Transferred arc

The transferred arc is special operating mode of the PAA Technology®, where the grounded conductive substrate serves as a counter-electrode and not the nozzle. Many plasma systems are based on the ignition of an electric arc. Often a coaxial geometry is used, with an inner electrode and the nozzle as counter-electrode.

If this setup is pulsed unipolar, with a high voltage on the electrode and a grounded nozzle, then the grounded conductive substrate can also be used as a counter-electrode instead of the nozzle. This operating mode therefore requires no additional equipment and has two clear advantages: The transferred arc generates plasma directly on the substrate, which allows a very intensive treatment. In addition, the nozzle no longer functions as a counter-electrode and only serves to guide the flow, which results in an almost unlimited life time. The transferred arc mode can even ignite an arc through a paint layer and thus be used for paint stripping.