Plasmatreat at the PaintExpo 2026: Plasma technology for stable painting processes
Surface pretreatment with atmospheric plasma has established itself as an alternative to conventional methods in painting processes. At PaintExpo 2026, Plasmatreat will be presenting the latest developments in open-air plasma technology for industrial painting applications.
The adhesion of paints depends crucially on the condition of the surface. Low surface energy or residues of release agents, oils or dust lead to wetting problems and adhesion problems. Reliable cleaning and activation is therefore the basis for stable coating processes. Pre-treatment with open-air plasma produces highly reactive species that remove organic impurities and create polar functional groups on the surface. The surface energy increases, wettability improves and paint layers adhere reliably. The process is dry, inline and flexible: both for specific partial areas and over the entire surface for large components.
Open-air plasma: the alternative to the flame
Even though plasma treatment is already used in many areas of painting, some manufacturers still rely on flame treatment. Atmospheric plasma offers various advantages that address typical challenges in painting applications. Advantages include a lower thermal load, even with temperature-sensitive plastics, reproducible surface treatment with quality assurance, no naked flames, no risk of explosion and no CO2 emissions, operation with compressed air and an electrical supply, no need for wet chemical primers and reduced VOC emissions. Plasma treatment can be precisely adjusted, reproduced and easily integrated into automated production lines. The quality of the plasma treatment can also be guaranteed by integrated quality assurance modules.
Highlights from Plasmatreat at PaintExpo 2026
Plasmatreat will be exhibiting various systems and components that have been specially developed for painting applications, including the new RD8450. "This new nozzle has been developed for large-surface components such as dashboards or hoods," explains Joachim Schüßler, Global Business Development Manager at Plasmatreat. "The rotating nozzle ensures uniform cleaning and activation across the entire process path, so that large parts can be pretreated efficiently." Visitors can experience plasma treatment live: A Scara robot from Janome takes over the pre-treatment of cylindrical and prismatic battery cells and cleans the metal surfaces efficiently, regardless of whether painting or foiling is carried out afterwards. After treatment, the effect of the plasma activation can be checked directly: Materials such as PP or PE are tested for the increased surface energy using contact angle measurements, water spray tests or test inks. This makes it immediately apparent how plasma accelerates processes, improves adhesion and at the same time is gentle on materials and inline-capable. Plasmatreat will be represented at PaintExpo 2026 on stand 1210 in hall 1.