Technique |
Process(es) |
Types |
Technology Status |
Comments |
| Abrasion |
Mechanical |
Dry or wet blasting,
hand or machine sanding |
Obsolete |
Labor-intensive,dirty, applicable
only forlow production volumes, must deal with residuals. |
| Solvent cleaning |
Physical and Chemical |
Wiping, immersion,
spraying or vapor degreasing |
Obsolete |
Safety, disposal and
environmental concerns (i.e, emissions) |
| Water-based cleaning |
Physical |
Multistep power wash |
Contemporary |
Low environmental systems impact,
high volume capacity, and relatively low cost. |
| Chemical etching with acids or
bases |
Chemical |
Immersion, brushing,
rinsing, spraying |
Obsolete |
Safety issues due to the use of
corrosive, toxic materials and hazardous-waste disposal problems. |
| Chemical primers |
Chemical |
Solution application
of poly ethyleneamine, polyurethanes, acrylates, chlorinated polymers, nitrocellulose, or
shellac |
Mature |
Requires specific equipment, and
different primers are necessary for specific end-use requirements. |
| Flame treatment |
Thermal and chemical |
Available for flat
films or three-dimensional configurations |
Mature |
Fire hazard, limited to some extent to thermally
insensitivematerials. |
| Corona discharge |
Electrical and chemical |
Available for both
conductive and dielectric substrates |
Contemporary |
Applicable primarily to films and
webs |
| Gas plasma |
Electrical and Chemical |
Available for film or
three dimensional applications can use ac, dc, or microwave frequency |
Contemporary |
Convenient and cost effective;
non toxic materials or disposal issues; can be effective in numerous different
configurations |
| UV and uv/ozone |
Electrical and Chemical |
For distinct parts in
batch systems. |
Developmental, Contemporary |
Generally only in batch format
and requires longer residence times |
| Evaporated acrylate coatings |
Physical and Chemical |
Currently for webs
and films only |
Developmental, Contemporary |
Still being developed for
commercial-scale applications |
| Fluorination |
Chemical |
Short exposure to
elemental fluorine can be batch or continuous |
Developmental, Contemporary |
Specialized equipment required
for delivery and monitoring fluorine. |
| Electrostatic discharge control |
Electrical |
Can be in the form of
charge dissipation or charge neutralization |
Contemporary |
Equipment can be simple through
complex and expensive, depending on the application |
