Plasmatreat GmbH, headquartered in Steinhagen, Germany, is a manufacturer specializing in plasma systems for efficient surface treatment and environmentally friendly production processes. At K 2019, the plastics and rubber trade fair in Düsseldorf, Germany, the company showcased a brand-new plasma treatment unit. This unit innovatively utilizes Beckhoff's XPlanar planar magnetic levitation transport system to achieve high-precision and flexible workpiece transport. XPlanar replaces previous systems used for transporting sensitive components such as PCBs and eliminates the need for complex six-axis robots and linear motors.
Plasma processing devices can divide the surface treatment of different materials into two stages. Jochen Stichling, design lead at Plasmatreat, explained: “In the first stage, the substrate is moved under the nozzle for cleaning and activation. In the second stage, a functional coating is sprayed onto the substrate using the nozzle.” He explained that the company has always focused on innovation in this area: “We needed a fast, fully programmable, and wear-free system to transport workpieces. And in terms of customized programmed trajectories and travel distances, Beckhoff’s XPlanar planar magnetic levitation transport system was the perfect choice.”
A planar motor conveyor system consisting of freely suspendable moving parts.
The XPlanar planar magnetic levitation conveyor system perfectly combines freely arrangable transport planar modules with the multi-dimensional positioning capabilities of a moving pallet suspended above them, enabling rapid, flexible, and high-precision positioning. The moving pallet can perform frictionless, contactless movement in a two-dimensional plane, with a maximum speed of 4 m/s, acceleration of 2 g, and repeatability of 50 μm; it generates virtually no noise or mechanical wear during operation. The system not only supports positioning motion in two-dimensional X/Y space but also provides the additional function of allowing the moving pallet to perform six degrees of freedom motion when necessary.
– Maximum lifting movement of 5 mm (unloaded), with optional weighing function.
– Maximum 5° tilting motion for handling liquid transport
– Maximum ±15° rotation or 360° rotation on a specific transmission plane module;
The XPlanar delivery system used in the Plasmatreat plasma surface treatment equipment consists of six 240 x 240 mm planar modules and one moving tray.
The new plasma surface treatment equipment has a very compact structure because it no longer requires a six-axis robot or additional linear axes.
Increase flexibility and reduce mechanical complexity
One key advantage of the XPlanar system is the elimination of the need to move the plasma jet device used for surface treatment, allowing it to be mounted on a fixed rack. Plasma jet processes are quite complex, both mechanically and electrically, and the ability to move only the workpiece, rather than the jet device itself, significantly reduces wear on the feed mechanism. Jochen Stichling believes the increased flexibility also offers additional benefits: “We can easily place various material samples onto the mover and transport them to the processing station using simple tooling. We can easily add processing stations next to the plasma jet device (e.g., stations for marking qualified workpieces, or stations for comprehensive workpiece inspection with optically sensitive probes), and flexibly move workpieces to these stations as needed. The XPlanar's rapid acceleration also allows us to move material samples at high speeds; for example, for thinner samples, this helps reduce processing time for stationary jet devices.”
*Plasmatreat CEO Christian Buske (right) and Beckhoff Automation GmbH President (left) are pleased with the successful debut of their XPlanar-based plasma treatment unit at K Show in Düsseldorf, Germany, 2019.
