Rotating Plasma Jet for 3D Surface Pretreatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for surface preparation of three-dimensional bodies, such as containers, face challenges in achieving uniform surface pretreatment due to their complex geometry, requiring complex mechanical designs and significant control efforts to ensure homogeneous treatment, which is not easily integratable into printing systems.
Innovation Solution
The method involves moving the three-dimensional body through a transport section where the surface treatment device is integrated, allowing for either continuous or cyclic movement past the surface treatment device, enabling uniform pretreatment by combining translational and rotational movements to ensure the entire surface is treated with consistent intensity, even for complex shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a plasma jet with flat intensity distribution is used to treat three-dimensional bodies, then the surface pretreatment can be applied to complex geometries, but the treatment intensity is not homogeneous across the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet nozzle is made to rotate rapidly during plasma jet generation, creating a ring-shaped plasma jet that sweeps over the surface in a periodic motion. This rotational periodic action ensures that each point on the surface receives plasma treatment from multiple angles and positions, achieving uniform intensity distribution across the entire surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The plasma jet is transformed from a conventional flat, two-dimensional intensity distribution into a three-dimensional ring-shaped structure that sweeps across the surface. By adding the rotational dimension, the treatment coverage expands from a static pattern to a dynamic sweeping pattern, ensuring homogeneous treatment of complex three-dimensional geometries.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rapidly rotating outlet nozzle is used to create a ring-shaped plasma jet, then homogeneous intensity distribution is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation of the outlet nozzle is achieved not through complex mechanical drive systems but by utilizing the plasma generation process itself. The rapid rotation is accomplished through the interaction of electromagnetic fields with the plasma, substituting a potentially complex mechanical rotation system with a more elegant electromagnetic field-based solution.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional plasma treatment methods are used for three-dimensional bodies, then the surface can be pretreated, but the treatment time and energy consumption increase due to multiple passes
Solution Approach 1:
The ring-shaped plasma jet continuously sweeps over the entire surface area in a single pass, eliminating the need for multiple treatment passes. The rapid rotation of the nozzle creates an uninterrupted continuous action that covers all surfaces simultaneously, significantly reducing treatment time while maintaining high pretreatment quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for efficient and uniform surface pretreatment of three-dimensional bodies, improving ink adhesion and print resolution by ensuring all surface areas receive the same treatment dose and duration, leading to enhanced print quality and easier integration into existing production lines.
Implementation Method 1
Known methods for pretreating such surfaces to be printed are plasma treatment, flame treatment, fluorination, ozone treatment, UV light treatment and/or corona treatment.
Implementation Method 2
a corona treatment is usually carried out, in which the substrate is exposed to a high-voltage electrical discharge that occurs between a grounded carrier electrode for the substrate and a closely fitting insulated electrode
Implementation Method 3
a corona treatment is usually carried out, in which the substrate is exposed to a high-voltage electrical discharge
Implementation Method 4
the resulting plasma jet being bent or deflected by compressed air in the direction of flow, so that the plasma jet can hit the surface to be treated
Implementation Method 5
During surface treatment, the surface energy of the surface to be printed is adapted to the surface tension of the printing material (ink) and the interfacial tension between the surface to be printed and the printing material
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
Disclosed are a method and a device for surface treatment of a three-dimensional body (1) for preparing a three-dimensional surface (8) of the body (1) for printing, wherein for the purposes of cleaning and/or adaptation to the surface voltage of the printing material the surface (8) to be printed is moved relative to a surface treatment apparatus (3, 15) so that the whole of the surface (8) to be printed is treated. The three-dimensional body (1) undergoes the surface treatment on a conveyor track (2, 11, 16) in a conveyor apparatus.