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Technology & Innovation
5
BEYOND SURFACES
Fall
16
4
D
r Helmut Rudigier, Chief Technology Officer at
Oerlikon Surface Solutions, is no fan of ivory-tower theories or research that only revolves
around itself and the company. “Research must be
market-oriented. That is the only way it can create
a foundation for products that offer sustainability
and functions that benefit our customers. Our R&D
staff are at the cutting edge of scientific develop-
ments, they publish regularly and are members in a
wide array of different scientific and practice-oriented
bodies. They are invited as experts to international
The Oerlikon Surface Solutions Segment owns about 1’800 issued
patents. The innovations that are being brought to market continuously
under the two brand names, Oerlikon Balzers and Oerlikon Metco, are
the result of intensive in-house research and development, but also of
successful collaboration with external partners. These include not only
industry-related or university institutes, but also selected customers.
Research and development
Multifaceted
collaboration
trade conferences. This guarantees an open mind, as
well as interaction with the industry.”
The Segment employees engaged in scientific work
come from over a dozen nations and are well-connected
worldwide. “Many of them come from well-known univer
sities and have been involved in successful top-level
research there,” explains Helmut Rudigier. And so it is
clear that the Surface Solutions Segment employs top-
notch specialists who drive forward developments in
the areas of new coatings and new materials, but also
concerning systems and processes.
Close collaboration with industry-related
and university research institutes
In addition to their own development work, the R&D
teams also cooperate closely with both industry-orient-
ed and university-affiliated research institutes concern-
ing basic scientific research, especially in the areas of
plasma physics, coating technologies and materials
sciences. The central focus here is the development of
new materials and processes, their chemical and physi-
cal properties and potential areas of application.
“With regard to many of our staff engaged in
scientific work, I can say with no exaggeration
that they are among the best in their fields.”
Both Oerlikon Balzers and Oerlikon Metco also
cooperate closely with institutions conducting research
in the area of process and surface treatment solutions
(with an emphasis on layer development), but also
with those which are active in the area of applications,
including especially the field of mechanical engineering.
Moreover, in various institutes, coating equipment from
Oerlikon Balzers and Oerlikon Metco is employed in
order to further the institutes’ own research work.
“These cooperative relationships, often maintained
over many years, are very valuable for us because they al-