Plasma Surface Pretreatments of Polymers for Improved Adhesion Bonding

PolyDyne Pro Treater System – ball electrode generating corona discharge plasma. Photo courtesy of 3DT LLC. Abstract Polymeric adhesion bonding problems are pervasive throughout the plastics industry. Two- and three-dimensional products often include joining plastic-to-plastic, plastic-to-metal and plastic-to-composite. Many plastics have a poor tendency to bond to other materials because of their inherent chemical structure and, therefore, require pretreatment. Plasma surface pretreatments are used to promote adhesion between difficult-to-bond plastic

Propane flame (left) and Pyrosil flame process (right)

Pyrosil® Treatment for Improving Polymer Adhesion – Advancements Broaden Applications for Low Surface Energy Plastics

PYROSIL® treatment is a combustion chemical vapor deposition (CCVD) process utilized to improve adhesion on surfaces to be bonded. PYROSIL® is a glow-discharge plasma process conducted at ambient conditions, easily integrated inline. Highly effective for pretreating glassware, ceramics, and metals prior to ink printing, the process yields excellent adhesion, scratch and chemical resistance. PYROSIL® is less common in polymer applications due to factors including: misunderstanding in its application improper equipment

Best Practices for Bonding Semi-Crystalline Thermoplastics

From commodity to high-performance grades, semi-crystalline polymers are difficult to bond to themselves and dissimilar materials. To create strong molecular bonds necessary for adhesion, clean substrate surfaces (often in conjunction with pretreatment) are required. The selection of adhesive and proper curing are critical to achieving the desired end result. Generally, polymers exhibit two types of morphology in the solid state – “amorphous” and “semi-crystalline.” Under certain conditions, some polymers can

Gas-Phase Surface Pretreatments for Plastics Adhesion

Dynamic Contact Angle (DCA) - The Sabreen Group, Inc.

The Science of Solving Plastics Adhesion Problems: Contact Angles – Surface Wetting – Chemical Activation

Figure 1 Polymeric adhesion bonding problems are pervasive throughout the plastics industry. Two- and three-dimensional products often include bonding plastic-to-plastic, plastic-to-metal, plastic-to-composite, optomechanical, and more. Adhesion bonding applications are not limited to adhesives (epoxies, urethanes, acrylics, silicones, etc.), but include adhesion of printing inks, paints and coatings, encapsulants, potting compounds, metallization, and more. Plastic substrates are difficult to bond because they are hydrophobic (not naturally wettable) materials; possess poor surface

Methods for Adhesion Bonding of Polyphenylene Sulfide

Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS) is a high-temperature, semi-crystalline engineering thermoplastic. Within the industry, PPS is known as THE plastic that performs like metal. Arguably, it’s one of the most challenging polymers to bond to itself or dissimilar materials, such as aluminum and titanium. To be successful at bonding PPS requires an understanding of its chemical and physical properties, thus making resin grade moduli different and critical for each application. This paper

Cold Gas Plasma Surface Modification – Optimize Plastics Bonding Adhesion

Diagram 1. Chemical and physical cleaning, surface oxidation, and trace by-product volatiles. Polymeric and elastomeric substrates can be extremely challenging to achieve robust bonding adhesion strength to like or dissimilar materials. Bonding applications are not limited to only adhesives, but include printing inks, paints and coatings, encapsulant and potting compounds, metallization and more. This article describes “Low Pressure Cold Gas Plasma” surface modification as one type of process that can

UV/Ozone Surface Pretreatment to Improve Adhesion of Polymers

Note from the author: Printing and adhesion problems on many polymers and rubbers are common throughout the industry. This is a result of the inherently low surface energy of polymers, among other factors. Surface oxidation processes can oxidize polymer surfaces, making them more wettable. Ultraviolet (UV)/ozone pretreatment is a highly effective photochemical oxidation process for removing organic contaminates from polymer surfaces and improving adhesion. The process is conducted at ambient

Understanding the Science Behind Surface Pretreatments for Adhesion to Plastics – Adhesives, Coatings, and Inks

In this recorded webinar, you will gain a better understanding of the science behind surface pretreatment of different plastics and learn how to determine the best solutions for your adhesion challenges. Topics covered: Adhesion versus cohesion failure Why pretreatments are required for low-energy plastic substrates Effects on adhesion from primary molding operations How to select the best pretreatment process Diagnostics, trouble-shooting and solutions “Best Practices” manufacturing process methods Real-life case

