Cold-active plasma technology optimizes material deposition process

A new technology using plasmadust to coat plastics for various applications is now available from Reinhausen Plasma GmbH. Reinhausen said in its presentation at the K 2010 international plastics and rubber trade fair in Duesseldorf that its plasmadust deposition process uses a cold-active atmospheric pressure plasma generator and application-optimized micropowders and nanopowders. The technology entails less steps and eliminated the need for various solvents, making it more energy efficient and more environmentally friendly.

Reinhausen said its process is the first to directly deposit metallic layers (such as those in printed conductors or EMC shielding) and coatings using a cold-active plasma to improve sliding action or to serve as abrasion protection.

According to the company, the dry plasmadust process eliminates galvanic processes or laser work steps for surface structuring and has low space, time and budget requirements. Reinhausen developed its plasmabrush PB2 for metallization or coating under atmospheric pressure. Plasma gas is generated according to the inverter principle using a highly effective, pulsed arcing gas discharge to create cold, non-thermal plasma with temperature ranging from 120°C and 250°C under ambient conditions.

Copper, gold, tin and metal alloys and mixed systems such as boron nitride/Teflon with a grain size diameter of 100nm to 20?m is injected to the plasma while a special atomizer/conveyor technology removes agglomerates to create homogeneous layers ranging from 1?m and 1,000?m thick.