United States Patent to

Bille -
11, 3,708,733
(45) Jan. 2, 1973
54 METHOD OF IMPROVING THE OTHER PUBLICATIONS
SURFACE ACTIVITY OF "Guide to Corona Film Treating' May 1961 Article in
ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE
CARRIER STRIPS Plastics Engineering by Heide et al. pp 199-206.
75 Inventor: Holger Steen Bille, Hamfelde, Ger Primary Examiner-J. D. Miller
many Assistant Examiner-Harry E. Moose, Jr.
73) Assignee: Softal Elektronik G.m.b.H., Ham Attorney-Williamson, Palmatier & Bains
burg, Germany 57 ABSTRACT
(22 Filed: Feb. 25, 1971 A method of improving the surface activity of electri
(21) Appl. No.: 118,832 cally conductive carrier strips, to enhance their bond
ing properties. The surface of the strip is subjected to
30 Foreign Application Priority Data a high frequency and high gradient alternating electri
cal field formed between two electrodes. The carrier
March 26, 1970 Germany..................... P 2014. 646.7 strip which forms one electrode is conducted over and
in direct contact with a roller electrode which forms
52 U.S. Cl............................................... 317/262 A the other electrode and the surface of which com
511 Int. Cl............................................... H01t 19/00 prises a solid dielectric material. The difficulties which
58) Field of Search................................... 317/262 A occur when an air gap is present between the strip and
the electrode are thereby avoided.
56 References Cited 5 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure
UNITED STATES PATENTS
3,483,374 12/1969 Erben...............................317/262 A
PATENTEDJAX 2 1973 3,708,733