Inkjet Printing for Flexible and Wearable Plastic

UV LED-curable flexible inks for color printing of flexible/stretchable and wearable plastics products is one of the newest advancements in industrial inkjet technology. Customizable vivid images and two-dimensional codes are jetted onto a variety of flexible polymer products such as polyolefin bottles, athletic exercise stretch bands and elastomeric/rubber wearables without cracking or distorting the printed image with high percentage stretch elongation. This breakthrough incorporates a new proprietary full-color gamut UV

Inkjet Printing and Adhesion of Low Surface Energy Polymers

Figure 1. Interdisciplinary fields of inkjet printing of polymers Long before the first ink drop is jetted onto a plastic product, designers make key decisions that predetermine whether ink printing will be easy or difficult. Adhesion is essentially a superficial phenomenon, depending as it does upon interactions between the liquid ink and the surface of the substrate. Principal factors affecting adhesion are polymer selection (including colorants, fillers and additives), molding

Color Inkjet Printing and Laser Marking for Plastics

Digital printing technologies, such as inkjet and laser on plastics, offer monumental advantages for manufacturers compared to traditional analog methods, e.g., pad printing, hot stamping, screen printing, etc. Digital printing allows for full product customization, unique alphanumeric part identification, product security, serialization, barcode/2D codes, logos, graphics and more. These capabilities are essential for today’s digital interactive universe. A tangential benefit is the capability to print assembled products at the end

Surface Pretreatments and Custom Inks Advance Inkjet Printing of Plastics and Films

Advancements in Inkjet UV LED Curing Technology

Ink curing necessitates concentrated energy to be delivered to the curable ink. Photo courtesy of Phoseon Technology. Digital UV inkjet printing on three-dimensional plastic products is “ready for prime time.” Advancements in UV LED curing technology overcome many curing problems associated with traditional mercury vapor lamps. UV LED lamps are superior for curing low-viscosity UV inks on non-wettable, heat-sensitive polymeric and urethane/rubber substrates. However, not all LEDs are constructed the

Industrial Inkjet Printing Onto Wearables

The terms “wearables,” “wearable devices” and “wearable technology” all refer to electronic technologies or computers that can be worn by a consumer and often include tracking information related to health and fitness. Wristwear, headgear, glasses, armwear, legwear, footwear, skin patches, exoskeletons and e-textiles are involved, and the device business is enormous. Industrial inkjet is the one digital technology that enables direct to product functional and nonfunctional custom printing. Demand for

Innovating Inkjet Technologies for Plastic Products

The demand for digital inkjet printing on three-dimensional plastic products is increasing exponentially. Application challenges to achieving robust operations are the optimal ink chemistry-printhead design, compatibility between the ink and polymeric substrate and curing. This article discusses the important process factors combining polymeric surface compatibility when extending inkjet into new opportunities. Inkjet printing is far more complex and delicate than analog printing. Inkjet requires the nozzles to fire precisely sized

Answering Common Inkjet Printing Questions

Question: What is the difference between Continuous Inkjet and Drop-on-Demand Inkjet? One of the earliest inkjet technologies, dating back to the mid-1980s, is termed Continuous Inkjet (CIJ) printing. At that time non-contact CIJ was used for general purpose printing of variable information on flat packaging and direct mailing (paper stock, cardboard, and related porous substrates). A few, but limited, plastics applications used CIJ but in general, there was poor ink

Single-Pass UV LED Inkjet Printing on 3D Plastics – Ink Chemistry and Polymer Surfaces

Industrial inkjet printing is having a significant impact in decorating that has been traditionally done by conventional analog processes such as pad, screen and flexo/gravure printing. Inkjet technology has progressed from continuous single-color solvent inks to drop-on-demand full gamut colors, binary to grayscale, mercury vapor lamps to UV LED curing, and scanning flatbed printers to 360° rotational.The new frontier is single-pass UV LED color printing on 3D plastic products using

Fiber Laser Enables Marking of Advanced Plastics

Breakthrough FDA-approved additives blended into polymers during primary processing optimize laser marking of plastics. Fast speed, superior contrast, and cost savings are among the significant benefits. Novel chemical additives can produce jet-black, light-colored, and custom color contrast, using both “on-the-fly” and secondary operations. Designed for affordable ytterbium fiber lasers, in-line inkless laser marking now replaces traditional rotary gravure and pad printing. Product Applications Clear, semi-transparent, and opaque colored polymers, including

Photo 3. Laser marking on resin-rich molded nylon surface, 30% glass-filled.

