What Plasma Really Is

Plasma is often described as the fourth state of matter, a partially ionized gas containing reactive species that can break down organic contaminants at the molecular level. To generate plasma, energy is applied to a gas, creating ions, radicals, and excited species that interact with surfaces.

Why Some Plasma Systems Require Special Gases

Many traditional plasma generators rely on bottled gases such as oxygen, argon, nitrogen, or gas blends. These systems were originally designed for applications where:

• Extremely controlled chemistries were required

• Plasma was generated in sealed vacuum chambers

• High-energy or narrowly defined surface treatments were the goal

Generating Plasma from Room Air

IonField Systems takes a different approach.

Our technology generates plasma directly from ambient room air, which already contains the oxygen, nitrogen, and trace gases needed to produce reactive plasma species. By precisely controlling the energy and flow conditions, we create a stable, repeatable plasma without relying on external gas inputs.

This means:

• No gas tanks

• No regulators

• No consumables (eg. detergents, water)

• No interruptions to reorder supplies

The plasma is created on demand, using what’s already present in the lab environment.

The Benefits of No Consumables

Eliminating consumables isn’t just convenient; it fundamentally changes how plastic labware cleaning fits into daily lab operations.

1. Lower Operating Costs

Without consumables, plasma cleaning becomes a fixed-cost process, not a recurring expense. Labs can scale usage without worrying about per-run or per-hour consumable costs.

2. Simplified Installation and Footprint

Room-air plasma systems only require basic ventilation systems. This makes installation faster and allows systems to be deployed closer to where work actually happens.

3. Increased Uptime

No consumables means:

• No downtime waiting for deliveries

• No mid-run interruptions

• No variability from gas purity or pressure changes

Plasma is available whenever the system is powered on.

4. Better Fit for Automation

Consumable-free plasma generation is inherently more compatible with automated workflows. There are fewer failure points, fewer alerts, and fewer reasons for a system to stop unexpectedly.

Designed for Continuous Lab Use

IonField’s room-air plasma technology was built for routine, high-throughput lab plastic labware reuse, not occasional batch processing. By removing consumables from the equation, plasma cleaning is:

• Predictable

• Scalable

• Easy to integrate into existing workflows

It’s plastic labware cleaning that behaves like infrastructure, not a specialty process.

Cleaning, Without the Overhead

When plasma is generated from room air, it delivers the core benefits labs care about: clean surfaces, consistent performance, and fast turnaround, without the cost and complexity of gas-based systems.

At IonField Systems, we believe advanced cleaning technology should simplify lab operations, not complicate them. Plasma cleaning without consumables is a key part of making that vision a reality.