Surface Activation
Surface activation involves a direct reaction between the plasma and a substrate. This can be achieved by changing plasma parameters such as power, duration, and gas composition. The combination of these allows us to create new chemical moieties on the surface of substrates. By changing the surface properties (i.e., increasing the surface energy), the surface becomes hydrophilic, or water loving, increasing wettability and promoting superior adhesion by allowing water-based inks and dyes to be more easily absorbed into and bonded with the substrate.
Common chemical moieties include oxygen and nitrogen functional groups.

APJeT®’s APtivate™ surface treatment systems improve the surface chemistry of difficult materials eliminating the need for heat and chemicals for substrate preparation prior to dying, printing, and application of coatings and adhesives. The APJeT® cold plasma process increases wettability and adhesion, while reducing safety risks, environmental impact and degradation of the substrate material.
The APtivate™ System

Our APJeT surface treatment systems work with our patented cool plasma, which generates powerful surface reactions. Our patented process causes reactions that produce functional groups on your substrate surface, which improves wettability and the chemical bond strength of inks, coatings, and adhesives to your base material.
Our APtivate™ systems integrate seamlessly into automated lines. With no moving parts and less required maintenance than competing systems, you can be confident our systems will deliver consistent and hassle-free performance.
APtivate™ Benefits
- Fast Speeds
- Cool Temperature Plasma
- Robust
- Excellent Customer Support
To Learn More About Our Surface Treatment Systems, Request a Demo Below
Have a plasma application?
Contact us and our technical support team will work with you to find a solution.