It is now possible to coat continuous filament yarn with the metal of your choice without any adhesive layer underneath by a new process called plasma metal coating.

Invented by EMPA Switzerland, this wordwide unique and patented technology has the potential to open new markets as it combines the characteristics of the metal (such as conductivity) with those of a filament yarn (such as touch, workability, ...) while providing an excellent adhesion of the metal.

 

Coating a filament yarn by the plasma coating method gives much better wear, a perfect level coating and little to no conductivity fluctuation compared to usual techniques of coating yarn with metal. Plasma metal coated yarns are easy to process in the textile chain and products on the fashion side have a wonderful noble appearance. Furthermore, they are easy to adapt to customer's requirements such as count, conducivity or base yarn material.


Plasma metal coated yarns are the only ones in the world that provide flexiblity, very high conductivity and longevity thanks to its new production process, where no chemo-galvanical methods are used. 
This is a huge advantage for demanding applications. The final product is easy care. The big problems that all metalized yarns have - brittleness and low adhesion - is inexistent for Plasma Metal Coated yarns. 

Advantages Why choose Plasma Metal Coated Yarns	Applications The sky is the limit
Programme What has been produced so far?	References Implementations of Plasma Metal Coated Yarns
Possibilties Tailored upon your requirements	Inquiry What to do when interested in Plasma Metal Cooated Yarns

or check out the product website for Plasma Metal Coated Yarn.

• textile touch
  Despite being coated with silver, plasma metal coated yarn feel just like a normal textile yarn and is just as versatile.
   
• exceptional adhesion
  The silver coating holds perfectly onto the yarn. Due to the plasma coating production process, the silver is not brittle and will not crumble off the yarn.
   
• very regular coating along the yarn
  Ideal for automation applications, where uniform conducitvity is important to keep performance at a steady level and reaction margins extremely narrow.
   
• coated with the metal of choice only
  There is no layer of any other metal or adhesive substance underneath like it is with other metalization processes. Yet, Plasma Metal Coated Yarns provide excellent adhesion of the metal on the yarn - much better than traditional methods.  
   
• tailored upon your requirements
  Additional to the standard programme, SwicoSilver yarn can also be made with the properties you need. This includes conducitivity values, base yarn material counts or twist. We do everything so that the yarns are easy to process for you.
  

Not only concerning the count (from a fine dtex 8 mono- or multifilament up to a coarse dtex 550 high tenacity multifilament) are plasma metal coated yarn highly flexible but also in reference to what materials can be coated. So far, the following materials have been used for this process:

 

• Polyester (PET)
• Polyamide 6.6
• Polyamide 6
• UHMWPE
• Viscose (CV)
• Silk
• Meta-/ Paraaramide
• Vectran

Also, friction textured HE or Set yarn can be coated which provides a "geometric" elasticity to the product.
Everything is possible as long as the yarn is a continuous filament yarn with a count of between dtex 8 - dtex 550.
 

Please refer to the according section of SwicoGold or SwicoSilver for more information.

Please use the below plasma coated yarn checklist (.docx file - attention, not the same checklist as for other Swicofil products) and send it completely filled in to us by email.