Steinhagen, Germany — Plasmatreat GmbH developed a new plasma control unit (PCU) that supports digital manufacturing by continuously monitoring parameters of surface treatments for quality assurance, analysis, tracing and to improve reaction times.
The plasma system can be used to pretreat substrate surfaces made of plastics, metal, glass or paper. The technology modifies the properties of the surface for the process requirements, improving safety and reproducibility as those needs increase in the age of Industry 4.0, a news release says.
"In the automotive and electronics sectors, for example, or in medical technology, securing production steps and the traceability of those steps are important parts of documentation," the release says.
For its new PCU, Plasmatreat included various monitoring modules to record power and voltage values directly at the jet head; document plasma generation; adapt the flowrate of the process gas to the circumstances; test jet back air pressure; and monitor jet head rotation provide and the state of the motors and bearings.
This means that data for predictive maintenance as well as production data are recorded continuously and support a smooth production process, the release says.
"Plasmatreat can guarantee that every component in a process is treated with the same plasma intensity and that the same quality is achieved in all manufacturing lines," the release says.
With regard to Industry 4.0 use, the system's PCU and generator can be used with smart process lines through connection via EtherCAT/CANopen gateways. The interfaces can be used for different automation systems.
Plasmatreat offers individual manufacturing cells with automation solutions for seamless integration into production lines. The PCU also can be integrated into existing manufacturing lines and network infrastructures.
For more information, go to www.plasmatreat.com.