A
plasma beam is plasma that is generated outside of a chamber by using
atmospheric plasma technology. Instead of creating a vacuum inside a chamber to lower the pressure, the plasma is generated by exciting air molecules with high voltage. The plasma is then expelled with compressed air through a nozzle creating a plasma beam. Plasma beams are utilized to thoroughly clean and activate surfaces. Plasma beams also provide an extra cleaning effect of being able to blow away the free particles on the surface.
Plasma beams are an efficient way to clean and activate surfaces. However, plasma beams are limited to two-dimensional surfaces, whereas
low-pressure plasma systems can modify two dimensional and three-dimensional objects. One important feature of using plasma beams is their ability to perform
cleaning and
activating in continuous line operations. Plasma beams are an important step in many industrial processes and can improve the adhesion capabilities of Teflon and PVC materials. They are also used to remove thin oxide layers on metals before welding or soldering which improves the strength of welds and creates a higher resistance to corrosion.