The food industry, sealed and printed cleanly
Seal strength, ink adhesion and barrier film preparation for food packaging.
The surface challenge
In food packaging, a seal that leaks or printing that rubs off means a product that will not hold up on the shelf. The films used often have a surface energy too low to guarantee a reliable weld and durable marking.
Plasma raises the surface energy of films dry, with no solvent. It prepares the sealing, printing and lamination of barrier structures.
What plasma changes
| Indicator | Before | After plasma | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Surface energy — barrier film | 30 to 39 mN/m by resin | 45 to 70 mN/m | Test inks |
| Seal strength | [x] | [x] | Seal strength (ASTM F88) |
| Contact angle (water) | 90 to 105° (polyolefins) | 35 to 70° depending on exposure | Goniometer, sessile drop |
| Effect retention | — | near-logarithmic decay; still hydrophilic at 7 days | Controlled ageing |
| Pass speed | — | 6 to 120 m/min per source | Configuration to be validated |
Documented order-of-magnitude figures, not our own measurements: pre-treatment values come from the Accu Dyne Test reference tables, post-treatment values from the atmospheric plasma literature. They place the process — they still depend on the substrate, its geometry and the line speed. A trial on your own part gives you your own numbers. Have my material measured.
What plasma changes
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01
Seal strength
Reliable seals that keep products fresh.
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02
Ink adhesion
Crisp, durable marking on films.
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03
Barrier film preparation
Stable layer-to-layer adhesion.
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04
Dry process
Solvent-free, suited to the constraints of the sector.
From your sample to your line
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01
Characterisation
You send us a sample. We measure its starting surface energy and identify what is blocking adhesion: contamination, release agent, non-polar polymer.
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02
Parameter trial
We vary power, pass speed, nozzle-to-substrate distance and gas until the target effect is reached, and record the parameters that got us there.
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03
Validation
We check the result with the test that matters to you — adhesion, sealing, wetting — and document how long the effect holds on your material.
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04
Integration
Inline, ahead of lidding or sealing, in a washdown-capable environment. Station materials are chosen against your cleaning plan.
What plasma changes on a surface, without adding anything to it. The detailed comparison.
What plasma does, in detail
The right equipment for this sector
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Wide-web plasma curtain
Treating the lidding web immediately before the sealer.
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Turnkey treatment cell
For trays and hollow bodies handled at a station.
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Surface energy test inks
Line-side checking, with no destructive sampling.
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The final choice is made on your part and your cadence, not from a catalogue. All equipment, sorted by the problem it solves.
Frequently treated materials
This list is indicative. The vast majority of polymers, metals, glasses and composites can be treated with DBD plasma. The best way to confirm your case is to send us a description of your part and your objective. For the hardware, see the plasma equipment sorted by the problem it solves.
What we get asked — Food processing
How long does the treatment effect last?
Activation is not permanent: surface energy decays after treatment, faster on mobile polymers and in warm storage. That is why plasma is placed immediately before the step it serves — printing, bonding, sealing. The decay rate is measurable, and we document it on your material during the trial.
Does plasma replace corona treatment?
Both raise surface energy, but not under the same conditions. Corona suits flat film running over a roller. Atmospheric DBD plasma also treats three-dimensional geometries, hollow parts and non-conductive surfaces, with a uniformity that does not depend on holding a constant air gap. On your part, the answer is settled by comparison, not by principle.
Does the treatment change the part's appearance or dimensions?
No. Plasma acts on the first few nanometres of the surface: mass, dimensions and bulk mechanical properties are unchanged. On heat-sensitive substrates, parameters are adjusted to avoid any marking, and that is one of the things checked at the validation stage.
Are chemicals or a drying step required?
No. The treatment runs on electricity and process gas, with no primer, no solvent and no drying time. That is what lets it sit inside a line without lengthening the cycle, and what removes a hazardous-goods handling station.
Can it be retrofitted to an existing line?
That is the most common case. The treatment installs inline, at production speed. Three things need checking: the space available at the useful point, the electrical and gas connections, and extraction. Those three are what the integration stage covers.
Is the treatment compatible with food-contact packaging?
The process adds no substance: it runs on electricity and process gas, with no primer or solvent, and acts on the first few nanometres of the material. That said, food-contact compliance is established on the finished material and within your framework, not on the process in isolation. Tell us the framework you are working to: it determines which tests to run.
The selection guide
Atmospheric or vacuum? The question comes up on every project, and it is settled on three concrete criteria — not on a preference for one process.
- Both architectures, what each one can do and what it costs
- Three deciding criteria: part geometry, robotic integration, cycle time
- A grid to fill in so you can defend the choice to an investment committee
Guide being written — leave your email and you will get it on release.
In the meantime, the article comparing both architectures : The detailed comparison.
Related sectors
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Packaging
The same stock, seen from the forming and sealing side.
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Printing
Same films, same inks, further down the line.
What you send, what you get back
- You send
- [x] samples of your part or film, [x] minimum size.
- You receive
- surface energy values before and after, one treated sample, and a written record of the parameters used.
- Turnaround
- first reply within 48 hours, trial report within [x] business days.
- Cost
- [x]
Send a description of your part and your goal. Answer within 48 hours.
Three fields, and we get back to you
Packaging that protects all the way to the shelf.
48 hours to find out what plasma can do for your surfaces. No commitment, just clear answers from an expert.
Response within 48 hours. No commitment. A technical discussion with an expert.