Abaris adds Enercon plasma treaters to classroom equipment

 

 

Abaris Training Resources (Reno, Nev., U.S.) has added plasma surface treating equipment for composites and plastics from Enercon Industries (Menomonee Falls, Wis., U.S.) as a classroom and lab tool to demonstrate the ability for plasma surface treating to improve surface properties for adhesion.

Abaris says that Enercon’s Blown-ion Plasma treaters produce an intense plasma discharge that treats surfaces with positive ion bombardment. This process can reportedly remove surface contaminants, micro-etch surfaces and functionally improve a surface’s ability to bond with an adhesive, all without changing the surface’s mechanical or chemical properties.

According to Abaris, this type of surface treating has potential to be incorporated with other processes in the manufacturing and repair of composites, as well. The company says that plasma treating may be able to improve process consistency in some cases by eliminating inconsistent manual surface preparation techniques, or the benefits of plasma may be part of improving the production speed and efficiencies of an automated production line.

To learn more about this process, see a technical presentation on improving structural composite adhesion strength that Enercon and Abaris partnered on in association with CompositesWorld, or sign up for one of Abaris’s Adhesive Bonding of Composites & Metals classes.