Fiber Laser Marking on Nylon (Polyamide) Plastics

The demand for high-contrast laser marking on nylon (polyamide) plastic products is rapidly increasing due to its wide range of industrial applications. Functional and decorative markings include alphanumeric identification, data matrix/QR vision codes, diagrams and micro-structures. Polyamides, including Polyphthalmides (PPA), are among the most challenging polymers to laser mark due to their diverse material properties, molding conditions and laser configurations. Smart additives for near-infrared lasers solve marking contrast problems and

Fiber Laser Marking for Product Security, Identification and Anti-Counterfeiting

Laser marking offers advantages over in-mold labeling and ink-based printing for direct part marking on plastic products. The emergence of ytterbium fiber lasers further distinguishes lasers as an important method for adding security and anti-counterfeit measures. Industrial manufacturing requirements for indelible direct part marking containing machine vision codes are growing rapidly. Three familiar code types are QR, Data Matrix and barcode. Direct part marking allows tracking a single unique product

FDA-Approved Additives Boost Inline Plastics Laser Marking

Fast speed, superior contrast and cost-savings are among the significant benefits of incorporating novel FDA-approved additives into polymers for laser marking. Chemical additive breakthroughs produce jet black and light-colored contrast on molded and extruded products, both “on-the-fly” and during secondary operations. Designed for affordable fiber lasers, inline inkless laser marking now replaces rotary gravure and pad printing. Product applications Many clear, semi-transparent and opaque colored polymers, including nylons, PET, polycarbonates,

“Smart Additives” Enhance Plastics Laser Marking

FIGURE 1. Dark marking contrast (top), white marking contrast (left), and custom color (right). Improved Contrast, Line Edge Detail, and Speed The newest generation of laser marking “smart additives” incorporated into polymers is a quantum leap in technology, which is both enabling and cost-saving. These advanced material science formulations achieve unprecedented marking contrast, line edge detail, and speed on plastics that have traditionally been difficult, if not impossible, to laser

Breakthrough Additives Enhance Plastics Laser Marking: Superior Contrast, Line Edge Detail and Speed

The newest generation of laser marking additives formulated into polymers is a substantial advancement in technology which is proven both enabling and cost-saving. Progressive material science formulations achieve superior marking contrast, line edge detail and speed on plastics that traditionally have been difficult, if not impossible, to laser mark. Designed for affordable Fiber, Vanadate and YAG lasers, these formulations operate in the near infrared spectrum 1060-1070 nm. This article discusses

Digital Printing Technologies for Plastics Focus on Color Inkjet and Laser Marking

Abstract Digital printing on plastics offers monumental advantages for manufacturers compared to traditional analog methods such as pad printing, hot stamping, screen printing, etc. Digital printing allows for full product customization, unique alphanumeric part identification, product security, serialization, barcode/2D codes, logos, graphics and more. These capabilities are essential for today’s digital interactive universe. A tangential benefit is the capability to print assembled products at the end of manufacturing operations which

Color Inkjet Printing and Laser Marking for Plastics

Photo A. Non-heavy metal FDA-approved additive produces jet black laser marking contrast on extruded medical grade PVC tubing.

Fiber Lasers: Selection and Additives

Editor’s Note: In this Technology feature, Scott Sabreen tackles two topics related to fiber lasers: selection of the fiber laser type when marking plastics and improving marking contrast through the use of additives. Selecting a Fiber Laser for Marking Plastics – Which Laser Is Best? Nanosecond Ytterbium fiber lasers are among the most significant advancements for marking, welding and cutting. Fundamentally, fiber lasers are different than other diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) marking

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Carbon Black Selection for Successful Through Transmission Laser Welding and Joining

Abstract Laser welding is used in a wide range of applications to join thermoplastics because it is a noncontact heating method with short cycle times and lower cost. For both surface heating and through transmission heating, carbon black is the most frequently used colorant. It was found that carbon black types with low particle aggregation and distribution were most effective for laser heating. Experiments with laser line beam scanning showed

Dual-Purpose ‘Laser Additives’ Drive Marking and Welding of Polymers

Dual-purpose laser additives blended into polymers during primary processing allow for marking and transmission welding of clear and opaque polymers. Novel chemical additives, including those that are FDA-/medical-compliant, achieve high-strength hermetic seal weld joints and indelible opaque marking contrast. Laser marking and laser welding processes are noncontact, easy to control and eco-friendly. Designed for affordable, high-speed lasers and equipment, marking and welding of polymers meet the challenges of today’s complex

Breakthrough Anti-Counterfeit Technology for Plastics Products

Abstract The Global Brand Counterfeiting Report 2018 states the amount of total counterfeiting globally has reached $1.2 trillion in 2017 and is bound to reach $1.82 trillion by the year 2020, which includes counterfeiting of all equipment and products from military defense to consumer goods. As per the 2017 report, the amount of sale of counterfeit products through the e-commerce platform is $280 billion1. Counterfeiting threatens the global economy and

