Success Story: Feather Craft relies on the power of Openair-Plasma
The innovative and comparatively young Openair-Plasma technology from Plasmatreat, the world market leader based in Steinhagen, Germany, enables the Asian manufacturer Feather Craft to fit its aluminum kyudo arrows for the Japanese martial art of archery with real feathers according to handcrafted models and exact specifications - thus preserving a piece of tradition.
The arrows for the traditional Japanese martial art of Kyudo, which has existed since the 16th century, are still made today according to traditional specifications - this requires the highest precision. The Japanese company Feather Craft with a market share of 50 percent, founded by descendants of a traditional craftsman, has changed the material of the sports equipment from bamboo to aluminum. Fitting the aluminum shaft with the real feathers that ensure the sports equipment maintains the exact trajectory presented special challenges for production: The feathers must be placed at the end of the arrow with the utmost precision according to the specifications of the old craftsmanship and must adhere reliably to the metal. The sports equipment manufacturer found the optimal solution in Plasmatreat's Openair-Plasma technology.
Process reliability and more protection for the environment and employees
For reliable bonding of feathers and metal arrow, fine cleaning of the metal shaft now takes place with the aid of Openair-Plasma. In the process, the aluminum surface is completely freed of oil residues from production. This allows the adhesive used to adhere optimally to the surface, producing a reliable bond between the arrow and feathers. The use of atmospheric plasma eliminates the need for chemical bonding agents (primers). This is how Feather Craft arrives at a process of bonding that is also significantly more environmentally friendly and also increases the protection of employees in production.
Compact system, precise pretreatment
The plasma system from Plasmatreat selected by Feather Craft consists of a compact FG 5001 plasma generator, with which up to two plasma nozzles can be optionally operated. The PFW10 Openair-Plasma nozzle used is matched to processes that are carried out with the highest precision and is ideally suited for selectively pretreating specific parts of a workpiece - such as, in this case, the precisely predetermined location for each individual spring. A Plasma Control Unit (PCU) with numerous control, regulation and monitoring functions ensures seamless process monitoring. This ensures the exact reproducibility of the pretreatment process of the aluminum substrates in order to achieve consistent quality of the end products.
Future carbon - safe with Plasmatreat
The bottom line is that Feather Craft benefits not only from the optimal results of bonding, which ensure the quality of its sports equipment. By automating the manufacturing process with Openair-Plasma technology, the sports equipment manufacturer is countering the shortage of skilled workers in this traditional craft. For the future, Feather Craft expects an increasing demand for arrows made of the even more elastic CFRP (carbon). In order to counteract the typical adhesion problems in relation to the feathers here as well, the Japanese company will continue to rely on its collaboration with Plasmatreat in the future.
