News
Dow Corning's Plasma Solutions group has li-censed its atmospheric pressure plasma liquid deposition (APPLD) technology for commercial coating on one of its SE-1000 AP4 systems to Weinheim, Germany-based company Freudenberg Forschungsdienste KG.
Midleton, County Cork, Ireland - Dow Corning's Plasma Solutions group has li-censed its atmospheric pressure plasma liquid deposition (APPLD) technology for commercial coating on one of its SE-1000 AP4 systems to Weinheim, Germany-based company Freudenberg Forschungsdienste KG. After working with Dow Corn-ing for several years to co-develop plasma-coated products and manufacturing proc-esses, Freudenberg is now ready to begin commercially producing a variety of APPLD-processed products in a roll-to-roll process modifying flexible substrates such as woven and nonwoven fabrics or polymer films.
The aim of the collaboration between Dow Corning and Freudenberg is to push the commercial use of APPLD technology in the European market. Freudenberg pro-vides product development and toll manufacturing using Dow Corning's APPLD technology via its SE-1000 AP4 coating system.
Dow Corning's APPLD technology allows users to engineer the surface of virtually any substrate by applying extremely thin coatings of various materials that chemically bond to the underlying substrate. Coatings can have a wide range of characteristics, such as waterproofing, low-friction slickness, adhesion promotion or antimicrobial properties. The energy-efficient APPLD process operates at near room temperature, uses no water, solvents or surfactants and has negligible waste disposal or recycling needs.
"We're pleased that Freudenberg has decided to begin full-scale surface modification of flexible substrates, like technical textiles and polymer films, using our APPLD technology," said Chris Shirk, Dow Corning Plasma Solutions program manager. "This collaboration allows us to leverage 60 years of Dow Corning surface-science experience to deliver a total solution, from manufacturing equipment to chemical pre-cursors to processing know-how."
Gerd Esswein, general manager of Freudenberg Forschungsdienste KG, said that Freudenberg decided to use plasma coating because of its unique capabilities and because it is a remarkably green technology. "Dow Corning's APPLD technology gives us the chance to develop and manufacture customized textiles and other flexi-ble materials with novel, tailor-made properties. In addition, the APPLD technology complies with strict European environmental regulations and saves energy, raw ma-terial and waste, compared to traditional wet-chemical methods" he said.
About Dow Corning Plasma Solutions
Dow Corning Plasma Solutions is a leading global developer of atmospheric plasma-coating equipment, materials and processes for a wide range of markets, including automotive, biotechnology, construction (e.g., windows), electrical and electronics, healthcare (e.g., medical devices), general industrial manufacturing, packaging (e.g., food and beverage, pharmaceutical) and technical textiles. For more information on Dow Corning Plasma Solutions, visit http://www.dowcorning.com/content/plasma/.
About Dow Corning
Dow Corning Corporation (http://www.dowcorning.com) is a globally integrated pro-vider of materials, application technology and services, and is focused on providing innovative technologies that help its customers to invent the future. Dow Corning Corporation is equally owned by The Dow Chemical Company and Corning Incorpo-rated.
About Freudenberg Forschungsdienste KG
With 240 employees, Freudenberg Forschungsdienste is the central R&D partner for all Freudenberg companies and offers development tasks, testing and analytical ser-vices to external customers. It is an important part of Freudenberg New Technologies together with New Business Development and Venturing. For more information on Freudenberg Forschungsdienste, please visit http://www.forschungsdienste.de/.
About Freudenberg Group
Freudenberg is a family-owned company offering its customers technically challeng-ing product solutions and services. The Freudenberg Group is first and foremost a supplier specializing in seals and vibration control technology, nonwovens, lubricants and release agents. In addition, the Group has a presence in household products with the strong Vileda® brand and is operating several service companies.
The Freudenberg Group employed over 33,000 people in 53 countries and generated sales of some 5 billion Euros in 2006.
Contact:
Dr. Birgit Severich
+49 (6201) 80 2524
birgit.severich@freudenberg.de
Contact Freudenberg Group North America:
Cheryl Eberwein
47690 East Anchor Court
Plymouth, Mich. 48170-2455
Office: +1 (734) 354-5373
Cell: +1 (248) 767-1068
Fax: +1 (734) 451-0043