Corona treatment alters material surfaces through exposure to plasma, creating new properties. It is safe and cost-effective, commonly used to prepare non-porous surfaces for printing or bonding. Plasma is created through exposure to an electric current and can be used on various materials. Plastic sheets are commonly treated to accept chemical bonds.
Corona treatment is a process in which the surface of an item is changed through exposure to plasma. A plasma discharge coronal array, made up of hundreds or thousands or small dots of plasma, exposes the surface of a material to a special low-temperature plasma. This exposure alters the properties of the material, usually imparting properties that were not previously present. Corona treatment is a safe and cost-effective method of treating material surfaces and is used in hundreds of ways. One of the most common uses of coronal treatment is to prepare non-porous surfaces for printing or bonding.
Plasma is a state of matter that occurs when a gas is exposed to an electric current. The structure of the gas begins to break down into its constituent particles. This breakdown causes the gases to exhibit properties they did not possess before and will often result in excess energy being lost around the plasma. This flow of energy is usually heat or light and represents the glow of fluorescent lights and neon signs.
Corona plasma is created when an electrode is exposed to an open system, such as open air. This electrode will charge the gas around it and create a small plasma ball. This plasma will naturally move away from the electrode until it is far enough away to reconvert back to normal gas. As the plasma moves, it creates convection, which draws unaffected air closer to the electrode. This converts the new gas into plasma, making the area of the corona constant.
To take advantage of this plasma for corona treatment, manufacturers use a coronal discharge array. This is an area covered by electrodes, so when ignited, the coronas overlap and create a solid area of plasma. This is often set up so that objects can move through a corona plasma curtain on a conveyor belt.
Because corona treatment uses forms of plasma that exist at just above room temperature, it can be used on many different materials. Everything from paper to plastic to metal can undergo coronal treatment. When an article is first produced, it is often exposed to coronal plasma, but the structure will often slowly return to its original composition, so further exposure is occasionally required.
The most common mass use of coronal treatment is with plastic sheets. Because plastics, such as polypropylene, are both chemically inert and non-porous, printing inks, adhesives and other common agents have no way to attach to them. Substances will simply slide off over time. Using corona treatment, the surfaces of these plastics are altered to accept some types of common chemical bonds.
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