A line drawn with a dyne pen or test ink either stays a continuous film or beads up within a couple of seconds. If it beads, the surface energy is below the ink's rated value. Operators step through pens such as 32, 36, 40 and 44 to find the level. It is a quick go or no-go check after corona, plasma or flame treatment and before bonding or printing.
40 dyne pen beads up on these parts, the plasma head must have drifted. Hold the lot.
Also heard as
- dyne marker
- dyne ink
- test ink
Related terms
Surface energy
A measure of how strongly a solid surface attracts liquids, which decides whether an adhesive can wet it.
Corona treatment
High-voltage electrical discharge across a film or sheet to raise its surface energy for bonding or printing.
Plasma treatment
Exposing a surface to ionized gas to clean it and add reactive groups that raise its surface energy.
Wetting
How well a liquid adhesive spreads over and makes intimate contact with a surface.