Oerlikon Balzers Customer Magazine

Technology & Innovation

will be constructed here in Dübendorf

on the grounds of a decommissioned

airport. The aim is to encourage

businesses to locate their research

and development departments there

so that, in close cooperation with the

scientists of Empa, the Swiss Federal

Institute of Technology (ETH) and

other institutes, insights can be

gained from various processes.

Empa works with many different

businesses – even with some

that are direct competitors.

That’s true. Empa stands for open

innovation, which means making the

findings gained from research avail

able to everyone. The last refinements

in the development of a process or a

product must then still be made by

the respective business. As Empa,

we enjoy a reputation for the best in

professionalism – and that is a plus

for us in this sensitive area as well.

Trust plays a great role here and forms

the basis for good cooperation.

What benefits does the end user

actually derive from the new

coating technologies on which

industry and Empa work?

There are several. For example, coat-

ings are able to increase the service

life of a product enormously. The area

of ‘printed electronics’, or electronic

components which are produced by

means of gravure, offset or flexo

graphic printing processes, also offers

tremendous potential. This could

result in many products becoming

significantly less expensive. Coating

technologies are also producing new

possibilities in medicine such as in

the use of coated, high-performance

synthetics as implants. In contrast

to conventional implants made

of metal alloys, these are radio

lucent. This makes examinations

to track the healing process much

easier than is currently the case.

What makes a technology

a ‘good’ technology?

A good technology is able to meet

needs that you previously didn’t

know existed. A fitting example of

this is the mobile phone. Who would

have thought a number of years ago

that one day it would be important

to be able to use the telephone in

any situation? Or to take pictures

with a telephone? Initially, this was

considered by many to be completely

absurd, but today it’s totally normal

for all of us! Developments of this

nature are always unpredictable.

Empa is currently establishing a

‘Coating Competence Center’ in

Dübendorf. Using several

different coating machines, new

manufacturing technologies are

being developed and refined

there. In addition to other

partners from industry, Oerlikon

Balzers is also supporting the

CCC – with an INGENIA S3p

plasma coating system.

This enables scientists and

engineers at the CCC to conduct

research on equipment that is

currently in use in the industry.

They can carry out process steps

and sequences which match

those used in production and, at

the same time – thanks to

Empa’s analytical laboratory –

analyse them using the best

possible scientific methods. This

allows findings to be made which

greatly reduce the investment

required for businesses to

accomplish so-called ‘up-scaling’

to industrial equipment.

COMMENT COLUMN

Enabling highly

efficient processes

Dr Helmut Rudigier, as the Chief

Technology Officer at Oerlikon

Surface Solutions, you have

been involved in the develop-

ment of new coatings now for

decades. What areas are the

main focus of your work?

The main issue our coatings are

always concerned with is how to

enable highly efficient processes, for

example, through wear protection

or by reducing friction. To do so,

a specific effect is achieved by

modifying the surface or improv-

ing it with a coating or in some

cases an additional treatment

so that the underlying body is

protected from external influences.

Dr Gröning mentioned the human

skin in his interview, and that is a

good example, because just like a

‘coating’, it, too, protects our body

from friction or chemical influences

and bacteria. Our coatings work

like skin: They protect the covered

body against external influences and

enable applications that would not

be possible without these coatings.

How do you implement your

own research results, and

those of others, at Oerlikon

Surface Solutions?

Our coatings are made for engine

components, among other things,

where they reduce friction, resulting

in greater fuel efficiency. Or they

extend the service life of turbines or

industrial tools, meaning these can

be employed more efficiently and

resources are conserved. However,

our newest developments go one

step further and enable additional

functions. One example of this

would be our ePD technology – an

environmentally friendly coating

method for obtaining a chrome look

in plastic parts. The ePD coating

can have various colours and can

also be transparent for light or

signals, which opens up totally

new possibilities for designers, for

instance in the automotive industry.

And what will the coatings

of the future look like for

Oerlikon Surface Solutions?

An interesting and attractive area is

that of the so-called ‘self-healing’

coatings, which are able to repair

mechanical damage to their sur

faces on their own. Our coating

materials will increasingly possess

‘self-healing’ properties in the future.

And here is one more fascinating

field: In the future, a component and

its coating will no longer be seen as

two separate parts – instead, the

one will be considered an integral

part of the other. Their interaction

will be matched and coordinated,

opening up new design possi-

bilities for savings in materials.

Dr Rudigier, thank you for this

interview!

What would you like to see person-

ally and in your role as a researcher

for the future of technology?

My greatest desire is for mankind to

be able to keep pace with technology,

both intellectually and culturally. This

is of crucial importance, in my opinion.

As a responsible researcher, you have

to ask yourself the question: “What

is possible in the laboratory? And

how much of that should be taken to

the outside?” Let’s take the example

of lengthening life – does this make

sense? And if yes, then for whom?

All of our research, developments and

refinements, of course, always entail

questions concerning social issues.

Those involved in any innovation

must be aware of this responsibility.

Dr Gröning, thank you for this

interview!

FACTS & FIGURES

INGENIA S3p

at Empa’s CCC