Plasmatreat invests in new research and test equipment
Customers repeatedly approach Plasmatreat as a manufacturer of atmospheric plasma systems with unusual and novel tasks in the field of surface treatment with plasma technology. For this reason, the capacities of the Technology and Research Center, which opened in 2019 and comprises 14 laboratories and various test facilities, have now been expanded to include a Class 6 clean room.
In order to be able to meet the requirements of Plasmatreat GmbH's customers, for example from the electronics industry or medical technology, the company's Technology and Research Centerum was expanded to include a Class 6 clean room. "The project involved the development of a surface treatment system for the semiconductor industry, which will go into operation this year. All internal tests of the system had to take place under the cleanroom conditions that apply in production," explains Nico Coenen, Market Segment Manager Electronics at Plasmatreat. Within the customer project, the installation of a Class 7 cleanroom was mandatory. This class was undercut after final testing, so Plasmatreat can now boast a Class 6 cleanroom. Cleanroom classes are defined according to DIN EN ISO 14644-1. The degree of cleanliness achieved is determined by the limit value for the maximum permissible particle concentration per m³ of air and divides cleanrooms into classes 1 to 9. Here, cleanliness class 1 is the purest, where the maximum permissible particle concentration is the lowest. Class 9, on the other hand, achieves the lowest purity. For most applications in the ISO range, cleanroom classes 7 and 8 are sufficient.
"Growing requirements due to new industrial standards, the highest demands for environmentally friendly and safe processes, but also the realization of solutions for customer-specific, completely individual, manufacturing processes - these are the challenges with which our customers repeatedly approach us," explains Christian Buske, Managing Director at Plasmatreat. The most recent investment was realized, among other things, due to a large customer project from the electronics industry. The positive response to the inquiry as to whether Plasmatreat could supply complete systems for manufacturing processes in the semiconductor industry led to an expansion of capacities for the company in accordance with the customer's request. "Especially in new projects, Plasmatreat's innovative spirit, the development and derivation of new or alternative process steps, and the partnership-based cooperation with customers are cornerstones for the successful integration of open-air plasma into different production lines," Buske continues.