Cascade e-Ion Plasma™ Source - Thermal Plasma Generator

(Winner of R&D Best 100 Products Award)

AboutCascade e-Ion Devices

The Cascade e-Ion Plasma™ Source produces a plume containing ions, electrons, radiation and hot gas.  It is a versatile tool with many possible applications, especially in implementations requiring minimization of the heat affected zone. Its rapid heat-up time also makes e-Ion Plasma™ powered devices great for general heat treating, RTP replacements, photonic applications and dozens of other highly specialized applications. e-Ion Plasma is preferrable to chemicals for mitigating dross in an aluminum melting process.

The Cascade e-Ion's Wide Area Plasma technology allows for use as an energy efficient plasma covering of nitrogen.

Contact Us for a Live Demonstration

Not sure if the Cascade e-Ion Plasma™ is right for your application? Arrange to have your part treated even during a live video chat.



Wide Area Cascade e-Ion Plasma™ Source avalable in several apreatures

Diffusion-square

Multi-exit(LIP)

Narrow-focused (Default)

Wide-slit with EIZ-C

Square

Choice of aperture holes

For general immersion in beam*

Customized apertures available

 

 Plasma Source Plume
Standard Cascade e-Ion Plasma™ Beam for Brazing and Hardfacing

Cascade e-Ion Plasma™ Source Applications

 

 

Direct Impingement  Applications

Surface Modification. 

Deburr

Braze

The LIP may be used for plastics and polymers.

Cascade e-Ion Plasma™ Source Models and Specifications

 

Cascade e-Ion Plasma™ Source
Up to 200K/s Heat-up Rate

10-15 kW Power Consumption (Depending on Configuration) foe e-10 and e-14 machines

S-e_ion is about 16 kW
Highly Modular
Compact Table Top Sized
Highly Accurate Controls
No Water Cooling Required
Ability to Treat Ungrounded Metals
Stainless Steel Construction, Integrated Fan
No Toxic Emissions or Combustion Residues
220/230/240 Input Voltages
Single Phase or 3 Phase
Near Silent Operation
Plume Properties
Recombination Temperature ~2500°K
Convective Plasma (variable gas temperature is up to 1600°K)
Heat Transfer Coefficient ~225W/m^2.K.(Compare to 10W/m^2.K)

Example of Plasma Formation - N2+E ->N2++ e or
2N+E -> 2N+ +2e
Example of Plasma Recombination - 2N+ + 2e -> 2N + E or
2N -> N2 + E

Possible species include O2, N2, O2+ , N2+ , N, O, N+, O+, e−, in e-Ion Plasma of air

Possible species include N2, , N2+ , N+, e−  in the e-Ion Plasma of nitrogen.

Almost all commonly employed elemental or molecular gasses/species can be ionized including Ar, Xe, H2O and others.

 

CleanElectricFlame™ Technology

e-Ion Plasma™ use compared to Combustion

e-Ion Plasma CleanElectricFlame
CleanElectricFlame™. Nitrogen e-Ion Plasma™ Plume (possible species include N2, N2+ , N+, N, e-). Discharge is into room air conditions.   Use for Nitinol or Ti6Al4V nitriding. 

Issue

 Combustion Flame
(Conventional Plume)		 MHI Advanced LIP System GEN 3
(CleanElectricFlame™ Plume)

Emissions, Health & Environment
  • Likely to produce CO2, SO2 and soot
  • Uses combustion gas inputs of fuel and air, commonly requiring plumbing
  • Typical 20,000 BTU/hr burners produce about 22 moles of greenhouse gasses per hour
  • Fossil fuel powered combustion often leads to toxic byproducts such as Carbon Monoxide
  • Surfaces impacted by flame may be contaminated with small size soot-like particles
  • CleanElectricFlame™ technology produces no CO2, SO2 or soot as a byproduct
  • No toxic emissions.  Air is typical input.
  • Electricity powered, no plumbing or piping needed
  • No venting required
  • Uses only air input, no other gasses
  • No greenhouse gasses
  • Air to Air.  It's like changing your combustion flame to an electric flame
  • Highly efficient, saving on energy costs
  • Non-toxic
  • No residues left because of process
  • Improves productivity
  • May improve shelf life and quality of products

Process Impact
  • Narrow area impact when requiring intense flame, non-uniform heat application
  • Uniformity requirements may require multiple burners
  • User configurable width of plume
  • Higher efficiency
  • Requires less monitoring, saving on labor costs

Explosion Hazards
  • Highly combustible, volatile
  • Incomplete combustion may be a down-stream fire hazard
  • No combustible gasses used as inputs
  • LIP systems offer integrated over-temperature controls

Energy Efficiency
  • Flames are energy inefficient, with only around 10% of their energy able to be utilized for heat as quantized radiation may dissipate heat
  • Over 90% energy efficient
  • Realized energy savings may approach 80%. (A 30kW combustible flame may be replaced by a 6kW plasma plume)

Control
  • Lack of precise control
  • Frequent quality control issues
  • Precise
  • Available built-in safety controls including an over-temperature shut-off

Noise
  • Noisy combustion process
  • Silent

Odor
  • Noxious odor is often noted from combustion byproducts
  • Odorless
  • Clean Process

Cost of Operations
  • Consumes expensive reactant gasses
  • Frequent downtime leads to lost revenues and costs of repair
  • Higher insurance and other costs because of emissions and other flame hazards
  • Uses air and electricity
  • No reliance on supply of combustibles
  • Less downtime, less lost revenues, less cost of repairs
  • Possibility of lower insurance premiums from improved safety


Cascade e-Ion systems allow for continuous sintering (3Dsintering™) or hardfacing without the use of hydrogen. All ionic gasses are of a reducing kind.

Plasma polymerization of many unique polymers and blends and their surface deposits remain unexplored with this new method.

Your Information

First Name*

Zip code

Last Name*

E-mail*

Country

Company

Phone*

Address

Fax

City

Visual Contact Handle

State

Product of Interest

Please let us know any further information about your application that may assist us in proposing the best solution for your needs.

* Required fields

   

Almost there. Thank you very much for contacting MHI