When discussing enhanced materials we often use terms like “hydrophilic/hydrophobic” and “oleophilic/oleophobic.” Just what do these terms mean exactly? Let’s take a quick look.

When considering your options for treating surfaces, there are many techniques available and many factors to consider. Ultimately, we believe plasma technology renders better bond strengths than other surface treatments and is generally cleaner, faster, and less expensive. Still, a number of other techniques are in common use. Let’s take a look at them now.

Last week we reviewed how corona treatment works; today’s spotlight is on low-pressure plasma treatment. Plasma is different from atmospheric treatments since components are treated inside a vacuum chamber instead of being passed near an open electrical discharge. The technique offers many advantages to manufacturers.

It’s a back-to-basics question, but one that we are asked often. Surface treatments are generally separated into two categories: atmospheric and low-pressure (or vacuum). Both use energy to ionize gas and are very effective at altering the surface properties of materials. Both can also help you increase your manufacturing yield. Today we spotlight corona treatment:

Today’s topic comes from a recent site visit to an electronics manufacturer.  The design team wanted to review the value of surface preparation in plasma treatment in order to isolate their sensitive devices from environmental contaminants.  Here’s how a good functional cleaning and surface preparation were critical to this manufacturer’s potting and encapsulation procedure.

Surface modification is still unknown in many industries, which I find amazing given the sheer number of manufacturing problems this processing technique can solve. After all, if your device doesn’t have the right surface properties for your intended application, isn’t it highly likely that it (or the system containing it) will fail when shipped to the field? Why take that risk?

Today on Tech Talk, we’re taking a deeper dive into the benefits of surface modification for a variety of different industries.

You may know that Rulon bearings are a superior mix of PTFE materials, and that TriStar is the exclusive North American distributor. But do you know the history of Rulon, or the most-common formulas? 

What about surface modification? Would you like an in-depth review of the various techniques?

As graduation season nears, the professors at TriStar University (our very-own engineering experts!) have a host of videos for you to explore – all tuition-free, and no thesis required!

Self-lubricating TriSteels and plasma treatment improve dental chair design

Today we’re addressing a common question about surface modification; specifically corona treatment. Although it is somewhat similar to plasma modification, corona is a discharge technique that uses a low temperature to alter material properties. It can help provide a longer surface lifetime for products, or designate a surface more bondable and wettable, plus it improves corrosion resistance.