Plasma Treatment of Polypropylene Medical Implants by Tantec

Tantec has been supplying Plasma units to the industry for decades.

Clients come to Tantec to find a solution that not only improves adhesion and quality of their product, but also fits their manufacturing process. Tantec has worked alongside some of the leading medical device manufacturers in the world to solve their adhesive problems.
Very recently, Tantec worked with one of the leading medical equipment manufacturers and supplied them a VacuTEC 5050. This machine is one of the newest in Tantec’s Vacuum Plasma Treatment models, and offers a wide array of benefits to manufacturers that are frustrated with inferior and out of date methods of improving adhesion.

 

 The medical device equipment manufacturer reached out to Tantec after experiencing problems with their previous method of adhesion. The use of Polypropylene in their manufacturing process resulted in poor adhesion. Polypropylene, for those who don’t know generally has a non-stick nature to it. The non-stick nature of polypropylene means that it is extremely difficult to apply adhesive materials on the surface. Various techniques were tried by the customer to improve adhesion, but ultimately all failed until working with Tantec.
Facing this dilemma, the medical device manufacturer wanted a reliable solution to the problem that would not only improve efficiency of their manufacturing process.. They were searching for a repeatable and reliable method for the surface activation of their polypropylene surface. The method should not only help to ensure the adhesive is applied effectively, but should also standardize the production process and remove any and all complications from it.

Testing

Once Tantec was contacted about the issue, we held in-depth and collaborative sessions with the medical device equipment manufacturer. The initial conversations were to learn more about what the manufacturer was looking for, and how those demands could be met with a Tantec system. Tantec’s commitment to quaility and engineering helps to ensure the proper solution is offered to the customer.

After internal review and sample testing by Tantec it was determined that the VacuTEC 5050 Plasma Vacuum system was the solution that checked all the customers boxes. . The Tantec was system turned out to be a game changer for this customer.

How does it Work?

The medical device equipment manufacturer Tantec worked with wanted the entire implant to undergo the plasma surface treatment. The Vacuum plasma surface treatment method is excellent as the entire medical device is exposed to the plasma treatment creating the of surface activation that is critical to the adhesion process.

The VacuTEC is extremely easy to operate, t is interactive and easy to understand. The VacuTEC 5050 uses theproven method of Plasma Technology for to ensure the correct level of surface activation is achieved for medical devices with a polypropylene surface. The engineers from both Tantec and the medical device equipment manufacturer worked in cooperation together to determine the correct parameters for setting up the system. The Tantec system is an integral and necessary part of the manufacturing process, and it was critically importantthat there be no inefficiencies or downtime in the overall process.

The VacuTEC 5050 is named as such because of the size of the chamber, which is 50 cm by 50 cm. The size can be customized according to the customers requirements. The VacuTEC 5050 unit by Tantec was developed to provide a mid-range vacuum plasma system for our customers demands.. The device bridges the gap between custom Vacuum Units and the VacuLAB.

Why Vacuum Plasma?

The VacuTEC 5050 follows the same technology and principles that have been developed by Tantec in our full size and laboratory Plasma units. The system uses a vacuum pump to remove the majority of the air from within the chamber. The pressure of the chamber is lowered down to achieve the requisite level of gas for starting. The remaining gas in the chamber is subjected to an electrical field, which ionizes the gas and then creates Plasma.

The plasma chamber itself is highly active, as excited particles including radicals can attach themselves to the surface of the medical device. The formation of such polar groups plays a significant role in increasing the overall quality of the adhesion to match the standards that are required by the customer The implementation of the unit gave the medical device equipment manufacturer complete control over the application of their adhesives on the polypropylene surface. The VacuTEC 5050 is second to none, as it comes with the additional capability to add various process gases. Your material and overall expectation of the surface energy change will dictate the gases to be used.

While compressed air is the perfect option for most situations, there are times when other special gasses are required. You can create your own mixture, by using the mixing capabilities of the chamber.

The plasma generator is easy to set up and use.It requires a 13A and 240V single phase electrical input. The whole system can be used within a matter minutes by using the easy to use the interactive touch screen.

If you have a similar problem with polypropylene as our customer above, then you can get in touch with Tantec for more details.