Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is low-surface-energy plastic that is very difficult to bond. PTFE exclusively comprises fluorine and carbon atoms with no polar atoms such as oxygen or nitrogen.
Industrial assembly and decorating operations are increasing their use of atmospheric plasma and flame surface treaters to improve adhesive bonding. These safe and green technologies activate surfaces to enable stronger bonds with plastics, composites, wood, glass and metal surfaces.
When traditional chemical adhesives fail to sufficiently bond dissimilar types of materials, engineers often turn to plasma treatments to solve complex adhesion problems
Whether bonding metal to plastic, silicon to glass, polymers to other polymers of different durometers, biological content to polymeric microtiter plates or even bonding to polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), plasma can be used to promote adhesion. Adhesion promotion can be achieved by increasing the surface free energy through several mechanisms, including precision cleaning, chemically or physically modifying the surface, increasing surface area by roughening, and primer coatings, according to Michael Barden of PVA TePla, a company that designs and manufactures plasma systems.
As a supplier, imagine knowing that almost any material was bondable. How much more productive would your work be if you could focus on such factors as environmental resistance, structural strength or cure speed?
Nordson MARCH, a Nordson® company, recently announced that recent studies have shown that plasma treatment of printed circuit boards (PCBs) prior to conformal coating improves the adhesion of the coatings.