TPT May 2013

Washing & cleaning technology

Continuous degreasing and surface oxide removal

One way to turn production chemical- free and operator-friendly is to use plasma surface cleaning, which is a dry surface treatment alternative. Plasmait has been selling plasma heat and surface treatment machines in the wire industry for nearly a decade.

SURFACE cleaning and degreasing is an integral part of every tube production process. Traditionally this involves wet, chemical processes that are potentially harmful to the operator and the environment.

PlasmaCleaner from Plasmait

In the last few years plasma has also found its place in tube production, in specialist applications such as precision tubing in medical applications, and increasingly in mainstream applications. PlasmaCleaner is a plasma surface treatment machine designed for surface cleaning, degreasing or oxide removal on ferrous and non-ferrous tubes. It can be used in conjunction with tube forming, rolling, bending, drawing or surface coating applications. Plasma cleaning and degreasing is conducted in low-pressure inert atmosphere at high temperatures, where lubricants evaporate and are removed through the exhaust system, leaving the surface dry and free of lubricants. PlasmaCleaner can also remove surface oxides on copper, nickel, stainless steel and various alloy tubes. Plasma treatment is a dry process that requires no rinsing or drying. Plasma treated surfaces will exhibit a high degree of passivation, which will protect the surface by slowing down subsequent surface corrosion. PlasmaCleaner can be used for surface activation to assist lubricant pick up in a drawing or rolling process, or improvement in coating adhesion in a continuous coating process. It can also be used as an efficient and accurate preheater.

Plasmait GmbH – Austria Fax: +43 3182 52 475 4 Email: info@plasmait.com Website: www.plasmait.com

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M ay 2013