Key Findings
Oerlikon has announced a significant breakthrough in the development of high-performance thin-film coatings free from PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These novel PFAS-free coatings offer properties that rival or even surpass those of traditional PFAS-based coatings and lubricants, providing the industry with a sustainable and high-performing alternative.
Technical Details
- Enhanced Durability and Protection: The newly developed thin-film coatings boast superior durability and exceptionally long service life, reducing the need for frequent replacements and conserving resources.
- Robust Resistance: They provide excellent protection against oxidation, chemical attack, and mechanical wear, ensuring stable performance in demanding industrial environments and harsh operating conditions. This makes them ideal for applications where reliability and resilience are paramount.
- Broad Application Scope: With these superior properties, the coatings are expected to find widespread application across various high-stakes industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical devices, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
- Environmental Compliance: PFAS are recognized globally as “forever chemicals” due to their environmental persistence and potential health risks, leading to increasingly stringent regulations. Oerlikon’s PFAS-free technology significantly reduces this environmental burden, supporting safer product lifecycles and compliance with evolving global standards.
Background & Context
PFAS have been widely used for their excellent water, oil, and heat resistance. However, growing concerns over their environmental persistence and health impacts have driven rapid regulatory restrictions in Europe and North America. Industries are under immense pressure to develop and adopt PFAS-free alternatives, and Oerlikon’s technology directly addresses this urgent market demand.
Many sectors are actively pursuing PFAS elimination throughout their supply chains. A key challenge has been finding replacements that can match the performance of PFAS, especially in high-temperature, high-pressure, and corrosive environments. Oerlikon’s thin-film technology overcomes these limitations, offering a solution that balances performance with sustainability.
Strategic Significance & Outlook
Oerlikon aims to apply this PFAS-free thin-film coating technology across a wide range of products, including automotive components, industrial machinery, electronic devices, and packaging materials. The company plans to strengthen collaboration with customers, providing customized solutions tailored to specific application requirements to accelerate the transition to PFAS-free products. The widespread adoption of this technology is expected to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of industrial sectors globally, marking a crucial step towards a more sustainable future.
Source: https://www.oerlikon.com/en/about-us/sustainability/advanced-pfas-free-coatings/
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