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Photograph of the machine to come.

Surface energy measurement

Test inks

A treatment you do not measure is not a process, it is a bet. The measurement takes seconds, costs a few dollars, and tells you before you bond whether the joint will hold.

22 – 72 mN/m
Measuring range, both ranges
ISO 8296 : 2003
Standard — extended range
ASTM D2578-09
Standard — non-toxic range
Bottle or marker
Formats available

All specifications, further down ↓

Range

From 28 to 72 mN/m, compliant with ISO 8296 : 2003, compatible with all materials.

Format

Bottle with an applicator brush, for the laboratory.

Add to your enquiry
Request a quote Have a sample treated
  • First reply within 48 working hours, from an engineer, not from an automated form.
  • Rental available — test the assumption on your own site before committing to the investment.
  • Laboratory in Québec City — your samples are treated and characterised here.
  • Quoted to specification, with no commitment. We say so plainly if plasma is not the right answer.

Technical datasheet — 2 pages, PDF

Dimensioned footprint, required utilities, protocols. To pass on to your integrator.

Coming soon

To compare, or to complete

The machines our clients look at alongside this one, and the consumable that checks the result.

Compact plasma torch Precise area

Compact torch

A nozzle that blows plasma straight onto the area to be treated, a few millimetres from the part. The most common way to activate a precise area.

View the page →
Powders and granulates

Specialised stations

Some materials cannot be treated like a part: a powder requires every grain to pass through the plasma, in line and with no manual intervention.

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Wide-width plasma curtain Wide web

Plasma curtain

A continuous curtain across a full width, for panels, sheets or webs on the move. Seven working widths from 60 to 500 mm.

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Large-format surface plasma source Whole surface

Surface source

A discharge spread across the whole electrode, treating flat parts and flexible films uniformly. No sweeping, so no over-treated band.

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Turnkey treatment cell Automated station

Turnkey cell

An enclosed cell with a Cartesian robot, plasma source and safety interlocks. You program a path, the station replays it identically.

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Thin-film deposition station Film deposition

Deposition station

When activating is no longer enough: a 1 to 300 nm functional film deposited by atmospheric plasma, anti-corrosion or anti-scratch depending on the precursor.

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DBD plasma reactor at atmospheric pressure To specification

DBD reactor

No catalogue configuration fits? Our engineers design the reactor to your specification, dimensions and gases included.

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Request a quote

Your configuration is carried into the message. Add your part, your throughput and your material: you get the price, the lead time and the terms.

Request a quote

Compare all nine machines →

Kalego Solutions

  • 01Which problem
  • 02How it works
  • 03The figures
  • 04At your site
  • 05Your materials
  • 06Questions
Request a quoteQuote
01

When this equipment is the right one

Without measurement, the only way to know a treatment worked is to wait for the customer to come back. Test ink moves that check upstream: in seconds and for a few dollars, it gives a figure for surface energy before the critical step.

01

Before bonding, painting or printing

The line spreads: the surface is above the stated value. It retracts into droplets: it is below, and the next step is going to fail.

02

To control a production run

On witness samples, the measurement documents how regular the treatment is part after part.

03

To build a qualification file

It is the numerical proof, backed by a standard, that an auditor can verify.

Next: How the plasma does it →

02

How it works

What happens at the surface, and what that means for your line.

The ink is calibrated to a known surface tension. Applied to the surface, it spreads if the substrate surface energy is above that value, and retracts into droplets if it is below. Working through the range brackets the real value.

Two ranges cover different needs: the extended range, compliant with ISO 8296 : 2003, compatible with all materials; and the non-toxic range, compliant with ASTM D2578-09, formulated for low surface energy materials such as PTFE, EPDM, PET and PVC.

Next: The figures for the machine →

03

The figures

The values to check before quoting, plus the document to pass on to your integrator.

22 – 72 mN/m
Measuring range (both ranges)
ISO 8296 : 2003
Standard — extended range
ASTM D2578-09
Standard — non-toxic range
bottle or marker
Formats available
before and after treatment
Use
[x] months
Shelf life

Next: What to plan for at your site →

04

What to plan for on your side

The values an integrator asks for before quoting: footprint, utilities, extraction and protocols.

Equipment that does not talk to your PLC stays an isolated station. Before any order, we validate with you the real constraints of your line : protocol, footprint, available utilities and extraction.

These values are indicative and are confirmed at the process study stage, on the configuration actually retained.

Floor footprint
[x] mm
Mass of the assembly
[y] kg
Extraction required
[z] m³/h
Protocols available
[x]
Cable lengths
3, 5 or 7 m
Indicative lead time
[y] weeks

Next: The materials already treated →

05

What we have already treated

What is qualified in the laboratory, and what the machine costs once in service: consumables, maintenance, warranty.

Materials qualified in the laboratory : [x].

Your material is not on the list ? That is the most common case. Send us three samples : we treat them, we characterise them, and you receive a costed answer within 48 hours.

Electrode service life
[y] h
Replacement cost
[z] $
Preventive maintenance
[x]
Warranty
[y]
Rental possible
yes

Next: The frequently asked questions →

06

Before you write to us

The questions we are asked most often, answered before you have to ask them.

How do I know whether this equipment suits my part ?

By sending it to us. We treat your samples in our Quebec City laboratory and you receive a costed answer within 48 hours : surface energy before and after, the parameters retained, and our frank opinion if plasma is not the right answer to your problem.

Can it be rented before buying ?

Yes. Rental serves to validate a production hypothesis on your site, with your parts and your operators, before committing to an investment. Terms : [x].

What documents do you provide for a customer audit ?

The corresponding process file : the plasma parameters retained, characterisation methods, validation results on your parts and operating procedures. For regulated markets, the level of documentation is adapted to your sector's requirements.

And if no configuration fits ?

Our engineers then design the reactor to specification : dimensions, gases, controllers, interface, sized on your material and your throughput. See the custom reactors →

What this equipment lets you do

Wettability Adhesion Matching table

As seen in

  • Radio-Canada
  • Les Affaires
  • Design Engineering
  • Innovation News Network
  • Mitacs
  • Acfas

Send us a part.

The quickest way to find out whether the test inks suits your process is to let us treat your material. 48 hours for a first answer, no commitment.

Request an assessment Back to all equipment

Answer within 48 hours. No commitment. A technical discussion with an expert.

10, rue de l'Espinay, E0170
Quebec City, QC G1L 3L5, Canada
[email protected]