From March 10 to 12, 2026, Plasmatreat GmbH presented its plasma technologies for the industrial pretreatment of composite materials at JEC World in Paris. The focus was on applications in aerospace, automotive engineering, and other industrial sectors where fiber-reinforced plastics and hybrid material systems are used.
Lightweight materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) or thermoplastics often have low surface energy. This can impair the adhesion of adhesives, coatings, and sealants. Targeted pretreatment is therefore a prerequisite for reproducible follow-up processes.
Atmospheric and low-pressure plasma processes
Openair plasma technology operates at atmospheric pressure and enables selective cleaning and activation of surfaces using only compressed air and electrical energy. Organic contaminants are removed and the surface energy is increased without fundamentally changing the material properties.
HydroPlasma is a variant in which distilled water is introduced into the plasma jet to remove organic and inorganic residues.
For applications with high requirements for uniformity and process control, Plasmatreat also relies on the Aurora Plasma low-pressure process. Complex components can be cleaned and activated homogeneously in vacuum chambers.
In addition, PlasmaPlus can be used to deposit nano-thin functional layers that serve as bonding agents and can replace conventional primers.
Process monitoring and quality assurance
The Plasma Control Unit is used to ensure reproducible results. It monitors parameters such as plasma power, gas flow, temperature, and treatment speed and documents them continuously. This allows the technology to be integrated into automated production lines and operated with quality assurance.
At its booth in Hall 5, Stand G65, Plasmatreat presented live demonstrations of Openair plasma treatment on CFRP and other composite materials. The increased wettability of the treated surfaces was made visible.