resistance and surface performance are essential. While traditional UV lamps are still used, the advancement of LED curing technology has improved operational efficiencies for numerous applications. This article reviews the importance of properly preparing surfaces for bonding with a variety of in-line surface…
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