Applications of Plasma

• Cleaning of metal parts before printing, lacquering, sticking together
• Activation of plastics and elastomers before sticking together, printing, painting, pouring, ...
• Etching of components
• Reducing of metals
• Polymerization: Coating of components: protective layers, hydrophobe layers, insulating layers
• Pretreatment before soldering / soldering without fluxing agents
• Artificial aging of components
• epilamisation: i.e. coating components with PTFE similar layers, in order to prevent, that lubricating oil is flowing away
• Bond pretreatment
• Sterilization
• Cleaning / drying / reduction of excavation articles
• Hydrophilization
• Activation of plastic powders
• Cleaning of metall powder

Process:

Cleaning of metal parts before printing, lacquering, sticking together

Materials:

all technical metals (aluminium, steel, copper, tungsten, ...)

Process gas:

oxygen, air, argon hydrogen (for copper and silver)

Process time:

approx. 30 s – 20 min

Test:

wetting test (water, test ink, decrease in weight, REM, ...)

Components:

rubber metals, switches, sensors

Potential customers:

motor industry

electronic industry

filter manufacturer

research institutes

rubber manufacturers

industrial lacquerers

adhesive manufacturers (co-operation)

laboratory instrument dealers

medical technology

switch manufacturers

SEM / TEM

sensor engineering

plug manufacturers

Other:

Simple processes; no complex preliminary tests.

Also silicon can be removed.

One of the most important processes.

Research:

Cleaning metal plates with O₂ → H₂O-drops

Process:

Activation of plastics and elastomers before sticking together, printing, painting, pouring, ...

Components:

heart catheters

reflectors

relay cases

sensor cases before pouring

electronic components

automobile parts

textiles

Materials:

PP, PE, PP-EPDM, PC, PET

not: PTFE, POM, see: etching

Process gas:

Oxygen

Process time:

Approx. 30 s – 30 min

Test:

Test ink, grid-cut-test

Potential customers:

aluminium coater

motor industry

seal manufacturers

electronic industry

research institutes

industrial lacquerers

adhesive manufacturers

laboratroy instrument dealers

medical technology

sensor engineering

textile manufacturers

clock manufacturers

Other:

Generally simple processes.

Competition: Corona, flaming.

Research:

- Activation of plastic plates with O₂ → H₂O-test.

- grid-cut-test

Process:

Etching of components.

Target: Pretreatment before printing, sticking together, lacquering.

„roughening“ of the surface.

Direct removing of material.

Materials:

plastics (also POM, PTFE), semiconductors

Process gas:

oxygen, tetrafluormethan, CF₄ and O₂

Process time:

approx. 3 min – 10 h

Components:

Cardiac pacemakers

removing silicon from seals

component opener (semiconductor)

sensor engineering (corrosion of PTFE)

Potential customers:

motor industry

sealing engineering

electronic industry

research institutes

medical technology

micro mechanism manufacturers

sensor engineering

Other:

Partially complex processes.

Micro mechanics might become very interesting in the future..

See folder (PTFE and POM).

Watch out for temperature!

Research:

Corrosion of PTFE, ticking together with epoxy resin adhesive.

Process:

Reducing of metals

Materials:

copper, silver, nickel, copper-beryllium

Process gas:

Hydrogen, argon hydrogen

Process time:

approx. 5 min – 15 min

Components:

switching contacts, semicondustros, printed circuit boards

Potential customers:

endoscope manufacturers

relay manufacturers

switch manufacturers

sensor manufacturers

Other:

Simple processes

Research:

Reducing of copper

Process:

Polymerization: Coating of components: protective layers, hydrophobe layers, insulating layers.

Materials:

All materials can be coated

Process gas:

Methane, acetylene, hexaflourine methane, octafluorcyclobutan, hexamethyldisiloxan

Process time:

approx. 5 min – 1 h

Components:

reflectors

Potential customers:

all conceivable areas

Other:

Very complex process development!

Research:

HMDSO on glass plates.

Process:

Pretreatment before soldering / soldering without fluxing agents

Materials:

Solder compounts: copper, tin, lead, beryllium copper, steel

Process gas:

Purigon (von Linde), hydrogen, hydrogen (80%) – oxygen (20%)

Process time:

60 s – 5 min

Components:

electronic elements

Potential customers:

electronics manufacturer

Other:

Complex preliminary tests

Research:

Soldering machine.

Process:

Artificial aging of components (tolerances of components)

Materials:

all technical materials

Process gas:

oxygen, air

Process time:

1 min – several days

Potential customers:

electronic industry (quartz manufacturers, ...)

environmental simulation (UV-radiation, ozone)

Other:

Simple processes.

Research:

-

Process:

epilamisation: i.e. coating components with PTFE similar layers, in order to prevent, that lubricating oil is flowing away

Materials:

all technical materials

Process gas:

flourine containing

Process time:

5 min – 15 min

Components:

finemechanical transmissions (clocks)

video heads

Potential customers:

clock manufacturers

precision mechanics

Other:

Complex preliminary tests necessary.

Limited number of potential customers.

Research:

coating POM-parts; testing with silicone oil.

Process:

Bond pretreatment

Materials:

copper, aluminium, gold

Process gas:

air, argon hydrogen, argon, hydrogen

Components:

electronic modules

Potential customers:

semiconductor manufacturers

Other:

Very complex preliminary tests necessary.

Research:

-

Process:

Sterilization

Materials:

all technical materials. These may contain only small quantities of water.

Process gas:

air, oxygen

Components:

corks, syringes

Potential customers:

institutes

medicine

medicine equipment manufacturers

packing manufacturers

Other:

Hardly experience existing. Many contention modes, which are cheaper.

Research:

-

Process:

Cleaning / drying / reduction of excavation articles

Materials:

glass, ceramics, metal, paper

Process gas:

oxygen, hydrogen, argon hydrogen

Process time:

several hours

Components:

Coins, vases, nails, helmets, swords, ...

Potential customers:

research institutes

museums

restorers

Research:

-

Process:

Hydrophilization

Materials:

Metals, glass, ceramics

Process gas:

O₂, vinyl acetate, HMDSO

Process time:

60 s – 30 min

Components:

medical technology

dishwashers

Potential customers:

bio chip manufacturers

dishwasher manufacturers

sensor manufacturers

textile manufacturers

Research:

Cutlery basket

Process:

Activation of plastic powders

Materials:

PP, PE, PP-EPDM, PC, PET

not: PTFE, POM, see: corroding

Process gas:

oxygen

Process time:

approx. 30 s – 30 min

Test:

test with water

Components:

rubber

lacquer

glue

Potential customers:

rubber manufacturers

lacquer manufacturers

glue manufacturers

Research:

PTFE-powder

Process:

Cleaning of metall powder

Materials:

aluminium, copper

Process gas:

oxygen, hydrogen

Process time:

> 1 h

Test:

water test

Components:

lacques

Potential customers:

lacques manufacturers

Research:

aluminium powder