Category: Miscellaneous
11. June 2015   2:58 pm
Jeff Leighty

Jeff Leighty
Elgin, IL

Plasmatreat

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Is plasma surface treatment right for you? Maybe. Each circumstance is different, but over the course of my 17 years in surface finishing, 6 with Plasmatreat, I have come to recognize some key situations that tend to indicate a possible fit:

  1. VOC problems. The EPA just left your facility, and you’re nervous. The agency has told you, in so many words, that if you don’t get your VOC emissions under control there will be fines…or worse. Openair plasma is both environmentally clean and worker-friendly—no solvents, no wet chemicals, no waste stream—so it can reduce your reliance on VOC-based cleaning and bonding processes. It can also greatly reduce the necessity for costly removal of hazardous wastes.
  2. Out-of-control scrap rate. Your scrap rate is getting out of control but the root cause isn’t presenting itself (there may, in fact, be more than one problem on the line). Plasma is a highly reliable, replicable process that can eliminate the types of “here today, gone tomorrow” problems that drive a quality manager crazy.
  3. Launching something new. You’re getting ready to launch a new program, and this time you are determined to do it better from the outset: Higher quality, fewer rejects, faster throughput, more reliable process. Plasma could be the “better way” that you’ve been waiting for. While it readily integrates into existing systems, starting from a clean slate is ideal.
  4. Struggling to differentiate yourself from the competition. Plasma, quite simply, allows you to do things your competition can’t—new substrates, new combinations, better quality. You may even be able to achieve a better result than your competitors for less money than you’re spending now.
  5. Maintenance problems. Your maintenance crew is tired of keeping your current process running. Some pretreatments and adhesion promoters can be fussy systems. Downtime for service and repairs is expensive. Plasma treatment is a steady-state process built for uptime. One of my customers said his Plasmatreat system runs in “beast mode.”
  6. Performance issues. Your potential customer just called to tell you your samples didn’t pass their accelerated life cycle testing. Plasma can outperform other pretreatment methods for the application of silicone sealants and polyurethane “form-in-place” gaskets and seals. Because plasma changes substrates on a molecular level, it provides lasting results that other systems can’t achieve.
  7. Formulation frustration. Your supplier just informed you that they will be “reformulating” the product you source from them (primer, adhesive, resin, ink, etc.). While there have been sweeping assurances that the quality won’t be affected, you’re smart enough to take this with a grain of salt. Plasma is different. As long as there is electricity and air, there will be plasma—and it will continue to work for you as well as it does on Day 1.
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Category: LIFE SCIENCES
23. August 2012   4:42 pm
Jeff Leighty

Jeff Leighty
Elgin, IL

NASA has found yet another innovative use for plasma science. The Mars rover Curiosity is equipped with some cutting edge technology for analyzing the rocks as it rolls.

First, a laser shoots the rock with a million watts of power for 5 1-billionths of a second. The laser’s power excites atoms in the rock forming-you guessed it-plasma! Stopping there would be cool enough but NASA keeps going. A camera then analyzes the plasma to gather data on the composition of the rock. Repeated zaps on the same spot can reveal changes with depth in the rock’s composition. Together the laser and the camera have been dubbed ChemCam. What will they think of next?

For plasma applications on Mars call NASA. If your application is more Earthly in nature contact Plasmatreat! 855-4TH-STAT

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17. May 2012   1:35 am
Jeff Leighty

Jeff Leighty
Elgin, IL

After recently installing a Plasmatreat application in a customer’s manufacturing line his parting comment was, “Thanks. I’ll sleep better tonight.”

The worst type of adhesion problem for a manufacturing engineer or quality manager is a sporadic one. One where there is no single, clear root cause–no “smoking gun”. Maybe it only happens when the humidity in the plant is just so or the part is a little too cold or the moon is full. Or, even worse, it looks fine when you ship it but fails in the field. Too many of today’s high-tech adhesives, primers, inks and coatings have narrow operating conditions giving the production process very little wiggle room. Plasma treatment can balance that out. Sure, our systems go right in the assembly line, are very fast and extremely cost-efficient to operate but the real benefit of plasma treatment is that it can make the rest of your process more forgiving.

Sometimes we get so caught up by the art and science that is plasma treatment that we forget the best part—it works! Sweet dreams…

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7. March 2012   6:19 pm
Jeff Leighty

Jeff Leighty
Elgin, IL

Hello again,

Last week I attended the Polymers & Plastics in Medical Applications conference in Las Vegas and what a great event it was. Not just because it was in Vegas but because it was a welcomed change from the medical mega-tradeshows. This was a small, industry-focused event where you get to meet just about everyone who attends. The two-day conference brought together device makers, raw materials suppliers, molders and a top-notch slate of speakers. Topics ranged from new substrate materials for drug delivery and bioresorbable materials to new molding techniques to antimicrobial solutions for devices and materials. One hot topic is the embrittlement of plastic materials by the overuse or misuse of cleaning/disinfection chemicals at clinics and hospitals.

In an effort to minimize the impact of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) more aggressive substances like alcohols, bleaches and QUATs (quaternary ammonium cation cleaners) are being used, alone or mixed together in cleaning “cocktails”, to disinfect medical devices. These products can react with the substrate material in the device making it brittle and unable to stand up to rough handling in the hospital setting.

So what does all this have to do with plasma?

One solution to the embrittlement problem is to alloy different plastic substrate materials together to get the best features of multiple materials and blend them together in a new way. While that may solve the embrittlement problem the new material may not  bond with adhesives, inks and coatings.  One of the conference speakers explained how every ingredient in the masterbatch has “give and take” consequences, ie: add something to reduce gas permeability and it increases rigidity or an additive to increase surface energy might decrease biocompatibility. That’s where plasma comes in. By relying on plasma for the downstream assembly issues the engineers can focus their efforts on the main problem–the embrittlement. Chances are, a quick plasma treatment of the new material will make bonding, printing and sealing the device components no problem at all. Plus, why add surface energy modifiers to the bulk material if you only need it at the surface. Plasma treatment goes only where you need it, not where you don’t and plasma will not effect the bulk properties.

The more new materials the engineers come up with the more plasma treatment will be needed for secondary assembly, coating and decorating operations on medical devices. You can bet on that!

‘Til next time…

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Jeff Leighty

Jeff Leighty
Elgin, IL

Dear Reader,

Hello and welcome to the new PlasmaBlog! As the curtain goes up on our new blog we look forward to interacting with you–our readers. Whether you are an existing customer, future customer, partner supplier or just someone interesting in learning about this exciting technology we want to hear from you. Have a question? Possible application? Bonding, printing, painting or sealing problem? Let’s talk!

Each member of our team has specific experience to share. Medical devices, building products and consumer goods applications are my main areas of focus. I came to Plasmatreat from the chemical side of surface finishing so I’ve seen the negative operational and environmental impact that harsh chemicals and manual operations can have. It didn’t take long to realize the huge benefits that plasma surface treatment can bring to the party. It’s pretty amazing what you can do with compressed air and less than 25 cents for an hour’s worth of electricity!

In future “conversations” we want to hear from you. Your comments and questions will bring to light challenges and issues that are shared by owners, engineers and quality managers across a wide range of industries and applications. We can all learn from each other:  How can you eliminate the need for primer in bonding applications. Why Openair plasma is the most environmentally friendly solution of its kind. Who else is using this process.  How plasma can widen your range of substrate and consumables options.

Check back for regular updates.  We look forward to your feedback, questions and challenges.

Until Next Time,

Jeff Leighty
Plasmatreat, Elgin, IL

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