A summary of available commercial atmospheric radio-frequency plasma processing equipment for surface microfication of melt-blown and spun-bend plastic cloth

Summary form only given. The use of melt-blown and spun-bend plastic cloth is rapidly growing. The feed stock is petroleum, and the cloth is man-woven, greatly reducing the cost as compared to natural fabrics which must be harvested, processed and spun. One disadvantage of the non-plasma-treated material is that it is hydrophobic, and will neither absorb dye nor soak up water. Atmospheric plasma processing corrects this by modifying the surface of the plastic. In this summary a total of 8 manufacturers of commercial atmospheric plasma processing equipment in the United States were visited, and details of the various types of available apparatus were documented. This survey is available from TANDEC at the University of Tennessee. In addition to the survey, suggestions for possible improvements to the processing was discussed.