APT Page

APPLICATIONS Increasing Surface Energy Cleaning Organic Contaminants Sterilizing Nanolayer Functional Coatings SUBSTRATE MATERIALS Polymer Films - 10 mt Wide Webs Woven & Non-woven Fabrics Natural & Synthetic Fibers Paper, Foils, Powders Glass, Polymer Sheets 3D Objects	Surface energy (and adhesion) levels can be achieved that are not possible with conventional corona and flame treatment. Based on the plasma gas chemistry, surface energies can be maintained for long periods of time with minimal performance loss. This means that treated materials may be converted months later without requiring additional treatment.
Atmospheric Plasma Treater Integrated on a Slitter (treater on top, power supplies in the foreground)	*Plasma Compared to Corona* - Longer Lasting Treatment - Superior Surface Energy and Uniformity - No Backside Treatment - Treat Porous Materials with no Pinholes - Minimum Ozone Generation - Can Treat with no Oxygen - Can Treat with no Treater Roll Plasma Compared to Flame - May be Used to Treat Heat Sensitive Materials or Slow Moving Webs - Chemistry of Surface Treatment can be Customized for Application Requirements - Safer Process - Difficult to Over-Treat
Sigma Atmospheric Plasma Equipment can Function in the Following Operating Modes: A. Plasma Treatment: The system utilizes a mixture of Helium gas along with one or more other gases such as O₂, CO₂, N_{2 ,}etc, to functionalize the material surface B. Chemical Corona^TM: In applications where a long lasting treatment is required with minimum additional cost to the treatment process, the plasma treater can run in a corona mode using Nitrogen (N₂) gas. Nitrogen gas corona creates nitrile functional groups on the polymer surface which are strong bonding sites for coating laminating and metallizing applications. The lack of oxygen in the corona prevents oxygen induced damage (bond cleavage) and minimizes ozone production. C. Atmospheric Plasma CVD: By incorporating certain equipment options, Sigma's atmospheric plasma systems can be used to deposit ceramic, organo-ceramic and organo-metallic coatings inline with other processes such as extruding. coating, laminating, etc.	FLAT PLATE PLASMA SYSTEM: This system is used in an Atmospheric Plasma CVD mode to deposit 80-100A SiO₂ coating on continuously extruded polymer sheet material. Such a system may also be used to clean or functionalize plate glass or other substrates - it is not sensitive to substrate thickness.