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Plasma

Plasma is a simple cleaning process at a molecular level.

It works by passing a high voltage between electrodes in the vacuum chamber. The plasma atmosphere created causes an ion bombardment of the substrate which produces a rise in its surface energy.

This in turn accelerates the degassing of absorbed moisture, solvents and plasticisers aiding the production of a contaminant free surface, ready for film deposition.

It also breaks the molecular bonds on the surface of most substrates which allows the molecules to be deposited to be firmly clasped, which improves adhesion.

In order to sucessfully lacquer a substrate, the lacquer should be able to wet the surface of the material. The surface energy of the substrate directly affects how well a liquid wets the surface. By increasing this surface energy, the plasma process improves the surface wettability of the substrate and thereby aids the lacquering process.