Nanogate AG (ISIN DE000A0JKHC9), a leading international nanotechnology enabler, will be present at the international trade fair for surface treatments and coatings (O+S) in Stuttgart at a joint stand with sarastro GmbH.
Among other novelties Nanogate is to display a newly developed UV-hardening coating for plastic sheet goods. In collaboration with one of the largest providers of coatings to enhance polycarbonate and acrylic sheet goods, it has been possible to develop a procedure by which the material can be flexibly applied using UV-hardening to a variety of different types of plastic without any further pre-treatment. The innovation's strengths are its scratch resistance, ease of cleaning, and low process and production costs, which have already convinced the first customers.
The range of applications for plastic sheet goods is extremely diverse, covering aircraft windows, door and gate sections, motorbike fairing and interior fittings. While their usage may differ, however, the demands placed on the products are still similar. The plastic must be resistant to dirt and scratches so that it is easier to handle in use and lasts a long time. The newly developed UV-hardening coating material presented by Nanogate at O&S 2010 combines these properties, thereby extending the permaResist(R) line of polymers. A further advantage is its flexible application on very different types of plastic such as polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). It is not necessary to treat the substrate before coating, which simplifies industrial mass production and makes the production process much leaner and more time-efficient. This saves not only time, but also energy and additional process costs.
The coating specialist's UV mass production equipment can enhance up to 1.5 million square metres of sheet goods a year, working three shifts a day. Sheets of up to 2 x 3m with thicknesses of 2 to 15mm are processed fully automatically. This means that, true to its philosophy as an enabler, Nanogate AG is now able to offer its customers production-ready solutions for sheet goods too. The first customer orders have already been received, from shower cubicle manufacturers for instance.
With 'Volume meets surface' as the slogan, Nanogate will have a joint stand at the trade fair with sarastro GmbH, the specialist for developing and marketing biologically active surface functions. Nanogate's equity investment in sarastro was formally completed in April 2010 and the two companies will now be cooperating to equip materials, surfaces and products for a wide range of applications with new biological properties, thereby creating high-performance solutions for a rapidly growing market.