Plastic Surface Modification: Surface Treatment and Adhesion

Although polymer surface modification is a topic of a large number of investigations, relatively little attention has been paid to surface activation technologies which, when appropriately utilized, make specific polymer-based surfaces receptive to value-adding interfaces such as inks, coatings, and adhesive formulations. This book describes the primary polymer adhesion issues faced by manufacturers, processors, and converters, outlines a variety of methods for attaining an appropriately activated surface, and provides the diagnostics for various adhesion promotion issues as well as troubleshooting guidelines. Adhesion strength is generally determined by the properties of a base material and its interface. Optimizing adhesion strength can be accomplished by modifying these interfaces chemically and physically. As polymers are continually engineered to meet new product application requirements, optimizing the activation of these surfaces requires a fresh look at cost effective ways to etch, clean and functionalize them. These demands require detailed information on the surface treatment of classic materials, as well as an examination of the latest surface treatment machine designs available anywhere in the world today that are used to process these materials. There are four chapters devoted specifically to corona, ozone, flame, and plasma discharge surface treatment technologies, plus, a useful chapter on the identification of common adhesion maladies.