Corona Treaters
Corona treated materials must be in sheet form in order to effectively travel through the treatment. Unlike
anti static spray, corona treaters may not be applied to random shapes, although the corona treatment is a more permanent process then the spray
static eliminator. Really, the two are hard to compare. Corona treaters are used in plastic packaging, single layer and multi-layer blown film plants, flexoprinting machines, label printing, as plastic coating on film for pharmaceutical applications and many other printing, laminating and coating processes. They are rarely used only for preventing static buildup. Their primary goal is to allow a surface that is more conductive to bond well to other materials like inks and
adhesives. However, it is also effective in reducing problems caused by static electricity, which includes production problems and slow downs in a manufacturing plant, dust attraction, dangerous and harmful shocks to workers and personnel, fires and explosions when exposed to combustible or flammable materials, and finally, permanent damage, catastrophic failure and interference in electronic components. A corona treater is one of many
ESD protection products that are vital to the health of electronic equipment.
The corona surface treatment is achieved by exposing the material to electric discharge. The process is completed by passing the material through corona discharge created between an electrode and a dielectric-covered earth roller, leaving a gap between two and three mm wide. The electrode is connected to an electrical supply with high voltage and frequency. As the material passes through, it does not come in contact with the roll or electrode, and an excess of tension in the material can cause it to wrinkle or snap. Also, a lack of tension creates uneven air gaps. Sometimes material can build up on the rollers and create imperfections on the roll that also causes air gaps that creates an uneven treatment. During corona treatment, oxygen molecules within the discharge area break into their atomic form and are free to bond to ends of molecules in the material being treated, resulting in a chemically activated surface. There are a couple different techniques to achieve this, including discharging high voltage into the air. These systems require a generator, high voltage transformer and treatment electrodes.
