Joining amorphous thermoplastics with the aid of vacuum ultraviolet radiation

This article presents a joining procedure which is based on using vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation for the activation and modification of plastic surfaces. Thus, it is possible to achieve high bonding strengths at temperatures well below the material- specific softening range for welding without needing any additional materials such as adhesives. The influences of varying radiation doses on physical-chemical surface properties as well as on bonding strengths to the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and cycloolefin copolymer (COC) materials are investigated,and discussed for this purpose. The integration of the VUV activation into a plastics joining process is demonstrated too.