Product category:
Materials processing and testing
News Release from: Mercia Systems | Subject: Atmap
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 07 October 2003
Surface treatment prepares plastics for
paint
The first two Atmap systems to be used in North America have been installed at Venture Industries in Grand Blanc, Michigan, a leading Tier 1 automotive supplier.
The first two Atmap systems to be used in North America have been installed at Venture Industries in Grand Blanc, Michigan, a leading Tier 1 automotive supplier Venture will use the Atmap process to surface treat exterior grades of TPO, the treated components will then be painted without the use of adhesion promoting paints
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 1 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Dave Davis, Director - Sales and Business Development for Venture said: "The implementation of Atmap surface treating technology at our Grand Blanc facility is a significant step forward in achieving more efficient manufacturing practices and provides Venture with a definite competitive advantage in automotive painting".
The latest innovations in surface treating technology for the plastics finishing industry have been focused on the need to advance adhesion properties, increase product quality, and become more environmentally friendly.
These objectives have been achieved through the innovative design of FTS Technologies patented "advanced thermo-molecular adhesion process" (Atmap).
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Chris Lines, Managing Director of Mercia Systems, the UK representative for FTS claims that FTS Technologies have been working very closely with key automotive companies and their suppliers all around the world, with all indicating significant interest in exploring Atmap and approving it for use in today's high volume painting facilities.
Russell Brynolf, President of FTS Technologies claims that the Atmap process is a method of grafting a chemical coupling agent to the surface of olefin-based plastic components, it involves the atomisation and vaporisation of a coupling agent through the centre of a "Cirqual" gas burner to facilitate the creation of a surface chemistry unique to the process.
Atmap technology can be used on any olefin based plastic component that needs to be painted, bonded, decorated, laminated, printed, or have tape applied.
The results, claims Brynolf, are a unique surface chemistry that completely eliminates the need for expensive, and environmentally damaging, adhesion promoting primers widely used in today's manufacturing environments.
The Atmap process also significantly increases the polarity of the substrate to provide better conductivity for electrostatic coating applications.
Current technologies, like adhesion promoters, conventional flame treatment, corona discharge, and plasma chambers, are unable to match levels of adhesion achieved by Atmap treated components.
The Atmap process far exceeds all minimum requirements for industry standard adhesion tests like cross hatch, stone-chip resistance, petrol immersion, mandrel bend, water jet, humidity and thermal shock.
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