ATmaP SURFACE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY

ATmaP® is the innovative and newly patented process for treating a range of polymeric and metallic components prior to painting without the need to use Adhesion Promoting Primers. ATmaP® is an acronym for; Accelerated Thermo-molecular adhesion Process. 

ATmaP® is the process of bonding a ‘water-borne’ coupling agent into the surface of a material via the atomization and vaporization of a nitrogen based coupling agent through the center of a Cirqual® gas burner. When the Cirqual® flame (with the atomized and vaporized coupling agent) contacts a component being treated, it chemically bonds oxides of Nitrogen into its surface. ATmaP® is an environmentally friendly process, with no discharge of solvents (VOCs & HAPs) and therefore, no need for expensive abatement and cleanup/capturing systems.

Current technologies, such as adhesion promoters, conventional flame treatment, corona discharge, and plasma chambers, are unable to match the levels of adhesion achieved by ATmaP® treated components. ATmaP® exceeds all current OEM requirements for industry standard adhesion tests such as; Stone-chip Resistance, Gasoline Soak, Mandrel Bend, Water Jet, Thermal Shock, Humidity, Lap Shear, and Cross Hatch etc.

FLAME SURFACE TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY

Flame Treatment is a method of chemically changing the surface molecular structure of a substrate in a controlled manner to:

> Increase "Surface Energy"
> Increase "Wettability", and therefore compatibility with coatings and materials

Flame treatment can be applied to any olefin based plastic or metallic component, like bumper fascias, body side moldings, wheel covers, air spoilers, air scoops, door handles, door panels, consoles, dashboards, post trims, and carpet backing. Flame treatment of components has for years always been troublesome in a high volume production environment. As such the common choice of manufacturing plants has been either the use of Adhesion Promoting Primers or the use of Flame Treatment, and in many cases a combination of both. Decisions on what method of surface treatment to use have always been a compromise.

With Adhesion Promoters, such concerns are environmental (High VOC emissions and clean up costs), introductions of dirt, high maintenance costs, and safety. Chlorinated solvents, most commonly used in Adhesion Promoters, are highly flammable and toxic, which in turn is dangerous to plant and personnel alike.

Flame Treatment provides a lower cost, high quality solution for surface treatment applications. Unfortunately, this technology has failed to keep pace with the advances made with manufacturing processes used in today's high production environments. Considerations of manufacturing engineers as to the use of Flame Treatment as a method of surface treating have been based around cycle times, where the geometry of the part to be treated is complex, and safety considerations when using a "naked" flame within the confines of a painting system.

FTS Technologies is a company dedicated to advances in the field of surface treating technology to develop new applications and implement these technologies into high production environments. This has in part been achieved via the development of FTS Technologies new "Advanced Thermo-Molecular Adhesion Process" (ATmaP®) and line of "Cirqual®" Burners which take the principles of flame treatment technology to a whole new level.

Downloadable Literature For Traditional Flame Surface Treatment

Executive Summary, Equipment and Its Capabilities

AUTOMATED FLAME DEFLASHING TECHNOLOGY

FTS Technologies have designed and developed a complete line of flame deflashing equipment specifically intended to facilitate high volume injection molding facilities. Automated Flame Deflashing produces a more consistent part of higher quality by eliminating existing manual deflashing operations. 

FTS Technologies flame deflashing units use the patented Cirqual® Burner technology that produces a highly consistent circular flame and an exceptionally large process window for optimum deflashing.  The use of the Cirqual® Burner places less emphasis on maintaining a perfect burner-to-target distance, with the dynamic of the burner easily accommodating for fluctuations in burner-to-target distance and part geometry.  These unique benefits will allow production personnel to write robot programs faster, utilize faster robot speeds, improve product quality and consistency, and deflash a greater surface area of the part without compromising the overall molding cycle time.

Flame deflashing has historically been the bottleneck in the injection molding process, with manufacturers constantly balancing part quality against the requirement for faster cycle times to meet volume demands.  The use of FTS Technologies flame deflashing system and Cirqual® Burner technology has eliminated the bottleneck, allowing for the most complex of parts to be 100% deflashed well within current molding press cycle times.

Downloadable Literature For Automated Flame Deflashing Technology

Executive Summary, Equipment and Its Capabilities

CIRQUAL BURNER TECHNOLOGY

The patented Cirqual® burner is a very important part of the ATmaP® process. It allows the ATmaP® process to generate the required flame-chemistry, and provides the transport mechanism of that chemistry to the surface of the material.

The Cirqual® burner is constructed using a modular aluminum design, allowing for quick and easy maintenance, reducing downtime time and cost. Each burner is mounted on a purpose built and manufactured robot mounting bracket that incorporates the mounting of the flame ignition and feedback/safety controls. Any degree of burner offset can be accommodated, but should be specified.

Downloadable Literature For The Cirqual Burner Technology

Cirqual Burner Overview