requested Enercon’s help to improve adhesion
in Toyota’s Camry headlamp.
Hella's challenge was to improve adhesion on
a glue track for Toyota's newest polypropylene
headlamp, where a silicone adhesive was to be
used to secure a polycarbonate lens.
Silicone is widely used because of its ability to
be exposed to higher temperatures and stresses
for a number of reasons:
• More internal components create more
heat.
• Halogen and Bi Xenon bulbs are hot.
• Increased temperature behind the lamp.
• Styling trends with small lamps and tighter
tolerances put more stress on the adhesive.
However, achieving a good bond between the
silicon adhesive and the component parts was
proving problematic.
To ensure the precise, repeatable treatment
results required, Hella’s robotics team integrated
the Enercon plasma treatment discharge head
onto a 6-axis articulating robotic arm.
This integrated solution applies the plasma discharge at a constant
speed and distance from the component.
The ability to manipulate the plasma discharge to ensure optimum
surface preparation in seconds allowed Hella to increase the speed
of the manufacturing assembly.
After the success of the trial, Hella purchased two Blown-ion™
treaters for headlamp assembly lines. Not only did Hella find a
solution to improve adhesion and bonding in the Camry headlamp,
they were also awarded Australia’s Excellence Award for Engineering
by Toyota.
While plasma surface treatment is a technology relatively new in the
UK, Enercon has been delivering surface treatment solutions around
the world for over 30 years. To guarantee a successful solution the
specifics of each application and manufacturing process must be
understood in detail. So, to ensure the effectiveness of plasma
treatment for each application, Enercon provides application trials,
testing and advice either on-site or in our own laboratory.
To find out how plasma treatment can improve your
manufacturing processes visit www.enerconind.co.uk , call
01296330542 or email [email protected]
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