Flame treatment of polypropylene plastics within AK Stone Guards

Abstract

Flame treatment of polypropylene is a polarization process which improves the adhesion qualities of the substrate (Kostyk, 2000). Flame treatment is known as a "Pre-Treatment" process and is widely used in industry to promote adhesion before the application of a wide range of processes. Processes such as gluing, painting, lamination and printing are all preceded by a flame treatment process (Eckert, 2004). The flame treatment process is achieved using a gas burner, normally burning liquid propane gas, which is fired directly onto the surface to be treated (Sabreen, 2005). The flame is passed over the surface at a distance and speed so as to treat the entire surface and not burn the substrate. Chemical changes occur in the substrate however these changes do not penetrate very deep into the substrate (Cain, 2000). It is important to remember this is a scientific process and the variables speed, distance and temperature of the flame must be controlled with a certain amount of accuracy. The purpose of this research is to determine the ideal conditions which result in the optimum adhesion between the substrate and the proceeding processes. Once the ideal conditions have been determined the research will continue to find the lower limits to gain adequate adhesion thereby tailoring the process for high volume production.