Exhibition Report: Automotive Engineering Exposition 2025 YOKOHAMA

This exhibition is one of Japan’s largest specialized trade shows for advanced automotive technologies. A wide range of leading companies from across the industry took part, including OEMs, automotive parts manufacturers, and materials and equipment suppliers. The venue was bustling with visitors throughout the three-day event.

At our booth, we introduced advanced atmospheric-pressure plasma technologies, including Openair-Plasma^®, oxide reduction treatment, and PlasmaPlus^® functional nano-coatings. Through live demonstrations and sample displays, visitors were able to see specific examples of how these technologies can be applied in automotive manufacturing processes.

One of the main highlights was the live demonstration of pretreatment for bonding using Openair-Plasma^®. We treated various material samples, including plastics and metals, directly at the booth, allowing visitors to see firsthand the dramatic improvement in water wettability and the increased adhesion of adhesive tape after plasma treatment. Many visitors commented that they were impressed by the possibility of improving adhesion without the use of primers.

We also displayed tensile lap shear test samples using aluminum substrates, comparing untreated samples, alcohol-cleaned samples, and plasma-treated samples. This side-by-side presentation visually demonstrated the difference in bonding strength achieved through plasma cleaning. Some visitors who currently use other atmospheric-pressure plasma systems commented that they had never seen such a strong effect with their existing equipment and were surprised by the dramatic change, which helped convey the high treatment performance of our technology.

For oxide reduction treatment, we presented samples of oxide film removal from oxidized copper together with video footage of the process. As an environmentally conscious process that does not rely on conventional chemicals or flux and enables non-contact, dry oxide removal, the technology drew strong interest for possible use in soldering processes for automotive electronic components. Visitors expressed particular interest in the fact that oxide films can be removed simply by changing the process gas and noted its potential for flux-free soldering applications.

For PlasmaPlus^®, we introduced examples of functional thin-film coatings on a variety of substrates. Visitors were especially interested to learn that, in addition to hydroxyl groups, other organic functional groups can also be deposited, and that the technology has already been used in mass production since 2007. This provided a valuable opportunity to reaffirm the reliability of the technology.

At the exhibition, we also presented a wide range of application examples for the automotive industry. More than 100 plasma surface treatment applications for automotive components were showcased together with evaluation data and actual samples, including prismatic and cylindrical battery cells, door handles, parking sensors, and weatherstrips.

We would like to sincerely thank everyone who took the time to visit our booth.

Through this exhibition, we had the opportunity to hear directly from many visitors and once again recognized the growing potential and demand for plasma technologies in the automotive industry.

Nihon Plasmatreat will continue to propose advanced solutions that contribute to environmentally conscious surface treatment and help address challenges such as multi-material bonding, corrosion protection, and improved durability through atmospheric-pressure plasma technology.

If you are considering product implementation or technical evaluation, please feel free to contact your nearest sales office or sales representative. We also hold free online seminars every month, and we would be pleased to welcome your participation.