Brand Protection Introduction to SNOWLEOPARD™

SNOWLEOPARD covert optical product security, anti-counterfeit technology solution and brand protection by The Sabreen Group. Authentication by vapor mist. Invisible, indelible security codes are inscribed submicron directly onto plastics, packaging, polymer films, wafer seals, labels & glass. No consumables and simple authentication, no instruments. SNOWLEOPARD is more secure than QR codes, Labels, Holograms, Inks. (2021). SNOWLEOPARD is a proprietary, state-of-the-art Level 2 Covert Optical Security (L2S) authentication technology in which

Brand Protection for Plastics Molders: New Strategies for Anti-Counterfeit Security

Counterfeiting is a worldwide epidemic. Many plastic goods are manufactured in a different region than they are consumed. Products often go through multiple distributors, and it’s difficult to follow the entire lifecycle. Today’s counterfeiters use the same advanced digital and manufacturing technologies as the original brand producer. Some counterfeiters operate entire production plants. Multiple approaches and solutions are needed – i.e., a layered approach works best – and captive and

Innovations in Plastics Products Security: Anticounterfeiting Technologies

Counterfeiting is a worldwide epidemic. It threatens the global economy and public health through the production of inferior products that circumvent consumer protection regulatory channels. Spending by the public and corporations is increased to counter the illegal trade, and prices of legitimate products increase as companies seek to recover their financial losses. The International Chamber of Commerce estimated that in 2015, the value of counterfeit goods globally exceeded $1.7 trillion.

Brand Protection – SNOWLEOPARD™

SNOWLEOPARD is a new, highly engineered covert optical security anti-counterfeiting authentication technology. Invisible security codes are indelibly inscribed submicron directly onto substrate materials. Substrates include plastics, thin-polymer films, glass, composites, metals and can be any color, transparent, translucent, or opaque. Code types can be fixed or variable alphanumerics, sequential serialization, graphics & logos. The creation of logos and images is part of the intricate technology which prevents counterfeiting. SNOWLEOPARD is

Authentication by Vapor Mist – SNOWLEOPARD™

SNOWLEOPARD is a new, highly engineered covert optical security anti-counterfeiting authentication technology. Authentication by vapor mist reveals invisible codes and images without instruments. Invisible security codes are indelibly inscribed submicron directly onto substrate materials. Substrates include plastics, thin-polymer films, glass, composites, metals and can be any color, transparent, translucent, or opaque. Code types can be fixed or variable alphanumerics, sequential serialization, graphics & logos. The creation of logos and images

Application Uses of SNOWLEOPARD™

SNOWLEOPARD® Technology - The Sabreen Group, Inc.

A Single Breath Authenticates Covert Features in New Anti-Counterfeiting Technology

Counterfeiting threatens the world economy and public health through the production of inferior products that circumvent consumer protection regulatory channels. Among the biggest challenges in fighting counterfeit goods is the need to stay ahead of counterfeiters using new and more sophisticated technologies. The newest generation in anti-counterfeiting technology utilizes invisible codes that are indelibly inscribed submicron on the product or packaging. Authentication by warm vapor mist is quick for the

Advanced Technologies for Decorating Polyethylene

Polyethylene (PE) is one of the most widely utilized polymers and is classified by its density and branching. The type of PE has a significant impact on the ease or difficulty of secondary operations. The most common types are LDPE, HDPE & Cross-linked. PE products are difficult to bond and decorate due to their chemical, physical & hydrophobic surface properties. This article discusses state-of-the-art secondary processes for achieving superior bonding,

Preparing Plastics for Painting

The processes used to apply most liquid paints to plastics are not much different than those employed for painting metals, although powdercoating is still quite unusual on plastics. Additionally, certain specific painting methods widely used on metals, such as chemical deposition (autophoretic) and electro-deposition coating, are not possible with plastics. But all the other techniques such as brushing, dip coating, flow coating, curtain coating, including all the variations of spraying

Industrial Liquid Coating of Polyolefin Products – Interior and Exterior Applications

industrial coating of plastics is a cornerstone process for decorating, finishing, and mass customization. Liquid coatings are highly versatile allowing for infinite functional and aesthetic possibilities Coatings add value and are cost-effective and eco-friendly. Coating processes are multifaceted and require proper engineering. The effects of paint chemistry and polymer compatibility must be understood. Surface quality and cleanliness are essential for adhesion and defect-free quality. This article is the first in

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