Plasma and particles

Plasma treatment of polymer powders – from laboratory research to industrial application

“…Right: Pilot plant LA 650 system with automatic powder input/output transport system and up to 3 tons per week production capacity (pictures by courtesy of SurfaceTreat Inc . and Špatenka et al)…”

“…Plasma‐modified PE powder is often used as raw material for the production of parts using rotational molding technology . There are numerous studies dealing with improved adhesive bonding for powder coating applications on metal surfaces . Parts sintering enables direct painting and adhesive bonding without any additional surface pretreatment .…”

“…There are numerous studies dealing with improved adhesive bonding for powder coating applications on metal surfaces . Parts sintering enables direct painting and adhesive bonding without any additional surface pretreatment . Polymer coatings provide good mechanical properties and chemical resistance.…”

“…Later on, SurfaceTreat Inc. designed a scaled‐up LA 650 pilot reactor (also called ST 650), which enables plasma processing of up to 15 kg powder per batch in 30–120 min depending on the type and size of polymer powder (Figure , right) . The plasma is excited by two pulsed MW power sources with a total power of 2 kW.…”

“…The treatment is dry, clean, and regarded as environmentally friendly as solvents are not required . Further advantages of plasma processes are ease of control, low cost, and high efficiency as a gas phase process almost free of delays . The major benefits of plasma surface treatment compared to the other techniques are summarized in Table .…”