- How does the technology work?
Water repellency can be achieved on any surface by first applying a polymer binder layer which provides excellent substrate adhesion followed by depositing a layer of low-surface energy nanoparticles.
- How is the coating applied to the surface?
The coating is applied via a simple handheld air-brush spray-gun-based coating technique which can also be achieved via industrial air atomizer nozzle systems.
- Over what period does the coating retain its function?
It depends on coating abrasion and wear and tear due to handling. The coating on surfaces that undergo minimal abrasion can retain coating performance for 5+ years. We have tested that on surfaces that do undergo significant abrasion the coatings can last up to 500 abrasion cycles.
- Is the coating REACH (REGULATION (EC) No 1907/2006) compliant for the European market?
Currently, our production/export capacity does not exceed quantities that are necessitated for REACH (REGULATION (EC) No 1907/2006). As we increase our production in the future, we will be looking into obtaining REACH compliance.
- Is it possible to apply the coating in our factory?
Yes, the technology is feasible to be incorporated in an industrial setting.
- What procedure does the Nanostratus suggest to proceed with?
We recommend demonstrating the capabilities of our technology by coating some samples and assessing feasibility for the end-user application. The performance can be evaluated either at Nanostratus or client-end for the desired functionality. This can be followed by further discussions to obtain the suitable products.
- Does the coating also work with thin-walled (approx. 1.0 mm) articles?
Yes, we evaluate the performance of all our coatings on standardized samples which are 1 mm in thickness. We have also demonstrated that our coatings work for substrates as thin as paper (thickness < 0.1 mm).
- When we or our customers apply the coating, is there a drying time that must be observed?
There are two layers to our coating. A bottom polymeric binder layer and top low surface energy layer. The topcoat is done after 20 min of fabricating the bottom coat to ensure optimum cure of the bottom layer for abrasion-resistant coatings. After coating both layers the coating demonstrates water repellency after a couple of minutes and is ready for use. However, we recommend a full cure of at least 24 hours at standard ambient temperature and pressure to ensure resistance to any handling wear and tear due to under-cured coatings.
- Do other conditions have to be fulfilled for industrial coating, e.g., exhaust air systems, dust extraction, filters, etc.?
The current coating solutions utilize organic solvents as a dispersion medium, so we recommend a good exhaust air system while the coatings are being applied.
- What about the costs?
It is difficult to estimate an exact price without understanding the exact user requirements, end-application, amount, and frequency of orders. However, the technology is comparable to paint in terms of both application methodology and cost.
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