Plasma technology in the automotive industry

Plasma technology is already being used in production processes in the automotive industry. There, plasma applications such as Openair Plasma and PlasmaPlus are setting new standards for vehicle components and their quality assurance.

The automotive industry is facing major challenges: Robust and precisely coordinated processes are essential to ensure consistently high quality in the manufacture of components. Long-term stable, resilient connections are of crucial importance, especially for components made of modern material combinations. This applies in particular to the use of lightweight materials. This is where Plasmatreat GmbH from Steinhagen in North Rhine-Westphalia is setting new standards with its innovative plasma applications.

The so-called open-air plasma, developed by Plasmatreat, offers an environmentally friendly pre-treatment method for surfaces made of various materials. Ultra-fine cleaning, e.g. on metal or glass, which is tailored to the material and area of application, removes contamination from surfaces and ensures the required surface energy values for further processing. When activating plastics, the adhesion of adhesives, tape, paints, varnishes and sealants is significantly improved. Plasma applications are dry, fully automatable and optimally reproducible thanks to optimum process control. They can be easily integrated inline into existing production lines and enable direct further processing. The use of environmentally harmful chemical bonding agents can be dispensed with. All in all, they stand for increased quality, reduced complaints and an extended product service life, and make a significant contribution to reducing costs.

The automotive industry in particular benefits from the advantages of plasma technology, as examples from Plasmatreat's customer base show. One example is headlights: state-of-the-art vehicle lighting systems often consist of PP and PC components. Treatment with open-air plasma ensures long-term adhesion and offers reliable protection against the ingress of moisture.

Another application example is dashboards and interior trim: Plastic surfaces pre-treated with plasma ensure optimum adhesion when laminating or painting interior parts such as dashboards or door modules. This enables precise, solvent-free processing that is both visually and functionally impressive. And last but not least, batteries and cell-to-cell bonding: In battery production, thermal conductivity is optimized when bonding battery cells by activating films and lacquers with open-air plasma. This contributes to greater efficiency and shorter charging times - an important advance in electromobility.

Plasma applications have long since become indispensable in the automotive industry. They promote the use of innovative materials, optimize quality, increase efficiency and support environmentally friendly processes. "Their versatile applications and advantages in terms of sustainability compared to conventional processes make them one of the preferred technologies for the mobility of the future. We will be happy to provide information on the full range of possible applications at Fakuma," explains Joachim Schüßler, Sales Manager Germany at Plasmatreat GmbH. (OM-5/25)