Plasmatreat, the German supplier of plasma and surface treatment equipment, will be presenting its Openair-Plasma plasma technology for the packaging industry at Drupa 2024 in Düsseldorf, Germany, from May 28 to June 7.
Plasmatreat plasma treatment, directly during the manufacturing process
Openair-Plasma atmospheric pressure plasma treatment is designed to create ideal adhesion properties for subsequent treatment of various surfaces.
At the print show, Plasmatreat will be giving demonstrations on cardboard in preparation for gluing, printing, gilding or laminating.
Cardboard packaging is produced with printed sheets, cut and folded in a folder, pre-glued by the manufacturer. The use of cold-setting adhesives enables direct adhesion, but special finishes such as varnish or lamination require pre-treatment or masking during sealing, otherwise the adhesive will not adhere to the finished surface. The same applies to subsequent printing, such as best-before dates.
Openair-Plasma system nozzles, which can be installed directly in the gluing machine, enable pre-treatment directly during the manufacturing process in areas to be printed or glued.
Typically, only compressed air and electricity are required for plasma generation. Compared with other pre-treatment methods such as flame treatment, manufacturers can significantly reduce their carbon footprint by using plasma technology, says Plasmatreat.
Folding boxes for lollipops already varnished treated live with Openair-Plasm
Visitors to the Plasmatreat stand at Drupa will be able to find out how this Plasmatreat technology pre-treats cardboard packaging and folding cartons before gluing and printing.
Cardboard packaging for lollipops already coated with UV varnish will be processed directly with Openair-Plasma, then a QR code will be printed directly on the Plasmatreat stand.
The system on display, developed with Dutch inkjet solutions provider DJM and built for Drupa, uses the PFW70 wide-slot die. The PFW70 and PFW100 ensure pretreatment over a width of 70 to 100 mm by plasma nozzle at relative speeds of up to 200 m/min.
Various methods of verifying plasma treatment are also available for visualizing changes in surface properties, e.g. on plastics.
