Project description
A viable, eco-friendly approach to manufacturing advanced microstructured polymer surfaces
Nobel Prize winner Wolfgang Ernst Pauli once said that while God created the bulk, surfaces were the Devil’s invention. Today, surface properties are crucial for various industries, including consumer appliances, automotive, aerospace and energy, but current mass manufacturing techniques involve costly and environmentally harmful coatings. The EU-funded Himalaia project aims to establish the first scalable, adaptable and cost-effective manufacturing platform for mass-producing functional micron and sub-micron structured surfaces on large, 3D polymer parts without coatings. This platform will combine advances in laser surface patterning, photonic nanojet patterning and surface engineering of injection moulds to create large, 3D mould cavities for mass production. The proposed platform will be validated through three industrial demonstrators in the orthodontics, cosmetic packaging and automotive sectors.
Objective
Nobel Prize winner W. E. Pauli warned, “God made the bulk, surfaces were invented by the Devil”. Surface properties must be controlled and modified to satisfy demanding engineering requirements for sectors as diverse as consumer appliances, packaging, automotive, aerospace, and energy. The mass manufacture of functional surfaces is currently achieved via the application of expensive coatings, which can have proven harmful consequences on the environment. HIMALAIA proposes the first up-scalable, adaptable, industrially relevant, cost-effective manufacturing platform that would allow the mass-production of high-performing functional micron and sub-micron structured surfaces on 3D and/or large polymer parts with antimicrobial, anti-scratch, anti-squeak, self-cleaning and aesthetic properties without coatings.
Latest advances in laser surface patterning/texturing, particle self-assembly for photonic nanojet patterning, and surface engineering of injection moulds at TRL4 will be combined and brought to TRL6 for the efficient and flexible micro / nano-structuration of large, 3D mould cavities. These moulds will allow mass production of parts with functional surfaces via injection moulding. This process will be developed with great strides made notably on the modelling of structure-function relationships and on the demoulding step. Finally, in-line, model-based inspection of surface topographies and functionalities will be developed and implemented on the platform. Results will be supported by Life-Cycle Analysis, project management, dissemination and IP/innovation management to ensure the economic sustainability and the European deployment of the platform towards 2030.
HIMALAIA will validate the efficiency and flexibility of the manufacturing platform through three high impact industrials demonstrators in different sectors: orthodontics (EO), cosmetic packaging (Albea) and automotive (CRF). Clear scientific, exploitation and business plans are presented.
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Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
01100 Bellignat
France