Manufacturers seeking to cut costs and resources increasingly rely on standard and recycled plastics, yet their low surface energy and heterogeneous composition frequently undermine adhesion, coating quality and long-term durability. Plasmatreat GmbH will address these challenges at K 2025 in Düsseldorf with live demonstrations of atmospheric pressure plasma pretreatment under the motto "Enabling Surfaces for Unmatched Performance and Durability" in Hall 11, Booth I65. The company, headquartered in Steinhagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, has developed Openair-Plasma systems for three decades to enable reliable, efficient and solvent-free surface activation. At the fair, Plasmatreat will present practical use cases ranging from PUR in-mold coating on polypropylene components for automotive applications to printing on recycled substrates and inline treatment of EPDM or window profiles. The exhibits emphasize process reproducibility, inline integration and the replacement of flame treatment or solvent-based primers.
Pur in-mold coating, plasma improves adhesion
Automotive programs are moving from engineering plastics such as PC+ABS toward standard polymers like polypropylene. The surface of PP is non-polar, so reactive PUR systems do not adhere without pretreatment. Plasmatreat demonstrates an approach in which Openair-Plasma is applied immediately after injection molding and before PUR in-mold coating. Using a newly developed extra-wide plasma nozzle, the entire surface of large components, for example a hood, can be pretreated quickly. The process increases surface roughness for mechanical interlocking and introduces functional groups that form chemical bonds with the PUR coating. Conducted inline, automated and robot-controlled, the pretreatment is designed for high repeatability. It also replaces processes with environmental drawbacks, such as flaming or solvent-based primers. Plasmatreat, together with Neue Materialien Bayreuth, aims to transfer this process to series production.
Printing on recycled plastics and new bonding combinations
Further applications of Openair-Plasma include preparing recycled plastics for printing with UV inks. In cooperation with Tampoprint GmbH, the company will show long-lasting, VOC-free pad printing on molded dolphins produced from recycled material, specifically old fishing nets. Plasma activation will also be used to demonstrate how plastic combinations that are typically incompatible, such as PE and PA6 or TPU and PP, can be made bondable. Various tests will be carried out to illustrate the effect of plasma treatment on surface wettability and adhesion performance.
A dolphin molded from recycled material is pretreated with Openair-Plasma before being printed with UV inks on the areas that will be printed later.
Inline activation for EPDM and window profiles
Plasmatreat will exhibit a state-of-the-art plasma system for EPDM or window profiles. The inline process enables uniform pretreatment with high precision and reproducibility during profile production. This delivers optimal adhesion properties for subsequent printing, flocking or bonding while maintaining process efficiency and environmental compatibility.
This precise inline pretreatment ensures optimal adhesion of EPDM or door profiles during printing, flocking, or bonding.
Sports equipment use cases
Golf balls, frisbees, skis, wheels, paddles and pickleball rackets are among the sports products highlighted, where plasma activation is used to increase process efficiency and improve performance. A notable example is Chip-Ing in Switzerland, a manufacturer of trackable golf balls. Openair-Plasma is used before painting and printing, and the process is reproducible and suitable for inline operation. The application supports product performance and helps locate lost balls, which can reduce plastic waste in nature.
Environmental and process benefits
The demonstrations underline how plasma pretreatment can consolidate process steps and avoid environmentally burdensome methods such as chemical primers or flame treatment. Reduced heat input protects sensitive polymer components from damage. By enabling reliable activation of low-cost, non-polar plastics and combinations previously considered incompatible, Openair-Plasma broadens the usable material portfolio. Plasmatreat invites visitors to experience these applications at K 2025 in Hall 11, Booth I65 from October 8 to 15, 2025.
