The room-temperature, open-environment treatment system unlocks new versatility and efficiency for thin-film coating, surface cleaning, and activation of a wide variety of substrates.
TORRANCE, California, October 23, 2019 — Transient Plasma Systems Inc. (TPS), which develops nanosecond pulsed-power systems for a wide range of applications, today announced the launch of its Transient Plasma Surface Treatment System. This highly versatile and efficient new system supports open-environment surface cleaning, activation, and thin-film coating of many different types of substrates, including wide-area and temperature-sensitive surfaces.
Using repetitive nanosecond pulses, the Transient Plasma Surface Treatment System delivers energy more effectively than competing solutions using kHz or MHz excitation. The system’s unique benefits include the ability to produce a low-temperature plasma stream, precise control of plasma energy, low sensitivity to working distances, and the ability to produce anything from a narrow beam to a wide uniform curtain of plasma.
How the Transient Plasma Surface Treatment System delivers superior versatility
The wide plasma beam produced by the Transient Plasma Surface Treatment System makes it ideal for uniform treatment of wide-area substrates such as fabrics and plastic films. The system’s low sensitivity to working distances reduces the need for sophisticated automation, enabling applications that benefit from handheld operations and enhancing the ability to handle parts with complex shapes and uneven substrates.
The Transient Plasma Surface Treatment System is uniquely qualified for applications that require uniform and high-integrity thin-film coatings, such as bio-medical, aerospace, and other industrial use cases. Because it generates more-effective plasma and minimal heat in the output beam, the nanosecond pulsed-power plasma system is exceptionally well-suited for treating temperature-sensitive substrates such as human tissue, delicate structures, textiles, and thin polymeric membranes.
“We are excited to launch our technology in the atmospheric plasma processing space,” said Dan Singleton, CEO of Transient Plasma Systems. “We believe it will help unlock new capabilities in several areas of surface treatment.”
Fraunhofer testing: Expert evaluation and results
Over the past several months, TPS’ Transient Plasma Surface Treatment System has been evaluated by the world-renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Germany.
“Our testing of the TPS nanosecond pulsed-power plasma system demonstrated the ability to precisely control plasma energy, making the system very attractive for thin-film coating applications, including those using precursors with complex molecules,” said Dr. Uwe Lommatzsch, senior researcher at Fraunhofer IFAM. “The system’s low sensitivity to working distances make it interesting for applications such as conformal coating of electronic PC board assemblies. The wide plasma beam is a very exciting feature of the TPS system, and it can play a vital role in improving process throughput. We believe that this system has several salient characteristics that will benefit bonding and coating applications, including transitioning some current low-pressure plasma applications to atmospheric.”
In order to provide superior tunability for process results, TPS’s new compact pulse generator powers atmospheric-pressure plasma over a wide range of voltages and repetition rates. The solid-state design provides efficiency and unmatched durability. Details about the TPS Transient Plasma Surface Treatment System can be found here: tpsplasma.com
About Transient Plasma Systems, Inc. (TPS)
Transient Plasma Systems (TPS) designs and manufactures nanosecond pulsed-power systems that enable commercial, industrial, and research applications across a broad range of areas, including combustion, emissions remediation, surface treatments, medical devices, and agriculture. The foundational technology was developed at the University of Southern California (USC), with over a decade of support from the Department of Defense. The company was spun out of USC with the express purpose of translating the technology into products and systems to address demands in both military and commercial markets. To learn more, please visit transientplasmasystems.com