We typically set our parts in a multi-rack vacuum plasma equipment for cleaning. At a frequency of about once per month, we were finding a defect, either due to an equipment setting failure or possibly as the result of incomplete cleaning. Although we have a set operation procedure, each operator was executing this procedure with a slightly different level of motivation and awareness. Accordingly, it was difficult to avoid the occurrence of such defects completely. Our aim was to find a simple and straightforward method for improving our quality management.
We found PLAZMARK™ at an exposition we attended. When we used the free sample they gave us, it showed clear changes in color, which made it very easy to check if the treatment had been carried out properly, or whether the settings had been correct. Impressed with the simplicity, we opened discussions with our Quality Management Department and decided to introduce PLAZMARK™ right away. We installed a PLAZMARK™ card for each shelf of the equipment where our parts were set. Now, when cleaning is completed, we compare the color of each card with the color sample to make sure that all the parts have been properly cleaned.
Outcome: Defect occurrence was decreased dramatically. Thanks to its cost-friendliness, overseas plants were also able to purchase the product easily, without an approval of the headquarter. The simple visual evaluation it allows for has been perfect for local employees to ensure quality management.

During plasma surface treatments prior to joining resin molded parts, we were having difficulty finding an efficient measure to evaluate uniformity due to certain parts’ 3-dimensional shapes.
We used one of the sample PLAZMARK™ for Atmospheric Plasma long labels in our evaluation process, and immediately we were able to confirm a difference in colors. Also, we could see the correlation between the color difference and the measurement range of conventional methods.
Taking the color meter under optimal processing conditions as our basis, we used PLAZMARK™ for Atmospheric Plasma long labels twice a day: once just before operations began, and again just before operations resumed following the lunch break. Color changes were quantified by utilizing the color meter, then recorded in our daily reports and retained as evidential data.
Outcome: Time-dependent deterioration of equipment performance was mitigated through the conducting of daily assessments, which enabled us to provide products with reliable quality. As a result, we received high acclaim from our clients and the order volume shows increase.

According to “Assistant Division Manager ‘C’” tasked with running the customer service division of a plasma equipment manufacturer, his company received a complaint from a client regarding unexpected deterioration of sealing parts on their exhaust pipes. The client checked the equipment and found that it was taking longer to vacuum than usual due to the deterioration of the sealing components. Since the deterioration had occurred quickly and unexpectedly, the client demanded that a proper investigation for its cause be conducted.
In order to examine the condition of the plasma inside the chamber, label-shaped PLAZMARK™ indicators were placed on the interior walls and in various other locations inside the chamber. Based on a color evaluation, it became clear that there was an abnormal plasma discharge inside the exhaust duct. The equipment was adjusted immediately to keep the plasma within the appropriate space. As a result, the client was able to succeed in implementing appropriate preventative measures, so that the unanticipated deterioration would not continue to occur.
Since this experience, whenever Assistant Division Manager C’s company has conducted periodic maintenance, they have used PLAZMARK™ labels in order to examine the status of any plasma in the interior of a chamber. In addition, they have been sharing the PLAZMARK™ color data with their clients to provide reassurance regarding the results of the maintenance check. PLAZMARK™ has also been in use for their final testing before they ship their finished products.

Outcome: PLAZMARK™ quickly helped to identify the cause of the problem. Because of the promptness with which they were able to provide the necessary measurements, the company was able to successfully minimize any negative impact to its client’s operations. In spite of the initial issue, the company’s support system was acclaimed so highly by the client that their relationship actually became deeper and stronger as a result.

The electronic parts manufacturing company of “Director ‘D’” had multiple automated production lines for which the same manufacturing process was being utilized repeatedly. His department had been receiving inquiries regarding a fluctuation of quality in products by production lines, and his team had been excessively busy dealing with the issue. In most cases, this type of problem would be due to slight differences found in the 10+ plasma machines in operation, which could be expected regardless of their having the same settings. Ideally, inspection should have been carried out before operating hours commenced each day, in order to make sure that there was no machine difference. But since this would have been both time and energy consuming, it was not realistic.
After an agent of theirs highly recommended PLAZMARK™ as a “very easy and cost-friendly” evaluation tool, the company purchased some sheet-type indicators and placed them inside of the more than 10 plasma machines they were using, while holding them all at the same setting. By using PLAZMARK™, the uniformity of the plasma process in each machine was assessed, as was the potential of any machine difference. While uniformity was found in all of the plasma equipment, the data clearly showed that machine differences were occasionally occurring.
The results were shared with each manufacturing department and a series of common rules were established, including checking the condition of the machines every morning to make sure that there were no differences. The production department has been faithfully following this protocol ever since. PLAZMARK™ has also been helpful for the production engineering department. For example, when equipment has been added or replaced as part of factory expansion or production line expansion plans, adjustment of the settings of the equipment has been able to be carried out efficiently based on the results of the color test. At the time of new installation, strict and accurate settings by using the color meter have been required, but for daily maintenance visual inspection by using the color samples has been sufficient to prove whether the necessary conditions have been met.

Outcome:Because of PLAZMARK™’s ease in use, the production department was able to cooperate with regard to enforcing the company’s new protocol. As a result, the frequency with which the production engineering department had to deal with the issue decreased dramatically. The capability of the color difference to be quantified clearly was helpful for adjusting settings when production lines were expanded. PLAZMARK™ proved not only easy to use, but provided reliable results, which enabled the company to significantly improve its quality management.

We wanted to be able to confirm the effectiveness of plasma cleaning before wire bonding. Although we had been doing so based on the Au Etching rate, the equipment for carrying out such measurements was quite costly and energy-consuming, which limited the number of operators who could handle it. In addition, the specimens used for the Au Etching measurement process were also quite expensive themselves, thereby making it hard for us to conduct the test as often as we desired. Furthermore, the payment procedure was complicated, as well. These factors were going against us even though our intention was to check the plasma cleaning’s effectiveness with greater frequency.
In an attempt to find an alternative method for checking the effectiveness of plasma cleaning, we found PLAZMARK™. When we first used PLAZMARK™ for Ar Cleaning with Middle Sensitivity (No. 22), we could not see a significant difference. However, when we consulted with Sakura Color Products Corporation, they provided us with a free sample of High Sensitivity (No. 21), which responded with resolute clarity to our equipment. In comparison to the data collected through the Au Etching process, the color results showed a stronger correlation. Based on the calibration curve, we came to the conclusion that PLAZMARK™ could replace the system of measuring by the Au Etching rate.
Compared to the Au Etching process, No. 21 showed results much more quickly, making it possible for us to save over 20 minutes of waiting time. What’s more, we could easily quantify any difference in color by using the color meter as soon as we got the indicator (the specimen) out of the equipment. This enabled further streamlining of the operation.

Outcome: By using PLAZMARK™, we were able to perform the task of confirming the effectiveness of plasma cleaning in no time, which improved our overall work efficiency dramatically. The easy application and cost-friendliness of PLAZMARK™ enabled us to increase the frequency with which we did this work from once every few months to once a day. As a result, we have become better able to provide products with reliable quality, and to achieve value engineering for production lines as a whole.