Oil, fat and contaminant free moulding through advanced low friction and fretting-resistant coating solution

Project Information

cleanMOULD

Grant agreement ID: 719035

DOI

10.3030/719035

Project closed

EC signature date 12 February 2016

Start date 1 March 2016

End date 31 August 2016

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Nanotechnologies

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

CEMECON SCANDINAVIA AS
Denmark

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - cleanMOULD (Oil, fat and contaminant free moulding through advanced low friction and fretting-resistant coating solution)

Reporting period: 2016-03-01 to 2016-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

With cleanMOULD, CSA addresses the key problems associated with the increasing the life-time of plastics moulding tools. As plastics conversion is a very large and growing industry (estimated 1.450.000 million EURO worldwide), cost reduction by improved mould quality has a very large economic and environmental impact. CSA aims, through the cleanMOULD project, to develop and commercialize a novel DLC coating, which will address fretting wear and corrosion in moulding tools, thereby increasing the lifetime of the mould up to 10 times. This will significantly reduce the mould maintenance cost, and therefore the overall cost associated with plastics conversion.

The overall objectives of the project were a complete and thorough assessment of the technology, both from a technological, financial and intellectual property point of view, in preparation for a commercialization of the technology.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the SME Instrument Phase 1, CSA has achieved to following:
1) Technological improvement of the current DLC process to improve hardness and adhesion, merging the gap towards a fretting resistant DLC coating
2) Technological feasibility assessment of the technological requirements for achieving the required properties, including pipeline upgrades
3) Analysis of the target markets which will be addressedwith the novel technology, initially with focus on Denmark and Germany. The market analysis has given an understanding of the current market situation and the market potential for the technology, with a focus on geographical segmentation and existing market barriers. CSA has identified key sectors in the industry, packaging and medicinal consumables, where the technology is expected to have the largest impact on the market
4) Analysis of potential IPR strategies following the development of the technology
5) A complete business plan highlighting the strategy which CSA will use to carry cleanMOULD to the market

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

CSA will continue the development of cleanMOULD within the SME Instrument and with internal investments. The technology is expected to create 15 new jobs directly within CSAs production within 5 years from project finish, and a projected aggregated revenue of more than 15 million EUR over the first 5-years of commercialization. cleanMOULD will, furthermore, increase the competitiveness of the European plastics industry, which currently employs 1.45 million people, ensuring continued growth of employment and revenue in the EU.

Uncompliant mould due to fretting wear