Electronics > Manufacturing & Assembly

"Arc lighters" and surface treating plastics for better adhesion?

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e100:
Has anyone used one of those electric lighters gadgets for surface treating hard to glue plastics such as PVC?
I don't want to burn the plastic, just change its surface chemistry.

https://youtu.be/voTVI0bL9C4?t=153

Are these things deadly to electronics?

Uunoctium:
due to lack of purge gas flow this is not an cold plasma what's normally used for etching!
With such an arc lighter you will immediate burn plastics -  too hot

but you can modify it :)
https://siamagazin.com/a-cold-fire-torch-that-you-can-touch-and-not-get-burned-explained/

e100:

--- Quote from: Uunoctium on June 26, 2022, 03:28:43 am ---due to lack of purge gas flow this is not an cold plasma what's normally used for etching!
With such an arc lighter you will immediate burn plastics -  too hot

but you can modify it :)
https://siamagazin.com/a-cold-fire-torch-that-you-can-touch-and-not-get-burned-explained/

--- End quote ---

Looks complicated to build and needs an argon or helium supply.

Would a normal stream of air going through the discharge of an arc lighter still allow the arc to form but keep it cool?

Marco:
I'd be scared of that electrode arcing to my finger in that demonstration in the video, the plasma might not burn it but a HF arc can be nasty.

twospoons:

--- Quote from: e100 on June 26, 2022, 04:37:34 am ---Looks complicated to build

--- End quote ---
Its not really. Simple 2 transistor push/pull oscillator built around a tv flyback to give ~20kV @~20kHz.

--- Quote from: e100 on June 26, 2022, 04:37:34 am ---and needs an argon or helium supply.

--- End quote ---
Air works just fine. Probably even better for surface treating plastics - all those oxygen radicals do a great cleaning job.

Ideally you want to set this up for dielectric barrier discharge.

Years ago I built a low pressure version for treating LCP, and the increase in glue bond strength was incredible. LCP is one of those difficult plastics.

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