A key innovation with this new plasma treatment unit is that it uses the planar motor system XPlanar to transport workpieces with high precision and flexibility. XPlanar eliminates the need to move the often sensitive workpieces and the need to install complex 6-axis robots and linear motors.

A major advantage with XPlanar is that the plasma jets used to treat surfaces no longer need to be moved and, as a result, can now be installed in fixed mountings. The jets are complex, both mechanically and electrically, and the ability to move the workpieces rather than the plasma jets themselves reduces wear to the feed lines. For Jochen Stichling, there are additional benefits from the increased flexibility too: “We can attach a variety of material samples to the mover for treatment using just simple adapters. We can easily add processing stations alongside the plasma jets – markers for good parts, for instance, or optical sensing heads to conduct full part inspections – and carry workpieces to them flexibly as needed. And XPlanar’s rapid acceleration also lets us move material samples at high speeds; with thin samples, for instance, this helps minimize treatment time with the fixed jet.”