INVENTOR
AM/47A76 SVAA7/ Af///A

14, mours
 3,708,733
2
METHOD OF IMPROVING THE SURFACE In accordance with the invention there is no interval
ACTIVITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE i.e. no air gap between the roller electrode and the con
CARRIER STRIPS ductive carrier strip forming the other pole. No short
circuits occur due to the presence of the dielectric and
The present invention relates to methods for improv 5 a uniform electrical discharge with a good appearance
ing the surface activity of electrically conductive carri of sparks is obtained. The degree of efficiency is
er strips, such as aluminum foils. generally improved and, in particular, the device is of a
Before electrically conductive carrier strips, in par particularly simple construction as only one single
ticular metal foils can be printed on, varnished, coated roller is necessary for the basic process and this roller
and lined, they must be subjected to a preliminary 10
acts at the same time as electrode and as guiding- or
treatment and degreased, in order to increase their ad transport roller. The carrier strip to be treated is simply
hering capability. A surface activation must take place placed over the roller electrode, and therefore few dif
which ensures that printing inks, coloring materials are
accepted and are sufficiently securely joined to the ficulties paratus.
occur in the locating of the strip in the ap
It is no longer necessary to adjust the air gap,
metal foil. 15
as said
In a known process of the type mentioned above, the that the treated gap no longer exists. Further, it is of advantage
electrically conductive carrier strips which is to be ac removing the heatconductive carrier strip can assist in
tivated, and which forms an electrode, is generally con result of its direct contact withthethe
produced in roller electrode as a
roller electrode.
ducted over electrically neutral and insulated transport This is not possible in the case of the presence
or guiding rollers. A driven rotating roller electrode 20 gap. The heating of the treated carrier strip ofthereby an air
which forms an opposite electrode to the carrier strip is produced, also causes the vaporization of water and oil
arranged in the region of at least one of these guiding remnants. Therefore, the drying for example of printing
rollers, at a distance from the carrier strip to be treated. inks, is assisted and no cold shock occurs in extruder
Thus, there always exists a gap between the two elec
trodes, i.e. between the electrically conductive carrier 25 coating the strip with synthetic plastics material.
strip and the rotating roller electrode, which electrode does notthe
Thus process in accordance with the invention
is in fact usually coated with a dielectric material. Thus device, but alsooperate
only
produces
with a substantially more simple
an even better result.
at least two rollers, one transportor guiding roller and With the process in accordance with the invention,
one roller electrode are required for the execution of 30 the carrier strip to be treated may not only be treated
this known process. Further, the gap between these two on one of its two sides, but a process may be used in
rollers must be set at an appropriate value, and to insert which the carrier strip is passed over and in direct con
the carrier strip, it must be threaded carefully between tact with at least two of said roller electrodes rotating in
the rollers. This operation can be decidedly difficult in opposite directions, in such manner that one of its sur
the case of carrier strip activation apparatus having
poor accessibility. As the gap has a relatively high im 35 facescontacts
contacts one roller and the other of its surfaces
the other roller.
pedance, a correspondingly high degree of electrical
energy must be applied in order to overcome this im it isInnaturally order to increase the speed or degree of treatment,
possible to use more than one roller elec
pedance, for the full activation of the selected surface.
It has become known, in order to increase its surface 40 trode to treat one surface of a carrier strip.
activity, to subject a non-conductive synthetic plastics In accordance with the invention, the improvement
or increase of the surface activity, which is also called
material foil to a preliminary treatment with roller elec electrical
trodes, which are disposed in direct contact with the of bonding improvement, takes place as a result
synthetic foil. In this preliminary treatment, a guiding various processes, which co-operate with one
roller is provided which forms one electrical pole, 45 another to a greater or lesser degree, due to the effect
whereas a number of roller electrodes, which form the of the high frequency alternating field namely, ion
other electrical pole are applied to the other side of bombardment, electrode bombardment and corona
synthetic foil whilst it rotates around the guiding roller. discharge (spaced discharge). In the case of aluminum
An electrical spark discharge (corona discharge) then foils it is assumed that the increase in the surface activi
takes place between the roller electrodes and the guid ty can be mainly traced back to the ion bombardment
ing roller, which produces the desired increase in the 50 in co-operation with the electron bombardment. The
surface activity. However, only electrically non-con high frequency alternating field also frees the foil of
ductive carrier strips are treated by this other known surface water and other impurities. Thus an electrical
process. spark discharge takes place through the solid dielectric
The aim exists to simplify the device for implement 55 material, and, in fact, between the electrically conduc
ing the process of the kind mentioned in the introduc tive carrier strip, which forms one pole, and the roller
tion, and to improve the degree of efficiency of this electrode, which forms the other pole. Conveniently
process. the carrier strip is earthed whereas the high frequency
According to the present invention there is provided alternating field is applied to the roller electrode by
a method of improving the surface activity of electri means of an appropriate generator.
cally conductive carrier strips, wherein the surface of 60 The present invention will now be described by way
the strip is subjected to a high frequency and high of example and with reference to the drawing, which is;
gradient alternating electrical field formed between a diagrammatic side view of an apparatus for carrying
two electrodes, and wherein the carrier strip which out the method in accordance with the invention.
forms one electrode is conducted over and in direct 65 The terms top and bottom as used herein refer to
contact with a roller electrode which forms the other relative positions as shown in the drawing.
electrode and the surface of which comprises a solid For the case when the carrier strip is to be treated on
dielectric material. its underside only, the strip is given reference 4, and is
 3,708,733
3 4
conducted over the top over at least one of the roller 1. A method of improving the surface activity of
electrodes 1 or 2. For the case when the opposite sur electrically conductive carrier strips, wherein the sur
face alone is to be treated, the carrier strip is given the face of the strip is subjected to a high frequency and
reference 5, is shown in broken line, and is conducted high gradient alternating electrical field formed
over the bottom of at least one of the roller electrodes. between two electrodes, establishing the conductive
For the case when both surfaces are to be treated, the carrier strip as one of said electrodes, establishing a
carrier strip, is given the reference 6, is shown in dash roller as the other of said electrodes and wherein the
dotted line, and is conducted over at least two roller peripheral surface of the roller comprises a solid dielec
electrodes 1 and 2 in such manner that these rollers tric material, and causing the conductive electrode
rotate in opposite directions. At least two roller elec- 10 strip to be conveyed toward and into direct contact
trodes are required in this last-mentioned method. with the dielectric surface of the electrode roller as the
If a particularly high speed of operation is required roller is revolved.
or a more intensive preliminary treatment is to be ef. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carri
fected, a correspondingly greater number of roller elec er strip is passed over and in direct contact with at least
trodes must be used. 15 two of said electrode rollers rotating in opposite
The process in accordance with the invention is directions, in such manner that one of its surfaces con
suitable for increasing the surface activity of the many tacts one roller.
roller and the other of its surfaces contacts
different electrically conductive carrier strips. For ex the3.other
A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip
ample, the process may be used on conductive foils of 20
metal, in particular of aluminum, compound foils con isrotating
passed over and in contact with a plurality of rollers
sisting of non-metals and metals, or conductive paper, one of itsinsurfaces
the same direction in such manner that only
contacts the rollers.
such as paper mixed with carbon.
4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the strip
The rollers are provided with a solid coating 3, hav is passed
ing a relatively high dielectric constant. For use as a 25 over more than two rollers rotating alternately
dielectric, many different types of synthetic plastics inlersopposite
contact
directions in such manner that adjacent rol
opposite sides of the strip.
materials may be used, such as epoxy resins, and 5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strip
polyester compounds, and also glass may be used. is aluminum.
What I claims as my invention and desire to secure sk ck sk ck sk
by Letters Patent of the United States is: 30

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